The Christmas Cat
By Cherime MacFarlane
Copyright 2015
Copyright Notice:
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters places, and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
Author's Note: It is entirely too cold for any animal to be out at 15 degrees. I have had people drop animals on our road. I should fully skirt the bottom of the house but never have because of the cats that have taken up residence under it. I have fed them and in both cases found the poor things homes. And they do not look good when they lose the ear tips and tail to frostbite.
Artwork: Cherime MacFarlane
Dedicated to Vixen and all those kittens who followed in her wake.
Busy in the kitchen when the phone rang, I almost let it go to voice mail because my hands were full of bread dough. Some instinct caused me to grab it, thankfully.
"Mom, where are you? You should be home from work by now."
"Lisa! Honey, are you at the house? When did you get in? I thought you weren't due for a couple of days, but you're early!"
"I got a chance to fly home sooner and thought I'd surprise you. I wanted to fly down with you to meet Niky in Seattle. But where is Bo? Nothing happened to him that you're not telling me?"
"Bo's fine. Nothing's wrong."
Everything's right, but I wanted to surprise you. The thought flitted past as I scrambled for the right way to handle this. First, I need to get my dear daughter where I can break the news in person. How to get her here without lying was the problem.
"Look, honey, let me give you the address. Come on over, I can't wait to see you! I'm in the middle of something and can't break away right now. I'm about to put bread in the oven. It should be ready in forty-five minutes."
"Mom?"
Heavens! I heard me come out of my daughter's mouth. The 'what are you trying to put over on me' question sounded clear as a bell.
"The oven is hot. The timer just went off, and I have to get the pans in before the bread rises too much. Take this down. When you get here, park over to the side in front of the motor-home. Can't wait to see you, hurry." After giving her directions, I broke the connection.
As soon as I got the bread into the oven, I wiped my hands on a towel and reached for the phone again. I told the thing to call Mike, mobile and waited for him to answer.
"What's up honey chile?"
"Lisa's back. She's at the house and on her way over. I wanted to warn you that a strange car will be parked in front of the motor-home when you get here. No going into stalk mode."
"She's early."
"Yes. And I'm nervous. How is she going to take this? I should have told her something."
"Slow down, Ange. Take a deep breath. If she's anything like her mom, there will be some hard questions, but she loves you, and it's going to be fine."
"Yeah, yeah. Just get on home. No delaying because you don't want to get in the middle of a 'family thing'."
A deep luscious chuckle bounced around inside of me. The man should be illegal. "On my way, Ange. I'll leave the gun in the safe in the garage."
By now I'm so used to him carrying a concealed weapon, I didn't give it a second thought. "Good idea. That's one of the things I love about you; you're like a hound dog, smarter than you look."
His laughter eased some of the nervousness skittering around inside.
"One of these days, Ange, you'll give me an actual compliment, and I'm gonna fall over from shock. Don't worry, baby. It'll be okay. On the way."
I knew it would be fine because we were together now. It was a shame it had taken so many years to find each other, but so wonderful that we finally had. I was a grown woman, so what if I lived with a man?
Maybe I should ask Lisa what she had been doing over in Europe all winter. That might give her something else to think about.
I had planned to meet the kids in Seattle. Mike scheduled a whole week off, and we had reservations at a very swank hotel there.
Of course, it had a gym, the one thing he wouldn't compromise on. I understood why his business demands he must stay in top shape.
Our plan was for me to meet the kids at the airport. After giving them the news that their mother had a live-in lover, we would have dinner somewhere really nice, and the kids could all get acquainted with him.
I should have known better. Lisa was always the impulsive one. Expect the unexpected was the watch word with that girl. The child kept me on my toes for years. Never a bad child, but always into stuff, she had to experience things.
Case in point, dashing off to backpack around Europe in the winter. My oldest child isn't afraid of anything. Fearless, she broke an arm and sprained her ankles countless times. I cannot count the number of stitches that have graced her body, and I should have purchased stock in a gauze and tape company the day the child began walking.
Niky didn't frighten easily either. The primary difference between the two was in execution. My son always took that half second to assess the situation before he dove in.
Where Lisa possessed brains, Niky was a genius. Lisa and I are in awe of his ability to think. A year younger than his sister, he finished college before she did. Both of them had scholarships, and both had jobs the whole time they went to school.
As they grew up, I worked nights, caught a few hours' sleep, then lessons took place. I home-schooled them because the land we lived on sat too far off the road to catch the bus. I didn't want them walking home by themselves. Moose are a real threat on our driveway.
My narrow access road is a mile off the street that cuts back into the hills. Someone designated the tract a subdivision years ago, but never developed it due to a lot of swamp. We have always been out in the hinterlands.
Even though they were home alone at night, I wasn't far. The pay at the gas station and combination quick store wasn't the best. But once the land got paid off, and all I had to find was the land taxes, utilities, and food, it was sufficient.
And we had all day together. As soon as their lessons were completed, we did other things. We went fishing and camped out a lot.
