Crazy Cat Kid (Crazy Cat Kids Book 1)

by Joan Donaldson-Yarmey

  I did my usual pass the plates and cutlery and then went out to the table wanting to taste this camping meal. Mom brought the skillet over and we dug in. It actually wasn’t that bad.

  The adults got together after their meals to have a drink and visit. I fed the girls and gave Saltry her needle while listening to the blare of music from the eighties and nineties and the chatter and laughing. It was nice to hear that someone was having a good time.

  A motorhome pulled in and parked in an empty spot. The owners got out, hastily set up their camp, and joined the party. I watched out the window for a while but there was no sign of kids of any age. I closed the blinds and privacy sheet and climbed into bed. I picked up my book.

  It was getting dark when lights flashed across my window. I turned out my light and saw a crew cab truck with a camper slowly make its way to the last open spot. By then the party had begun to break up and people were heading inside. The fires were doused.

  A car drove in and parked beside the truck and camper. I watched two boys climb out. I couldn’t get a good look at them in the glow from the truck camper’s outdoor light but I could see the driver was the bigger of the two.

  The driver immediately lit up a cigarette. The other boy went around to the trunk and opened it. He lugged out a big plastic bag and dropped it on the ground. He bent over, undid the strings at one end, and pulled out poles and a folded tent. He tried to assemble the tent by himself but was not successful.

  The driver was oblivious to the other boy’s exertion. He leaned against the car clearly enjoying his smoke. Finally, the boy looked up and said something. The driver shook his head. The boy shrugged, said something again, and started to walk away. The driver threw up his hands dropped the cigarette butt on the dirt and ground it in. He went over and helped set up the tent. They anchored the ropes in the ground and put the rain cap on the peak.

  The boy pulled a rolled up sleeping bag and a duffle bag from the car trunk and crawled into the tent. There was a set of narrow steps leading up to the open end gate of the truck that worked as a small platform for the camper. The driver climbed up the steps and into the camper. I closed the curtain, turned on the light, and went back to my reading. But my thoughts turned to the boy. Who was he? Who was the car driver? Were they brothers? They must be related to the team member who owned the truck and camper since the driver had walked into it like he it was his. I didn’t know many of the men and women on the team and I didn’t know who owned what RV so I couldn’t do any speculating. I would have to wait until the morning to get some answers and to see what they looked like in the daylight.

  Chapter Four

  We were finding that the inside of the motorhome was crowded in the morning with me trying to feed the cats or dump the litterbox, Mom trying to make instant coffee, and Dad trying to go in and out the bathroom to shave. The canned cat food was in the cupboard beside the stove. The stove was across the aisle from the bathroom door.

  This morning, I grabbed the cat food and got out of Mom’s way. She had to move aside so Dad could open the bathroom door and go in. After giving Saltry her needle I sat at the table until Mom and Dad had done their morning routine and were outside enjoying their coffee at the table.

  After dressing I took the litter box out to top it up. This time Carol and Alan had come to our site.

  “Good morning,” Carol said to me.

  “Hi,” I said.

  I walked over to the compartment with the litter pail. I glanced at the tent I had watched the boys set up the night before. There wasn’t any movement. I set the box on the ground and opened the door. I scooped out clean litter and dropped it in the box. I had just closed the door when I saw the zipper in the tent begin to rise. I turned slightly so it wouldn’t appear like I was staring.

  Out of the corner of my eye I watched as a head poked out and then a body crawled out. The boy was wearing pajama bottoms and a t-shirt. He stood and stretched then ran his fingers through his hair. The boy seemed to be in his mid-teens. He had straight black hair that was parted in the middle and fell to his shoulders. His skin had a darker tone to it like he was part or all aboriginal.

  The boy was pushed aside by the driver coming out. He, too, was in pajama bottoms and t-shirt. His hair was a medium brown. It was shaved at the sides and short on top. He was taller and huskier than the boy and his skin colour was lighter. They must be friends although there seemed to be a big age difference. I knew the driver had to be at least eighteen or older to be driving on his own without someone at least twenty-five years-of-age in the vehicle.

