No. 320A

“Is that a rat?” were the first words out of my mouth.

“No, ma’am. Possum,” said the disheveled man on my porch.

It was the strangest sight I’d ever seen. “Does he bite?” I asked.

The man shrugged. “Sometimes.”

I was silent for a moment, trying to process the situation. He’d knocked on the door and I hadn’t looked before opening it. That wasn’t like me at all. Now there was some sort of hobo holding a possum standing in front of me.

He looked at me, and I looked at him. Finally, I managed to find something else to say. “Can I help you?”

The man nodded, and removed a tattered ball cap while he spoke. “My name’s Michael. This is Nelson. I was wondering if I could trouble you for a bowl of water. It’s terribly hot out here, and Nelson gets thirsty.”

I watched carefully for any sign of deception. Michael waited quietly while I considered his request. I heard the same part of me that asked if he needed help say something else.

“I don’t see why not. Why don’t you come on in?”

“And Nelson, ma’am?” he asked.

“Of course, Nelson,” my other-self agreed. This was not like me at all.

I went to the kitchen and brought a dish down from the cupboard. I filled it and carried it out to the living room. “There you go,” I told the animal as I set the bowl on the floor. It seemed appreciative, and drank quickly. I turned back to its companion.

“Michael,” I said.

He seemed to understand that I had questions.

“We’ve been travelling.”

Michael told me his story while Nelson finished the water. When the possum was done, it crawled back to Michael’s lap. The man smiled, stood, and thanked me.

They left very soon after.

I stood behind the screen and watched them go down the road.

To this day, I can’t remember where he said they were going next.