Puppy Pile, Part 1

The first wisps of sunlight were starting to peak from behind the blinds. Amazingly enough, nobody was snoring.

There was nothing quite like waking up in a puppy pile on a weekend morning. At least half a dozen people were involved, all still soundly asleep. Jessica couldn't quite count all the limbs, but she was pretty sure she knew everybody. Slowly, carefully, but with a practiced ease, she slipped from the middle of the pile without disrupting anyone.

She made her way down to the kitchen where the remnants of last night's party still lay strewn about. A problem for a later time. A time after coffee and breakfast and late-morning farewells. As far as Jessica was concerned, the party wasn't over quite yet.

The aroma of her snobby, expensive coffee had barely begun drifting through the house when Jessica heard soft footfalls on the stairs. She didn't recognize the pattern immediately. Looking up, she spotted Suzanne. A relative newcomer to the group. Her first time spending the night. Jessica smiled and waved, ushering Suzanne over.

“Good morning, Sue,” Jessica whispered. “Sleep well?” She already knew the answer to the question. Though still waking up, Suzanne had that delightful brightness in her eyes of a good night's sleep.