  The two looked around the camping site and then, as if not seeing anyone they knew, climbed the steps into the truck camper.

  Well, that was a short diversion. Now what? Now take the litter box back in the motorhome and try to find something to occupy my time.

  Purple went to the bathroom door and reached under it trying to pull it open. It didn’t budge. She tried with the other paw and still no success. She scratched at the slight crack between the door and the wall. I finally opened the door and let her in. I also opened the bottom cupboard so I didn’t have to listen to her trying to get in it. I left both doors slightly open so she could come out when she was ready.

  After an hour spent reading and listening to the conversation outside, I was getting restless. I was used to doing things, going places; I wasn’t used to lying on my back reading all day. I sent more texts then decided to go to the lake. I knew there would be no change from yesterday but at least I would be doing something. I applied sunscreen to my arms and legs and donned my sunglasses.

  “I’ll be back soon,” I told my cats, as I stepped outside.

  I was about to tell my parents where I was going when we heard a loud shriek. We all turned to see a girl a few years older than me run towards the car driver who had just stepped out of the truck camper. He hurried to the bottom of the steps and she threw her arms around his neck. The driver picked her up and swung her around as they kissed. Obviously, they knew each other.

  She must have been in the motorhome that had driven in late last night. Maybe, because it was so late, she hadn’t realized they’d arrived.

  I looked at Carol and Alan to see if they recognized her. They smiled while watching the young couple then turned back to continue talking with my parents. I wondered how I could ask who they were and therefore find out who the boy was. Not that I was interested. I couldn’t date until I was fifteen and that was a month away, but it didn’t hurt to get the names of some of the boys in the area. After all, I might be going to school with him.

  “Whose children are they?” my mother asked and I gave a silent thank you.

  “That’s Bonnie and Stuart’s son, Bill, and Sonya and Ray’s daughter, Maurie,” Carol said.

  Well, that didn’t help me much. I didn’t know who those people were other than that Bonnie and Stuart owned the truck and camper. And it didn’t tell me the name of the younger boy or who he was. I looked over at Maurie and Bill. They still had their arms wrapped around each other but they were talking instead of kissing.

  I wondered if I should continue on my walk to the lake or stick around and see if I could learn more. My parents and the other couple resumed their conversation about Dad’s search for our motorhome. I wasn’t going to learn anything more from them unless I asked outright and I was too shy to do that. After all, I had just met them.

  “Would you like to join us?” my mother asked.

  That was the last thing I wanted. I shook my head and turned to go back into the motorhome. Maybe if I stayed around…. I stopped when I saw the boy come out of the camper along with the adults. I assumed they were his parents.

  Bonnie and Stuart were both carrying coffee mugs. They each grabbed a folded lawn chair leaning against the side of the truck and came in our direction.

  I gaped at Bonnie. She was the most striking woman I had ever seen. Her thick black hair was tied in a braid down her back. She had high cheekbones, deep brown eyes, and
lips that seemed to be turned up in a permanent smile. Like the boy, her skin was darker, suggesting First Nation’s heritage. Her walk was proud and dignified.

  The boy looked at Bill and Maurie then followed Bonnie and Stuart. As he neared I could see that he was way cuter than I had thought. His eyes were brown and he had a dimple on one cheek. A sudden fear hit my stomach. What should I do, head into the motorhome like a frightened deer or stand there like a gawky girl and watch them come closer? I held my breath trying to appear nonchalant but I could feel my face turning red. Was it obvious what I was thinking?

  “Mind if we join you?” Bonnie asked. Her voice had a melodic beat to it.

  “Sure,” Carol said. She reached out and took their coffee mugs so they could open their chairs.

  “Bonnie and Stuart Marshall, this is my husband Tom and my daughter Lilly,” Mom said, when they were settled.

