Alfie and George

by Rachel Wells

  ‘Do you have a kitten?’ George asked.

  ‘No, I’ve never had a kitten of my own … but maybe you can be my kitten.’ Tiger looked at me hopefully.

  ‘Hey, it goes without saying, Tiger. We’re like family and families take care of each other. That’s what I try to teach my humans and that’s what I’m now teaching George.’

  ‘Now I have a mummy and a daddy!’ George exclaimed. I looked at Tiger and was hit by an unexpected bolt of emotion.

  ‘Right, well then, George, when you’re allowed out more I will help you, with Alfie, get used to the area and the other cats. And if you feel like hunting then I can take you.’ I had never heard Tiger sound so excited. ‘Oh, think of the things we can do!’

  George bounded off and started jumping around at the other end of the garden, where he had spotted a low-flying bird. I looked at Tiger.

  ‘Do you think he’ll want to hunt?’

  ‘It’s natural for us cats, Alfie. Just because you’re rubbish at it doesn’t mean the boy won’t want to,’ Tiger teased.

  ‘It’s not just that. When I had to hunt, when it was the only way I got food, I still really didn’t like it. I’m just not that type of cat – so it’s lucky you’re around for George.’

  ‘Yowl!’ George tried to climb a bush and promptly fell off, landing on his tail and covering himself in blossom. Tiger and I smiled indulgently but let him get himself up again. My instinct was to rush to him whenever he fell but he had to learn to land properly.

  ‘Alfie, he is so lovely, I know exactly what you mean now,’ Tiger cooed.

  ‘Isn’t he just? Oh, what was the thing you said you had to tell me?’ I asked, suddenly remembering.

  ‘Well, I didn’t want to worry you but when I was on my early morning walk I heard Polly shouting at Matt as she left the house. She stormed down the road muttering to herself. She looked really cross.’

  I looked at Tiger thoughtfully, grateful that she had told me. It was the second week of Polly going to work and Matt staying at home, and although I hadn’t been able to visit them to find out how it was going, I had heard Claire and Jonathan saying that they were both finding it tough.

  ‘Thanks, Tiger, I’ll go and see them. Any other gossip?’

  ‘Well, the cats miss seeing you as much as they usually do, but you’ll be able to bring George by soon and it’ll be like old times. There haven’t been any more posters for a couple of days, which is good, so maybe that whole missing cat thing will blow over.’

  ‘Thank goodness.’ I had enough to worry about with my humans and George, I certainly didn’t want to worry about other cats as well.

  ‘The funniest thing is that Salmon has taken a liking to that Pinkie. You know, the one who thought you weren’t very manly! Anyway, he keeps trying to find excuses to see her and I’m not sure she feels the same way. Actually, I’m sure she doesn’t, she hides whenever he approaches, but seeing him try to flirt is the funniest thing ever. I think she’s scared to come and join us much now.’

  ‘Ha, serves her right for rejecting me,’ I said.

  ‘I thought you weren’t interested?’ Tiger’s eyes narrowed.

  ‘I’m not, but that doesn’t mean she shouldn’t have admired how handsome I am.’

  ‘Oh, Alfie, you’re such a vain cat. Please don’t pass on that trait to George.’

  We both looked at George. He was staring at his reflection in the glass door, preening and turning his head to look at himself from all angles.

  ‘Oh dear, it might be a bit late for that,’ Tiger laughed, before bidding us goodbye as Claire, Summer and Elijah all ran into the garden. Summer scooped George up and squeezed him tightly. Honestly, I did worry that she would stop him breathing sometimes.

  ‘Eli?’ Summer said.

  ‘Yes?’ he replied. He was used to being bossed about by her and didn’t seem to mind too much.

  ‘You pat Deorge now.’ She thrust my kitten towards Elijah and he obligingly stroked him. I smiled, George purred, and I felt content for the moment.

  A little while later I left George, who was still playing with Summer – or rather, Summer was dressing him up in her dolls’ clothes. He didn’t look exactly thrilled, but I had to go and see Matt, and I knew that being bossed around by Summer would at least keep him out of trouble for a while.

