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“Let me.” I hoist her and the cat into the seat and try not to jostle them too much. If he got scared and leaped down, I’d never forgive myself.
Making it safely up, she slides across the seat with the cat in one arm and pops my door open for me. After I begin driving, he peeks up and watches the world go by through the window. I thought most cats hated riding in cars, but he’s acting more like a dog than a cat.
As far as I know, Al and Annie have never had a cat. About five years ago, they lost their beloved dog to old age and never settled on another.
“Should we stop and get any supplies?” They definitely don’t have a litter box.
“Do we have time?”
“Don’t worry about it.”
“In that case, definitely some food. I stashed some more lunch meat, but I don’t think so much of it is good for him. And maybe a carrier. And a real litter box.”
“Probably a car harness too. He’s riding well, but it’s safer in case of an accident.”
“Sounds good.”
She leans her head back, and I thumb a quick message to my first appointment asking them to reschedule just in case we’re not there on time.
Her bright chatter about the cat fills the truck’s cab, and I’m struck by the contrast between her energy now and her energy last night. I hope that a good night’s rest and the excitement of the cat helped break her out of whatever triggered her yesterday.
I worry she won’t be able to keep the little dude and know it won’t be easy for her to give him to someone else. She’s already enamored, and he seems to have picked her, too, never straying from her lap.
My resolve to keep him if she can’t strengthens; I won’t let her lose this little furball.
“I’ve never had a pet before,” she tells me as we near the outskirts of town. “I’m not entirely sure how to take care of it.”
“I haven’t had a cat either.” She doesn’t say anything, so I keep talking. “I had a dog when I was little, though.”
“I would have loved a dog too. Actually, I’d have taken a fish.”
“You’ve never had any pets?”
“My mom never liked animals. She always said I could get one when I was responsible enough to take care of it, but I never did. When I got my first job, she said it wouldn’t be fair to a pet for both of us to be gone so much working.”
I don’t say it out loud, but her mom sounds like a massive buzzkill. From the few things she’s mentioned, Ms. Michaels appears to be the exact opposite of Mom. “You seem awfully good with him.”
She scratches his chin more, and he stretches his neck to the side so she has easier access. “I love animals. They’re good judges of character. I always played with our neighbor’s cats and dogs whenever I could.”
“Annie and Al used to have a dog too.”
“Oh, good! Maybe they’ll still have pet bowls or something he can use for today.”
“Probably.”
We lapse into a companionable silence, and she continues to idly pet him.
When we pull into the parking lot, she stays in the truck with the cat, and I head inside to grab basics. Neither of us knows what we’re doing, and he’s more attached to her, so I opted to do the shopping and leave them in the truck with the keys to keep the air conditioning on. I’ve seen too many horror stories about animals left in hot cars to risk it.
Dashing through the pet aisle, I grab a carrier and toss small things inside—treats, a collar, a car harness, and some toys. I go through the self-scanning registers so I don’t have to wait in line and make it back outside in under fifteen minutes.
We pull into Al and Annie’s driveway just before nine-thirty, and I see the big tow truck is gone. Before I even stop, Annie is out the back door and heading over. Hoping to head her off so she doesn’t scare the little dude, I jump out and circle around to the passenger side.
“Let me see it! Let me see it!” Annie sounds like a kid on Christmas morning.
The cat must have heard her because he pops his head up to look out the window.
“Good morning to you too, Annie.” I give her a quick hug, but she shoos me away. I grab all the supplies we picked up while she says hello to the cat, waving through the window and valiantly resisting the urge to smother him in love.
