by Fiona Grace
The dog was just not eating the right foods. She wrote this down on a pad and paper, as well as a couple of other items that she thought would help. All of the items should have been easily obtainable at any market. As Audrey finished writing the list, Marco and Vito continued to converse, Audrey only making out a few of the words.
Suddenly, Vito let out a big, “Ha! I thought so. Get this.” He leaned in close to Audrey, smiling smugly. “Dr. Mauro has been treating him for months. For mange. And no surprise, it’s not getting any better.”
Audrey’s mouth shaped an O. “Well, yes, that’s no surprise. Normal methods for treating mange won’t help this. I’m writing out a list that will give you a cocktail of vitamins that you can get at any store. That should clear this up in a period of a week or so, and keep his coat as healthy and shiny as a newborn puppy’s. Okay, Marco?”
When Vito translated, Marco leaned over, grabbed her hands, and kissed them both, numerous times. As he did, he murmured in a low voice, something that sounded like a prayer.
Vito rolled his eyes. “Don’t get a big head, but he said you are a lifesaver, a gift from God. I think he’s asking for a blessing from the saints to give you long life and many children. Or something.”
“That’s . . . nice.” Can he throw a boyfriend in there, too? Then he stopped murmuring, and the kissing began again. “Now, what is he doing?”
“No clue. I think he’s just really happy.”
Audrey stared at him, eyes wide, as he continued to lavish kisses on her hands, bowing in reverence. It was almost embarrassing. She attempted to tear her hands away, but that only made him hold them tighter. He murmured something else.
Vito explained, “He’s asking how much you want for the house call.”
Audrey shook her head. “Oh. Please. Nothing. It’s my pleasure.”
“Are you sure?” Vito looked doubtful.
“I’m sure.” Though it would be nice to have my hands back.
When Vito told him the news, he kissed them more. She finally had to rip her hands away, rather savagely, smiling at him. “I’m glad you’re happy. Please, let me know if there is anything else I can do.”
Marco held up a finger and returned a moment later, holding a little medal of a saint on a chain. “For you,” he said.
She held it up and peered at the small writing. “Saint Christopher.”
He nodded. “Si. Si.”
Vito said, “He’s saying, God be with you in your travels.”
She smiled and slipped it over her head, letting the medal rest against her chest. She decided she needed it, if only to survive the next drive up to the shelter with Vito.
“Please, do let me know if there’s anything else I can do for you and Fabio!” she said as she stepped outside with Vito on her heels.
Vito closed the door and shook his head. “Don’t offer that. He might take your magnificence up on the offer to kiss your hands again, and then we’ll never be able to get you two apart.”
She smiled and touched the medal around her neck. “Let’s go back to the shelter. And could I trouble you not to drive like you’re trying to win a race?”
He smirked. “What’s the fun in that?” he said, but even so, when they were in the car, he did seem to pay attention to his speed. He stopped fully at the stop signs, too, and even let a little old lady pass on the street in front of him without revving the engine or inching forward.
She started to thank him for being so careful as they made the final turn out of the downtown area, when she saw a tiny face in the bushes. It moved to the edge of the road, testing it carefully. As Audrey watched, another face appeared. And another.
Vito put his foot on the gas and upshifted. This had disaster written all over it.
“Stop!” she screamed.
CHAPTER TEN
Vito jammed on the brakes, making them both lurch forward. When he’d caught his breath, he said, “What was that all about?”
Audrey was already taking off her seatbelt. She opened the passenger-side door and scrambled out of her seat, then ran to the side of the road, which was covered with dust and gravel. Squatting low, she peered into the bushes, trying to spot the animals, but they’d run away.
Vito came to stand beside her. “You’re the one who didn’t want any accidents. And you almost got us into one. What’s going on?”
She squinted into the shade of the bushes. “I could’ve sworn I saw—” Just then, something moved. She pointed. “There!”
He stooped so he was on her level. “What am I looking at?”
