by Rachel Wells
‘Yowl,’ he said sadly. He seemed a bit dazed.
‘What have those girls been doing to you?’ Polly asked, giving him a cuddle. He nestled into her and was soon purring again. If only all life’s problems could be solved so simply.
Later on, we left Jonathan babysitting Summer and George as we called for Polly and made our way to Tash’s new flat. I’d told George that he was to stay home and spend time with Jonathan. When Claire saw me walking down the road next to her she smiled indulgently.
‘You probably deserve a night out,’ she said. As we walked along the street, I used the opportunity to look out for more lamppost cats. As we approached Tasha’s new flat I saw another notice. This time the picture was of a Siamese cat, who looked a bit mean but quite attractive. I stopped and peered at it.
‘Oh no,’ Claire said. ‘Another missing cat.’
‘Don’t you think there’s been a few more than usual lately?’ Polly asked.
‘I guess. I mean, that’s what Heather and Vic were saying anyway but I just don’t know … As Jonathan says, it’s London and cats do go missing here or get run over.’ She shuddered. ‘Not Alfie and George though, thank goodness.’
‘I don’t know. I mean I know Heather and Vic are a pain but I do wonder if there’s something in what they’ve been saying,’ Polly said.
I felt a bit relieved. Vic and Heather were terrors but if anyone was going to get to the bottom of the mystery of the lamppost cats, then I was sure it would be them – after all, they were very good at poking their noses into other people’s business.
We stood on Tash’s doorstep. Claire and Polly were clutching bottles of champagne and snacks, and Polly looked much better than she had earlier in the day. She really had put on some lipstick and a smile, just as she’d said she would. When Tash opened the door, the flat immediately reminded me of when I first met Polly and Matt. It wasn’t their old flat, but it was almost identical in layout. I walked in and rubbed Tash’s legs.
‘You OK?’ Claire asked as they followed Tash into the small kitchen.
‘Well, it’s weird being here, but Elijah seems fine. He went to bed without any fuss, he’s such a good boy.’
‘Yeah, you lucked out with that one, the easiest child ever,’ Claire said.
‘Well, maybe compared to our girls,’ Polly laughed. ‘And actually he’s far more laid back than Henry too.’
‘He gets his laid-back nature from his father, let’s hope he hasn’t picked up his gutless bad points too … Sorry, I didn’t mean to start with a moan.’ A flash of anger crossed Tash’s face. Claire hugged her.
‘Hey, you moan away.’
‘And in the meantime I’m opening the champers,’ Polly said. ‘I could do with a drink! Glasses?’ As Tash opened a kitchen cupboard and located the glasses, Polly opened the champagne.
‘You’re pretty organised already,’ Claire said.
‘Well, thanks to your Jonathan. It’s much smaller here so we only took what we needed. I managed to unpack most of it while Elijah was napping,’ Tash explained.
‘Can I ask? What about Dave?’ Polly asked, cringing a bit. ‘I mean, does he know about the move?’
‘I haven’t told him yet. Anyway, he’s already moved in with his other woman. He said he’s living with his mum but when she called me about seeing Elijah she let it slip.’
‘So you’re on good terms with his mum?’ Polly asked.
‘Yes, she’s furious with him. We’ve always got on well and I’ve said that she can see her grandson whenever she wants. But then what about this woman?’ She burst into tears. ‘I’m sorry, but I still can’t bear the idea of another woman around my baby.’ As Claire comforted her, the doorbell went. Polly opened it and came back with Franceska.
‘Oh, Tasha,’ Franceska said. She was carrying bags filled with food from the restaurant. I was worried and upset for Tash but I was almost distracted by the smell of sardines. I had to shake my head to focus as I rubbed against Tash’s legs.
‘Men!’ Polly said, handing everyone a glass of champagne. ‘I’m not suggesting we toast them because, let’s face it, at the moment none of us are one hundred per cent happy, so maybe we toast against them?’
‘Don’t get me started,’ Franceska said, looking upset. Oh no, not her too!
‘What’s up, Frankie?’ Polly asked, concerned.
‘No, not tonight. We’re celebrating Tasha’s new flat, so back to the toast.’
