A Friend Called Alfie

by Rachel Wells

  ‘Can we play a game while we wait?’ he asked.

  ‘Sure what do you want to play?’

  ‘We could play I spy.’

  He had learnt about I spy from the children, but couldn’t really grasp the alphabet. Dogs.

  ‘You go first,’ I suggested.

  ‘I spy with my little eye, something beginning with bird.’

  ‘Bird,’ I guessed.

  ‘You are so good at this. Your turn, Alfie.’

  I was beginning to despair when I heard Claire arrive home. I thought about waiting for her by the front doorstep but then I was worried that if I left him alone, Pickles would panic even more and hurt himself.

  ‘Oh my goodness,’ I heard Claire shout, and of course we both knew that we’d been saved. Claire must have seen Pickles’ back end in the cat flap. What a sight to come home to.

  ‘Right,’ I heard her say. ‘Pickles, stay still, I am going to gently pull you backwards.’ I heard a little bit of huffing from Claire, before Pickles’ face began to disappear backwards. Once he was freed I quickly went through the cat flap to join him.

  ‘Well this is a bit of a pickle, Pickles.’ Claire laughed at her own joke. ‘You are going to have to stay inside now until one of us is here to let you out. And, Alfie, you and George will have to bear that in mind, and not rush out, because, Alfie, he might follow you and get stuck again.’

  ‘Meow.’ It wasn’t ideal. This puppy had curtailed my freedom quite a lot so far and although I enjoyed his company, I valued my freedom. I wasn’t sure I was happy not to be able to go outside.

  ‘Or we could get a dog door, which is just like a bigger cat flap.’ Her brows knotted as if she was thinking. ‘Or you could do what Polly said and lose some weight, Pickles,’ she finished, before she went to unpack her shopping.

  ‘What are we going to do?’ Pickles asked me wide-eyed.

  ‘I am going to have some lunch,’ I replied. ‘And if you want your lunch too, let’s hope Claire decides to go for the bigger door option.’

  Chapter Seventeen

  I went to see my cat friends while I could still come and go of my own free will.

  ‘Have any of you seen George?’ I asked Nellie and Rocky. Elvis wasn’t there.

  ‘No, Alfie, I’ve barely seen him the past few days, but then we haven’t seen much of you either.’

  ‘I’ve been puppy-sitting, it’s very time-consuming. But George has been going out and he’s been gone quite a long time. I’m a bit worried.’

  ‘I have no idea where he could be. As Rocky said, we’ve haven’t seen him for a few days. I miss him of course,’ Nellie said, sweetly. ‘But do you think it’s anything to do with the Barkers’ new cat?’

  ‘Actually, I seemed to be more upset about that than he was. He said the Barkers were lonely and of course they needed a cat. Part of me feels that I should trust him. The other part …’

  ‘What does the other part say, Alfie?’ Rocky asked.

  ‘That I need to know what’s going on, because it’s the only way I can be sure he is safe.’

  ‘Which part is going to win?’ Nellie asked.

  ‘Which do you think?’ I raised my whiskers, we all knew what was happening.

  I was going to have to follow George, just for my own peace of mind. Forget him and Hana now I needed to know more about where he went. But I really had to figure out how to do it so he didn’t know, because George got incredibly cross with me when I did follow him once. And he hated the idea that I didn’t trust him. I needed to think and I needed a plan. Luckily coming up with plans was one of the things I always did best.

  ‘You know, you could ask Hana,’ Rocky suggested, which made me want to kick myself if that was even possible, because I couldn’t believe I hadn’t thought of that already.

  ‘Look, Alfie, I don’t blame you for needing to know, in fact we’d all feel better if we knew George wasn’t going to be in any trouble. After all we all love the lad,’ Rocky said.

  ‘Yes, you’re right.’

  ‘So if you need us to help in any way, then just let us know,’ Nellie finished.

  ‘Thanks, guys, I can always rely on you,’ I said which reassured me. ‘But you’re right first I’ll go and ask Hana.’