Slowly, she made out their forms. “There’s one, two, three kittens and their mom over there, I think. Wait right here.” She motioned to Nick, who’d come to the side of the road to see what she was up to. “Come on, bub. Let’s go see if we can get them.”
“Wait!” Vito said, reaching into the car.
“What?”
He pulled out a box of latex gloves and handed her a pair. “Last time I handled a cat from an abandoned field, I got the worst rash. Now I never leave home without them.”
She snapped them on. “Thanks.”
The road was on a rather steep, stony ledge. Grabbing hold of a tree branch, she slowly lowered herself down, her sneakers slipping on the gravel as she went. After a few steps, she had to let go of the branch to move forward. When she did, she found herself rushing forward, unable to stop, fueled by gravity, her legs nearly slipping out from underneath her. Nick screeched a warning, and she thought for sure she would go somersaulting part of the way.
Finally the ground evened out at another residential road, and she regained her footing in the midst of a tangle of bushes. Now she was in an overgrown lot, bordered by chain-link fence. A virtual heaven for cats, with lots of hiding places to duck into. She looked around, trying to gauge where the cats had gone. Predictably, her less-than-graceful descent had scared them all away. After meandering around the scrubby bushes and coming up empty-handed, she bent over to look under some cars that were parked at the curb in front of the lot. Nothing.
As she walked along the sidewalk, making little cat noises to coax them out of their hiding spot, some people who lived in the townhomes across the street stopped what they were doing and watched her. One man in a white undershirt, who’d gone out to get the morning newspaper, scratched his armpit and shouted, “Cosa fai?” at her. What are you doing?
She ignored him. I ask myself that every day.
Vito came sliding down the embankment, only slightly more gracefully than she’d done. He shoved his hands in his pockets and swaggered over to her. “Are you sure you’re not imagining these cats?”
She glared at him. Did he really think she’d just made them up?
But then Nick screeched. She swung around to find him keeping watch over a bush. The bush was hissing slightly.
She motioned to Nick to keep the pressure on from that angle and went around the other side of the bush. Somehow, Nick seemed to know exactly what she meant. He stalked forward, his ears perked up and his fur raised at his back, as if ready to pounce. The cat hissed some more, then backed out of the bush.
Right toward where Audrey had positioned herself.
The second it turned to run, she reached forward and scooped it up. “Aha! Got you!”
The animal screeched and pawed at her. A claw sliced across the side of her chin. “Ouch!” She dropped the cat and he raced away. She touched the side of her face and found it damp with blood. Great.
“He got you pretty bad,” Vito announced.
“She,” Audrey corrected, wiping the blood from her face. It stung, but she’d had worse. “It’s not too bad. I’ll be fine. I told you there was a cat there. And a couple kittens. There!”
She started to run after it. Vito joined in with her. In this game of cat and mouse, they were definitely the losers. Every time they seemed to get close, the agile kittens would dodge away. They ran in circles until they were out of breath. Just when she thought she’d outsmarted t
hem, they’d perform a bob-and-weave maneuver that left her hands empty. She couldn’t even get her hands on them. Even Nick was stymied, and had gone off through the field to chase a butterfly.
When she and Vito both lunged at the same kitten at the same time and bonked heads, Audrey groaned. The man on the other side of the street, who’d sat on his front stoop to watch the commotion, was laughing so hard, his belly shook. “Idiotas!” he cried, as a man with his dog stopped to watch, too. On the busy sidewalk, people were stopping all over, taking the time to watch the show.
Yes. Probably, Audrey agreed. We are idiots, wasting time doing this when we have hundreds of cats waiting for us back at the shelter.
“Forget it,” she said, rubbing the side of her head. There was a goose egg there. Then she swiped a hand down her cheek. Her blood was already crusting there, but the sting had already subsided. “These kittens are more trouble than they’re worth.”
Vito wiped the dirt from his hands. “I need a nap after that.”
