It’s got to end, now.
River’s been calling me, and I’ve been ignoring him. I spoke with him the day after he got to his parents to make sure his dad was okay, and since then, I’ve cut myself off from him.
It’s the only way I can survive this. Whatever this is.
The moment he left, I knew I had to do the right thing for him, and for me. I called Charlie, and got him to come and pick me up.
Now, I’m driving home after seeing the doctor who examined me three days ago when I broke my nose. He’s happy with the progress, and wants to see me again in four weeks to determine if I’ll need an operation or not. He doesn’t seem to think I will, but wants to make sure.
I head back to Old Roger’s house, and now that the tent is gone, we are full steam ahead.
Charlie’s assembled an amazing team of people he’s pooled from all over Hope River and the neighboring counties. They’re truly amazing.
I pull up to the house, and the cat jumps out of the bed.
Meow. He rubs himself up against my leg.
I look down and smile. “I’ve made an appointment with the vet for this afternoon to make sure you’re okay.”
Meow.
Walking up to the house, I’m so impressed by what they’ve done. “Charlie!” I call when I don’t see him.
“Hang on!” I hear from upstairs.
The number of workers here is mind-blowing. They’re working quickly and efficiently. This old girl is nearly ready for us to start reassembling her again. Most walls have been opened up, the termites are gone, and the house has been nearly gutted, with only the few necessary structural support beams remaining.
A few of the workers do a double-take, but then go on about doing their job.
“Hey, aren’t you supposed to be home resting?” Charlie asks when he comes down the stairs.
I ignore the question. “When do the stairs come out?”
“They’re not coming out until we get the new staircase built. Now, will you go home and rest.” He looks around, and watches as the workers representing all the trades work around each other. The only one missing is River, and that’s because I’m timing my visit so he’s not here when I am.
“How’s the extension coming along?”
“Great. Go home.” Wow, he’s gone from asking nicely, to brusquely sending me away. He turns me and attempts to walk me out of the house.
“The footings?” I refuse to move.
“Don’t you trust me? Because you’re developing into an overbearing pain in the ass. You’re gonna be one of those helicopter parents when you have kids. Standing over the kid, annoying them. My poor niece or nephew will wanna come and stay at Uncle Charlie’s to get away from you.”
I stick my hand on my hip. “First; You’re not the only one who says that. I want to see. Second; I won’t be a helicopter parent.”
He rolls his eyes. “Pick your stupid cat up before it hurts itself.”
Bending, I grab the cat, while Charlie is already ahead of me. “Jesus.” I look at the huge hole in the wall. Standing on the edge, I can see the footings have been poured, and floor is going down. “Wow, it’s going to be massive!”
“I know. I told you that. As you can see, we couldn’t save the tree.”
“I was going to ask. When is the rest going?” Most the tree has been chopped down, but there’s still about a third left.”
“Coming to finish the job tomorrow.”
I sigh. “I didn’t want to get rid of it. But it was dead, right?”
“One huge storm, and it would’ve come down on top of the house. Have you thought of landscaping?” I shake my head. “We’ve still got time.”
“Time is money, Charlie. And I want this house done so we can get out of here.” Charlie winces when I announce my eagerness to leave. “What?”
“Nothing.”
“Charlie, what?”
“I’m liking it here. I was thinking maybe I could stick around a bit.”
What? Charlie wants to stay? “You want to stay here?” He nods. “In Hope River?” He nods again. “The guy who called it a little hick town?”
“Yeah, that probably wasn’t the nicest thing I said.” He grimaces when I remind him of his words. “But I like it here, and I’d like to hang around for a while.”
“And what about all of this?” I say as I extend my arms. “If I move back, you can’t commute hours and hours to work for me, Charlie.”
He looks down, and screws his mouth up. “What if you stay too?”
“What? No. This is just a job. I can’t stay here. You know this; our life isn’t here.”
“What if it is?” he challenges.
“It’s not!” I state.
