Cookie's Nana complained about the infestation but all Mrs. Cline did was drop off a dollar tree bag with 6 humane traps. Nana thought they were gringo shit. Where was the poison? What was she supposed to do about the mice once they were caught in the plastic cages? But Nana was not about to go and spend her own money, so Cookie was tasked with setting the green traps wherever she could reach. Two on the bottom of the pantry near the water bottles, another two up a few shelves next to the spam and tortillas, one behind the spices, and one between mom's blender and the candles.

"Ai, Cookie, put a little cheese in there," her brother told her.

She tore up a Kraft single and asked, "Like this?"


Six hours after she laid the traps, the first mouse started chirping and Nana yacked into the trash. From then on, it was Cookie's duty to empty the traps often enough that Nana would never see another.


"Nana's real pezzed off," she said. Her brother said that Rita should've guessed the mice would come back after she took the cats for a ride.

Cookie didn't attend their farewell, so she dreamt of her cats prowling in the garden section of Home Depot.


Cookie had recently learned to play chess and thought of each release as a knight's move—since she had to go two blocks up and one over to reach the playground okayed as the dumping site. The traps fit perfect in the sequined purse that Nana got her from DD's. Cookie would tuck it under one arm and make up songs for her little friend on their ride. At the park, she would call out to the bushes: Incoming! Timber! Check!


Once, her brother released a mouse into the yard for Diablo to chase around and eat but the dog was too fat and estupido to catch it.

Once, she cried because one of the mice had cancer but Nana said that they were just his cojones and to stop being such a chillona.

Then she got a hamster as her present for being patient while mom was away, but it escaped and her brother said he found fur in his snake's cage.


Cookie liked playing chess on the computer because she could always beat it on the lowest setting. She would've asked for a chessboard, but it wasn't much fun playing against herself like she did at recess.

Now, it was only every other day she had to take a mouse to the park. They were getting the memo.


After mom got out, they went to Home Depot because mom had had enough of Mrs. Cline's shit and was going to finally exterminate these chingadas. Mom said, "Look, this is chess, not checkers," and Cookie knew exactly what she meant.

.