The Lost Cats and Lonely Hearts Club

by Nic Tatano

  Twenty minutes later I’m done.

  Twenty minutes after that, the Silkwood shower I’m taking runs out of hot water.

  12:02 am: Second Feeding/Nature’s Call

  I had just drifted off to sleep when the loud one started crying again.

  Jeff was right. They’re on schedule.

  At least I don’t need another shower for this part.

  Oh, wait. I have to clean them after feeding them. Curses, foiled again.

  I prepare four bottles with the formula and line them up on the kitchen table. As I sit I grab the colorful kitten from the box. He already knows the routine as the moment I put the bottle to his mouth he latches on and drains it. “Awww, you were hungry again, huh?” I put the little guy on my shoulder, burp it, and repeat the process with the other kittens.

  I feel a twinge of maternal instinct as I look at the adorable tiger kitten sucking on the bottle, but the memory from two hours ago blows it out of the water.

  Because I have to do the Hazmat routine again.

  The hot water in the shower runs out after eight minutes, apparently not having had enough time to re-load.

  I have got to get a bigger water heater.

  3:14 am: Third Feeding/Nature’s Call.

  I must look like an extra from The Walking Dead as I shuffle into the kitchen to prepare the bottles. Bleary-eyed I get the kittens fed. The colorful one gives me a soulful look when he’s done with his bottle and for a minute I feel guilty about complaining. The poor little thing has lost its mother and I’ve only lost sleep.

  Hazmat suit. Alcohol. Shower.

  4:20 am: Bad Dream

  Not me, one of the kittens. The colorful one started screaming and shaking. I held him close so he could hear my heartbeat. He calmed down after five minutes. Not sure if kittens have nightmares or if he woke up, couldn’t find his mother and freaked out.

  That feeling is so familiar to me …

  5:44 am: Fourth Feeding/Nature’s Call

  I’m too tired to stand up in the shower so I take a bath. I glance in the box and see them all looking at me.

  “Guys, don’t do that. You’re too damn cute.”

  They keep looking at me.

  “Stop it.”

  They don’t.

  They’re just too cute.

  And something tells me they know it.

  8:01 am: Fifth? Sixth? Who the hell knows. I’ve lost count and can’t focus on the log.

  The sun woke me up this time before the kittens started crying so I’m actually semi-awake while on my third cup of coffee. I can’t help but smile as I look at the kittens huddled together in a ball, fast asleep.

  “Well, guys, we made it. Through the first night, anyway.”

  I can’t believe it, but I actually feel some pride in what I’ve accomplished.

  The fact that I’ve saved four lives gives me a warm feeling.

  Which is good, because the water heater gave up the ghost.

  8:29 am

  I trudge toward the front door to answer the bell. I open it and see my boyfriend’s face immediately drop. “Geez, Madison, you look like hell. You can’t go to the beach party this afternoon looking like that. I thought you were going to get your hair done yesterday? I mean, there are going to be supermodels there.”

  It should be noted that my significant other of the past eight months often has no filter and says things that embarrass me in public. According to my best friends this is a major problem, but one I deem fixable even though he has on occasion made my face match my hair. He also tends to gawk at pretty women when we’re together, even commenting on them, but I’m working on that one as well. Actually, there’s a pretty long to-do list. But as you know, some guys take longer to mature. So let’s go with that. “Thank you, Jeremy. And good morning to you too.” I shake my head as he comes inside.

  My tall, lean boyfriend takes my shoulders, studies my face with his pale blue eyes. “You sick?”

  “Nope. Been up all night.”

  “Well, you can sleep in the car. We’ll find a salon when we get there.” He reaches for the suitcase that I packed days ago and stops. “What’s that noise?”

  I point toward the cardboard box with the kittens. “The reason I was up all night.”

  He walks over to it and takes a look, then runs one hand through his thick, dark hair. “Okay … why do you have a bunch of kittens?”

  “Long story.” I give him the quick recap. “Anyway, they can’t take care of themselves so we’ve gotta take ‘em with us. And stop at a pet store along the way for their groceries.”

