by Sharon Coady
Tears welled up in his eyes as he looked down at the kitten. “Poor little fellow.” He glanced at Anne. “Looks like you were right. Go get my gun, girl. The Smith and Wesson twenty-two. We don’t want him suffering any longer.”
Anne ran back into the house, sadness for the kitten engulfing her. She had fallen in love with him the first time he had come out from under the house and stared at her with his dark green eyes. It had taken her almost three weeks to coax him into letting her get close enough to pet him. The kittens were about eight weeks old now and she had hoped to convince her grandfather to adopt the one of them.
Grabbing Pop’s gun carefully, she hurried back outside and waited patiently as he asked her to steady him while he put the kitten down. Taking a deep breath, he pulled the trigger. The bang resonated loudly and echoed in the silence that followed. Pop sighed, shook his head and wiped a tear away from his deeply wrinkled cheek.
“I’ll never understand how some people can be so cruel to little animals. Can you bury him, girl?”
“Yes, but I’ll take you back inside first.” She took his arm and helped him back to the porch, not trying to hide the tears streaming down her cheeks. She glanced at his face as she helped him up the steps and saw how tired he was. He stumbled a bit on the last step and she put her arm around him and gave him a hug.
“Things happen and people are mean sometimes. See if you can find any of the others after you bury him.”
“I will.”
He shuffled over to his cabinet and laid the pistol down. He stood for a moment, shaking his head and mumbling under his breath. His shoulders bent as he put his hands in his pockets.
“I’m going now. I’ll let you know if I see any of the others.” She pulled on her old wool coat and zipped it up, not looking forward to the task at hand.
After she took care of the kitten, she put the shovel back in place and made her way to the porch. It made her sad to see the cracked and peeling paint covering the cabin. She closed her eyes and brought to mind the images of the place she remembered from her childhood: Gram’s lovingly tended gardens full of different types of flowers in front of the small, enclosed porch. The white paint covering the wood siding of the cabin, making it neat and tidy. Her favorite image was of Gram looking out the kitchen window while she washed her dishes, smiling as Anne picked the blackberries off the bush.
Kneeling down, she tried to see underneath the porch, hoping to spot the other kittens. Her heart sank when she saw no movement. I hate to tell him the other ones are gone. I can’t do it. She stood up and made her way slowly into the house.
When she walked in, he glanced at her. “Did you see the rest of them?” His steel-blue eyes searched her face.
“It was too dark. I’ll have to look again tomorrow. I’m going to start dinner now.” She prayed he wouldn’t see the sadness on her face.
“Do you need me to peel potatoes? I always did for your grandmother.”
“That would be wonderful. I’ll bring them to you.” She grabbed four potatoes, the old green Tupperware strainer and his favorite peeler. “Here you go.” She stooped down and kissed the top of his bald head. “Love you,” she whispered.
“Love you too, girl.” He set to work peeling the potatoes.
She wondered if her resemblance to Gram bothered him. Everyone told her she looked just like a younger version of her grandmother. Anne had the same cinnamon colored hair and slight build, but her grandmother’s eyes had been a deep hazel color while hers were green.
Pop interrupted her thoughts. “So, you’ll look for the other kittens?”
“Sure. I’ll go out first thing in the morning and look around.” She glanced over to see his brows drawn down, and his lips pressed together. “Hopefully, they’re okay.”
Chapter Two
The next morning was sunny and cold. Anne got up, turned on the coffee pot and peeked into Pop’s room. Still sleeping. Praying she would find the other kittens, she pulled on her boots and buttoned her coat. The crisp morning air greeted her as soon as she opened the door. Walking quietly outside, she looked up at the gray sky and wondered how much snow they might see by Christmas. Looking over the porch rail, she caught sight of the little striped kitten zipping under the house.
Her heart lightened as she hurried down the steps, crouched and looked under the porch. Sure enough, there was one pint-sized kitten looking back at her. Sitting down, Anne cooed and coaxed, trying to get the little guy to come out. Slowly, the kitten made its way to her and sniffed her outstretched hand. It meowed and touched her fingertips softly.
“That’s a good baby. I won’t hurt you. Pop is going to be so happy that you’re here.” She let the kitten brush against her hand. “Oh you are so soft. Yes you are.” After a few minutes, she picked the kitten up and held it close. “Okay, let’s see if you are a boy or a girl.” She carefully turned it over and glanced quickly. “A little miss. I think I’m going to call you, Mavy.”
As if to say that name was perfect, Mavy settled in against her and started purring. Anne stood and walked up the porch steps. “I can’t wait to show you to Pop. How could he resist this cute face?”
Once inside, she shut the door to the enclosed porch so the kitten couldn’t dart back out. “I’m going to make sure nothing happens to you, little girl,” Anne cooed softly to the pint-sized ball of fur.