Vito was already grabbing onto a branch and climbing up the way they’d come. Audrey looked up the steep embankment, to where Vito had parked his car.
I’ll probably kill myself if I try to climb up the way I came down, she thought, searching for another way. The road went uphill, switchback-fashion, which looked considerably less arduous. She pointed and called, “I’m just going to go around. I’ll meet you there!”
He gave her a thumbs-up and continued on his way.
She headed for the sidewalk. Even that wasn’t an easy route, because it veered sharply uphill, but it was better than scaling the side of the ledge. By the time she’d taken a few steps, she was really out of breath. As she paused, she saw it.
A little black-and-white-striped kitten, sitting on the curb, meowing miserably.
“Ha,” she said, reaching down. The little kitten actually moved toward her, allowing her to scoop it up. She cradled it in her arms. “Got you, cutie. What’s your name? Let me see . . . I guess Vito would probably call you Stripe.”
She was so busy checking the animal over that she didn’t notice anyone approaching until a shadow descended over her. She looked up to see a man in a red windbreaker rushing toward her.
*
The man was slight, balding on top, the dark hair from his combover standing straight up on the breeze. He had a benevolent smile on his face, but his cheeks were mottled with scars which gave him the appearance of toughness.
That’s probably why she took a step back. “Can I help you?”
“You were attempting to catch that kitten? Is he yours?” the man said in perfect English, with just the slightest hint of an accent.
“No. But I’m the new vet here, and I’m trying to round up the strays,” she explained, stroking Stripe between his ears. He purred contentedly. “There are quite a lot of them around.”
“Oh, I know,” the man said, scratching the side of his mouth, where he had only the thinnest line of a moustache. “They are a problem. You are a vet?”
She nodded and checked her phone. It was after nine now. Oh, he’s going to ask me to pay a house call to his sick pet now, too, I bet, she thought hurriedly. And then I’m really never going to be able to finish up with all those animals at the shelter. “Yes! It’s very busy.” She moved past him on the sidewalk. “I’d love to chat but—”
“I’m a vet, too,” he said, a sick smile spreading over his face. “And I’m a little concerned with something I’ve been hearing.”
Audrey inhaled sharply. Was he . . . Dr. Mauro, the other vet on the island? The man Sabina and Vito had said was messy, egocentric, and prone to misdiagnosing pets? “Um . . . what is that?”
“Well,” he said, now smoothing his moustache as he gave her a hard stare. “I’ve been hearing that someone else—another vet—has been seeing my patients.”
Audrey’s mouth opened, but nothing came out. She’d been stunned speechless.
“You wouldn’t know anything about that, would you?” he asked, almost sweetly.
Her first instinct was to lie, but she knew that would get her nowhere. She lifted her chin and said, “Well, I suppose that would be me. Are you Dr. Mauro?”
He nodded. “Indeed I am.”
Jostling the kitten in her arms, she stuck out her hand. “Then, wonderful. I have been meaning to meet with you. I only arrived yesterday but I am sure we have a lot to discuss.”
“Do we?” He stared at her hand as if he’d never been offered one to shake before. “I don’t think we do. This is my town, my island. Lipari.”
She nodded, lowering her hand. “I understand that, Doctor. And it’s not at all my intention to step on your toes. In fact, I have a practice in Mussomeli. I only—”
“Then I suggest you go back there.”
“I was invited here by the council, to look into the stray problem.”
“The council?” One of his eyebrows arched significantly higher than the other. “Who on the council asked for you? It can’t be anyone of importance, because the mayor knows that I am taking care of the stray problem.”
She looked around. “From what I can tell, from my short time here, the stray problem is bad, and only getting worse,” she said, her tone flat. “Look, as I said. I don’t mean to step on your toes. I am only here for a few days. But I thought you could use the extra manpower. And that maybe you and I could put our heads together and—”
“Nonsense!” he said, waving his hand at her to silence her. His eyes scraped over her, from head to toe. “What are you? Just a child! And an American, at that. You think you’re going to tell me my business? You’re out of your mind. I’ve been practicing veterinary medicine for more years than you’ve been alive, little girl.”
