One day while I was visiting my dad, he decided to stop by his friend's house to talk to him for a while. He told me that his friend had known me since I was a baby but I didn't remember him. After I said hello and shook his hand, he and my dad went into a room and talked for a while. While they talked, I sat and waited on the couch near the front door in silence. I was bored out of my mind, but I was a very patient child at the time so it didn't bother me that much.

After about ten minutes a black cat walked into the room. I assumed that it belonged to my dad's friend. There was a strange aura surrounding the cat. I had a feeling something tragic was about to happen. The cat constantly stared at me. It would stare for a few minutes and walk away. Then it would come back and stare again. It did this over and over until it finally stayed in the room and stared at me for the longest it had yet. Suddenly, I saw the cat get up and slowly walk towards an elegant looking vase. It was nice and tall with attractive patterns. As it approached the vase the cat looked at me one more time as if foreshadowing what the future would hold after it performs the heinous act.

The cat leaped high in the air, knocked over the vase and sprinted out of the room. I looked at the shattered pieces with awe. I never would have imagined that an owner's cat would randomly knock over and expensive vase. However, I had to get over my surprise and think of a way to tell my dad and his friend without making it seem as though I was lying. I could already tell the story would be hard to believe. Looking at the situation my dad would probably assume I was doing something stupid and accidentally knocked the vase over myself. I had to decide what I was going to say, how I was going to say it and whether I should say it immediately or wait until my dad and his friend returned.

While contemplating what to do I was interrupted by my father's entrance into the room. His friend came in shortly after. It hadn't been long at all since the cat broke the vase but I wasn't sure if they came because they heard it or not because it wasn't a very loud crash. My dad saw the broken vase and then glared at me. I already knew what was coming but I tried to avoid the inevitable. "I didn't knock it over, the cat did", I explained. My dad's glare became more harsh and then he chuckled a little. "You expect me to believe that Donovan's cat knocked over the vase while we were gone?" My dad asked with scorn. "Yes", was my only reply. He turned to his friend. "Has your cat ever done anything like this before?" He asked. "No", his friend answered. My dad turned back to me with a disappointed look. I could tell he was not only angry but very embarrassed. "I'm so sorry about this Donovan", my dad said. "It's fine", His friend replied. After he apologized he took me to the bathroom and told me to remove my jeans and lean over the bath tub. I heard the sound of his belt buckle behind me.

What I knew would happen all along was finally about to take place. All I could think about was that stupid cat that wouldn't quit staring at me. I began to think it was the cat's plan all along to frame me for knocking over the vase. The way it kept glancing back at me as if it wanted me to know what it was going to do. The way it swiftly tipped the vase over and ran out of the room right before my dad and his friend returned. I thought maybe it had heard them coming. I learned in school that a dog or cat's hearing is much more powerful than a human's. In any case I knew that I hated it and that cats are smarter than they look. As I grimaced at the first strike I made a statement in my head that I will never forget: "From this day forward, I will always hate cats."