by Ruby Loren
Alison shrugged. “I just needed something for the summer, while I figure out what to do with my life. I know I’m 26 and probably should have figured it out by now, but…” she gave me a sheepish look and I nodded. I got it. I knew that there were a lot of people, of all ages, who hadn’t a clue what they really wanted to do with their lives. I’d always thought it was better to recognise that you weren’t in the right job and do something about it - no matter how old you were - than stick at something you hated and wake up to retirement, full of regrets.
I knew I was one of the lucky ones.
“Well, I’m sure you’ll figure it out. You probably already know, but you’ve got a great aptitude for working with animals and your knowledge is impressive, too,” I said, and she blushed.
“Thanks,” she replied, shifting her weight from foot to foot. I wondered if she’d picked up on the scepticism in my voice. “I’d better be getting back. Tiff will probably wonder where I’ve been all this time.”
“Just tell her you were doing me a favour,” I said, pleased to be able to help. She nodded, looking happier, and then gave me a half wave before walking back in the direction of the shops. I watched her go, feeling a crease between my eyebrows.
I knew a lot of people didn’t know what they wanted to do with their lives, but I could tell Alison Rowley was definitely not one of them.
“Hey, Madi,” Auryn waved from where he’d been chatting to one of the zoo’s baristas. She shot me a glare that I pretended not to see. Apparently oblivious, Auryn abandoned her and came over to where I was feeding the lemurs.
“And where were you earlier today?” I asked.
Auryn’s smile turned into a grimace. I shot him a look that said I knew exactly where he’d been - hiding with all of the other keepers.
“I heard you did a great job rounding up the monkeys. Apparently Rich finally got what was coming to him, too?” he said, clearly hoping that sweet words would persuade me to forget his absence.
“Yeah, he got bitten pretty badly. I don’t think he’ll need stitches though,” I conceded.
I hadn’t actually hung around to find out. When I’d carted the monkeys away, the other builders were still laughing at their boss.
“You've got some new fans. The builders all think you’re pretty tough for walking away with all those monkeys, especially after they’d tasted blood,” Auryn said, rather melodramatically.
I inwardly raised an eyebrow. Perhaps my newfound respect could come in useful in the near future when I angled again for the changes I wanted made to the capybara enclosure. At the very least, I could threaten to unleash the monkeys again. Although they’d no doubt find their own way out again sooner or later, I thought with a private sigh.
“So where was everyone?” I asked, my earlier annoyance dissipating now the job had been done.
Auryn still looked uncomfortable.
“Oh, you know. People were busy working. I looked in on the bats for a bit, just to make sure they were okay and I think some of the other keepers were cleaning out the ponds…”
“Funny how jobs that have been put off for months suddenly become appealing when the squirrel monkeys escape,” I observed.
“Hey, Auryn, do you know why your dad would be having a meeting with Tom today?” I asked, remembering who I was talking to.
He shrugged. “I didn’t even think my dad was in today. I don’t talk to him that much though.” His grey eyes found mine and reminded me of a puppy looking for approval. I suddenly felt bad for assuming he’d know the answer, just because his relatives had control of the zoo. It was exactly the stigma that Auryn probably wanted to escape.
“Well, I reckon I’ve been had,” I said, sharing a smile with him, which - to my relief - he echoed.
“Ah well, you got them all back where they belong. I bet anyone else would have really struggled,” he said, and I felt a warm blush rise to my cheeks before I firmly stomped down on the feeling.
“Well, it was luck really. The monkeys were hungry enough to be bribed by the fruit I brought them,” I explained, figuring that sharing what had happened might mean I got more help the next time.
“You always have the best ideas,” Auryn continued and in spite of telling myself I wasn’t going to be flattered, I felt my spirits lift.
“Thanks, Auryn. I’d better get on with feeding the rabble, or I’ll be here all night!”
He seemed to shake himself out of a trance, probably realising that he too had duties to fulfil.
