SUSAN LOESCH
CATS IN THE STACKS

It was a calm day in the library. Alex had spent the morning chasing jingly balls around the reading room and rolling in the sunshine coming in the windows.

He then donned his real, thrown-from-floats-in-the-French-Quarter Mardi Gras beads. One of Big Footsie’s friends had sent them to him last year and, as Footsie did, Alex seemed to wear them with pride, not irritation.

Then it all changed, and now Alex is the talk of the school.

I went down to the cafeteria during secondary lunch to get some coffee and as I got off the elevator someone called out, “Oh, you must have heard. Are you coming to get Alex’s trophy?”

Trophy? This was the first I’d heard of any trophy. “For the Homecoming Parade,” I was told.

I’d forgotten that the parade entries were judged because I never try to decorate with anything but a sign.

That may be about to change, though. As trophies were awarded for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place I waited. And then the Staff Division prize for, um, last place was awarded…to “ALEX THE CAT!”

Last place? That goes to the entry judged to have the least inspired…most uncreative…well, worst decorations!

After lunch Mary and Trinity were in the library and we were talking about the trophy.

“Allie, you are so beyond last place,” said Trinity. “Don’t worry, you were just misjudged!”

And then she turned to me. “Ms. Loesch,” she said, “You’ve just gotta do something better next year for Al.” She didn’t have to tell me that; I was already thinking the same thing.

Even today when my first graders came in one said, the minute he hit the door, “So Alex was in last place? Was he in 4th or 5th?”

“No,” said another student. “He was the very last.”

“We are sure not going to be in last place next year,” I assured them!

Alex and I could be discouraged, but actually we are not. I mean, hey, at least we have a trophy. How many people are there on campus with no trophy at all! It is all in how you look at it and all in fun.