by Rachel Wells
I cocked my head to one side and tried again to tell him I wasn’t hungry – I was just worried about him. I snuggled into him, rubbing my head against him, trying to convey that I was there for him, and when I saw him looking at me with tears brimming in his eyes, I was pretty sure he understood.
‘Why do I feel like you’re looking into my bloody soul?’ he said, sounding irritated again. I didn’t know how to respond. ‘Well, if you do, you’ll see a black hole. Or maybe nothing at all. There’s nothing there. Anyway, I’ve got to work tomorrow; my shitty new job.’ He sighed. ‘But at least it’s a job. Better than withering away here. Anyway, come on, if you’re staying, you can come up to bed with me.’ To my total surprise he picked me up and carried me upstairs, plonking me down on a chair in his bedroom which was covered with the softest blanket I had ever felt.
‘I must be mad, that’s my best cashmere blanket,’ he sighed, as he put me down. He got into bed and almost immediately started snoring really loudly.
The following morning was busy and a little exhausting. I woke up at Jonathan’s; it was dark as he rushed around getting ready for his new job. He was muttering as he went to shower. Still wet and glistening but with a towel tied around him, he made a coffee. He didn’t eat anything, but quickly laid down a saucer of milk for me. He rushed back upstairs and came down looking very smart, but mumbling under his breath as he struggled to tie his tie. I left the house with him, trying to show my support as I followed him down the street. He was swearing and huffing and puffing which I knew was his way of masking his nerves.
‘Right, Alfie,’ he said. ‘I best go and face the first day back in the real world. Wish me luck.’ I rubbed up against his legs in order to do so. ‘Great, you’d better not have covered me in your bloody hair,’ he muttered, but then he leant down and patted my head before running off down the street. It was obvious that Jonathan loved me, but he certainly didn’t like to show his softer side.
I followed him and tried very hard to keep up with my little legs; I wanted him to see the support I was giving him. He shook his head and laughed as he increased his pace. Breathlessly, we made it to the end of the street and as he went to cross the road, I knew I had to leave him there. I didn’t want to risk going further from Edgar Road than I felt comfortable with.
Still a bit fatigued from my run, I rushed back to Claire’s, where she had just emerged from the shower.
‘Ah, there you are,’ she picked me up and kissed me. ‘Where on earth have you been? I was worried.’ I snuggled into her, to try to ensure she wasn’t upset with me. ‘Maybe you do the cat thing of prowling through the night?’ She did look a bit confused as she said this, but luckily she didn’t seem cross. ‘But if you do, make sure you’re careful,’ she finished.
She put me down and I sat on the chair next to her bed as she got ready. Humans were funny, using a contraption to wash – we have our own inbuilt shower – and then wrapping themselves in towels and clothes. Being a cat was so much easier. We kept our fur on all the time, cleaning ourselves wherever we wanted. In actual fact, we washed ourselves and combed our fur simultaneously; cats were much better designed than humans. And we certainly didn’t need to go to work – something they all seemed to spend a lot of time obsessing over. Although, I was finding that keeping my new families happy was quite hard work, so perhaps I did understand that a bit more now. Claire needed sympathy, Jonathan needed my patience, they both needed my love and help, and at the same time I was also beginning to court the attention of the families in the flats at number 22. Speaking of which, it was time for me to find out what was happening down there.
Lack of exercise was no longer a problem for me as I bounded down the street towards 22A and 22B, feeling in a good cat mood. It was another sunny morning and I could almost smell the warmth as it began to permeate the air. It would be a hot day, I could tell, and for me, with my lovely fur coat, that would mean finding a spot that was sunny but not too hot and not too cool. I liked the sun, but no cat liked getting overheated. Sleeping in a nicely shaded spot was one of my favourite things in the world.
I was very excited to see the door to number 22B open, and two children playing on the small lawn at the front of the building. Although it was shared with 22A, there was no sign of Polly or her crying baby, although I swear I could hear him, as I joined the two boys on the lawn. That wailing sound he made was almost louder than any crying I could do, even in my most heartbroken moments.
