by Fry,Patricia
“Kitty!” Lily chirped.
“Kitty?” Savannah repeated. “Michael, did you hear that? She said kitty.”
He lowered his brow. “She’s been saying kitty for a long time.”
“No, she was saying ki-ki. Just now she said, kitty, didn’t you, punkin? Tell Daddy ‘kitty.’”
Lily looked at Michael, then pointed toward Buffy, who was sitting in her pink canopy bed. “Kitty. Meow!”
He laughed. “Yes, she did say kitty. That’s Daddy’s girl…kitty meow…that’s a whole sentence.” He reached down and picked up the long-haired beauty. “Buffy,” he said, approaching the baby with the cat. “Can you say her name? Buffy.”
“Kitty-cat meow,” Lily said.
Just then, they heard another voice. Meow!
“Who’s that?” Savannah asked, scouring the area.
“Kitty-cat meow,” Lily repeated, pointing at Rags as he entered the room and headed for his kibbles bowl. “Kitty-cat eat,” she added.
“That’s right,” Savannah cooed. “The kitty-cat is eating. Time for Lily to eat, too.” She lowered the toddler into the high chair and handed her a homemade cereal bar and a sippy cup of apple juice.
“Planning another busy day?” Michael asked.
“Yes, Iris and I are going over to help Colbi finish putting things away.”
“They didn’t get it done yesterday?”
“They made some progress. But Iris said Colbi was pretty tired, so the newlyweds kind of kicked back and enjoyed their new space.”
“What about Lily?” Michael asked.
“What about her?”
“Will she help, too?”
“There can’t be much left to do, so I’m sure we can get it done even with her help.” Savannah dropped a few cracked eggs into a pot of boiling water. “According to Iris, Colbi protested our offer. She said Damon could help her after work for the next few evenings. But I know how that goes. If you don’t get it done early on, you just may not get it done at all.” She faced her husband, hands on her hips. “Michael, there’s nothing worse than being halfway unpacked. I don’t know how people can exist like that. I once knew someone who lived out of boxes for a year or more. She’d only put stuff away when she needed it. She’d dig it out of a box, use it, and maybe then find a spot for it in her apartment.”
Michael shrugged. “Sounds like a good system to me. After a year, whatever’s still in boxes should probably be thrown out anyway.”
Savannah grinned at her husband. “Hmm, well, obviously you didn’t do that.”
“What do you mean? How do you know I didn’t?”
She smirked playfully. “Do you remember when we moved in here? It was like pulling teeth to get you to unpack your boxes. I could tell that some of them had been stored in your garage for years—maybe decades.”
“Come on, now you’re exaggerating,” he said while buttering a piece of toast.
“No, I’m not,” she insisted. “A bunch of that stuff we threw out, remember?”
“Like I told you, if you don’t need it, why unpack it?”
“And why store it?” she nagged. “You stored all those boxes until we moved here and I made you get rid of all that junk.” She carefully placed two poached eggs on a slice of toast for Michael and one on half-slice for herself, which she would share with Lily.
“Junk? How can you call my priceless belongings junk?” Michael asked, using a little salt and pepper.
“Oh Michael. If it weren’t for me, you’d be a hoarder.”
“What?”
“Just last month, Antonio and I cleaned out the shed and tack room and got rid of a whole bunch of duplicate yard equipment and other stuff you’d been hoarding.”
Michael grinned and continued enjoying his breakfast. Once she was finished, Savannah left the table to rinse her dishes. Michael gazed at her for a moment, then he joined her at the sink, pulled her to him and kissed her before turning and walking away.
“Wait!” she called, sounding a little breathless.
“What? Do you want to complain about me some more?” he asked good-naturedly.
She walked toward him, a flirtatious grin on her face. Grabbing him by the front of his shirt, she said in a sultry manner, “No, I want another kiss like that one.”
He grinned and kissed her again.
“Thank you,” she said, fanning herself in jest.
“Thank you,” he said, saluting and leaving the room.
When he returned several minutes later, he carried Rags in his arms. “I think your cat’s bored.”
She glanced up from loading a few plates into the dishwasher. “Why do you say that?”