‘God, I’m happy to toast against men,’ Tash said, trying to laugh as she took a sip.‘And hey, at least you guys can count your blessings, none of your men are in any way, shape or form as awful as Dave.’
‘I guess we can drink to that?’ Franceska said uncertainly, and they all laughed.
I tucked into my sardines with relish. It was certainly nice having a night out and not having to take care of George, although I missed him and worried about him too. I just hoped Jonathan was taking good care of him. The women all seemed to be having a good time now, after a rocky start. Men had become a banned topic and so they chatted instead about Polly’s new job, Claire’s adoption plans, Franceska and Tomasz’s new restaurant and Tash’s idea about how to make the flat her own. As Polly promised to help her with the interior, they all settled into easy chatter, and lots of laughter, which grew louder as more champagne was drunk. It seemed they were emptying the bottles at an alarming rate, which was OK because at least no one was crying.
Later that night, they all kissed Tash goodbye, Franceska got into a taxi to take her home and Claire and Polly staggered down the road with me. Neither of them seemed to be able to walk in a straight line, so I had to keep dodging them to make sure I wasn’t stepped on. When we got in I ran upstairs to find George fast asleep in my bed. I felt a surge of relief, followed by a rush of love as I snuggled down next to him. I drifted off to sleep cuddling my kitten, feeling glad that, for tonight at least, the women were all happy again – or at least happier than they had been lately.
Chapter Seventeen
I was incredibly excited. George was finally allowed out, further than the garden and without the lead or any humans – although of course I warned him to not go anywhere without me. He asked ‘why’ a million times but I was reluctantly getting used to that. It was a momentous occasion and one that felt a long time coming, mainly due to Claire’s overcautious behaviour.
The cat flap had been formally unlocked. Jonathan had been pleased, saying that I had a habit of making him let me in when he was in the middle of watching something. He said it as though I did it on purpose. Anyway, freedom was once again mine. I was excited to introduce George to my friends, to my street and to the great outdoors, the world that existed beyond our small lawn. I was also going to pop in to see Matt, so George could see where they lived, and then if we had time I would show him Tasha’s flat, although she didn’t have a cat flap so we could only visit with her if she was in and saw us. A bit like the old days with Franceska and the boys really. Wow, freedom once more – I vowed never to take it for granted again.
I was looking forward to our first excursion very much and had taken extra time over my grooming. I wasn’t sure why, but humans always dressed up for special occasions and this, George’s first proper outing, was definitely a special occasion. I tried to make sure he looked his best too, but let’s be honest, he was so cute that I really didn’t need to worry. I jumped through the cat flap first, George following behind me. He was still a little unsure of it, although he was getting better. He had grown a lot in the time he’d been with us, and although still a kitten he was big enough now to run, jump, and climb.
George blinked as the sun hit his eyes. It was a lovely, sunny day for his first trip.
‘Right, stay close to me and don’t worry, I won’t let anything happen to you,’ I said, giving him my best pep talk.
‘I know, Dad,’ he said. We slid under the gate and made our way to the front of the house.
‘Before we start, I need to give you
a lesson about roads.’ As we stood on the pavement, a number of cars whizzed past us.‘You see, those cars are dangerous.’ I had nearly been hit a number of times when I first encountered roads.‘Don’t cross the road unless it’s clear both ways,’ I continued sternly.
As we walked I gave George a full tour of Edgar Road. I pointed out Salmon’s house and said it was to be avoided at all costs, although there was no sign of him anywhere, thank goodness. Our first stop was Tiger’s house where we waited in her front garden, by her favourite bush. George wriggled under it and started playing with leaves. Tiger emerged a few moments later.
‘Oh, hi, I was hoping you’d be here already,’ she said, ignoring me and giving George a nuzzle. I looked at her indignantly. Having a kitten meant I was getting used to being ignored but it didn’t mean Tiger could get away with it.
‘Hello, Tiger-Mum,’ George said, so sweetly that Tiger looked as if she might cry.
‘Right, come on, we have to give George a proper tour of the neighbourhood,’ I said, no longer feeling slighted.