The two boys were different sizes, but they were both quite small, and I could hear one of them chatting away to himself, using words I couldn’t quite make out. Suddenly, he spotted me and came up.
‘Cat,’ he said, very clearly, and laughed. I went to make friends with him, rubbing my head on his legs, which made him giggle. The younger boy, who had sat down to play with a toy car, laughed too. The woman I’d met before, Franceska, appeared at the door.
‘Hello, Alfie cat,’ she said. The boy said something to her. ‘Speaking English, Aleksy,’ she said gently, and yet again I wondered where they were from.
‘Mamma, is cat,’ he repeated, and she went up to him and gave him a kiss.
‘You are clever boy,’ she said, before she scooped up the smaller child. ‘We give him food?’
‘Yes, Mamma.’ Aleksy ran ahead into the house and Franceska hung back.
‘Come, Alfie,’ she commanded, and I felt touched at both the invitation and that she had remembered my name. Her accent was quite hard-sounding but I liked her. She had a lovely, gentle way about her; a quality that Jonathan certainly didn’t possess.
We climbed the stairs to their flat, Franceska carrying the smaller boy, and I wondered at how strange it was to cut a house in two. It was something that I found quite puzzling. The flat itself was nice enough, it was bright and modern, but it was also square and small. The stairs led to a small hallway and as I explored, I walked into the living room where there were two small, soft looking sofas which took up most of the space; a spattering of toys and a wooden coffee table. At the end of the room was a dining table and past that, an opening which led to a small kitchen. Unlike Claire’s house, there were things scattered which made it a bit messy and lived-in. And unlike Jonathan’s, it was very short on space.
I thought about how strange humans were. Jonathan had this big house just for him and yet here were four people (despite the fact two of them were quite small), in a space that was so compact. I didn’t understand how that worked, but it didn’t seem very fair. While Franceska busied herself with the boys, I went to snoop. There was a small corridor leading away from the stairs and I found two bedrooms, one which had a cot and a bed in it, the other a double bed. Outside the bedroom was a small, very white bathroom. The bedroom with the cot and bed was quite messy; there were toys scattered all over the floor. The other bedroom was neater and quite plain. There was nothing wrong with the place but I worried that it was too small for a growing family.
After I finished snooping, I joined them. The boys were sat on one of the sofas, side by side. The younger one was clutching a soggy biscuit. Aleksy was pleased to see me and started stroking me, and tickling my neck. It felt nice. Many of my cat friends and acquaintances sang the praises of children, and with Aleksy’s little hands, and his warm smile, I was beginning to understand why.
Franceska returned to the room.
‘We can give him fish, when we have the lunch,’ she said. My ears pricked up excitedly. ‘And then maybe you can practise your English on him. Me too,’ she laughed. ‘And I should phone the number on the tag to make sure he’s not lost.’ I narrowed my eyes. Claire and Jonathan hadn’t changed my tag, so luckily the number was Margaret’s old one. My plan was safe for now.
‘Can he live here?’ Aleksy asked.
‘No, kochanie. We live in flat. We no allowed pets.’ Goodness, I was taken aback. Imagine, being banned from anywhere! That was so unfair.
‘It is not easy,’ he said to me, sadly, as she returned to the kitchen.
‘I speaking Polish in my old house. I learn English before I come here, but hard.’ I snuggled into him, as he looked like he might cry, and he cuddled me, holding on so tightly that I struggled to breathe. I let him squeeze me, though, for as long as I could bear it before I had to wriggle out of his clutches. Yet again, I had found people who needed me. They were far away from home, maybe even further than I had come, and they possessed a sadness that I seemed to have a cat’s sense for these days.
Bringing me back to the present, the smaller child started pawing at me then, with his grubby hands, and although I didn’t mind, I made a note that I would need a good wash when I finally got out of there.
I hadn’t had much contact with small children. When I lived with Margaret, there was a young girl who visited from time to time and she was fun, always wanting to play with me and feed me food from her plate, but that was my only experience. Then when I started my nomadic existence and I met other cats, one of the suggestions was that I should find a family with children. They suggested that it was the most fun, like having friends – but friends who fed you and loved you and looked after you and played with you. In this flat, I felt I was getting that.
