Safely in San Jose--sans Sombra?

We arrived at my sister's house early in the afternoon. I let Sombra explore the two-story, three bedroom abode while I unloaded the car. Despite being uprooted from her home and being forced to continually shift residences for several days, she seemed to approve her new surroundings, soon got tired of exploring and jumped up on a windowsill to observe the outside world.

That relieved me of my present duties as cat parent, so I went out and explored the vicinity. I tried to find a decent cup of coffee (first things first!). I stumbled upon one coffee shop which looked cozy, but had no air conditioning. So, I headed for the tried and true Starbucks. I did make the mistake of inquiring whether they offered wi-fi and got an earful. Apparently, only T-mobile customers can sign on there (WTF?); however, they eagerly informed me that it was very easy to "steal" the Internet from other users, that they had all done it themselves, and they would be happy to show me how to do so if I had my laptop with me. Meanwhile, a half dozen cops had infiltered the outside eating area in order to confront a group of adolescents who probably were just minding their own business until the guys in black decided to give them a hard time. I grabbed my iced latte and headed back to my sister's where I could legally access the Internet from her computer.

After a relaxing afternoon surfing the web, talking to my fellow designers about politics and sex, and reading my book about monsoons in India, I soon was joined by my sister, neice and nephew. So much for Sombra's peace and quiet. A few moments of pats and hugs from the kids and she was outta the room like lightning. Guess she may have been a teensy bit startled by the remote control 4-wheel drive jeep mowing through the foyer and living room, as well. We did leave her alone when we went tothe kids swimming lessons, my nephew's karate lesson, and a meal at Boston Market, but we came back too quickly for her taste. Before we knew it, she had disappeared. And this time, we had no idea where she had darted off to. While the kids got ready for bed, I looked everywhere for her: behind bookcases, under beds, above shelves, in closets, outside--everywhere, to no avail. Hours later, as I lay in my bed thinking, 'Damn, I drive several days cross country with her so she doesn't get freaked by an airplane ride and now, after all that driving, she decides to disappear. And, to top that off, she is supposed to help the kids get over their beloved cat who wandered off and was never seen again. Great.' I was heartbroken, which doesn't make much sense since I am leaving her here when I go anyway. Still, my poor baby.

Just when I had talked myself into never seeing her again, she scampers from under the bed in which I am lying and hops on top of me! Turns out she had hidden inside the box springs. How in the heck did she get there?! Who cares. She's home. Completely freaked out by her new family. But home, nevertheless. Sweet dreams.