“Why? What’s so bad about moving here? Seeing how things go. Who knows, you may end up loving Hope River.”
I shake my head, and walk away. I can’t deal with him at the moment, and my face is hurting too. “Call me if there are any problems. I’m taking the cat to the vet.”
“Hope…” he calls.
“Not now,” I shoot over my shoulder to him with a wave. Not now, not ever.
The cat and I walk into the vet’s office, and the cat twirls himself around my leg. “Hi, I have an appointment with the vet,” I say.
“What’s your name?”
What? Someone doesn’t know who I am? That’s quite refreshing. “Hope Sawyer,” I say as I smile and lean against the counter. The receptionist can’t take her eyes off my face. “I broke my nose,” I say as I point to it.
“Oh, you’re Hope.” She smiles.
Scratch that. She knew who I was, but because my face is all busted up, she probably didn’t recognize me. “Yes, I am,” I say, frustration rearing its ugly head.
“Where’s the cat?” She looks to see if I’m carrying him in a cat carrier.
“He’s here.” I point at my feet.
She stands, and looks down over the counter. “He’s not in a carrier?” I shake my head. “He has to be in a carrier.”
“Why?”
“Because all animals who come in must be restrained.”
That’s weird. But I guess, if a dog came in here, the dog might try to rip the cat apart. “Okay, I’ll buy a cat carrier.”
“What’s the cat’s name?” She starts typing, but stops and looks up. I don’t know what to say. “The cat? What’s his name?”
“I’ve been calling him the cat, so…his name is The Cat, I guess.?”
She chuckles. “How old is…” she pauses and furrows her brows. “…the cat?”
I shrug. “No idea. He showed up at the house I’m working on, and he’s kind of adopted me. I’m hoping the vet can tell me.”
The girl stops typing, and leans an elbow on the desk. “Oh yeah, I drove past Old Roger’s house, and boy, it’s going to be so beautiful. My husband and I have been talking about it. Have you got a price in mind yet?”
What? She’s the second person who’s shown interest in the house. “Not yet.”
“Who’s the real estate agent? It’s Elle, right?”
Wow, she’s eager. “I’m not entirely sure yet.” Elle and I still haven’t talked. I can’t assume she’s going to sell this house for me when the time comes.
“We’re eagerly watching to see what you’ll do with it. Anyway, take a seat, and the vet should be with you soon. You’re in next.”
“Thank you.” The cat and I walk over to the red bench seat, and sit. The cat jumps up, and curls up next to me, and places his head on his little paws, and closes his eyes. He’s got no idea of what’s coming. The vet will probably be shoving a thermometer up his butt very soon. Poor cat.
“Hope?” a woman, probably in her late forties, calls.
“Come on,” I say to the cat. He jumps down, and follows.
She leads us to a small sterile room, and closes the door. “Hello there,” the vet says to the cat. “I’m Kate, and I’m the town’s vet. Who have we got here?” She looks at the computer screen
and smiles. “The Cat?”
“He showed up at the house, and has been following me around.”
“Next time you bring him in, he’ll need to be in a cat carrier.”
“The lady at reception already told me. Sorry. This is the first time in my entire life I’ve ever had an animal.”
The vet looks over at me. “Really? Animals are wonderful. They’re so forgiving. People…meh.” She scrunches her nose. “How can I help, Cat?”
Bending, I grab the cat, and stick him up on the examination table. He stretches, and flaps his tail in my face. Meow. “Yeah, yeah, I know, buddy,” I answer. “I thought I’d get him checked out, and make sure he’s good. If you can give me any tips about owning a cat, that would be helpful too.”
She looks him over, running her hands down his back, his sides, and all around his torso to his hind legs. She opens his mouth and looks at his teeth. “Let’s check you’re not microchipped,” she says and gives him a pat. I’m so surprised he’s not barring his teeth at her.
Crap, I didn’t even think to do that. What if I’ve kidnapped someone’s cat?