  I pestered Claire to let me out. Despite the fact George had had his vaccinations, his outings were still being monitored and so the cat flap wasn’t always open. I no longer worried about being let back in: if I sat on the kitchen or living room windowsill someone usually saw me. Although it wasn’t quite as convenient as the cat flap, it wasn’t too bad. I had cat friends who refused to use the cat flap, preferring to get their owners to let them in and out as if they were their butlers. Which I kind of understood now – it was pretty nice having my humans run around after me.

  I padded slowly to Matt and Polly’s house. It was early afternoon so I knew Polly would be at work and the kids probably at school, or at least Henry would be anyway. I let myself in and found Matt at the kitchen table, alone, with his laptop open in front of him. He didn’t look great. He hadn’t shaved, which wasn’t like him – he was usually as well-groomed as me.

  ‘Miaow,’ I said, loudly. He jumped a bit, looked up and smiled sadly.

  ‘Alfie, how are you?’

  ‘Miaow.’

  ‘I haven’t seen you in ages. Hey, have some tuna.’ I licked my whiskers; not only was I a bit peckish but it would be nice to eat without the threat of George stealing my food.

  He took a bowl out then opened a tin and emptied it in, placing it on the floor. He then got me some water. I was in for a feast.

  ‘It must be funny seeing me here in the middle of the day,’ he said as he watched me eat. I had learnt in my years of experience with humans not to interrupt them when they needed to talk. If I carried on eating quietly I knew he would say all he needed to say.‘I’m not used to it either,’ he continued.‘I miss work. I feel useless, Alfie. Don’t get me wrong, I love spending more time with the kids but, well, I’m just not feeling myself.’ I could tell he wasn’t himself just by looking around. The sink still had dishes from breakfast and there were crumbs all over the kitchen floor; usually their house was immaculate. Polly would never have let that happen.

  ‘Miaow,’ I concurred.

  ‘I know, it’s normally immaculate and Polly is much tidier than me. Don’t worry, I’ll sort it before I pick the kids up from school. Like I need to give Polly any more excuses to nag me! I haven’t done the washing and the place is a mess, but I am trying to find a job, you know. And it turns out housework is harder than I thought. The other day I tried to empty the hoover and I managed to tip it all over the kitchen floor. Honestly, I am not cut out for this.’ He looked so upset.

  He slumped down onto the kitchen chair. I quickly cleaned myself and hopped onto his lap. I looked at him, trying to tell him that he could do this. He was a strong man and this was only temporary. He would get the hang of the hoover, I was sure of it. He stroked me and I purred to give him some support. I wonder if he understood.

  ‘And so far there are no jobs around. I’ve applied for a couple but I know they’re not right and probably won’t want me. God, everything was so great, how on earth did it come crashing down on me? I really don’t understand, Alfie, and now it all feels as if it’s falling apart.’ He actually had tears in his eyes and I suddenly felt the seriousness of their situation.

  I wanted to yowl again, the way I had when Snowball left. It was so sad and it was as if my worst fears were being confirmed yet again. All I wanted was happiness for my families but we were getting the opposite. Matt looked so miserable, not like the man I knew at all. It was funny how life could change so suddenly. He used to look smart, stand tall and laugh all the time, nothing fazed him, but now he seemed diminished. Now I knew why he and Polly had been arguing. But, I wanted to tell him, if he cleaned up the house and himself, he would feel better. I had lear
nt that from Claire. I had an idea. I jumped up onto the draining board and miaowed loudly, over and over. Finally Matt laughed.

  ‘OK, Alfie, I’ll load the dishwasher and clean up. You’re right, at least then Polly won’t shout at me again.’ I kept him company while he cleaned the kitchen. Although he didn’t exactly look as if he felt brilliant, as he said, at least Polly and the kids would have a clean house to come home to.

  Matt also went to clean himself up before picking the children up from school. As I watched him shave and then put some jeans and a T-shirt on, he began to look like his old handsome self. He smiled at his reflection.

  ‘Thanks, Alfie, you’ve somehow managed to cheer me up a bit.’

  I rubbed his legs to let him know that he was most welcome, and then I left to go home to my kitten.

  Claire was at the sink when I appeared on the windowsill, making her jump. She laughed as I hopped down and waited by the back door, which she soon opened.

