I feed Henry every day.

He’s really quite good-natured about the whole thing. While I find myself feeling irritable when I need a snack, Henry is content to snuggle and purr without ceasing. I’ve programmed an alarm to remind me three times a day that Henry does in fact need to eat if he’s going to continue growing at a healthy pace.

It took awhile to find the right kind of meal for Henry - local pet shops, Facebook pet owner groups, and Reddit pages did nothing to assist in this matter. So we had to try it all.

While he does love to roll in the leaves or take long walks sniffing every bush we pass, Henry wasn’t interested in being vegetarian. We’ve settled on a bit of an omnivore’s diet where he pretty much eats meat with a small flourish of green in his bowl.

He’s not really one for a hunt either. Perhaps his lineage is more royal than we know, I think he’s perfectly content to be waited on hand and foot. Or, feet and short shrimpy arms, as it were.

I was delighted to find out that my apartments don’t have any pet restrictions that apply to Henry, because at first I was wondering where I could keep him. As it turns out, he likes the guest bedroom just fine. Eventually I think we will have to upgrade though because he’s currently the same proportions as his king size bed.

One day though, I sure hope to take him flying - there have to be some upsides to hosting a dragon at your house.

I can feel the warmth creeping up my neck. It enters my cheeks and immediately they flush with color, taking my hue from pale ghost to circus clown nose in less than a second.

My eyes start to water just a bit, not enough to overflow their cisterns but hovering dangerously close. I remind myself to breathe. One breathe, halfway down my lungs. Do better. Another. Deep, slow, not counting but ensuring the oxygen reaches my diaphragm. Exhale. Slowly.

Eyes searching for other eyes, staring. But shockingly, there aren’t any. I’ve had this entire moment of panic in a crowded space….alone. Instantly I’m relieved as I find no other eyeballs searching for me. Maybe they didn’t hear my plate hit the ground. Excellent.

And then the second feeling comes quickly and takes hold - no one even noticed me? I’m here in the middle of all these people and yet I’ve never felt so alone. So invisible.

Cool. A great start to the day.