“Right, I’ll see you later, yeah? Hey, are you going to that board meeting thing?” he said as an afterthought.
I nodded, grimly.
“See you there then.” Auryn smiled one more dazzling smile and then walked away.
Dust from the hay swirled in the beams of evening sunlight when I entered the barn behind the zoo. There was the usual panicked scuffling, as the cats ducked for cover. I placed the food tray on the floor and scanned my surroundings. I noticed a few stalks of hay twitching on top of a bale. My feet carried me over as silently as I knew how.
I peered over the top and found myself face to face with the black cat with the white socks. She looked up at me and mewed, but I didn’t sense any aggression. I tentatively reached out a hand and stroked her head. She put up with it, only unleashing a halfhearted hiss. I could see her sides moving, as the kittens within started to jostle for freedom. The cat had built herself a cosy nest in the straw.
“Good luck, you’ll do fine,” I said to the mother-to-be, who looked sceptically back. I shrugged my shoulders. If she wanted fussing over, she’d have stayed home, wherever that was. I knew that cats often went off on their own to have kittens. Unless there were any complications, she’d be fine and I thought it likely that I’d be seeing kittens tomorrow.
“I’ll be here first thing,” I promised her, before walking back through the barn. It was a rule that was so often hard to keep, but when you were able, you should always let nature take its course.
6
A Hidden Agenda
It was a fresh Tuesday morning, and the dew still clung to the grass when I made my way to the barn. Long stalks brushed against my jeans, soaking all the way up to my knees, but I knew it would probably be dry by mid-morning. There were a few puffs of white cloud in the sky, but the pale blue stratosphere whispered the promise of yet another beautiful day. Our little corner of England was really lucking out this summer.
I watched the grass ripple as cats fled from my approach. I knew that many of them would be out hunting. With any luck, they’d catch a good few rats and prove their worth.
The barn itself felt quiet when I walked in and set down the food. The hay still held warmth from the previous days of sun and I had a strong urge to drop everything and lie on top of the bales. I rubbed my tired eyes. Perhaps I should wind back on the time I spent working on the comic. I clearly needed some more sleep. “And a day off,” I muttered to myself.
I had been getting one day off a week, but since Ray had died, it had been all hands on deck. The only good thing was getting paid for the overtime and the knowledge that I still had my paid holiday, having not had a moment to even think about using it.
I definitely deserve a treat, I thought, walking over towards the bale the pregnant cat had been behind. Perhaps I would treat myself to a fancy dinner. It had taken years, but I no longer felt bad about going to restaurants on my own. With a good book for company, I’d finally realised people didn’t care that I wasn’t there with anyone else. The servers never treated me any differently, although, that could be because I was good for business. One dessert was never enough.
I frowned and tugged at the waistband on my jeans. Yep, it was looser than it had been. It was definitely a while since I’d treated myself, and I reckoned I could afford to splash out.
“How are we doing?” I said, hearing the nerves in my voice when I peered over the top of the bale. Two green eyes looked back at me and then narrowed into slits for a few moments. I breathed a sigh of
relief. Mother cat seemed to be doing fine, which just left…
I leant further over the bale, having to push up onto my toes and scooch along on my stomach. Three little balls of fur were lined up along her side. I could see an orange and black, an orange and cream, and a black and white. I smiled at the mother cat. “They’re very cute.”
I was about to turn away and leave her be, when I heard a thin squeaking sound. I looked down at the cat again, but the kittens were all happily nursing. A pile of hay moved and I saw a little black nose poking out, questing for food.
“Did you get lost?”
I wriggled between two hay bales, hoping that this wasn’t going to disturb the mother cat too much. With one hand, I scooped the black bundle out of the hay and counted four white socks. This little kitten definitely took after its mum. I gently pushed it towards the nursing cat, noting as I did so that it was smaller than its brothers and sisters. Green eyes met mine again. The cat stuck out a white socked paw and firmly pushed the black kitten away. My heart dropped but the message was clear. I’m only taking care of these three.