  He puts up his hands. “Whoa, hold on a minute. You want to take four orphaned kittens to the Hamptons? And we’ve got to bottle feed them every few hours? Which means getting up in the middle of the night?”

  “No choice. Can’t find anyone else to take them and the vet next door is out of town on his own vacation.”

  He shakes his head. “Madison, I rented a great place and have reservations at some incredible restaurants. The whole week is planned out. We’ve got an invite to the best beach party of the summer in the Hamptons. We can’t take a bunch of cats.”

  I put my hands on my hips. “So, what, we’re gonna just leave ‘em here?”

  He shrugs. “They’re just a bunch of strays that no one would want.”

  Okay, the lack of a filter just crossed the line with the one thing that sets me off. “You do know that I was basically a stray.”

  “What, because you were an abandoned baby and grew up in foster homes? We’re talking about cats, Madison, not people. They would have died anyway if you hadn’t found them.”

  “Are you serious? Leave them here and let them starve to death?”

  “Let nature take its course.”

  A large red flag starts heading up the pole. “I cannot believe you. Are you that cold?”

  “Madison, be serious … we’ve been looking forward to this vacation for months. This is the Hamptons we’re talking about. Think of the celebrities we’ll meet and the accounts I can pick up. C’mon, let’s go. You’ll forget the whole thing once you see the beach.”

  I can’t believe it. My boyfriend is selfish and actually lacking in compassion. Just as my best friends have told me. How did I not see this for myself until now? Because the incredible sex had your rose-colored glasses firmly in place, dumbass. A loud meow distracts me and I turn to look at the box of kittens. Four desperate sets of eyes, filled with hope, seem to look right into my heart, like no person ever has. The colorful one meows again and locks eyes with me if to say: You’re all we’ve got. Please don’t leave us. How could anyone throw away precious lives like that?

  And why would I want to keep dating someone who would?

  As a reporter, I often see things in black and white, and this is one of those times.

  I turn back to Jeremy, narrow my eyes and point at the door. “Get. Out.”

  “What?”

  “You heard me. Get out of my house.”

  “Madison, c’mon. Calm down—”

  “Oh, I’m very calm. You just showed your true colors. And now I owe those kittens for showing me what kind of person you really are.”

  “You’re serious? Madison, we’ve made plans.”

  “So go find a new girl at the Hamptons and make plans with her. Someone selfish who doesn’t like responsibility or respect life. Considering your bikini radar, it shouldn’t take you long. We’re done, Jeremy. Out. Now.”

  He throws up his hands. “Fine. Enjoy your week-long vacation with a bunch of strays.” He spins on his heels and leaves, slamming the door.

  I stare at it, my relationship closed like the door. “I’m a stray. We stick together.” I feel my eyes well up but the sharp meow grabs my attention. I quickly move to the box and see the colorful kitten standing in front of the other three. “Oh, the loud one again. I guess you’re the spokesman for the litter.” I pick up the box and bring it in to the kitchen, setting it in a sun square. “C’mon, guy
s. Time for breakfast. And thank you for showing me what I couldn’t see before.”

  I hear the whispers from the next aisle as I wheel my shopping cart through the pet superstore.

  “I’m telling you, it’s her.”

  “No way.”

  “Molly, that’s Madison Shaw.”

  “Get real, Joe. You think someone on network TV goes out in public like that? The woman looks like she just rolled out of bed and combed her hair with an eggbeater. Trust me, that is NOT the redhead you drool over on the evening news.”

  I can’t help but laugh as I push the cart around to the next aisle. The young couple in front of me studies my face. What the hell. I stick out my hand and flash a big smile. “Hi, I’m Madison.”

  The woman’s eyes widen as she turns beet red. “Oh my God, I am so sorry—”

  The man’s jaw simply drops and hangs open like a trophy bass. “Uh, I, uh …”

  I laugh as I wave my hand like I’m shooing a fly. “Pffft, don’t worry about it. This is the real me. Pretty scary without the hair spray and makeup, huh?” I pat the guy on the shoulder. “Sorry to blow up your fantasy, dude.”