“Kitty,” Lily said, pointing. “Da-da, kitty.”
“Yes, Daddy has our kitty, doesn’t he?” Savannah said. She turned to Michael. “What was he getting into, pray tell?”
“This,” he said, releasing the cat and holding up a piece of jewelry. He studied it. “It’s your ankle bracelet, isn’t it?”
“Yes, my anklet.” She frowned. “He was in my jewelry box?”
“Yup. I guess you left it open.”
“Oh gosh, I might have after putting my earrings away yesterday—you know, the ones I wore to church.” She winced. “Did he make a mess—tangle up my chains?” She put her hands up to her mouth. “Oh no, I hope he didn’t hide any of my stuff. I don’t think we know all of his hiding places. I still haven’t found that pendant Adam gave me for Christmas last year.”
Michael cocked his head. “Are you sure Rags took it?”
“What else could have happened to it? Oh yes, I’m pretty sure he’s our scoundrel, aren’t you, Ragsie?” she said, stooping over and scratching one side of his face. She looked up at Michael. “You know, I think I’ll take him with us today. Colbi said Dolly needs a playdate with him. Evidently Dolly isn’t adjusting to her new surroundings. Colbi said the little scamp keeps hiding from them.”
“They’ve only lived there for one day,” Michael reminded her. “Some cats take a little longer to adjust. How’s the kitten doing?”
“I guess Molly’s so busy being a kitten, she doesn’t care where she is. She’s happy. But Dolly seems a little fearful. Colbi said her confidence level is in the toilet. Yeah, maybe I’ll just take him with us and see if that helps. Those two are such great friends.”
“Okay. Let’s hope playtime with Dolly helps him settle down, too.” When Savannah looked puzzled, he added, “You know, so he’ll stay out of our stuff.” He lifted Lily and gave her raspberries on the neck, then handed her to Savannah, kissing her briefly before leaving through the side kitchen door.
“Have a good day at work,” Savannah called after him. She hugged Lily to her. “Let’s get ready to go help Aunt Colbi, shall we?”
“Kitty,” Lily said as they left the kitchen.
“Yes, we’ll take the kitty with us today. That’ll be fun, won’t it? Won’t that be fun to take the kitty bye-bye?”
Lily looked at Savannah through her big blue eyes and nodded.
****
“Iris, hi,” Savannah called when the two of them stepped out of their separate cars in front of Colbi’s and Damon’s house. She asked rather hesitantly, “Any word about Mr. Kittleman?”
Iris tightened her lips and shook her head. “I’m afraid not.”
Savannah’s shoulders slumped. “Dang. Not even a clue?”
“No. Craig says, ‘he’s been swallowed up in the city.’”
“So he could be anywhere.”
“Yes, and I guess that’s where they’re looking—everywhere.” She closed her car door. “The boys said there’s a candlelight vigil after dark tomorrow night. Chris said the students who knew him—which is most of the students—are having a rough time. Administrators brought in counselors for them to talk to. One teacher encouraged his students to tell their stories about how Mr. Kittleman has influenced them over the years—the kind things he’s done,
the difference he’d made in their lives. Chris said there wasn’t a dry eye in the room, although they did have some laughs, too.”
When Iris heard sounds coming from Savannah’s car, she walked closer and peered in. She opened a back door. “Lily, hi, baby girl. How are you, sweet thing? Did you come to help us today?”
“Yeah, I’m sure she’ll be a big help. I brought some toys she hasn’t seen in a while hoping they’ll keep her entertained so we can actually make a dent in emptying those boxes.”
Suddenly Iris stepped back. “What’s that?”
“What?” Savannah asked, frowning. “Oh, the cat. Yes, we brought Rags to help cheer Dolly up.” When Iris seemed confused, she asked, “Didn’t you know your grandcat is depressed?”
“No, can’t say that I did. And Rags is going to…” Iris narrowed her eyes. “…do what?”
“Cheer her up.”
“Yeah, how?” Iris asked, skeptically.
“Oh, who knows? Those two have a bond we don’t quite understand. Just watch—you’ll see. Dolly will be much more relaxed and settled after being with Rags for a while.”