  “Hello, Tom, Lilly,” Bonnie said. Stuart shook Dad’s hand and nodded to me. “And this is our son, Jesse.”

  “Nice to meet you, Jesse,” my dad said, and held out his hand. None of the high five or fist bump for Dad. He believed in the good, old fashioned handshake with everyone.

  Jesse reached out and shook hands with my father.

  Stuart was a white man. It was obvious that Jesse took after his mother and Bill was more like his father.

  After he acknowledged my mother’s greeting Jesse and I glanced at each other.

  “Hi,” I said.

  Jesse seemed as uncomfortable as I was. He mumbled a “Hi.” back to me. Thoughts bombarded me. What did I do next? What should I say? Tell him that I have four cats? Yeah, I’m sure he would be impressed with that. Tell him that I’ve just moved to the island? Why would he care?

  “I was just going to the lake,” I finally said. “Do you want to come?”

  Jesse shrugged. “Sure.”

  We walked past the eight people playing volleyball and through the bush to the lake. A couple was watching two children in life jackets splash in the water. Jesse picked up a rock and flung it out into the water. It skipped twice before sinking.

  I looked around and found one almost totally flat. I bent sideways and swept my arm downward and out letting the rock go. It skipped three times.

  The corners of Jesse’s lips turned up in a small grin and he went hunting for another stone. So far, neither one of us had said a word to each other so I didn’t know how seriously he was going to take the competition we seemed to be in. But I knew how seriously I was going to take it. I liked to win and I wasn’t one to hang back and let anyone, even a boy I had just met and thought I might like, beat me.

  I began searching for a stone as good as the one I had just thrown.

  “Got a perfect one here,” Jesse said.

  I stopped to watch him. Since there were only two of us we had double duty as competitor and audience. I think Jesse was a little disappointed when his rock skipped three times.

  I found what I thought was a good one but unfortunately, it only went twice. We were tied and both hunted for more stones in earnest. Again, Jesse announced he had one. He whooped and I grimaced as it skipped four times. The pressure was on. I took my time, hefting three and checking for flatness before finding the right one. I stood a few moments visualizing my perfect throw watching the rock skip five times.

  I took my stance, bent, and whipped my arm forward in a swoop. I let the stone go and began to count. One. A long hop. Two. A shorter hop. Three. It was losing momentum. Four. It disappeared.

  Not what I wanted but at least we were still tied.

  “Truce?” Jesse asked with a grin that deepened his dimple.

  “Truce.” I nodded.

  “Good, because I didn’t want to take a chance on a girl beating me.”

  “And I could have.”

  “I know. That’s what scared me.”

  I was surprised. Most boys I knew never admitted that a girl was as good as, or maybe better, than them. It made me instantly like him.

  “You’re new to Nanaimo,” Jesse said, as we headed back to the camping site. “I heard you moved from Vancouver.”

  “Yes,” I nodded. My mother must have told his mother and she told him. It felt funny to know I was the subject of some stranger’s conversation.

  “You’re going to find it boring here on the island.”

  “I am?”

  “Yes.” Jesse nodded.

  “Why?”

  “Because there is nothing to do.”

  “There isn’t?” Couldn’t I do more than ask short questions? Well, that one was longer but only I knew it.

  “Not compared to Vancouver.”

  “Well, I’ll wait and see.”

  “It won’t take you long.”

  “How long have you lived in Nanaimo?”

  “All my life. I can’t wait until I’m old enough to leave.”

  “And when will that be?” Might as well find out how old he is.

  “In three years, when I’m eighteen.”

  “Where are you going to go?”

  Jesse shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe I’ll become a gigolo in Alberta, maybe I’ll go to Simon Fraser University and become a professional student, or maybe I’ll live on the street and panhandle.”

  “Those don’t sound like very smart choices.” It sounded like he was joking but I didn’t know him well enough to be sure that he wasn’t serious about doing one of them.

  “No, but they sure would make my parents mad.”

  We both laughed at that thought.