I chewed my lip, looking down at the lonely kitten. It was all well and good saying that you should let nature take its course, but it was damn difficult when you knew there was something you could do to make a difference. I didn’t need another second to think about it. The kitten was scooped up again and dropped into the breast pocket of my work polo shirt. It looked like I’d just inherited a cat.
Fortunately, I’d come in super early to visit the cat, so I had plenty of time to pop across to the vet and pick up some kitten milk formula and a few pieces of advice. It was one thing being a zookeeper and caring for animals that you’d studied for years and there was a ton of inter-zoo shared information on, but quite a different thing to care for a kitten without a mother. In some ways, it was simpler. I didn’t have to worry about having too much human contact, as if all went to plan, we were going to be friends for a very long time. In other ways, I knew there would be challenges. Looking after an entirely dependent kitten wasn’t exactly in my job description, so I was going to have to be pretty careful about who I told, or risk being called out for spending too much time on something that wasn’t work. I smirked, as I considered pretending I’d taken up smoking. That always seems to justify multiple breaks.
“How’s that then?” I said to the black and white kitten. I’d put the formula into a dropper and was gently squeezing it, so the kitten could eat what it wanted. Once that was done, I damped a clean cloth and helped it go to the loo. Motherly duties complete, I found a small carrying case, no bigger than a lunch box, and made a soft nest, perfect for a kitten.
There was a bundle of soft toys that had been donated to use to comfort young animals that had been rejected by their parents. I selected a yellow fuzzy duck and popped it into the carrier for a snuggle buddy.
“Better get started on our rounds,” I said to the little ball of fur, who had immediately fallen asleep next to the duck. While it was early days, I suspected I had a little boy cat on my hands. I knew I should really start thinking of names, but somehow it felt unlucky to do it so soon. I’ll give it a few days, I thought to myself. Plenty of time to come up with something.
I hadn’t told anyone about the barn cat’s pregnancy, so no one suspected a thing when I went about the usual daily chores with a furry friend in tow. I guessed anyone who saw the little travel case probably thought I was taking my lunch for a walk.
The only person I shared the news with was Tiff, when she met me during her coffee break.
“Hey, do you want to meet my new friend?” I said, picking up the carrier to show her. Tiff eyed it nervously for a moment until I told her it was a kitten. In hindsight, I couldn’t blame her. In a zoo where some people thought giant cockroaches were cute, you never knew what you were about to come face to face with.
“He’s so little!” she said, when I took the kitten out to feed it some more formula. I checked his temperature too, but the day, although warm, was not excessively hot. My new partner seemed happy enough.
“His brothers and sisters are still in the barn with their mother. I’ll have to catch them all when they’re the right age to be neutered. The mother, too,” I said with a sigh. The kitten’s mother may not be a bonafide feral by my judgement, but her offspring were going to be 100% wild. It was always a barrel of joy when you had to catch a cat to prevent the population from exploding.
“I’d come and see them, but I know disturbing them is bad. Although, if the mother did decide she doesn’t want any of her other kittens, I could probably squeeze another pet in somewhere,” Tiff said with a smile.
Her house was already overrun with waifs and strays. While I’d managed to swerve rescue duties over the years (until now) Tiff had a soft spot for anything orphaned and furry.
I was supremely pleased that Tiff hadn’t asked to see the other kittens. It reassured me that the cat would remain undisturbed. Even seasoned zookeepers could go a bit baby-crazy. With the rumour mill being what it was, the poor cats would be inundated by lunchtime if I didn’t keep my mouth shut.
“Is that a kitten?” A deep voice said.
I found myself staring into a familiar pair of dark eyes and for a second I knew I’d forgotten to breathe.
Tiff nudged me when I didn’t reply.
“A kitten, yes. It came from the cat barn, you know…” I trailed off. Lowell wasn’t supposed to have been anywhere near there. I deliberately didn’t look at Tiff and hoped she’d forget it. “Would you mind not telling anyone about it? I know it’s just a kitten but I really don’t want the mother to be bothered, or we may lose them all,” I said, as tactfully as I could.