Iris gave Savannah a sideways glance. “Okay, if you say so.”
“Hi,” Colbi called from the porch. “Are you going to stay out here all day and chat?” She walked toward them. “Come on, we have work to do.”
“Already, she’s cracking the whip,” Iris teased.
“You sound chipper, girlfriend,” Savannah said, easing Lily out of her car seat. “Feeling good today, huh?”
Colbi nodded and reached for Lily.
“No, you don’t,” Iris said, pushing in front of Colbi. “I’ll carry her. You can play with her once we get inside.”
“Oh Iris, I’m okay.”
“I don’t want you taking any chances with my grandchild,” Iris insisted.
When Savannah opened the back of her SUV and reached in, Colbi said, “Who else do you have in there, may I ask?” Savannah stepped out into the open with Rags in her arms and Colbi clasped her hands together. “Oh goodie! You brought him. Dolly will be so happy.”
“I hope so. Where do you want him?” she asked as they stepped inside the house.
“Um…”
“Where will we be working? We can try to have the cats play in another part of the house, out of the way.”
“Oh yeah, good idea,” Colbi agreed. “We have a little more to do in the kitchen, so we can let the cats have the living room and bedrooms for now. I think Dolly’s in our room at the end of the hall. Want to take him down there?”
“Okay. Then I’ll set Lily up with some of her toys in the dining room where she can see us.”
“Gosh, sounds like a lot of strategic planning and plotting,” Iris said, watching the activity around her. She placed the toddler on the floor. “How about if I start in the kitchen?”
“Okay,” Colbi said. “That box on the counter is silverware and cutlery, kitchen towels, table clothes…that stuff goes in those drawers next to the dishwasher. You’ll see which drawers I’ve designated for which items. Thanks Iris,” she called as she took Lily’s hand and led her down the hallway after Savannah.
“Hi, Dolly,” Savannah said upon noticing the tabby lying on the bed. “How cute you are with your head on the pillow.” She placed Rags next to Dolly. “I brought you a present.”
At first, the tabby cowered, but a split second later, she was on her feet, stretching and yawning. She rushed toward Rags and touched noses with him—evidently a prelude to the greeting dance that followed and involved a lot of sniffing. Soon, with a toss of her head, Dolly playfully patted Rags with one paw and the two of them darted down the hallway, one right after the other.
“There they go,” Colbi said. “They’re ready to rumble.”
“Well, let’s start working. I never know how much time I’ll have for chores with the punkin around.” She picked up the toddler and turned to Colbi. “Hey, you’re probably ready for a break. Why don’t you entertain her while Iris and I put things away?”
“Oh, that’s not…”
“Sounds like a good plan to me,” Savannah persisted. “You can bark orders and tell us where things go. Think of it—Iris and I can even fill the higher shelves without the step stool.”
“But I don’t want things stored too high,” Colbi whined. “Except for the excess—things we don’t use often.”
Savannah led the way down the hallway. “Makes sense.” When the two women entered the living room with the baby, Savannah stopped. She leaned over and peered into the tunnel on a small cat tree. “Hi, Molly-kitty,” she said, lowering Lily to the floor so she could see the kitten. “See the baby kitty? That’s baby Molly.” She spoke to the kitten. “You’re getting to be a big girl, aren’t you?” When she picked up a wand toy and wriggled it for Molly, the kitten rolled over and batted at the feather on the tip of it. “Aren’t you just the cutest thing?” Savannah cooed. She reached in and picked up the kitten, holding her close. “She’s purring,” she said, smiling. Kissing the kitten’s little head, she placed her on top of the cat tree, then grabbed a few of the baby’s toys from a tote and spread them out in the dining area near the kitchen doorway. “Okay, Colbi, you can watch us from here. Now, where do you want me to start?”
“You can unload the box in the laundry area. I think there’s room in those cabinets above the washer and dryer.”
As Savannah walked through the kitchen, she stopped and chuckled. “You’re moving pretty fast there, Iris. Are you in a hurry or something?”
“Yeah, kinda,” Iris said. “I’m meeting with a potential client this afternoon.”