There are lots of trails to hike in the summer. And we went cross country skiing in the winter. A friend down the road had two kids we took with us on some of our weekend jaunts.
The library was the highlight of our week. All of us read everything we could get our hands on. There were always books all over the house.
Once the kids were in college, I moved to the day shift. I still worked at the same old job. The store was only ten miles from my place, and easy to get to in winter. This area has grown up enough that the business could support a raise now and again.
This last Christmas was the turning point in my life. When I saw that kitten, so tiny and all alone, my heart wouldn't allow me to forget the poor little thing. It led me to try to rescue the little kitten that brought me to Mike.
A wave of wonder at my good fortune swept through me. He was right, everything would be okay. The children I raised were good solid people. I knew they would want me to be happy.
When the doorbell rang, I went to answer it with most of my nerves under control. My kids love me. Questions would come, but I had answers.
The dog barked uncontrollably; Bo was jumping up and down. He knew who waited on the other side of the door. As soon as I opened it, the dog hit Lisa hard enough to knock her off the small porch.
I grabbed her hand, and pulled her inside, dog and all. We got Bo under control and the door shut. I took hold of his collar and forced him to sit. Lisa knelt to give him a big hug.
While holding
on to the dog, she glanced up at me and arched one eyebrow. "This is some place, Mom. How about you tell me what's going on here."
She stood, snapped her fingers and Bo, who had got up on all fours, sat. Lisa looked around the entry way and shook her head. About that time, Vixen came over to see what Bo was making such a fuss about.
The beautiful white kitten rubbed against my leg and looked up at Lisa with her odd colored eyes. One eye was green and the other blue. Research told me that was a good thing because white cats were often deaf unless they had different colored eyes. Vixie wasn't deaf.
"Oh, my. Aren't you just the prettiest thing!" Squatting down, Lisa reached out to let the kitten smell her fingers.
With a stretch, Vixen turned and placed her front paws on my leg with a mew. She isn't terribly vocal unless angry. Nor was she loud. But Vixie made her wants known and expected things to be handled in a reasonable amount of time. My cat is spoiled.
I knew she wanted up. When I picked her up, she cuddled her head against my throat. Her message to the newcomer came through just fine, 'this is my human'.
I opened the closet door for Lisa so she could hang her jacket. That done, I went into the living room and around the corner to the kitchen. Taking up a position in front of the sink, I turned to watch my oldest child gradually make her way into the big room. Her eyes took in everything slowly.
"Jeeze Louise!" She murmured before looking at me.
Her gaze took in the stainless appliances and the granite counter tops. "Okay, what gives? What in the world is going on here?"
"It's all her fault." I stroked the kitten, and she gave a loud rumbling purr.
"What do you mean by that? How is your being here the kittens doing?"
"She's my Christmas Cat, my Christmas present from Mike."
"Mother! Who in the hell is Mike?" Lisa's voice rose, she was quickly becoming exasperated with me and my obtuse answers. But, hallelujah, the cavalry arrived.
"That would be me, Hamilton Michael Reston, Mike. And you must be Lisa." I stuck my hand out toward Angie's daughter.
As soon as I got the phone call from Ange, I knew the business was closed for the balance of the day. As much as she tried to conceal it, Angie was nervous; there was a tiny little tremor in her voice.
She and the kids had been a unit against the world for a long time. Since she home-schooled them, they spent more time together than most parents did with their children.
They might be grown and out of the house, but that didn't mean they weren't going to have something to say about the two of us living together. I had hoped to get this done all at once with both her son and daughter in the same place. Ange described Lisa to me, and as I thought about it, we should have expected the girl to turn up early.
From what I understood, Lisa was the most volatile of the two. It might not be so bad this way. No matter, the dice were rolling, time to deal with it all.
I had been on my way to Anchorage. I called my client next and advised them the paperwork would be picked up tomorrow before noon. Several calls later, I had rearranged everything to make time this afternoon.
While on the phone, I made reservations at the local family restaurant. I didn't want Angie to worry about cooking. If they decided not to eat out, we could always order pizza.
I wanted to be ready for anything. It needed to be as easy as possible for my girl. The less stress the better.
Lisa shook my hand as she took me in. The young woman took a quick glance Angie's way before looking back at me.
"This is your place?" Lisa pulled her hand from mine.
"Yes, it is," I responded.
The girl folded both arms across her chest. "Bet if I took a look, all Mom's clothes that aren't at home are in your closet."
It was part observation and part accusation. I laughed. "You planning on being an investigator?"
She eyed me for a moment before replying. "Of a sort. How about we stick to the subject? You," Lisa turned to Angie. "Moved into this man's house. Exactly who is he, and I don't mean just his name, and how long has this been going on?"
Ange buried her face in the cat's soft, white fur. Both of us turned to watch her. Angie broke into a giggle. Later, I intended to ask what was going through her mind at that moment.
Lisa looked at her mother with a horrified expression. Giggling was something I hardly ever heard out of the woman. Whatever it was, it must have been good. I chuckled. The time had come to get it over with and come clean.
