It was a couple of years ago that I started bringing Apple Pig out with me less. I love him, and he even has his own apartment in the house (I’ll have to get a picture for another day), but he isn’t as young as he used to be, and I was getting worried about bringing him out. He still goes on long trips and he still goes places on rare occasions, but I’m a bit more protective of him than I used to be.
To be honest, though, it has been strange not bringing a plushie around everywhere with me. I really like snuggling them on car trips, and it can be humiliating in restaurants when Master insists I put said plush up on the table with us, etc. It was an aspect of our lives that became a regular thing, but Apple Pig’s safety is paramount and who knows how long he would have on this Earth if we kept bringing him out in his (slightly loved) state.
We tried other plush. Biggle Piggle is too big, Ron is too small, Cube Pig is too noisy. The thing about Apple Pig is that he’s just kind of the right size.
Well, a few months back, we were in a store and I saw a tiger I really liked. I mewed and Master said that I could keep the tiger! We brought him home, and I named him Luke. Interestingly, Apple Pig has fallen in love with Luke and they are very happy together. (So far, I don’t want to jinx him or anything.)
Luke has actually become a meme in this house, too. He doesn’t say much, but he’s very expressive with his long arms and legs and he’s notorious for his shrugs! Last week, on a whim, I thought it might be fun to bring Luke out with us. I asked Master if it’d be okay and he said yes! So, I packed Luke up in the snack bag we take around with us and it was actually pretty perfect. He’s small, but not too small, and he’s so funny! He’ll even pass me snacks from the bag, etc.
Poor Apple Pig is definitely jealous that Luke has replaced him this way, but he has. Luke is the new “Car Pig!” We take him almost everywhere with us (okay, except doctor visits), and it kind of feels like we have a little bit of our lives back that we were missing for a bit. Not a major piece, no, but a piece that makes us both very happy.