Little girl? Audrey’s brow wrinkled. “I’ll have you know that I graduated from vet school almost ten years ago and was employed by one of the best clinics in Boston before—”
He snorted. “I don’t care. You know nothing. If you did, you’d understand that this profession is not about where you graduate from. It’s about years in the field. That’s where a vet proves his worth. Not by anything else.”
Audrey stood there, stunned, vaguely aware that the people who’d been watching her try to collect the strays were now watching this whole altercation. She started to argue, but he turned away.
Then he turned back quickly, wagging a finger at her. Spittle flew from his thick lips as he spoke, spraying her in the face. “You stay out of my way, little girl. If you want, stick to catching strays. You’ll at least provide a source of amusement for people. But leave the real vet work to the professionals. I’m warning you.”
Audrey’s jaw dropped. Was that a threat? And she’d only been offering to cooperate with him, not move in on his business. She thought he’d be happy! Her mind raced, searching for a witty reply, but the only thing that came to her was the classic, uber-professional comeback: I know you are, but what am I?
Before she could think of something intelligent to say, he stomped off.
As he did, a young woman approached. She had a bandana on her head, corralling a mass of long, light hair, and a long skirt. She was barefoot, and carrying a small pit bull. “Dottore,” she said sheepishly. “I hope you don’t mind, but I overheard you talking. Could you look at my dog, please? He has something in his paw.”
“Certainly,” she said loudly and extra-sweetly, looking around for the crazy vet who’d threatened her. But he was already gone. “Has he been seen by Dr. Mauro?”
The woman shook her head. “Oh, no. He is not a good doctor.”
Audrey bent to have a look at the animal’s paw. Apparently, neither am I.
When she turned the paw over, she saw the problem. A thorn. Nothing too terrible. “Come with me. I have my bag in the car, just up the street,” she said.
She and her newest patient went to the car, where Vito was waiting, leaning his long, lanky body up against the side of it. She handed the cat to him. “Got one, at least. This little g
uy is named Stripe. Let me just check on this dog and then we can be on our way.”
She grabbed some tweezers from her medical bag and performed the simple operation right there on the curb. Her patient was very good, only squirming a bit as she pulled the thorn from between the pads of his paw. As she wrapped his paw in gauze to stop the slight bleeding, he licked her face.
Well, at least someone on this island appreciates me.
“All done,” Audrey announced proudly.
The woman smiled and thanked her, then offered to pay her with a beaded necklace she’d been wearing. Audrey shook her head. “No charge. Please.”
The woman was dumbfounded. “Are you sure?”
“Of course! It was a simple, two-minute procedure. I couldn’t charge you for something like that.”
She still seemed unsure. “You won’t send me a bill? Because I still owe Dr. Mauro two hundred Euros for a ten-minute visit from last month.”
“I’m so sorry,” Audrey said, giving the pooch a pet. And I really wish I could stay here longer. Or that your vet wasn’t a money-hungry jerk.
Vito grinned at her. “Saint Audrey. They’ll erect a statue to you before your time here is up, you know.”
“Oh, stop.” She went around the car to get into the passenger’s side, and sat down, the kitten on her lap. As she was about to close the door, Nick jumped in, hissing at the cat. He was always so possessive of Audrey. “Sit in the back, Nick, and don’t be a baby. You should know by now, you’re not being replaced.”
As Vito drew his long legs under the steering wheel, he said, “I told you the vet here’s a piece of work.”
She sighed. “I know that now. I actually just met him.”
Now it was Vito’s turn to look surprised. “What? When?”
“In the street.”
“Oh . . . well, that makes sense. His clinic’s right there.” He pointed vaguely.
“Where?”