‘OK, but George, you’re still only little so you must tell us if you get tired,’ Tiger said, sounding sweet and concerned. I raised my whiskers; what had happened to my Tiger?
‘I will, let’s go, let’s go.’ George was full of excitement as he bounded off in the wrong direction.
‘George, this way,’ I said, and he turned round and joined us. We made our way slowly to our cat meeting point. I pointed out Polly and Matt’s house on the way and explained that Tash’s flat was in the other direction, although I’m not sure how much George was taking in. He was so busy looking around that I doubted he was listening.
‘I bet you’re glad Tasha’s moved into Edgar Road,’ Tiger said as we stopped and watched George staring at an overgrown plant for a minute.
‘Yes. Not only is she one of my favourite people but it’s good to be able to keep an eye on her,’ I said.
‘I like Elijah,’ George said.‘He’s funny.’
‘I love how all the kids get on so well,’ I mused as we moved on, gratified that George was listening after all.
‘And any more news about the cat pictures?’ Tiger said.
‘Not in front of the kitten,’ I said, as quietly as I could.
‘What was that?’ George asked.
‘Nothing,’ Tiger and I replied at the same time. I looked at her with concern.
I was delighted to see that our cat friends were already congregated. Nellie was sunbathing, Elvis was sitting in a shady spot and Rocky was cleaning his paws. I excitedly ran up to join them.
‘Look, I’ve brought George to see you,’ I said breathlessly.
‘Where?’ Rocky asked, looking up.
‘Right there.’ I turned around but George and Tiger were nowhere to be seen.‘They were there a minute ago.’ Panicking, I turned and retraced my steps. I found Tiger looking at George, who was sitting on a gatepost in front of someone’s house.
‘What happened?’ I asked, concerned.
‘When you ran off George decided to jump on the gatepost. He says he likes it up there.’
‘George, come down now,’ I said.
‘No. Look, there’s a funny animal in the garden.’ I jumped up onto the other post and looked in. The funny animal was a small dog, who was yapping at George and now me. ‘I’m going to go in there to see it.’
‘No!’ I shouted, a bit more forcefully than I intended. George jumped but thankfully stayed on the gatepost.‘George, dogs are to be avoided at all costs. Now come down.’ I leapt down, having used my sternest voice, and George reluctantly followed me.
‘Right, this is George,’ I said for the second time when we re-joined the others.
‘Aww, you’re so incredibly sweet. I’m Nellie,’ Nellie cooed. She went up to George and made a fuss of him.
‘Nice to meet you, George, I’m Elvis.’ Elvis looked overjoyed to see my kitten.
‘I’m Rocky, nice to meet you.’ Rocky stopped looking at his paw and came over to greet us.
‘Wow, you’re all cats,’ George said.‘And there are so many of you!’
‘We certainly are,’ Rocky said.‘And Alfie was right, this is one cute kitten.’ All three cats were immediately taken with George, I could tell.
‘Come with me, George, I’ll show you the bush that attracts butterflies,’ Nellie said.
‘What are butterflies?’ he asked.
‘Follow me and you’ll find out.’ I sat and watched proudly as Nellie took George to see the butterflies. He really is my boy, I thought, as I watched him jumping around. Of course he never actually caught a butterfly, but then neither had I, and I’d been playing for a lot longer. We just liked chasing things, usually without much success – though I did swat a fly once at home. Jonathan had been so pleased with me, until he realised it was a fluke.
‘Nice youngster,’ Elvis said to me. ‘Look, here comes the other cat I mentioned to you, Tinkerbell.’ I hoped that this wasn’t another of his attempts to set me up. I know I was busy but I still thought of Snowball in any spare moment I had – usually before I went to sleep at night. But when I came face to face with the new cat I realised something strange.
‘But you’re a boy,’ I said, confused.
‘Have we been introduced?’ Tinkerbell growled. Not only was he male, but he was big, about twice the size of me. I felt a little threatened.
‘Sorry, I’m Alfie and I’ve heard about you but, well, you’re called Tinkerbell so I assumed you were a girl.’