  I knew I had to walk back home past the Barkers’ house, and I still felt conflicted. As I approached, the new cat, Oliver, was sat on the windowsill, in the same spot Tiger used to sit. I felt my heart ache as I looked at him. He was black and white, a fine-looking feline. He also looked very intelligent. And, of course, nothing like Tiger. He looked up just as I was staring at him and I felt embarrassed, but I raised my whiskers in as friendly a way as I could muster. He raised his whiskers back. He clearly wasn’t a young cat, but he needed a home, and goodness knows enough cats were looking for good homes. The Barkers had a good home and they needed a cat because, as George said, they didn’t feel right without one. So I had to come to terms with this because what was important was that this cat had a loving home now. It’s exactly what my Tiger would have wanted.

  With thoughts of Tiger in my head, I went to Hana’s house, and let myself in through her cat flap. I didn’t normally go to her house alone, because she was George’s friend, but needs must.

  ‘Hi,’ I said as alerted by the noise of the cat flap she approached.

  ‘Alfie, this is a surprise,’ she said. She really was the sweetest cat.

  ‘How are you?’ I asked. I wished Hana would come out more but she liked to be at home. It takes all sorts of cats to make a world.

  ‘I’m good, thanks, we’re quite busy here, what with Harold being in hospital, there’s a lot going on,’ she said. ‘But I think he’s going to be alright. You know humans though, I just try to be a good cat and listen to them all.’

  ‘I guess it’s a bit stressful for you, though, Hana.’

  ‘I just worry about my humans. and I just wish Harold would come home and things could get back to normal.’

  ‘Of course you do. And George told me that Harold had to be in a bit longer,’ I started. ‘Talking of George, I don’t want you to betray a confidence or anything but I just want to know he’s safe and I don’t know where he’s going every day.’

  Hana tilted her head to one side.

  ‘You know he said he bet you were going to come and ask me.’

  Oh no, I’m obviously predictable.

  ‘I’m sorry but you know I do worry about him.’

  ‘I know you do, but, Alfie, George said he has a job. It keeps him busy, but he said he can’t tell me. Although I think he only doesn’t want to tell me in case I tell you!’ She grinned. She had a kind smile.

  ‘You can’t get anything past that boy,’ I said, grinning back. ‘Hana, I don’t want you to think I’m a terrible dad but I just want to know he’s safe.’

  ‘I know, it’s like Sylvie and Connie. But actually I think Sylvie might be worse than you.’

  ‘Thank you, I think.’

  ‘Alfie, I know George is a bit mysterious, but he is smart and if he says that he’s safe, I think you should believe him. I know it’s hard not knowing but George taught me a saying, “curiosity kills a cat”.’

  I didn’t think that was the exact saying, because I was incredibly curious and I was definitely alive.

  ‘Hana, I won’t ask you to lie to George for me …’ I also knew he’d be really cross if he found out I’d been trying to get information from his friend.

  ‘Thank you, Alfie, I won’t lie to him, but if he doesn’t ask me then I don’t need to tell him.’ She blinked at me.

  ‘But while I’m here, you wouldn’t care to shed light on the relationship between you and George would you?’ I asked.

  ‘He said you would probably ask me about that too.’ She grinned. ‘So, maybe you should ask George.’

  ‘You are a star, Hana, and thank you again.’ She was right, I should ask my son. Not that he would ever tell me.

  I chatted to her for a bit longer and then I said goo
dbye. Now I had to come up with another way to find out what George was doing and where he was going.

  George was going out early in the morning at the moment, and we didn’t see him again until the afternoon. Once I had a clear idea of his schedule I could put the next part of my plan into action, to follow him to wherever he was going. I would need to remain unseen, and he would be none the wiser. It was foolproof.

  As I’ve said, I have had many plans in the past, and on the whole they have worked out. They may have included a few dangerous incidents but I’m still here to tell the tale. But this plan, with George, was crucial to get right. When I saw him later that day, I gave him one last chance to tell me where he’d been going.

  ‘It’s my job, Dad, I’ve told you a million times.’