She gets this small rectangle thingy, and runs it over the cat’s back and head. Suddenly, I’ve found myself nervous. I chew on my nail as I watch her waving the small machine over him.
“Doesn’t appear to have a microchip,” Kate says. “Now, let’s look, are you a boy, or a girl?” She grabs the cat, spins him around, and lifts his tail. Oh, great, a cat asshole. Literally. “See here?” She points to the cat’s butt, then a relatively wider slit about an inch or so down from the butt.
“Yeah,” I say with revulsion. I really wish I hadn’t though.
“He’s definitely a he. And judging by this, he hasn’t been neutered.”
Huh? She can’t tell for sure? “What do you mean, judging by it?”
“Cats are a bit different from dogs. Their penises don’t protrude. A female has a slit about here.” She gives me a visual demonstration.
“Right.” I’ll stick to houses, they’re much simpler. “And his age?”
“Judging by the slight discoloration of his teeth, and his adult fur, he’s certainly over one year old, but I can’t tell you how much older than that he is. He’s got all his teeth, and none of them appear to need to be removed. It’s hard to tell if there are no records for him.”
“Right. Okay. Um, what do I do now?”
“The option is yours. You can keep him, we can try to adopt him out, or we can euthanize him.”
“What? Put him down?” No damn way.
“The option is yours. But if you keep him, I have to tell you, it’s a town regulation to have him neutered.”
“I’m not getting rid of him. I’ll have his manhood cut off. I’ll keep him.” I pet the cat.
“Okay, we can schedule a time to do that.” She sits on a stool, and taps on her keys of the computer. “I can get to Cat on Monday. If you want to bring him in first thing in the morning, I’ll do the surgery in the afternoon, keep him here overnight just to check his progress, and you can pick him up on Tuesday. How does that sound?”
“Yeah, I’m fine with that. Can you microchip him too?”
“I can. If you head out, Julie will be able to book you in for Monday. But first, let’s get Cat up-to-date with his immunizations, because we don’t know what he’s had, I’ll go ahead and give him everything. He’ll need a booster in about a month or so. We’ll send you a text message to remind you.”
“Okay, great.” I smile.
“I’ll be back in a moment.” Kate leaves the room, and suddenly I’m nervous for The Cat. I hate needles, which is the number one reason why I don’t have tattoos. They freak me out. I’ve heard too many horror stories of people who go for simple blood tests and end up with terrible bruising from the nurses not getting the veins so they just keep jabbing away.
She comes back into the room, and I can feel myself about to be sick. Jesus, I have to distract myself. “How much food should I be feeding Cat?”
“He’s a little underweight. So, I’d like to see him plumped up a bit more. With another three pounds he should be good. What are you feeding him?”
“I bought some food from the grocery store.”
“Commercial food is fine, it has a little higher water content, which doesn’t make it as nutritious. But it’s not bad. I’d suggest a good quality dry food, which you can buy here if you want, or online. I’ll write some brands down if you like.”
“It’s okay, I’ll grab a bag from here.”
“And give him no more than one cup of food a day. When he gains some weight, you may need to wean him down to around three-quarters of a cup. Is he an active cat?”
I look at Cat, curled up on the examination table. I chuckle. “He’s a weirdo, is what he is. He jumps in the bed of my truck, and rides around everywhere I go.” Kate screws her brows together, and slowly smiles. “When I went looking at stone for the counter tops, he came with me. He loves riding in the truck.”
Kate chuckles. She scratches Cat under the chin, and surprisingly, Cat allows her. “Yep, you’re a weirdo,” she confirms. “Sorry, Cat, but you’re not going to like the next part.” I flinch away, my entire body shuddering when I see the needles. But Kate is fast, and Cat has no idea what just hit him. “Okay, we’re done. I’ll see you on Monday,” she says to Cat. “You may find that he’ll be tired tonight and off his food. That’s completely normal.”
“Thank you.” I open the door, and a dazed and confused Cat jumps off the table, and follows me out to the reception area. Kate comes through and talks to Julie.
