Hidden

     Early in our marriage, my husband and I were part of a group of couples that got together for a weekly Bible study at each other's houses.  When it was our turn to host, I would spend the day cleaning and preparing the night's meal.
     It was our week and I had worked all afternoon to prepare.  Right before the guests began to arrive, I heard a scratch at the door.  I knew it was one of our two cats.  Boo-Boo and Marble were indoor/outdoor cats and came and went.  I opened the door and Boo-Boo and Marble both ran inside. Boo-Boo immediately dropped something as she came inside.  It was a mouse...and it was still alive!  It ran directly to the couch and underneath it.  The cats followed in hot pursuit, but they were not fast enough.
     My husband had come to the door at the same time I did, and he saw the whole incident unfold. We heard a car pull up outside. I looked up at him.
     "What do we do??"
     He calmly replied, "We don't tell our guests."
     Our guests came in and we greeted them.  More guests arrived.  The evening proceeded as usual, with the guests commenting on the good food.  Everyone participated in the Bible study.  Some of our friends commented on how friendly our feline family members were this time.  The cats were hanging out right there with us.  Normally, they would avoid the crowd.  Three hours flew by and all of the guests said goodbye.  We walked the last guests to the door and closed it behind them.
     My husband and I turned to look at the couch that some of our company had sat on.  We exhaled in the quiet living room.  Almost instantly in that moment, the little mouse darted out from underneath the couch and Boo-Boo swiped it with her paw.  She killed it and Marble was right there with her.  Such an abrupt ending to our anxious night.  The entire time our company had been there, we had worried about that mouse making an appearance and startling them.  I don't think we ever told any of our friends about what had been hidden so close to them the entire time!