  I bounded in and found Summer in her booster seat at the kitchen table, eating carrots – or rather, sucking them and then throwing them on the floor. I wondered where George was; he was nowhere to be seen.

  ‘Miaow?’ I asked Claire.

  ‘Oh yes, Alfie, look, we have to be so careful, but I didn’t like to move him.’ I looked at her questioningly and followed her to the utility room. The washing machine door was open with some clothes inside and on top of them, fast asleep, was George. I shuddered: what if they’d put the machine on? I miaowed my disapproval. It was dangerous! Didn’t Claire know that?

  ‘Don’t worry, Alfie, I always check before I put the machine on and I’ll check even more carefully from now on. I think he was trying to get away from Summer. But he does look so comfortable there. I even took a picture. I daren’t put it on Facebook in case someone calls the RSPCA, but I’ll show Jonathan.’ I again miaowed my disapproval.

  ‘He’s fine, Alfie, don’t worry.’ That’s as maybe, but I wasn’t happy and it wasn’t like Claire to be so laid back. This was no place for a kitten; what if he’d been washed and drowned? I know she said she was being careful but what if Jonathan decided that today was the day he’d do the washing for the first time? I stayed in front of the washing machine, guarding it and waiting for George to wake up. There was no way I was taking any chances.

  Ow! I woke up with a start as something heavy landed on my head. I looked up and saw it was George.

  ‘Hi, Dad,’ he said.

  ‘You’re getting heavy,’ I complained. He jumped down. So much for guarding him, I’d fallen asleep! Although no one would have put the washing machine on with me lying in front of it.

  ‘I like my new bed,’ he said.

  ‘No, George, it’s not your new bed and you mustn’t go in there. If someone put the washing on you’d be in trouble.’ I know I sounded like a broken record, but that was parenthood for you. I was finding I had to say the same things over and over again.

  ‘Oh, but I can go to sleep looking at my reflection in the door.’

  Oh boy, maybe Tiger was right – my kitten was as vain as me.

  ‘That’s as maybe, but it’s not safe. Now promise you won’t go in there unless you tell me first.’

  ‘There seem to be a lot of rules,’ George protested.‘I might not be able to remember them all.’

  ‘Well, that’s life. And anyway, they’re all for your own good. Now go and have a drink of water, you need to keep hydrated.’

  ‘Yet another rule,’ George muttered, as he went to have a drink, only just dodging a flying carrot on the way.

  ‘Yowl,’ he protested quietly.

  ‘Summer, stop throwing food,’ Claire said sternly. I looked at Claire in understanding. This parenting lark wasn’t easy. It wasn’t easy at all.

  Chapter Sixteen

  There was a flurry of activity. Tash was finally moving into Edgar Road. She’d been living with us for well over a month now but Claire had found her a flat. It was ground floor, two bedrooms, small but with a back garden. Although her old house was far from sorted, Claire and Jonathan were helping her out. That was what friends did.

  ‘I just can’t see myself living there again, but I have to think of Elijah,’ Tasha had said one evening when talking about her old house.

  ‘Exactly,’ Jonathan had agreed. The three of them were sitting round the kitchen table, having supper and discussing Tasha’s future.‘And it makes sense to buy the idiot out of your house, rent it out and keep it as an investment.’

  ‘And if I rent the flat down the road, I’ll have enough to cover the rent and money left over. Although right now, when I’m still paying the mortgage and the house is empty, I’m not exactly quids in.’

  ‘We can help you, Tash,’ Claire had said.‘The main thing is to get a new home for Elijah and yourself, at least for a while anyway. You can see how it goes from there.’

  ‘You guys have been amazing.’ I had jumped up onto Tash’s lap then.‘And you, Alfie. Me and Alfie were best friends already but we’ve really bonded over heartbreak lately,’ she said with a sad smile. I rubbed my nose against her hand; we really had. But like me, Tash was slowly getting back to her old self. Not all the time, but there were glimpses, which was all we could hope for in these early days. She didn’t sleep as much as she did when she first moved in and she had stopped crying quite as often. And, most importantly, Elijah was so happy; he was as laid back as Summer was bossy.