  The man looks down at the floor, his face matching his wife’s. “You’re still … naturally beautiful.”

  “Thank you.”

  The man looks up and shoots me a sheepish grin. “I’m, uh, a fan.”

  The woman rolls her eyes. “I think she got that part, Joe.”

  “Yeah, thanks to your big mouth.” He turns back to me. “Nice to know you’re a real person.”

  “Well, that’s the first time I’ve ever been referred to in that manner. Though we do have quite a few plastic androids in the business, so I get it.”

  He looks in my cart and spots the formula. “Ah, you’re taking care of an orphaned kitten.”

  “Four of ‘em. Found them while doing a story yesterday.”

  “Wow. And you’re taking care of all four?”

  “Yep.”

  “Well, your stock just went up. Our cat was an orphan. They make the best pets. It’s like they know you’ve saved them. You gonna keep all of them?”

  “Just until I find homes for them in a few weeks.”

  The guy starts to laugh. “Yeah, right. Trust me, there’ll be one that you just can’t give away.”

  “Whoa, fright night.”

  I shrug as my best friend Rory stares at my disheveled hair, formula-covered t-shirt and sweatpants featuring cat hair, her hazel eyes wide in disbelief. “Yeah, I get that a lot lately.”

  The slender brunette moves forward and hugs me hard. “Freckles (her nickname for me), why didn’t you call me yesterday when you broke up with Jeremy?” She pulls back and takes my face in her hands. “God, you look devastated. You’re a wreck. Have you even slept?”

  I usher her inside. “That’s not why I’m wearing the Raggedy Ann summer collection and have designer bed-head.”

  “Wait, hold on. You’re not upset about Jeremy?”

  “Nope. Let me show you why.” I lead Rory over to the box of kittens.

  “Oh my God, they’re adorable!” She kneels down to get a closer look. “And they’re so little. Whoa, wait a minute. Why do you have all these kittens?”

  I tell her the story, how they actually led to the breakup. “So, I sort of owe them for showing me the light about Jeremy.”

  “Well, I can’t tell you—”

  “Please, don’t give me the I told you so. You warned me enough times about him. You were right.”

  “Maybe next time you’ll listen to me when I tell you the guy you’re dating is a selfish, superficial sonofabitch.”

  I nod as she sits on the couch. “I defer to your feminine radar in the future as mine obviously isn’t in working condition.”

  Rory has always been spot-on about men since she became my best friend in high school and saved me from some bad decisions. (Though obviously I don’t always listen to her.) She’s a half foot shorter than me, about five-four, and has that girl-next-door thing going, fresh faced with never a spot of makeup. Couldn’t care less about appearances. But she makes up for that with an incredible personality that attracts men like moths to a flame. And she’s quite the wordsmith, working as an advertising copywriter out of her home across the street. It’s like having a sister a hundred feet away.

  I may as well tell you the story of how she saved my life.

  Life began for me, at least the part I can confirm, in a New York City park restroom, where I was abandoned shortly after being born along with a note.

  I am unable to take care of my child. Please find a good home for her.

  My name comes from the two police officers who followed the sound of a crying baby and found me. Two cops whose last names were Madison and Shaw brought me to social services, where I began the journey of being shuttled between six foster homes over the next eighteen years.

  Some good, some not.

  A few of my foster parents were decent people who actually wanted children. Others simply wanted the financial stipend the state provided in return for taking care of me.

  That I could live with. The bullying in school I could not.

  Children can be cruel, and so the taunting about being “unwanted” began at an early age. By the time I was sixteen, I was bitter and angry at the world.

  Until Rory came into my life.

  The most popular girl in school, head cheerleader, prom queen, co-valedictorian, saw a tall redhead wearing a death stare on a daily basis who ate alone with her head down in the school cafeteria. When she heard another student taunt me about being a foster kid, she came over during lunch, slid her tray onto my table and sat across from me.

