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“She doesn’t have much faith in my ability to take care of myself, let alone another living creature. Plus, she’s not big on animals.”
She sounds so resigned that I know this is an opinion that’s been reinforced in her mind. I think back to our previous conversation and drop the subject, humming noncommittally. Silence stretches between us through the rest of the drive. I try to be discreet as I glance at her, watching as she types out more messages and opens up a word game.
When we pull up, I see Al’s gone again, so the big hauler isn’t blocking half the driveway. Annie greets us at the door when we get out of the truck. Norman’s nowhere in sight at first, but as soon as he hears Lenore’s voice, he comes tearing around the corner of the mud room and nearly climbs her leg.
“Hi, little guy. I missed you too.” She scoops him up the rest of the way, and he rubs his face against her chin, kneading biscuits with his front paws against her arm.
“You’ve got a pretty special cat there, dear.” Annie stands back and watches them.
“Oh, he knows it too.” Lenore smiles indulgently.
“That’s not a bad thing.” Annie reaches out to scratch his ear. “Especially after he’s been alone for God knows how long.”
“Very true.” I second her opinion while reaching out to tickle his toe. I’m rewarded with a friendly swat, and he purrs even louder.
Annie stands back and takes in Lenore and me.
“I’d offer to have you guys stay for dinner, but Al’s taking me out for a date when he gets back.” Annie looks ecstatic. They don’t get out as much as they used to.
“Oh, fun! Where are you guys going?” Lenore asks, still petting Norm.
“He said it's a surprise but that I should dress up.”
I haven’t seen Annie looking this excited in a while, and I’m glad they’re doing something special together.
“Well, we’ll leave you alone so you can get ready.” I hug her quickly before she can turn the situation into an opportunity to drop hints about me asking Lenore out too. Lenore snaps a leash to Norm’s collar, and I hustle them out the door.
“Have a good night, you two!” Annie calls before soundly closing it behind us.
“Don’t you want to be just like them when you grow up? They’re so cute,” Lenore says as she climbs up into the truck.
“They are. I’m glad Al’s taking her out to do something special. She’s slowed down a bit since she retired, and I think she’s getting lonely.”
Lenore looks unhappy at that thought. “Has she thought about volunteering anywhere?”
I hand her Norm, and he curls up happily in her lap. “Not that I know of.”
She seems like she has more to say, so I lean an arm against the doorframe and wait.
“What’d she do before she retired?”
“She worked at a local department store for years in just about every position. She mostly did sales when I was little but eventually got promoted to manager.”
“How come she retired? She’s not really old enough.” Lenore runs a hand over Norm’s fur, and a thick chunk of her hair falls loose from the messy bun she pulled it into when we left. Without thinking, I tuck it back behind her ear, letting my fingers trail through its silky weight.
“It wasn’t really her choice. The chain wasn’t making money and consolidated a lot of its business. Our store was one of the first to close. They offered her another position, but it was almost three hours away, and she didn’t want to move. Then they offered her early retirement as a second option, and she took that to help Al more.”
“That’s terrible. I wish I could help her in some way. They’ve been so generous to me.”
“The company wasn’t so bad. They transferred as many people as possible and offered funding to help with job training for others.”
“Still, it’s a shame.”
I nod and close the door so we can start making our way home.
When we finally make it out of the dense stop-and-go traffic in the middle of town, I think it’ll be a straight shot to Highway 42, but there’s even more traffic on these roads. I grunt in annoyance, breaking for someone trying to squeeze into the gap in front of me.
“So, tomorrow?” Lenore looks over at me.