  Later that day, I was relaxing at home with George. Jonathan had gone to Tash’s old house to organise the removal, Tasha had taken Elijah to the flat to get used to it, and Claire was tidying the house. We were all going to go to Tash’s new flat later, but Claire said that Tash and Elijah needed some time to be alone. The good news was that George was allowed out properly now, as long as he was on the lead, which he didn’t seem to mind but that was because he didn’t know better. I was overprotective but I did think that Claire should let him go out with me now. I was sure he was ready, I just had to find a way of letting her know. And he would be with Tiger or myself at all times, I had already decided that would be the rule.

  The doorbell rang and Claire opened the door. Polly stood on the doorstep with the children.

  ‘Hey, Pol, come in,’ she said, ushering everyone inside. Martha and Summer immediately ran upstairs, with George following them. He loved being spoilt, and sometimes terrorised, by the two girls. Henry wandered into the living room and started trying to put the TV on.

  ‘Henry, you spend all your time watching TV, go and play,’ Polly said, sighing.

  ‘I’m not playing with them. They’re girls!’ Henry said. I couldn’t blame him; not only were they bossy, but they liked to play dress up, and were always trying to make Henry be a princess. Polly shrugged and put the TV on for him.

  ‘I just don’t have the energy to argue,’ she said to Claire as they went to the kitchen. I gave Henry a bit of a snuggle and then went to the kitchen.

  Claire put the kettle on and Polly sat down.

  ‘Are you all right, Pol? You look exhausted,’ Claire said.

  ‘Oh, where do you want me to start? Working full time for the first time in my life is so tiring. And then I come home and the house is a bombsite most of the time, but I’m trying not to nag Matt because he’s so miserable. I just feel like it’s all going to explode on me. The poor kids are caught in the crossfire. I mean I try not to shout at Matt, but honestly, Claire, I get home and he’s done nothing, yet he acts like he’s been run off his feet. And then he says the job hunt is taking all his time – but he’s only applied for two jobs! What on earth am I supposed to do?’ She looked terrified.

  ‘Hey, it’s probably just temporary, it’s a massive adjustment for both of you.’

  ‘I know, and I can’t tell Matt this, but I’m really enjoying my job. I feel like a grown-up again and I’m loving it much more than I thought I would. But I miss the kids. When I get home I just want to play with them, and spend some nice time with my husband, but the
n I have to clean up and get everything organised for the following day as well as tiptoeing around Matt. I feel like I’m doing it all.’

  ‘I know, honey, and you are, but I think Matt might be a bit depressed. Maybe I can get Jonathan to have a chat with him, not about anything in particular, but just to see how he is?’

  ‘That would be good. Maybe if Jonathan could take him out to the pub one evening?’

  ‘I’ll arrange it. Although I’m not saying how useful he’ll be, Jonathan doesn’t exactly do domestic very well!’

  ‘It’s worth a try,’ said Polly. I purred my agreement. ‘Oh, Alfie, I miss seeing you every day!’

  ‘Tonight, to cheer us up, we’re going to Tasha’s. Frankie’s meeting us there, she’s managed to get a babysitter, and we’re going to drink champagne and celebrate despite any misery!’

  ‘I’ll put some lipstick on and a smile on my face. Sorry to go on about myself when Tash is having such a hard time.’

  ‘Don’t be silly, everyone has problems. But I do want to make sure that the first night in the flat isn’t too awful for her.’

  ‘You know, it hits home, doesn’t it? I can’t imagine losing Matt and yet I feel that if we don’t do something I might.’

  ‘You won’t, but it does make you appreciate how lucky we are to have someone we love, even if they do drive us mad,’ Claire said, smiling.

  ‘I know, I just wish we could be a bit more like we used to,’ Polly sighed.‘I just want him to be happier. I wouldn’t mind the mess if he was cheerful. Well, I would, but maybe not quite so much.’

  ‘You’ll get there. It’s early days, honey, so just try to be patient.’

  I agreed with Claire: hopefully they would get used to it soon and then everyone would be happy again. Or happier, at least. I sighed to myself – so much of life was out of our control. A bit like George, I thought, as I saw him run down the stairs wearing a big yellow hat that had slipped over his eyes. He was shaking his head wildly, which made Claire and Polly laugh, before he banged into the wall. Still chuckling, they went over to him and gently removed the hat.