I have a surprise house guest

This Saturday morning I woke up and started to make my To Do lists. I love lists, they really help keep me on track.  One list isn't enough. I have a calendar, a grocery list, etc you get the idea.  On my list was to clean out my fridge, which I have been meaning to do for weeks.   See, now that I live alone, I hate to waste garbage bags that aren't full, so I keep all my leftover food in the fridge so my apartment doesn't smell. 

I got rid of a lot of stuff, and as I was throwing it into my garbage (which is under my sink) I see these small brown ovals.   I look closely and curse.  Mouse droppings.  WTF?  I don't know a ton about mice, they aren't my favorite creatures.  But I did have one in another old apartment and as I was getting out of the shower, I see it running through my glass doors. I immediately hop in my bed (still only wearing a towel) and proceed to stay calm, I am way bigger than that thing...but it didn't work, and I ended up going into a panic attack and hyperventilating.

So, now that you know about my mouse fear...I see these droppings today and immediately run downstairs to the laundry room to sign up for the exterminator who, coincidentally, is supposed to come today.  I love our exterminator.  He is a nice old man. I don't know if he is doing the best work...but still, he is nice.  So I am patiently waiting in my apartment, he should be here any minute...and I wonder where that mouse is.   Well, two hours later, NO exterminator. I can't verify it is mouse droppings, although I am 99% sure and I was hoping he'd give me poison or a trap.  But I can't deal with seeing a mouse in a trap, or dead.  Although when they die they try to get outside, so that is good.

Oh what to do??   OK I just called, and he is going to come over right now special just for me (I didn't realize with the holiday it was pushed to next week).  He confirmed it was mouse droppings and put in two things of poison...and I said NO to the sticky pads.  The last thing I want to see is a furball.  He said all the food should be eaten in a day and the mouse/mice will probably die in my wall.  So I was smart enough to ask about the smell, which he confirmed I might smell for a day or so, depending on how many there are since the smell is the water that evaporates from the body or whatever.  Fun Stuff.  He did reassure me that it had nothing to do with my cleanliness (or lack thereof) but because for the last two weeks it has been freezing and they followed the pipes in.  Thank goodness I only saw it under my sick and not near any of my food/cabinets/etc.  

One of the many disadvantages of living alone...you have to deal with things that scare you.  I don't think I ever told you about my issue with bugs, but that is for another day.