Although I was fond of Claire and Jonathan, I couldn’t pretend that they gave me all I wanted. Yes I was fed and fussed sometimes, but I was also left on my own. It had vaguely occurred to me at this point that it might seem my doorstep antics could lead me into a bit of a pickle, but you see, I did, to a point, have a plan.
I couldn’t rely just on Claire. I didn’t know that she was on her own when I had chosen her house – I had been expecting at least two people. And when I went into Jonathan’s house, I had been expecting a family, not a grumpy single man, so that didn’t turn out as I’d planned either. I was worried that my home life was still too precarious and that had led me here. It all made perfect sense in my head. It was like the number 22 flats could be my daytime homes, and the other houses my evening abodes. I was sure I could make it work and I was determined to do so.
So I rolled onto my back to let Aleksy tickle my tummy, and I flipped my tail up in delight when I was on all fours again. Afterwards, Aleksy wanted me to hide under the chair and jump out at him. I wasn’t sure why this made him and Thomasz so happy, but I was pleased to do it. I then pretended I was chasing an invisible bird which seemed to make both boys shriek with laughter.
After playing for a bit, Franceska returned and picked up the younger boy.
‘The phone number no work. Maybe they change it without changing the tag.’ She looked thoughtful. ‘Thomasz, sleeping time.’ She took him down the corridor, and returned a little later without him. I heard him crying a bit, before going quiet. Aleksy was drawing something at the coffee table and I sat on the sofa, not sure of my next move but feeling quite comfortable.
‘So, Aleksy, Thomasz sleeping, we do our English,’ she said.
‘OK, Mamma.’
‘How old are you?’ she asked. I watched them both as they began their conversation, my head going back and forth between them.
‘Six. And Thomasz is two.’
‘Very good. Where you live?’
‘London. We from Poland but it is far away now.’ He looked a bit sad, and I saw Franceska’s eyes darken.
‘We go home some time,’ she said, quietly.
‘Pappa say this is our home,’ Aleksy replied.
‘Yes, maybe we have two homes,’ she said, trying to sound bright. I wanted to tell him what a good idea that was, like me, so I miaowed.
‘Ha, the cat makes loud noises.’
‘The cat called Alfie.’
‘Alfie?’ Aleksy repeated it slowly, as if he was trying the sounds out. I wondered at how hard it must be, to have to come and learn a different language, when he can’t have been speaking at all for long.
‘Yes and maybe he visit a lot?’ She looked at me questioningly, and I put my head to one side to try to tell her that, yes, I would visit a lot.
‘Mama, what if I don’t like school?’ Aleksy’s big brown eyes filled with tears.
‘You will, and it might feel hard at first but you will be OK.’
‘OK.’
‘We all have to be brave now, Pappa has good job here, and he can make things good for us if we all try hard to it.’
‘OK. I miss Pappa.’
‘He has to work very much but soon we will see him more. He is doing this for us.’
She went over and sat down next to Aleksy. He had drawn a picture of a house. It wasn’t the house that we were in, though. It was a funny looking building, with many windows.
‘I miss our old place too,’ Franceska said, softly, as she stroked his hair. ‘But we will love it here. We just need to be very brave.’ And I wondered who she was trying to convince; him or herself.
I was unable to move; watching the mother and son together, I felt like crying myself. I was seeing people trying so hard, learning that life could be really difficult and upsetting for humans as well as cats.
Suddenly, Franceska got up. ‘Right, we make some food. Aleksy, come help and you can give to Alfie.’
He cheered up at this idea, and followed his mum into the kitchen. I went, too, and watched as she got some sardines out of the fridge and put them on a plate.
‘Yum,’ I thought to myself, this was a treat. Salmon, prawns and now sardines. I really had chosen the perfect street to live in.