She grabbed the phone hanging on the kitchen wall and called directory assistance to get the listing for a local vet clinic. Glancing at the clock, she figured she could schedule an appointment for the kitten before starting Pop’s breakfast.
While she waited for someone to answer the phone, she thought how much her life had changed this last year. When her grandmother died the previous Christmas, she left her job as a nurse in Waynesboro and came back to the Pocono mountains to help her grandfather. She never gave it a second thought. Her mother had remarried when Anne was ten, and the trouble began. Her older brother, Danny, was almost out of the house by then and had no problems with the stepfather. Her grandparents had discovered the neglect and convinced their daughter to let Anne stay with them. Now it was time to give back.
“Hello, Lehigh Valley Vet Clinic. This is Cherise speaking, how may I help you?”
Anne shook herself out of her thoughts. “Hi Cherise, this is Anne Hurd. I need to schedule an appointment for my new kitten as soon as possible.”
“Sure, let me get some information from you. How old is the kitten?”
“I think she is about eight weeks.”
“Okay, female about eight weeks. Can you bring her in tomorrow at 9:30? We had someone cancel.”
“Sure. Are you still off State Road 940?”
“Yep. We’ll see you tomorrow.”
She heard Pop’s door open as she was hanging up the phone. “Good morning. I found a kitten.”
“Only one, huh?” He shook his head. “Well, that’s better than none. Poor things. Boy or girl?”
“A little girl. Wait until you see her, she’s so cute. I named her Mavy. I’ll go get her.” Anne headed for the front door. “I put her on the porch. We have a vet appointment at 9:30 tomorrow. Oh, do you still have that carrier?”
“Yep, I think it’s out on the side porch.”
Anne hurried onto the porch and knelt down. “Come here, Mavy. Pop wants to meet you.” The kitten surprised her by scurrying right over. She scooped the little creature up and hurried back inside to the warmth of the cabin.
“Here she is.” She carefully handed the fur ball to him. Anne smiled as Mavy and Pop looked at each other. Mavy meowed, Pop laughed.
“Aren’t you just a cute little baby? Yes you are. Look at that Anne, she likes me.” The kitten was purring so loud, Anne could hear her across the room.
“Sounds that way. I’m going to leave her on the porch tonight with the door closed and locked. I just want to have the vet check her out in the morning and make sure she doesn’t have worms or fleas.” She looked over at her, hesitant and worried
now that the innocent-looking kitten might have brought some inside. “I probably shouldn’t even have her in here now.” She reached for Mavy and could swear she was frowning as much as Pop. “Okay you two, stop. It’s only for one night.”
Chapter Three
Anne arrived at the vet clinic fifteen minutes before her appointment to fill out paperwork. As she entered the lobby, a heavyset black woman looked up and smiled. “You must be Anne Hurd. I’m Cherise. Where is that kitten of yours?” She stood up and looked over the counter.
Anne lifted the carrier up so Cherise could peek in at Mavy. “Right here. She doesn’t seem to like the carrier at all. She cried the whole trip.”
“Well, don’t worry little one, the doc will make everything all right. I’ll let him know you’re here so he can get you back right away.”
“I don’t have to fill anything out?”
“Oh, I don’t think so. He’ll tell me if he needs any other information from you.”
Anne smiled as she watched Cherise waddle out of the tiny reception office. “You hear that, Mavy? We should be in and out of here in no time.”
The door opened. “Okay, come on back, Anne. He’s ready for you.”
Anne glanced around the hallway as Cherise led them to a clean, mid-sized exam room. Leaning over the counter with his back to the door, stood a tall, slim, dark-haired man writing something in a chart. Anne froze. It can’t be him. Her heart pounded in her chest. Oh, please don’t be him. He turned around, his dark brown eyes met hers, and she felt her heart catch.
“Anne? Is it really you?”
“Hello, Kyle.”
“Wow, how long has it been? Five years?” He set his pen down on the counter. “You look well.”
“Six years. And thanks.” She couldn’t believe she hadn’t asked the vet’s name. Memories of the talk they had about his first couple of years in veterinarian school flashed through her mind.
She thought back to the summer he had finally noticed her. She had just turned seventeen. Her cousin Harry had invited her to go swimming with a group of his friends. They’d gone to a big lake with a bunch of the local kids. There had been food and music and later that evening, someone built a bonfire.
Kyle had shown up with one of her cousin’s friends. Anne thought he was even more handsome than that first summer she had come to live with her grandparents. Harry introduced him to the other kids, and Kyle sat down beside her, telling jokes and stories with the other boys.
That was the best summer of her life. They had gone back to the lake a couple of times and each time, Kyle was there. Right before vacation was over; he asked her for her phone number. She remembered barely being able to write it down, she was so excited.