Savannah stopped and turned. “For your decorating business?”
Iris nodded.
“Cool. How’s it going? Are you getting a lot of referrals?”
“Yeah,” Colbi said. “Seems like it would be hard to find people who’ll pay for someone else to do their decorating. Unless they have no time and lots of money, I guess.”
“Bingo,” Iris said. “You just described my client base.” She waved a hand in front of her. “Oh, sometimes I’m hired to help with a basic decorating project, when the client is confused about the type of furniture to use or lacks confidence about choosing a color scheme.” She smiled and clasped her hands against her chest. “I really love those homeowners who’ll let me knock out walls, replace windows, and build elaborate china cabinets.”
“You do all that?” Savannah asked.
“Well, I do the basic design and I work with architects, if necessary, as well as carpenters and builders.”
“So who’s the lucky potential client?” Colbi asked as she wound up a Jack-in-the-box for Lily.
“Siblings who recently inherited their mother’s old run-down estate out on Westin Road.” She glanced at the two women. “Near you, Savannah.”
Savannah nodded. “Oh yes, I’ve been hoping someone would show some love to that old, lonely place. It’s been boarded up for years, hasn’t it?”
Iris winced. “Yes; for a lot of years. It’ll be quite a challenge. They want to open a bed-and-breakfast there, so my job will be even more demanding than if it were to be simply a dwelling.” She shivered a little. “I’m excited, though. I do love a challenge.”
By then, Savannah had made her way into the laundry room, where she began unpacking boxes. “Well, I’m excited for you, Iris,” she called. “Can’t wait to see the finished creation.”
In the meantime, Colbi played peek-a-boo with Lily. When things became quiet, Savannah asked, “Hey, Ris-Ris, did you know my aunt almost married Mr. Kittleman?” When Iris didn’t respond, Savannah peered out at her through the laundry room door. “Did you hear me?”
“Yeah, I knew. I didn’t know you knew.”
“She just told me yesterday.”
“Why?”
“Heck, I don’t know. Was she really that serious about him? I mean, he’s so old.”
Iris grinned. �
��He wasn’t old then. He was what you’d call hot, and boy, could he dance. I loved dancing with him.” She hesitated before saying, “I should have kept dancing with him, but oh no, I had to get myself tangled up with that creep Jackson.”
“Aww, Iris,” Colbi said from the adjoining room, “then I wouldn’t be married right now to a wonderful guy and pregnant with his baby. I’m glad you married Mr. Jackson.” She wrinkled her nose and added, “…as creepy as he was.”
“Yeah, I did get one good thing from him, that’s for sure.” Iris grabbed at her back pocket. “My phone.” Looking at the screen, she announced, “It’s Craig. Hi, babe,” she chirped, walking into the living room for a little privacy. Suddenly she shouted, “Yikes!”
Savannah rushed to see what had happened.
Colbi jumped to her feet and joined the two women, glancing back to make sure Lily was still playing with her toys.
“Dang cats, nearly ran me down,” Iris complained before putting the phone back up to her ear and stepping out the front door.
Colbi and Savannah grinned as Rags and Dolly took turns leaping across the sofa onto a chair and racing back down the hallway. Molly watched the activity from atop the cat tree, her tail puffed up to twice its normal size.
“What was that?” Colbi said in a soothing voice while petting the kitten. “A tornado? A hurricane?” She cooed, “You’d better stay out of the way, huh, tiny girl?” Just then Lily approached and reached for the kitten’s tail.
“No-no,” Savannah said, picking Lily up and carrying her away to distract her.
“Kitty,” Lily said, fussing and leaning in the direction of the kitten. “Kitty-cat.”
“Here’s your kitty,” Savannah said, handing her a musical cat and flipping on the sound. “Wanna dance?”
Immediately, Lily began swaying her little body to the music and laughing.
“Anything new?” Colbi asked when Iris returned to the living room.
She shook her head. “Still no sign of Leo.” She let out a breath in exasperation, her eyes reflecting the sorrow she felt. “They’re going to drag the pond near his house.”
“Oh no,” Savannah said. “Oh no.”