When we finally got home, Bwana made a beeline for the bathroom and took a bubble bath while I made dinner. I kind of expected him to fall flat on his face, but no —he managed to jump into the tub and turn on the faucet like a champ.

I went around the block to stretch my mind and pierce my ears. Then I made a dinner of rice, potatoes, and chicken that looked delicious and healthy but was actually a blatant attempt to fatten him up.

After dinner, we watched a movie on TV. He's gaga for old British black-and-white movies, and I don't mind letting him practice shadowing the dialogue, since he's eager to shake off the heavy Siberian accent he's so proud of.

Soon after, he fell asleep, just like that, apropos of nothing —unless the strange mushroom he'd found and gobbled up in the park two months earlier was the cause of his drowsiness. I covered him with a blanket, added salt to taste, and went to bed. I'm afraid of the dark, but luckily a cockroach the size of an aircraft carrier walked me to my room. I slept like a prophet that night.

* Pictures by ¡StockPhoto