  There was another volleyball game going on and we stopped to watch it. My parents were on one side of the net with Jesse’s parents and Alan and Carol. I didn’t know anyone on the other team. Dad served the ball over the net and it was returned in two volleys. Dad hit the ball. Mom, at the net, set it and Jesse’s dad spiked it over the net. One of the guys on the other side dove for it but missed. I had never seen Mom and Dad play and I was surprised at how good they were at the game. Maybe that was where I got my skill from.

  Jesse and I stopped at our motorhome. He turned to me. “Bill, Maurie, and I are going to do some exploring this afternoon. Do you want to come?”

  That took me by surprise. We had just met and he was asking me to go out with him, well with him and his brother and his brother’s girlfriend. And really it wasn’t out, it was just some exploring. I was being silly. He was just being polite to the new girl on the island.

  Then I had a thought. “Is your brother able to drive with four non-family people in the car?”

  “Yes, he took the driving courses to get his license faster. I’m going to do the same when I’m old enough. So you coming?”

  “Sure.” I didn’t want to say that I had to ask my parents. That would make me sound immature and babyish. I just prayed that they would agree so I wouldn’t have to come up with a reason as to why I changed my mind.

  “Okay. See you later.”

  Chapter Five

  I went to the screen door and saw that Daisy was lying on the step. I unhooked the wire. I slowly opened the door. This alerted Purple and she appeared. I closed the screen and walked to the passenger door. I looked in and no one was on the seat. The door clicked when I opened it. No one came over. I climbed in and sat on the seat with no trouble. I swung around and with shoulders bent, went to the back.

  It was getting warm inside. I opened all the windows and vents in the ceiling to let a breeze through and went to the fridge for a water. It was very cold and I only sipped it. I found my small, cross body, messenger style purse and stuck some money and my cell phone in. I draped the long strap on my left shoulder so the bag hung on my right hip. That done, I sat in the swivel chair closest to the door to finish my water.

  From where I sat I could see that the cat litter had piles in it again. If I was leaving for the afternoon I should clean it. I bent over to pull out the litter box and saw what looked like yellowish water beside the box. One of the girls had missed the box and peed over the
side. I had brought along a large bottle of spray disinfectant, lemon scented, for such an occasion. I wiped up the mess and disinfected the floor and the bottom of the box. Then I cleaned the box.

  Mom came to the screen door. I picked up Daisy and kept the others at bay while she came in.

  “We have to find a different way in and out,” Mom said.

  “Well, none of the girls went to the cab doors when I came in,” I said. “Dad and I put them in the motorhome through the camper door. That seems to be where they go to look for a way out. Maybe they don’t associate the two cab doors with going out.”

  Mom sighed. “So, I guess we have to use them.” She sniffed the air. “Why does it smell like Lysol in here?”

  “One of the cats had an accident.”

  Mom opened the fridge door and rummaged through the shelves.

  “Oh, no,” she said, holding up a lettuce. “This is frozen.”

  “Frozen?”

  “Yes, the setting must be too cold.”

  The refrigerator dial just had lines on it not numbers so Mom had thought that the longer lines meant colder temperature and shorter ones meant warmer. She had set the dial at what looked like two-thirds cold and it seemed to work fine before we left.

  Mom pulled out the milk carton and looked in.

  “There wasn’t any ice in it when I had my cereal,” I said.

  “It’s still okay.” She put it back and checked a water bottle.

  Now I knew why the water I had drank seemed so cold.

  She brought out a bag of celery and tore off the outer stalks. “These are frozen, also.”

  Mom set the dial for a warmer temperature. “So much for a salad tonight,” she muttered. “We need what’s left for tomorrow night.” She put the lettuce and celery stalks in a bag. “I’ll see if Robin has a compost pile.”

  I wasn’t sure if this would be the best time to mention Jesse’s invitation. She wasn’t in a good mood and I didn’t know if my having made a friend so fast would improve that or if she would think that he had asked me on a date. But I had to tell her soon so I might as well get it over with.