Page 40 of Five Days in July
“Good morning Matthew.” She always uses my full name when I’ve annoyed her and wants me to know it. “Go take that stuff inside.”
Annie opens the truck door, and Lenore swings her legs over the side of the seat but keeps the cat settled on her lap.
“Hello, little one. I’m Annie.”
“He’s friendly, but he might eat you out of house and home. Last night and this morning, he finished an entire package of precooked chicken and some leftovers from dinner.”
“That’s alright. We all need to eat sometimes.” Annie reaches out to pet him but holds herself back. “Does he like being petted?”
Lenore nods. “Especially under his chin.”
I watch as Annie slowly scratches him, the rumbly purr starting again.
“If it’s alright with you, I made an appointment with my old vet. They’re very nice and will check him over, make sure he’s healthy, and look for a chip.”
Lenore’s eyes get misty and small blotches of color stain her cheekbones, but she swallows down her emotions and blinks them away.
“Whatever works for you. You’re doing me a big favor.”
“I was so glad you called this morning.” Annie pats Lenore’s hand. “Alright, let's get this little guy in the house and settled so you two can go to work.”
“Want me to carry him in?” I shoulder Annie aside and put a hand on the seat next to Lenore’s knee, trying to offer her some reassurance and a break from Annie’s intense energy.
“Sure.” Her voice is garbled like tears have gotten stuck in her throat, and I imagine it feels a bit like dropping your kids off at school for the first time.
Before I pick the little dude up, I rub his ear and offer my hand so he can sniff it. Lifting gently, I hold him with two arms to make sure he won’t make a leap for it. We both watch as Nore slides down from the seat.
“Did you take everything in already?” she asks.
“All but the bag of litter.” I nod to the bed of the truck.
“I’ll grab it.” She starts to peek over the side but is so small that she’s already stretched to her full height.
“I can come back and get it.”
Lenore huffs under her breath, and Annie shakes her head. “Men.” Lenore snags a corner of the bag and hauls it closer before she hoists it out of the back of the truck and balances it on her hip. “I can carry a bag of litter. Don’t be silly.”
“Just didn’t want it to squish you.” I wink and start toward the house. I feel the solid thump of a fist slamming into my shoulder and the ringing peal of Annie’s laughter.
“Was that a short joke?” Lenore keeps pace with me.
“Maybe.” In self-defense, I shift the cat to the side closest to her.
Once we get inside, I put the little guy down to wander around. Lenore’s busy helping Annie set up food and water bowls, with the litter box in the mudroom by the freezer.
“We should think of a name for him now that we know he’s a he.”
Lenore stills but doesn't look as excited as I thought. “Not yet. We still don’t know if he already has one.”
We watch as he paws at one of the kitchen cabinets, trying to open the door.
“Might as well wait and see if he’s microchipped.” Annie’s watching us and not the cat. She frowns a little at Lenore and then gives me a pointed look. Not sure what she wants me to do, I raise an eyebrow and mouth, What? The only response I get is another eye roll.
“Wouldn’t want to confuse him.” Lenore dusts her hands over her thighs. “Plus, I imagine it’s like boats; bad luck to change their names later.”
Suddenly spying something he wants to investigate, the cat shoots off into the other room, and Lenore tells Annie what little we know about him. I wait by the back door while they make arrangements, giving her space to figure things out.
Eventually, they come closer, and I look up from my phone to see if she’s ready to go.