I hadn’t considered the logistics of the flat. There was no cat flap, and only one entrance. There was a small back garden but that was accessed from the side of the house and again was shared with next door. The only way to get out of 22B was to go back through the front door, the way I’d come in. Which wasn’t that easy, as the door was shut. I had to figure it out. In the meantime, I ate lots of sardines, drank water and played with Aleksy, who seemed a bit happier now. Although most of his toys weren’t exactly designed for cats, we chased a small ball around, which seemed to make him happy. More and more, I understood all the fuss about small children; when they laughed, they made you want to laugh, and their happiness was the most infectious thing I’d encountered. Although, on the flip side, he was quite demanding; not letting me have any time to rest, so I was getting pretty tired. This was a new experience to me, and as much as I was enjoying it, it was exhausting at the same time.
Thomasz, the little one, soon woke up and cried; Franceska went to get him and then brought him back into the living room, where she gave him a bottle filled with milk and sat on the sofa with him. I realised that I really needed to get back to my other homes so I could check on both Claire and Jonathan, and that in order to do so, I would have to make them understand that I needed to leave. After Thomasz finished his drink, I miaowed loudly and then walked down the stairs and stood by the front door.
‘Oh goodness, you need getting out,’ Franceska said, as she carried Thomasz downstairs after me. Aleksy followed too. She opened the front door and I turned to face them, to say goodbye properly. I tried to convey with my eyes that I would return, and I purred as well, to tell them I’d had a lovely time. Aleksy leant down and kissed my head. I licked his nose, which made him giggle. Thomasz, who I hadn’t heard speak, shouted, ‘Cat,’ and the other two laughed.
‘We must tell Pappa that this his first proper English word,’ Franceska said. ‘Alfie, you are clever, you gave Thomasz his first English word.’ She looked delighted, and I felt very proud. They all stepped outside with me. The sun was still shining brightly and the front lawn was invitingly hot. Just as we all started walking towards the shared gate, the door to 22A opened and Polly emerged. She looked flustered, as she tried to yank a pram out of the small door. I could hear the baby crying from inside.
‘Here, I help.’ Franceska put Thomasz down and he immediately stood up and walked over to his brother. Franceska pulled the folded pram, which was still far too big, out of the door and put it up in one swift move.
‘Thank you,’ Polly said. ‘I find it hard to manoeuvre it here.’ She
smiled, a little sadly. ‘It’s awfully big.’
‘Is big. Franceska.’ She held out her hand. Polly took it uncertainly. I noticed that she barely touched Franceska’s hand before moving hers quickly away.
‘Polly. I must just go and get …’ She disappeared back inside and came out carrying Henry and an oversized bag. She laid him in the pram and he started howling again. She rocked the pram a bit as Franceska peered in, and stroked his cheek. Polly looked terrified; the way she’d looked when she first saw me. Maybe she thought Franceska was going to kill the baby too.
‘Hello, baby. His name?’ Franceska looked at Polly and smiled.
‘Henry. Sorry, I’ve got an appointment with the health visitor and I’m late. Hopefully see you soon, bye.’ She turned to shut her front door, but not before I’d sneaked in.
I woke up with no idea where I was. Gradually, I realised I was still in Polly’s flat. I padded around, there was no one here still. I was on their large grey sofa, which I must have fallen asleep on – exhausted after all those sardines and playing. I had looked round the flat when Polly shut the door behind me. It was the same size as upstairs, but it wasn’t as cosy or comfortable. In addition to the sofa and one armchair, there was a wooden trunk used as a coffee table, a mat thing on the floor with bits dangling from it, which I thought must be Henry’s, and a very big TV on the wall. Apart from that, the walls were bare and I wondered whether they didn’t have any pictures or just hadn’t got round to putting them up.
The biggest bedroom had a big bed, and two small bedside tables but not much else and it was all very white. The smaller bedroom was, however, decorated for a child. There were brightly coloured pictures of animals all over it, and the cot had animals dangling above it. There was a multi-coloured rug on the floor and an abundance of soft toys. It felt as if it was the only colour in an otherwise colourless home. I thought it was quite strange; and had a sense that there was something else going on here, I just didn’t know what.
