by Patricia Fry
“Yes, his surgeries went well. His mother, you know, told him he wasn’t a candidate for the surgery—that there was nothing that could be done about the scarring. And he believed her for a long time,” Savannah said.
Gwen sat silent for several moments, finally muttering, “Oh my gosh. He’s been through so much, and just look at what a wonderful man he is. Barry dreamed of meeting him. He thought he might have that opportunity at a gathering he planned to attend while he was here in the city. I don’t think he ever got the opportunity. The heart attack came too soon.” Angrily, she spat, “And then those people just let him lie there and die.”
“That was certainly unfortunate,” Savannah said. “Awful. An awful tragedy, and it definitely has changed your life and maybe those of others. But I hate seeing you use the tragedy to ruin the life you still have. Is that how Barry would want you to carry on?”
Gwen gasped. “Oh my goodness, no. He was such a positive man, upbeat, fun. He appreciated life and living.”
“Then how do you think he’d feel about the way you’ve handled your life since his death?” Savannah asked. “We don’t know—he could be looking down at us now. He could be aware of your every move.”
“I hope not,” Gwen said, cringing.
“How does it make you feel to know he could be watching the way you’re handling your life now?” Savannah asked.
“Awful—embarrassed. He would be so disappointed. In fact, when I met him, I was what you’d call sort of a naysayer.”
“Nooo,” Savannah said, sarcastically. “Not Gwen.”
Gwen grinned sheepishly. “So I truly was, wasn’t I? Why didn’t you say something?”
“No need to. Barry came along and it sounds like he helped you to change your outlook.”
Gwen smiled. “He sure did. But when he died…”
“You stopped loving him and believing in him and cherishing what he brought into your life?” Savannah asked.
“God, no!” she shouted. Her eyes darted from Savannah to Rags and across to where Arthur was just ending his call. “Oh, my gosh,” she said. “I have let him down.” She shouted into the heavens, “Barry, I’m so sorry.”
“Sorry about what?” Arthur asked when he returned.
“Everything,” she said. “Mr. Spence, I’d love to go with you to the cat shelter. I might even take an apartment here and buy a car and volunteer with the cats for a while, if they’ll have me.”
“Good,” he said, looking curiously at Savannah, then back at Gwen. “That would be wonderful.” He asked, “Do you need a little advance to help with that apartment and the car?”
She smiled. “No. I have money. It wasn’t money I lacked, it was…God, my sense of self- worth, I guess. I lost me along with Barry.” She shook her head and looked Savannah in the eyes. “No. He would not be happy with me. Not at all. I have to get a grip.”
“Well, how about this for starters,” Arthur said. “You can stay in the flat on our property here if you’d like, while you get your life going again.” He leaned forward. “I’d like to take you to visit a friend of mine—someone who helped me through some stuff. We might find that your emotional bank needs to be recharged and refreshed. What do you say?”
She nodded. “Whatever it takes. I realize I fell into a deep hole, and I need to dig my way out. Sure. And thank you for the offer of a place to stay while I get my—you-know-what together. She let out a yelp when Glori jumped up into her lap and joined Rags. She laughed out loud saying, “Oh my gosh, look at all this kitty love!” She embraced the cats with tears streaming down her face.
“Are you okay?” Savannah asked.
“Oh yes, more than okay. These are happy tears. I haven’t felt such rapture in my heart in many months. It’s pure joy, brought on by these wonderful kitty beings and you two wonderful human beings.”
Savannah smiled. “Great. Then how about you give Sarah a call while I help get breakfast, and we’ll start a new day together and a new life for you.”
“Hi, gang,” Michael greeted when the others walked into the kitchen from outside. He leaned over and petted Glori, then nodded toward Rags, who had followed the calico in. “So Gwen,” he said, “did Savannah give you Rags? You kept saying last night that you’d sure like to have Rags.”
Gwen looked at Rags just as he leaped up onto the kitchen counter. She yelped, Gladys gasped, and Suzette, who had been mixing eggs for a ham-and-egg scramble, turned just in time to see the cat’s paw hit the edge of the bowl.
“Oh no,” Savannah squealed.
At the same time, Michael dove for the cat and ended up with a large splatter of raw egg running down the front of his jeans.
Rags tried to get his footing in the slippery puddle on the floor, and he fell over into it, recovering enough to shake himself, spraying the slimy mixture in every direction.
“Ewww,” Suzette said as Arthur tried his hand at restraining the out-of-control cat. Rags managed to slip right out of his grip, however.
“Stop him!” Savannah shouted. “Get a towel. Stop him.” When she saw that the others were too stunned to move, she grabbed a kitchen towel and ran after Rags.
When the others caught up with her in the living room, Michael was using massive amounts of paper towels to wipe the mess off his jeans, Arthur was drying his hands after rinsing them, and the three women were simply trying to stay out of the way. Savannah started to laugh. She looked at Arthur and Michael and said, “Got egg on your face.”
While the women laughed, the two men looked at each other and Michael said, “Not funny.”
It didn’t take long for the women to clean up the mess and for the men to change their clothes. Arthur approached his wife. “How about if we go out for breakfast this morning?”
“Sounds good to me,” Suzette said. “Let me get the baby ready.”
Several minutes later, everyone gathered again in the living room. Gwen ran her hand over Rags’s freshly shampooed fur and said, “Savannah, while you were giving him a bath, I saw your book in my room, and I thumbed through it.” She patted Savannah on the shoulder. “You know what—forget about making me godmother of your cat.” She shook her head. “Uh-uh. He’s more than I want in a cat.” She picked up Glori. “Now this one…” she started.
Upon hearing this Michael said, “Oh, no you don’t. She’s part of our family now. This one we’re definitely keeping.”
Savannah smiled at her husband.
“So, Gwen, you no longer want Rags, huh?” Arthur joked.
“Uh, no,” she said, “because I don’t know for sure which way I’m headed.”
“Oh?” he questioned.
“Yeah, all I know is that whatever I decide to do, it will be the best life I can create. I was given the tools by a beloved man and I intend using them. I want to make him and myself proud.” She began to choke up. “That’s my new goal.”
Savannah embraced Gwen. “You’ve done it before, Gwen; I know you can do it again. So will you take Arthur’s generous offer and talk to his friend? And will you stay here while you find your own place?”
She nodded. “Yes. Yes, I will. I’m ready.” She looked at Rags. “Just don’t be calling on me to cat sit for him. I don’t think I’ll ever be up to that.”
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