Annie Share  - The Purrrfect First Job

 

 

So, there was a lot of tension around money in my household growing up. Who was spending it, how much was being spent, and of course, why so much of it was being spent at Target. [audience laughter] As my brother and I grew older, my stay-at-home mom felt more and more pressure to contribute to the family financially. Naturally, this led to her opening up an online cat themed gift store called Feline Frenzy, [audience laughter] and I was her unpaid intern. My mom prided herself on only selling high end items like brooches and handcrafted soaps, which set her apart from the other feline retailers who sold cheapo crap. Eventually, she decided to expand her market by becoming a vendor at cat shows throughout the Midwest. 

 

Now, for context, for those of you unfamiliar, cat shows are a lot like dog shows, except while dogs can do things like tricks, cats are judged solely on their beauty and poise. [audience laughter] I was bored out of my mind. This particular weekend, instead of attending the North Junior High School Party of the century, I was stuck with my mom at a Best Western Plus just outside of Des Moines. Instead of playing Spin the Bottle, I had to mingle with women over the age of 55 and pedigreed cats. I was not allowed touch, because they were literally worth more than me. [audience laughter] I begged my mom for weeks to let me stay home, but she just wouldn't hear it. She couldn't do it without me. 

 

We sat up in complete silence. Two folding chairs behind a glorified card table with display racks featuring our fine plush cat puppets and artisanal ceramic paw stubbles. [audience laughter] Business was slow. [audience laughter] It was always slow, since, as it turns out, feline enthusiasts have a strong preference for cheapo crap. [audience laughter] 

 

To kill some time, my mom suggested that we take a stroll around the conference center, something that we'd actually never done before. We spent so many weekends at these shows, but we never really left our little booth. We started by walking down the rows of breeders. We met Maine Coons and Russian Blues and cats we never even knew existed before, and neither do you. [audience laughter] We laughed at the many absurd hairdos and gossiped about who we thought might win big. 

 

The afternoon ended up going by really fast. Although I would not have admitted it at the time, I was actually having fun. That was until I realized at the end of the day that we did not even break even. You see, before this show, my dad had started to refer to Feline Frenzy as an extreme expensive hobby. And I agreed with him. My parents’ arguments about money were growing more and more heated, and I resented my mom for being so stubborn. These were the thoughts that were on my mind as I picked at my blooming onion at the local Outback Steakhouse that night, a meal that would cost more than we made that day. I couldn't hold it in any longer. “Can't you see how ridiculous this is? Feline frenzy is tearing our family apart. [audience laughter] Also, I think I'm more of a dog person.” [audience laughter] 

 

My mom sat quietly for several minutes, the longest silence there had been between us since the morning before she finally, finally turned to me and said, “Annie, of course, I know it's ridiculous. That's what makes it so fun. Not everything is about money. We never get this quality time to spend together. For me, that's what makes it all worth it.” I realized that she was right. Between school and friends and sick junior high parties, these weekends were the most time I had spent with my mom in years. I'd forgotten how much I enjoyed it. 

 

The next day, we revisited some of our favorite felines and cheered them on in their final competitions. We schmoozed with our vendor neighbor, Pat, who sold cat beds and purrniture. [audience laughter] We still did not sell much, but it finally was starting to feel like maybe my mom and I were on the same team. The best part was that at the end of the weekend, she told me I could pick out one thing to thank me for all of my hard work. My eyes immediately found Eddie, the love child of a Selkirk Rex and a Norwegian forest cat. I was shocked when my mom let me actually bring Eddie home. 

 

I was shocked for two reasons. The first being that it put us several $700 in the hole for the weekend. And the second being that it broke my dad's golden rule, which was do not, under any circumstances, no matter what, bring another cat home from a cat show. [audience cheers and applause]. 

 

My parents announced that they were getting a divorce within the week. [audience laughter] 

No, retroactively, I know Eddie was not solely to blame. But at the time, I couldn't help but feel at least partially responsible. And the divorce also meant the end to Feline Frenzy. I only ever attended one more cat show, enthusiastically this time. Several months later, just for fun as attendees with my mom. We reconnected with our friend, Pat, and our other feline friends and reminisced about our glory days. Sure, maybe the business side of Feline Frenzy had been less than successful, but it also gave us something that money could never buy. We were now rich in family assets. The two of us had never been closer. Thank you.