She pretended not to hear me and kept rolling around, exposing her belly for fuss."Are you going to miss me?"
"Yes, of course," I said, relenting and giving her scratches."Are you excited about your cruise?"
"Verrrrrry.There's an all-you-can-eat fish buffet for cats," she said, purring loudly.
"I guess we all know what you'll be up to."I looked up at Gran who was checking her handbag."Are you ready for your cruise?"
"Oh, more than ready.Two weeks of sun, sea, and their unlimited drink package?It's just what the doctor ordered," she said, nodding when she made sure her passport and wand were in her bag.
"I don't think the doctor ordered two weeks of drinking, Gran," I pointed out, not sure why I bothered.She was going to do whatever she wanted on that cruise, no matter what I said.
"Don't worry about the details of the trip, Cass."She put an envelope on the table."This is for you, make sure you treat yourself a few times while I'm gone, alright?"
"You don't have to give me money," I said, touched nonetheless.
"I know I don'thaveto.I also didn'thaveto raise you, I'm doing it because I want to."She put her sunhat on with a lot of flair."When is the taxi getting here?"
I checked the app on my phone."It's scheduled.Fifteen minutes."
"Perfect.Just enough time to have one last cup of tea," she said while flicking the kettle on."The tea everywhere else in the world is rubbish.Do you want some?"
"I just finished mine," I said, joining her at the table nonetheless.It was going to be lonely without them so I was more glad than ever to have Balthazar to keep me company.We were going to have our first solo morning together tomorrow and I was looking forward to it.
Betty jumped up on the free chair and curled up, yawning as if she had a hard day of work behind her when I knew she'd been lazing around while Gran packed.I wouldn't be surprised if she didn't lift a single paw the entire two weeks of their cruise.
I looked out the window while Gran brewed her tea, my thoughts wandering off to my own familiar.I wanted to know what Balthazar had been doing at the antique shop or what he did all day.He claimed to have a busy life but busy doingwhatexactly?Maybe it would remain one of life's unsolved mysteries.
Gran joined me at the table with her tea and a packet of biscuits.She seemed in a good mood which was nice to see.She hadn't taken a long vacation like this in a while but now that she had me and Mila to keep the coffee house open, it was possible.
"Are you going to be alright on your own?"Gran asked, offering me a biscuit.
I took one to munch on."Yeah, of course."
"You sure?Because this is the first time you're going to be alone since..."she tactfully trailed off, not that she needed to say the words to make it clear what she was talking about.
"I'll be fine.I have Balthazar, Mila, and the Lis to keep me company," I said, now thinking about inviting Faye over for a movie night or a dinner date.That might be fun and we could take advantage of the flat being empty for once.
Gran let out a knowing hum."So what's going on between you and Faye then?Are you finally...You know?"
"What makes you so convinced something is happening between us?"I asked, keeping the fact that we'd kissed a few times to myself.I didn't need to give my grandmother a play by play of my love life.We were close but not that close.
"Because you've got a sparkle in your eye whenever you talk about her and you've been smiling lots again."Gran cupped her hands around her mug."It's nice to see you smile again."
"Nobody said the smiling was because of Faye.Maybe it's because of you and Betty," I replied.
She chuckled."Well, I'm definitely takingsomecredit for the smile returning to your face but I know Faye Li is responsible for some of it too and you can deny it all you want, I know you too well for that."
"I really thought my poker face had gotten better over the years."
"Not at all, Cass.You're still an open book to me, just like when you were a little girl."She checked her watch and drank most of her tea."Alright, I should start heading downstairs for the taxi.Come here, give me a hug."
I embraced Gran tightly, finding lots of comfort in her hug.I was only a little bit worried about her leaving but the worries weren't for myself."Be safe, okay?"
"Of course.This isn't my first rodeo."
"I know.Just make sure you keep an eye on your bags and don't fall for any tourist scams.And carry hand sanitiser with you.Ships are breeding grounds for bacteria," I said, amused by the role reversal between us.She'd said these exact same things to me whenever I went on a holiday so it only felt right to say them back.
Gran squeezed me tightly."I'll be careful, no need to worry."