Lowell nodded, brusquely. He glanced at Tiff, but I noticed it wasn’t the usual besotted look that most men threw in her direction. It was almost as if he wished she wasn’t standing there.
Another pause morphed into a silence and I felt my cheeks warm. Tiff started looking back and forth between us, before Lowell finally turned and walked away.
“Who is that?” Tiff hissed in delight, the second he was out of earshot. Or almost out of earshot anyway.
“He’s the new builder. I don’t know him or anything,” I said, wondering why I was making excuses.
Tiff gave a sceptical look. “Sure,” she said but couldn’t keep the smile from bursting free. “Well, well, well! Does this mean you’re finally coming out of the dating doldrums? He’s so tall! It’ll be like climbing a tree…” She broke off when I battered her with my hands to make her shut up. “Using the cute kitten to get the guy to talk to you… I like it. All this time, you had me wondering. But you’ve known how to play the game all along, you sly minx!”
“The game?” I said, blankly.
“The game,” Tiff confirmed, nodding like this conversation wasn't absolute nonsense. “Just remember, you promised me I could be bridesmaid.”
“At my imaginary, never-gonna-happen wedding,” I reminded her. “Unless I marry myself, don’t plan on going dress shopping any time soon.”
“I heard there’s a growing trend for that sort of thing,” Tiff commented.
“How wonderful to know that spinsterhood is now trendy,” I replied, drenching it in sarcasm.
Tiff just snorted.
“Are you going to the meeting later?” I asked, deciding it was high time I diverted the conversation to more sensible affairs. I placed the kitten back in its carrier and it returned to cuddling up with the toy duck.
“No, I’m just going to go home. I never know what to say at those meetings and while you know I support you, all of this protest stuff doesn’t have a lot to do with the shop. I think people would probably think I was being super over-controlling if I tried to get in on it. Plus Erin Avery gives me the creeps.”
Erin Avery, son of Mr Avery Senior, and divorcee father to Auryn, was the head of the board of directors. He’d always seemed like an okay kind of guy to me, but someone like Tiff had an unfortunate tendency to
occasionally bring out the sides of a person you didn’t always see. Especially if the person was male. She pulled a face at me and I shuddered. He probably was just your average guy deep down, but for someone in his fifties to be chasing after Tiff was definitely uncomfortable.
“I’ll see you when I see you then,” I said to her with a smile.
“Yes, although, you’ll probably be sick of me soon. It’s not that I’m not crazy about you Madi, but now you have that cute little bundle, I’ll seek you out like Madi chasing down a chocolate cake,” she said with a grin that made her nose crease up in a sickeningly attractive way.
“Uh, Tiff, using similes that have me as the subject when you’re having a conversation with me is weird.”
“Oh, sorry. I guess I just use that one so much, it slipped out,” Tiff said with an evil grin.
I wasn’t sure if she was joking.
The meeting had already started when I made it to the zoo’s restaurant. Just beyond the foyer was the conference room where board meetings were held.
One of the bats had been reported behaving erratically and I’d had to observe it for a while, which was why I was a little late. I didn’t think there was anything seriously wrong, but every time something was reported, it had to be checked.
“Remember you promised me you’ll stay quiet,” I whispered to the little kitten I carried by my side. I’d really have to hope people assumed the carrier was my lunchbox.
Erin Avery had just finished some sort of opening speech, when I inched my way into the back of the room. His blonde thatch of hair hadn’t thinned a bit and I thought Auryn’s prospects looked pretty good if that was the way the Avery men aged. I couldn’t vouch for his mother, as she and Erin had divorced long before I’d joined the zoo. While Erin still retained a few of the hallmarks that hinted he had once been a handsome man, that didn’t justify him behaving in any manner that would make Tiff feel uncomfortable. I glowered for a second and hoped it was a long time in the past. I may be small, but I was also fierce and I felt protective of my friends.