“Anne?”
Oh my God. What did he ask me? She was so lost in thought; she hadn’t heard him talking to her. “I’m sorry, what did you say?”
That adorable grin she remembered so well, spread over his face. “I asked if you wanted to take your kitten out of the kennel so I could check her out. It is a female right?”
“Yes, Mavy. I named her Mavy.” Get it together. She unlatched the kennel and coaxed the kitten out. Mavy leaned against her shaking and looking everywhere at once. “She’s a feral kitten and hasn’t had much experience with people yet.”
“No problem.” He leaned over and spoke in a singsong voice, “Come on baby. It’s all right. That’s a good girl.”
Mavy stepped forward and rubbed against his hand. Carefully picking her up, he brought her close to his chest and continued talking softly to her as he walked to the exam table.
Anne set the kennel down and watched as Kyle checked her out, talking to the kitten the whole time. She noticed his muscles flexing underneath his white coat, his broad shoulders and… Get a grip.
“Well, you look in very good shape to me, little girl.” He turned to Anne. “I’m going to give her some shots and some wormer. I’d like to do an ultrasound to check out her heart. I heard a bit of a murmur and just want to make sure she’s okay.”
“Is that something she’ll grow out of?” Anne asked hesitantly.
“Some can. I wouldn’t worry too much. But since she’s a feral cat, I want to run a few extra tests to make sure you’re getting a healthy, girl. Why don’t you go on out to the waiting room, and I’ll take care of Mavy.”
“Okay. Thanks.” She walked back, picked up a magazine and tried to get her mind off what Kyle had said. Her mind again drifted back to that first summer.
They had been drawn to each other, hitting it off from that first night. They would meet at the lake along with the other kids. Harry even invited him to the family cookout on the Fourth of July. That was the night he invited to the movies—their first official date. Gram and Pop had seemed as taken by him as she did. Gram even commented that he had grown into quite a handsome young man.
He’d called her faithfully every day after he left for college. They made plans to meet each other again the next year. That following summer had been almost like a fairy tale with dates to the movies and long, fun filled days spent at the lake. Kyle seemed to find any reason he could to be around her. Each day, she knew she was falling in love with him a little more and thought he felt the same.
They had talked about her plans for college and meeting up again the next summer at the lake. Anne knew she wouldn’t date anyone else; her heart belonged to Kyle. And then the calls stopped. Had something happened to him? She tried to call him for weeks. Devastated by his sudden disappearance, her heart shattered. In a few short weeks, a two-year relationship was over with no closure or explanation. Not a word for six years and now he smiles at me like nothing happened.
“Anne, Dr. Shafer is ready for you to come back.” Cherise smiled at her from the counter.
“Thank you.” Anne ran her fingers through her hair, straightened her shirt, and tugged at the hem of her skirt to keep her hands busy. She hesitated for just a moment before entering the room. Her heart raced at the sight of this handsome doctor, smiling at her holding Mavy. Then the anger bubbled to the surface; he acted like nothing had happened between them.
“She has a clean bill of health except for that heart murmur, which is nothing to worry about at the moment. I’ve also given her the first set of shots.” He handed her a paper. “Here is her record of everything that we gave her and symptoms to watch for. I’d like you to bring her back in five weeks, unless she has any allergic reactions like the ones listed.” Once Anne placed the paper in her purse, he handed her the little fur ball.
“Thanks. Pop and I think someone may have poisoned her brother yesterday.” She placed Mavy back in the kennel. “We haven’t seen any of the other ones.” She nibbled on her bottom lip.
Kyle’s smile slid from his face. “I don’t think I’ll ever understand how someone can be cruel enough to hurt a defenseless animal.” He shook his head. “How are your grandparents?”
“Gram passed away last Christmas. Pop is doing okay. I’ve moved back to help him out for a while. He wasn’t thrilled with my decision—he’s so proud—but I think he enjoys the company.”
“I remember that about him.” His brows drew together. “I’m sorry about your grandmother. She was a special person.”
“Yeah, she was.” Anne glanced up at him, and he raised his eyebrow. “What?” she asked as butterflies fluttered through her stomach.
“I’m sorry about… everything.” He stared at her a moment before continuing, “I was wondering if we could go out sometime? Maybe for coffee or dinner.”
“Why?”
“Things got a bit complicated in my life. I’d like to explain.”
She held up her hand. “You do owe me an explanation. We were dating.”
“I know. I just sort of disappeared on you.” He cleared his throat before grinning broadly. “I promise to call you this time.”
She forced a smile. “Not funny. If you decide to call, my number is in Mavy’s chart.”
Sharon Coady, Melaine's Christmas Gift