  I was pretty sure he hadn’t told me even half of that many times, actually.

  ‘OK, but you know as your dad I would love to know more about it. You know where it is, and what you do.’

  ‘I can’t tell you. It’s a secret. You remember when Tommy decided he was going to be a spy?’

  ‘Oh yes, I vaguely remember that, it was a few years back now wasn’t it?’

  ‘Yes, and he said he was going to be a spy and catch bad people but he wouldn’t be able to tell anyone that was his job.’

  ‘Are you trying to tell me you’re a spy?’ I asked, horrified. When Tommy described it, it sounded like a dangerous job. I felt panic in my fur, I was pretty sure cats didn’t get to be spies but then what did I know?

  ‘Of course I’m not a spy, I don’t actually even know what one is,’ George replied, laughing at me. He was infuriating. ‘It was just an example because my job is a secret, but it’s not dangerous and you just need to trust me.’

  ‘I do trust you but I really don’t understand why you can’t tell me anything.’

  ‘I can tell you that what I do is very important.’

  It was time for me to put my plan into action.

  The following day, I let George leave, and snuck out quickly behind him. The weather was closing in, the clocks were about to change, which meant we would have more hours of darkness than this cat cared for, but never mind. Winter wasn’t my favourite season, although thankfully it included Christmas – its only redeeming quality. Anyway, I followed George out of the cat flap and to the front of the house. Keeping out of sight I watched him walk past Hana’s house and I set off behind him, keeping a safe distance. He crossed a road, but I got delayed by traffic and he got more of a head start as I hurried after him. I realised we were relatively near the children’s school but instead of turning towards it he turned the other way. He strode confidently, this was clearly somewhere that George had been a number of times before. He turned around a couple of times but I hid either behind a pedestrian or in a hedge and felt pretty confident about my journey. Finally he came to a stop, but I hadn’t caught up with him. From where I stood, he looked to be in some kind of queue with humans. I was confused until I saw there was a big red bus parked by the queue. Surely not? Before I could move, I spotted George, weaving himself between people’s legs and hopping onto the bus. I tried to follow him but was blocked by a woman and a pram, who was struggling to get on. When she finally did the doors closed, and I was left standing on the street, watching, helplessly, the bus pull away with my kitten on it.

  As I walked home, I felt as if I had failed and tried to nurse my despair. George clearly had been on the bus before but how? Why? And had no one noticed, because as far as I was aware, cats didn’t get to travel on buses. He was sneaking on the bus, and what’s more he was getting away with it. Although I hadn’t managed to get as far as I would have liked, I conceded that at least now I had more information and information is power. Or at least something I could use to plan my next step.

  I had to figure out a way of getting on the bus without George noticing, and stay hidden on the bus, until it was time for him to get off. I had even more questions than answers at this point which only fuelled my determination to crack this mystery once and for all.

  The following day, my determination increased. I rose early, cleaned myself, and waited downstairs for George to emerge. After what felt like ages, he padded downstairs with Toby and Summer. Claire and Jonathan followed after, and as the noise of the morning began to fill the house. I managed to pull George away before we tucked into our breakfast.

  ‘I wanted to catch you before you went to work,’ I said. ‘Just to check that you’re alright.’

  ‘I’m fine, Dad, but I’m not going to work today.’

  What? So much for my carefully constructed plan and early morning start.

  ‘You’re not?’ I tried to sound nonchalant about it, after all I didn’t need him to feel suspicious.

  ‘No, Dad, no one works all the time, even Jonathan has time off every week.’

  ‘Well that’s true, but of course as I don’t know about your job, I have no idea what your working arrangements are.’ Again I tried to feign disinterest. I looked at my paw.

  ‘Ah, well I have a day off today and I thought what better way to spend it than with my dad. And as it’s the weekend, we might not have to babysit Pickles, so maybe we can go out and spend some time together?’ he asked me, hopefully.

  ‘I’d love to,’ I replied, feeling a little emotional. ‘Actually, George, I’ve missed you.’

  ‘And I’ve missed you too, Dad. Come on let’s not waste any time, and make the most of the day.’