  “Hi, I’m Rory.”

  “Yeah, I know.”

  “You got a name?”

  “Madison Shaw.”

  “Ah. I was getting tired of referring to you as the angry redhead in my class who’s smarter than I am.”

  “Doubtful. I’m a straight C student.”

  “But you’re smart as hell. You’re never wrong when the teachers call on you. You come up with answers faster than I do. You figure out stuff in your head in math class before I can do it on paper.”

  “Is there something you want?”

  “Nope. You just look like you could use a friend. Though I could use the competition for valedictorian. I don’t wanna win because a smarter girl didn’t give her best effort.”

  “Why do you care?”

  “Like I said, I don’t want to win by default. Unless you think you can’t beat me.” She locked eyes with me as she threw down the gauntlet.

  “I could beat you if I wanted to.”

  “Prove it, Freckles. C’mon, let’s rock.”

  “Why aren’t you sitting at the table with all the cool kids?”

  “I am sitting at the table with the cool kids. To me, brains are the coolest thing on the planet. And I suspect there’s a decent human being behind that Great Wall of China you’ve put up.” She shot me a look that went right to my soul, one that told me she was sincere. I can’t explain it, but a wave of calm instantly washed over me.

  And when the most popular girl in the school accepts you, the bullying stops. It’s like being a made man in the Mafia. I also discovered that Rory’s friends, who I assumed were the cool kids, were actually very normal as she had no tolerance for phonies. They accepted me with open arms as well.

  We became inseparable, Rory taking me under her wing even though I towered over her. My grades shot up (we tied for the valedictorian thing) as she became the sister I’d never had. She set an example for me, using her popularity for good. Upon being crowned queen of the prom, she immediately took the thing off and placed it on the head of a girl in a wheelchair. She was the least pretentious person I’d ever met, when she could have easily been the queen bitch of the mean girls. A teenager with a forty year old brain, she taught me stuff about life that wasn’t in any book.

  Most important, my anger and bitterness slowly diss
ipated, replaced by a passionate desire to succeed and be more successful than anyone else. I dreamed about future high school reunions when I could show up and brag about having the best career and a spectacular life. About being so rich I could write million dollar checks to charities. I ate dinner at her house most nights, her mother and father becoming the parents I desperately needed.

  The day I turned eighteen in the middle of my senior year Rory handed me a small gift-wrapped box. “Happy birthday, Freckles.”

  “Thank you. This is the only present I’ll get.”

  “Well, then, I sure hope you like it.”

  I tore open the box. I furrowed my brow as I saw a simple key inside. “Okay, this is one of your clever treasure hunts. I suppose I have to find the lock this fits.”

  “It should be easy. The location is on the card in the box.”

  I pulled it out and saw Rory’s address. “I don’t understand.”

  “You’re moving in with us. I want you out of that foster home and so do my parents. This is not up for discussion. As of today, you are living with me. So after school we are going to your house, pack up everything you own and get you the hell outta there.”

  I became a member of her family, the first one that felt real. Her parents treated me like their own daughter, grounded me with values I desperately needed. We shared a three bedroom housing unit in college, as our friend Tish became our other roommate.

  But the qualities Rory had drawn out of me had slowly disappeared in the world of television news, a superficial industry that asks you to check your soul at the door.

  And often doesn’t give it back.

  Thankfully, the kittens came into my life and reminded me where I came from.

  I point to the kittens as she sits next to me. “So, you want one?”

  “Sure, I could use a fur baby to keep me company. You’re really gonna take care of them for a few weeks?”

  “Yeah, but I’ll need help when I get back to work next week. I was wondering … since you work at home if you could pop by during the day and feed them while I’m at work?”

  “Sure, no problem.”

  “You have to clean them too. Y’know, encourage them to go to the bathroom. It’s not exactly pleasant.”

  “Yeah, I had a friend with an orphaned kitten when I was a kid. Again, not a problem.”