‘No, I’m a tom.’ He raised his whiskers.‘Look, my owner wanted a girl cat so when they got me they gave me a girl’s name. To be honest I’d rather not talk about it. If you’re a friend, you can call me Tinks.’
‘Nice to meet you, Tinks.’ I gave him my most charming look.‘And sorry for the misunderstanding. I didn’t mean to be rude, it’s just that my friend Elvis here seems to want to set me up with female cats so …’
‘Oh yes, I heard you’re the heartbroken one. But no need to make a fuss, I’m happy with my name and my sexuality, thank you very much. And now that we’ve cleared that up, we can be mates.’
‘What does it mean? Setting my dad up with a female?’ I hadn’t heard George approach but he was standing behind me with Nellie and Tiger.
‘Well, young George, it’s just that we thought Alfie might like a new girlfriend, and then you could have a new mum,’ Rocky explained.
‘Oh, no, thank you,’ George replied.‘Tiger’s my mum.’
‘Aww,’ Tiger and Nellie both said, and I swear I have never seen Tiger look so moved. Even Tinkerbell softened. This kitten could win any charm competition, of that I was certain.
‘Goodness, Alfie and Tiger, you guys are like a married couple already, so I guess it makes sense,’ Rocky laughed. I shot him one of my looks.
‘Well, George, we’re all your friends here, so if you need anything, then you just ask,’ Elvis said.
‘But don’t come here on your own,’ I warned. ‘Not yet anyway. Either me or Tiger need to escort you.’
‘As if I would,’ George replied innocently.
Apart from George nearly jumping into that dog’s garden – and I dreaded to think how that might have ended up – our first proper trip was a great success. My kitten was greatly admired by all and I felt so proud. Unfortunately, however, it was getting late and there was no time to drop into Matt and Polly’s house. That would have to wait for another day.
‘Honestly, Alfie, you’re like the cat who got the cream,’ Tiger said as she dropped us home.
‘I have George, and he’s better than any cream,’ I replied.
Chapter Eighteen
Back in the relative safety of home I had a quick catnap on the sofa while George was carted off to play with Summer. She was cross that we’d had been out when she got back from nursery. She kept stamping her feet and crossing her arms, saying ‘bad Alfie,’ which I thought was a little unfair. But Claire found it funny so I only gave a small yowl o
f objection. Then I went to have a well-deserved rest. As I drifted off I thought of how well George had coped with the trip, and I was pleased that the other cats welcomed him so readily. Deep down I had known they would, but it was still gratifying to see them admiring my kitten. I thought I would bask in his reflected glory as I fell asleep.
A commotion woke me. Although I had only intended a quick nap, even that had been cut short. I jumped up in fright as I heard Summer scream. Both Claire and I ran to her room.
‘What’s the matter, poppet?’ Claire asked.
‘Deorge, up there,’ Summer said, pointed upwards. We all looked and saw George tucked on top of Summer’s wardrobe.
‘He must have climbed,’ Claire said, hugging her daughter. ‘It’s OK, he’s just playing.’ She smoothed Summer’s blonde hair and the tears started to subside.
‘No, Deorge stuck,’ Summer shouted, putting her thumb in her mouth.
‘He’s stuck?’ Claire looked up at him uncertainly. She was fairly tall but she couldn’t reach the top of the wardrobe. George looked at me and then put a paw over his eyes. Ah, I thought, he had got up there easily – at a guess he had jumped on the chest of drawers and then onto the wardrobe – but he didn’t feel quite so confident in getting down. After all, it was quite high for such a little one. I looked at Claire, and then at Summer, and finally at George. Despite the fact that I didn’t like heights and my legs were aching a bit from all the exercise earlier, I would have to save the day. I jumped onto the chest of drawers and then leapt up and onto the wardrobe, thankfully landing beside George.
‘Look, Sum, it’s OK, Alfie will help him down,’ Claire said. Summer seemed happier.
‘Oh, hello, Dad,’ George said quietly.
‘George, you must be careful. You’re stuck. Why did you jump up here if you’re too scared to jump back down?’ I asked, trying not to sound cross. After all, we all did stupid things. I’d done too many to count.