They fell silent for a moment.
“Highly unusual,” said one of them, a cow in a polo shirt.
“Highly unusual,” stressed another, a cat in a tank top and skort.
“But…” – and here they seemed to deliberate on it with a mere twitching of their eyes – “…we’ll allow it,” said a third, a bear in a Tilley hat.
The tension eased slightly then as they gathered round me like children anxious for storytime.
I sighed. “I, I’m not sure how to begin.”
“Why don’t you start,” said one of them, “by telling us what you do for a living?”
“I’m an HR manager at an insurance company.”
“Whooooooo-oooooooo!” they all sang in unison, a great anticipatory chime, as if such a career choice would be rife with dejections and regret.
“And what did you want to be when you were a little boy?” asked a deep-throat