  I couldn’t think of anything I would rather do. Even if it did mean that my plan to discover George’s job would have to wait.

  Chapter Eighteen

  We’d spent most of the weekend together, been to see Dustbin, caught up with our friends on Edgar Road, hung out with Hana. It was like old times. But the saying curiosity killed the cat was actually proving to be apt, because I felt as if I was dying to know about George’s job.

  I repeated my steps of the last time I tried to follow George. I was up at the crack of dawn, but then so were Claire and Jonathan.

  ‘Oh, Alfie, you’re up early,’ Claire said fussing me as Jonathan made coffee. I wasn’t sure what was going on.

  ‘I’m hopeful that I’ll get my team finalised today,’ Jonathan said, handing Claire a mug.

  ‘I really hope so, Jon, this is getting to all of us now.’

  ‘I know, darling and I am sorry but it’s just—’

  ‘I know, temporary. And I do understand but I think now it really is enough. You know Toby was so upset last night because he has a big science project coming up. He held it back from you because he was worried you’d be too busy.’

  ‘That makes me very sad, Claire.’ Jonathan sounded upset. ‘And when I get back from work tonight, I will talk to him about it, I promise. And I’ll make time to help him in any way I can.’

  ‘I’d quite like to spend some time with you too. This weekend you’ve been glued to your laptop, Jon.’

  ‘I know, and I’m sorry but I had to finalise all the reports for today, it will get better. It has to get better.’ His voice sounded sad.

  We all tried so hard to believe his words but we’d heard them before. I didn’t have time to dwell on that as the children and George descended. George and I had already established that he was going to work today, so I was ready. I was more than ready.

  We were interrupted by a surprise ring on the doorbell, who would be popping by before breakfast? Our morning routine was underway; the children at the table waiting for their cereal and toast, Jonathan upstairs getting ready to leave for work. As Claire opened the door, there stood Matt on the doorstep holding Pickles. I hadn’t accounted for this.

  ‘Thanks so much, Claire. Polly was up at the crack of dawn to get the train to Manchester and I’ve got an early meeting.’ He handed a squirming Pickles to Claire.

  ‘No worries, we’re all up early anyway,’ she said kindly. As Matt left, Claire shut the door behind her and put Pickles down, releasing his lead. As Pickles shuffled into the kitc
hen, I tried to catch him on his own.

  ‘Pickles, I have to tell you that I’m going out this morning, on urgent cat business, with George.’ It wasn’t strictly accurate but I needed to keep it simple for him. ‘So you need to stay here, and I’ll be back later.’ In reality I had no idea where I was going, so I certainly had no idea when I’d be back.

  ‘OK, Alfie,’ he said and took up his position under the table to catch the children’s scraps. Great, crisis averted – I went to watch George leave.

  I tried not to act as if I was watching George’s every move, while watching his every move. No sooner had Claire rushed the children out of the house for school, George headed out. I waited a beat and went out after him.

  I went through the back garden and was about to squeeze under the gate, which had been left open. I started bounding down the street after him, he wasn’t too far in front of me, and was just about the cross the road when I heard a voice behind me.

  ‘Wait for me.’ Oh no, it was Pickles. He caught up with me.

  ‘I told you to wait at home.’ I cursed the fact they had put a bigger cat flap – which they said was a doggy door – in at home and double cursed the fact the gate was open, because there was no way he would have got out of the garden otherwise.

  ‘Where’s the fun in that?’ he asked. ‘I wanted to go on urgent cat business.’

  Yet again I had a decision to make, and no time in which to think about it. I could take Pickles home which would be the sensible option, or I could continue to follow George and hope for the best. I wanted more than anything to find out where George was going and if I went back home now, who knew when I’d get the chance again. Especially if Pickles was always going to follow me. No, I needed to make sure George was safe, that was the most important thing. Pickles would have to come with me, but I definitely wouldn’t let him cross any roads on his own.

  ‘Stay close to me and try not to be seen,’ I said. This was not part of my plan.

  ‘Why?’