interrupted by a voice at the back door.
“Knock-knock!”
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“Just a second!” The cat followed her to the kitchen as she went to
the back door and greeted Mrs. Hawkins.
“Honey! It is so good to see you!” The older woman greeted her
with a hug after Juliana opened the screen and welcomed her inside.
“It’s good to see you too, Gladys. Where’s Bill?”
“When Allen called us last night and told us you were coming,
Bill decided that you might like to go for a ride like we used to. He’s
getting the boat cleaned up and gassed right now. I came over to see if
you’d like to do that. Are you okay, honey? You look tired. Uh-oh, I
see that old toot has laid claim to you,” she said, squatting down to
pet the cat’s head. He ran right to her.
“Is he yours?”
“No. He’s laid claim to the whole neighborhood. He roams at will.
Bill is mad at me over him right now, actually, Old Charmer.” Gladys
scratched his chin, and he purred loudly then twined himself around
her ankles, nibbling on her toe lightly and making the older woman
giggle.
“Why is Bill mad at you over a cat?”
“Bill found the bag of dry cat food I had stashed in the pantry.
I’ve been feeding him, like several of the other neighbors who have
cats. That’s why he’s so healthy looking. We’re all feeding him. I
haven’t seen any pests since he’s been around, and I figure I might as
well make him welcome if he’s performing a community service.
“Speaking of community service.” Gladys chuckled as she lifted
his floppy, purring body into her arms then lifted his tail, “I’ve been
thinking about having him neutered but…” She looked into his big,
green eyes and let him bash her in the cheek with his head. “I haven’t
had the heart. Being the man about town is part of his charm, you
know? Plus, it won’t stop him from marking his territory. He’s too
old. There is a whole new generation of big, charcoal-grey tomcats
that are kittens right now. Many in the neighborhood would be happy
to see him go, but I think he’s just so sweet, don’t you?”
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The cat looked over at Juliana and meowed softly as if to say,
“Who loves you, baby?” and rubbed her hand when she scratched
under his chin again.
“He likes you, Juliana! So tell me how you’re doing. It’s been
ages since we saw you.”
Juliana fixed her a cup of coffee and sat down for a talk with
Gladys, skimming over more recent developments and generally
convincing Gladys that she was fine and merely in need of some rest
and relaxation. Bill came and collected his wife a while later, greeting
her happily.
Juliana agreed to a boat ride later that day, after she’d had a
chance to get settled, agreeing to come over when she was ready.
After the Hawkinses departed, she unpacked and then lay down on the
bed, hoping to relax a bit. Juliana loved the Hawkinses, but she
needed a little more time to unwind before she had to pretend to be
okay for them. She closed her eyes, facing the feelings she’d had to
stuff down earlier.
What was she going to do?
She had gotten to a point in her life where she was ready for a
change. She’d felt brave, and that had been due to her time spent with
Ash. He’d made her feel good about taking chances, where before
she’d just wanted the status quo. Status quo was how she’d managed
to bob along with old what’s-his-face for as long as she had. She
didn’t want that any longer.
But now, taking chances might have to be left behind in favor of
maintaining a little stability. It crushed her heart to think of having a
baby at this point in her life. She’d hoped to leave the job behind
before she had kids because she knew if she continued working in her
current position that she’d hardly ever see her baby.
Her savings were substantial, but she’d have to keep working to
put a roof over their heads. The thought of a daycare worker being the
one to see her child’s first step and to hear his or her first word was
the thought that put her over the edge as the dam burst on her tears.
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The betrayal she felt was like an anvil on her heart as she
remembered watching him be drawn onto the dance floor and the
proprietary way in which one of them had removed his hat and put it
on her own head. The tears flowed and sobs broke from her as she
remembered the cold way he’d pulled back from her and used her
name instead of any of the familiar endearments she’d become so
comfortable with.