So it's a straight swap - pie, in this case strawberry, for cat. I spoke to my neighbors the other day about the fact that my ex-cat hasn't been around since the last full moon. They changed the subject to how they're worried about his ear but they can't take him to the vet, and then they looked at me and I got the hint. Oh, I see, you kidnap my cat but I have to take it to the vet. Interesting.....
So we have a kind of ritual now. Every ten days I happen to mention that I'm missing my cat. That there's a void where he once was. I normally do this in the morning. In the late afternoon they come around with a pie. What can I say? They won. Beware old Italian ladies. They're switched on.