Angie spoke first. "Lisa, I've been living here since New Year's Day. All my clothing is in the master bedroom closet, and that's where it's staying until he tosses me out."
"Mother!" Lisa hissed out through her teeth. "What in the hell have you done?"
I slid past the girl and put one arm around Ange. As I kissed the top of her head, the cat slithered out of Ange's arms and reached for me.
I responded to Lisa. "You don't need to worry about it. I'm keeping her; her, the cat and the dog. Why don't we get something to drink and sit down on the couch? We'll tell you all about it."
I stroked the kitten who purred in my ear. "It's all the cats fault. Come on, let's get comfortable."
At 10 below zero, no animal should be without shelter. I glimpsed the little kitten on the way to work. When my shift ended, I wanted to rescue the kitty.
That evening it was time to give it a shot. Armed with a couple of pop top cans of cat food and the old blanket out of the car, I got into 'hunt down the kitten' mode. The poor little thing, what I had seen of it, was white. Or at least, the animal probably would be after a good bath. The scrawny thing hung around an old shack.
I drove by the place all the time. A house sat on the property, located well back on the land and away from the road. The shack appeared to have been a garage at one time. I wondered what kept the old building from collapsing in a heap. One side leaned toward the driveway.
I thought if we got a heavy snowfall before Christmas, the roof would probably cave in. The weatherman had predicted a major dump of snow in a day or so. If the kitten was inside when the thing collapsed, it might be crushed.
In three days, it would be Christmas. I prayed it would be possible to corral the baby that evening. If not, I intended to try again early in the morning.
Was there only one kitten? Were there others? I hadn't seen a momma cat, was there one? All those thoughts went through my mind as I got out of the parked car.
Huddled in my thick winter coat, I popped the top on a can of cat food and walked around the building. No one had been on that side of the monstrosity since snow fall. I had to carve a trail through calf-high drifts and was glad I kept a pair of boots in the car for emergencies.
On the left side, I found a place where it looked like some animal regularly squeezed in and out underneath the foundation. The kitten was probably hiding out under the hovel.
In south-central Alaska at this time of year, I go to work in the dark, and it is almost dark when I reach home. A small flashlight is a necessity, and there is one in my purse. Unfortunately, as dim as the light was when I turned it on, I needed fresh batteries.
A kitten that small wasn't able to hunt, so I left the food. Since I saw nothing of the cat, I assumed I would return in the morning. In the meantime, I could make sure the poor little thing would get something to eat.
I hoped kitty would get to the food before the stuff froze in the can. Probably the animal ate snow for water.
I hated to leave but had no choice. With the batteries in the flashlight dying and no other light source, I was through for the night.
At home, setting the alarm ensured I would get up on time. Early in the morning, well before dawn, I got moving and prepared for phase two of Operation Rescue The Kitten.
I put my lab-husky cross out to do his business. As he trotted around, sniffing his territory to make sure no interlopers had invaded his yard overnight, I got breakfast going.
As soon as the coffee started
perking, I opened the front door and called Bo. The pulley rattled down the wire as he dashed up. It was breakfast time, and he knew it. While he gobbled his food, I put together two scrambled eggs and made a cup of coffee.
Not exactly sure when I would get home again, I got Bo out one more time, just in case. He would go back inside before I left. As cold as it was, I couldn't leave him out for an extended length of time. We didn't have a heated water bowl nor a warm enough dog house.
I craned my head to the left to check on the timer. A quick look at the L.E.D. light at the end of the extension plugged into the box, reassured me that the block heater was on. I hit the remote start button for the car to warm it up a little before I left. The big thermometer on the porch said the temperature still hovered at -10 degrees.
It wasn't as cold as the weather man had predicted, thank goodness. I hoped the poor little kitten would be cooperative. I hated leaving that cute baby under the dumb shack last night. It didn't understand the danger.
Some home owners can get down right nasty about trespassing. I hoped the owner of the place wouldn't get upset over my trying to capture the animal. I didn't see a 'no trespassing' sign last night, not that I was looking for one.
I had already decided to chance it. The kitten wouldn't make it if the temperature dropped any lower. If I ran afoul of the owner, the plan was to try to convince him it was in his best interest if I took the kitten.
If an animal died under the garage, it would only bring scavengers to their property. Granted, it was a stretch, but I intended to use any argument I had.
After filling the thermos with the last of the coffee, I blocked off the loft stair to keep the dog out of my bed. Bo insisted on sleeping on the couch when I wasn't looking. I chose to overlook that transgression. But, that comfort loving animal was going to stay the hell out of my bed.
I grabbed a pair of leather work gloves which I shoved in the pocket of my parka. After shrugging into the jacket, I picked up the cardboard box that held the canned food. It was time to head out. If I got everything in place before the sun came up, I might have a better chance to nab the kitten.
The best possible scenario would be to catch the cat when it ventured out from under the building. If it were far enough away from the garage, I could place the box in front of the hole to block it off.