I walk out of the vet’s office just over three hundred dollars poorer. Get a pet, they say. Pets are great, they say.
Three hundred for a vet visit, a small bag of kibble, and a date for him to become ball-less.
Poor Cat.
“Hello?” I call as I knock on May’s door.
“My God, girly. When will you learn that if the door is open, just walk in?”
I open the door, and start walking toward May. “I’m heading down to the candy festival, and was wondering if you or Tabitha need a ride in?”
“You can take me. I have no idea where Tabitha is though.”
“Oh.” I look outside for her car, but it’s still here. “What time do you want to head in?”
“I’m making my famous potato salad. What did you…never mind, you can’t cook.” She flicks her hand at me.
“Yeah, thanks for the reminder,” I jokingly say.
“Your face is looking better. You don’t look so frightening anymore.” God love May and her lack of filter.
“Thank you?”
“I said you look better, I didn’t say you looked great.” She looks down and sees Cat. “So, you’re keeping him then?”
“Appears he’s adopted me, not the other way around.”
“How’s the house coming along?” She places cling wrap over the large clear bowl she’s made the potato salad in, then heads back to her fridge and continues taking out other vegetables.
“Really good. We’re nearly ready to start putting her back together again. I’m excited to see how she turns out.”
“I have no doubt she’s going to be a beautiful, regal, old girl who’s been given a new lease on life. Like when I got my knee replaced. Took a while before I was good, but now, I have no pain and I can keep going.”
“I’m actually surprised because I’ve had two people asking if I’ve set a price on Old Roger’s house yet.”
“Only two? A lot of people are asking me what the sale price will be. I tell them to go to you. How many bedrooms will it be?”
“Five bedrooms, each with their own bathroom.”
“Five bedrooms? Wow. I hope you’ll allow me to look through it once it’s done.”
“You’ll be my guest of honor.” I smile, as I watch May quickly chopping up a huge salad. Lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers, cheese, onion, and some fresh corn. She drizzles it with a dressing,
tosses it together to coat everything, and wraps it in cling wrap too.
“I wanted to ask you, have you found out anything about those earrings and the letter?” her voice softens, while her eyes stay lowered.
“No, I haven’t really had a moment to ask anyone. Do you know anything about them?”
“No. No, I don’t. But I’d like to buy the entire tin from you.”
Huh? Why is May so interested in the tin? She knows something, and it has something to do with her. “May, do you know who that letter and earrings were meant for?” I know I’ve asked and she’s denied, but my gut is saying, not only does she know, she’s likely supposed to have been the recipient.
Again, she doesn’t lift her gaze, and she tries to shake her head. But her small voice defies her actions. “Yes, I do.”
I want to know what beautiful tale of love belongs with that tin. “Were the letter and the earrings meant for you?”
May visibly swallows, then sucks in an audibly deep breath through her nose. She doesn’t speak. The tears that fall on her counter top tell me everything I need to know.
There may be a love story behind that tin, but clearly there’s been loss too. I can’t keep it knowing the rightful person doesn’t have it. I run out of the house and go to the stable, where I open the door, go straight to the cupboard, and retrieve the tin.
To me, the contents, although fascinating, don’t hold much value. They belong to May. I head back into her house, where she’s already straightened and seems to be back to her usual self. Except for the tiny quiver of her chin.
“May, I’d like for you to have this.” I place the tin on the counter, and slide it over to her.
She looks at me, down at the tin, and back up again. “Oh no, darling, I can’t take it. It’s rightfully yours. You bought the house. I’ll pay you for it.”
Taking her hands in mine, I give them a small squeeze. “It’s rightfully yours. And I want no payment for it. Perhaps one day, you’ll be kind enough to share the history of how it came to be there and what the contents mean to you.”
She sucks in another breath, and slightly nods. “It wasn’t just love, it was soul-touching, epic.” She picks the tin up, and hugs it to her chest. “Thank you, Hope. What you’ve given me means more than you could ever imagine.”
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