The Year the Cat Saved Christmas - a novella

by Barbara Bretton

  "Yowch!" His feet slid out from under him and he sailed up into the air and landed butt first on the pavement. His backpack skidded to a stop a few feet away. He scrambled to his feet and brushed the snow off his pants, wishing he'd worn snowshoes instead of Reeboks. He bent down to retrieve his backpack when he made his mistake and glanced at the pet shop window..

  One lone kitten slept peacefully on a bed of shredded newspaper. He curled up into a little ball of fluff with his head resting on a knot of Christmas red yarn. Talk about tugging on the old consumer heartstrings. One adorable kitten asleep in the window was all you needed to lure customers in by the carload.

  But why would they need to lure customers in at nine o'clock on Christmas Eve when everyone with a brain was home decorating the tree?

  The kitten opened one sleepy eye and looked straight at David.

  Oh no you don't, he thought. You've got the wrong guy. We can't afford to keep you in kibble.

  The kitten yawned then washed a tiny paw with its little pink tongue.

  David didn't even like cats and he was smiling ear to ear as he watched the fluffy creature toddle over to get a sip of water from the dish in the corner.

  He supposed it wouldn't hurt to go in and take a closer look. He knew all about these bait-and-switch techniques. Consumer affairs reporters gave it a lot of play during the holidays. He'd express an interest in the kitten on display and they'd tell him the kitten in question had just been sold to John Doe but wouldn't David love to see the purebred Himalayan with the special $1000 price tag. But that was okay. At least he'd know the little guy had a home.

  "We're closing in five minutes," a cheery female voice greeted him. "If you think you know what you want--"

  "That kitten in the window," he said as a round-faced little woman popped out of the back room. "I suppose he's spoken for."

  Her smile broadened. "Sebastian?" she said. "You like our sweet boy?"

  "He's pretty cute," David acknowledged. "I imagine he's going to make some little kid's Christmas." Okay, lady. Now tell me about the Himalayan with my name on it...

  "How I wish that were true," the saleswoman said with a sigh. "All of his litter mates sold but Sebastian hasn't had much luck."

  "You're kidding." She was shooting his theories all to hell.

  "You see," she lowered her voice, "Sebastian has a bit of a personality problem."

  "A kitten with a personality problem?"

  She nodded. "Sebastian hates people. It's his only flaw."

  "How old is he?"

  "Nine weeks today."

  "Nine weeks old and he's already decided the whole human race isn't fit to use his litter box?"

  "I'm afraid that's the size of it. I'm the only one he'll allow to handle him and then only after he lodges a loud and angry protest."

  He glanced from the saleswoman to the kitten and back again. "Let me see him, please."

  She reached into the window for Sebastian then yelped and jumped back. "You little--" She caught herself and flashed a sunny smile in David's direction. "That dickens has one heck of a temper." She grabbed the cat then thrust him, squawking and scratching, toward David.

  She hates the poor little guy, David thought as he took the kitten from her. No wonder the kitten was so unhappy. "Hey, boy." He scratched the kitten behind the right ear and was rewarded with a cross between a growl and a purr

  "I don't believe it," the saleswoman said. "He likes you." She crooked a finger toward the kitten. "Sweet Sebastian--"

  Sebastian's hiss was loud enough to peel paint.

  "It's pretty clear he doesn't like you," David said as the kitten nudged his finger for another scratch.

  She looked at her watch. "It's nine o'clock," she said. "If there's nothing I can do for you, you can put Sebastian back so I can close up."

  "You're going to leave him in the window?"

  She nodded.

  "But you're closed tomorrow."

  "He has food and water."

  "It's Christmas."

  "Sebastian doesn't know that."

  "But you do."

  She fixed him with an icy stare. "If you're so concerned with his welfare, why don't you take him? God knows, nobody else is likely to."

  Five minutes later he was the proud owner of a nine-week-old Maine coon cat with attitude. That Grinch of a saleswoman refused to lend him a blanket to keep the kitten warm so David yanked off his scarf and lined his backpack with it then settled Sebastian down for the cold walk home. No hissing. No scratching. No fuss. The kitten nestled in as if he belonged there.

  "You picked one hell of a time to develop a personality," David said as he cradled the bundle close to his chest and started walking home. He'd slip the backpack on just before he reached the apartment. "If you'd played your cards right, you could've been a doctor's cat."

  Sebastian yawned and closed his eyes. David could almost swear he saw the kitten smile.

  #

  Jill threw herself into his arms the moment he came through the front door.

  "I was so worried about you!" She peppered his face with kisses. "It's almost ten o'clock! Where have you been?"

  He grabbed her hands and kissed them. "Vanilla?" he asked, laughing.

  "The last batch of Christmas cookies is in the oven. We may be poor, but our gifts are the best in town."

  He nuzzled against the side of her neck and she sighed and leaned into him, all warmth and softness.

  "I'm full of snow," he said. "I'm melting all over you."

  "I don't care." Her blue eyes twinkled with mischief. "I--" She tilted her head to the left. "What was that?"

  He had the feeling his own eyes were twinkling with mischief too. "What was what?"

  "That noise." She frowned. "Listen! It sounds like a tiny outboard motor."

  "I don't hear anything," he said, although the sound was getting louder by the second.

  "David, it sounds like it's coming from you."

  "I'm battery-operated," he said, unable to hold back his grin. "Did I forget to tell you that?"

  "I'm serious." She grabbed for the zipper on his parka. "What are you hiding?"

  "Nothing," he said, all wide-eyed innocence. "Why do you think I'm hiding something?"

  She wouldn't be deterred. She tugged at his jacket and finally he had to come clean.

  "Close your eyes," he said. "I have a surprise."

  Her face was aglow. "I love surprises."

  "You may not love this one."

  "You know I love everything you do."

  "You may change your mind after tonight." Just because Sebastian seemed to think he was palatable, it didn't mean Jill would pass muster.

  "You're making me crazy! What is it?"

  "Close your eyes," he said again, "and you'll find out." He watched as she squeezed her eyes shut then slid off the backpack. "You can open your eyes now."

  She did. "Where is it?"

  He handed her the backpack.

  "David!" She sounded disappointed. "I don't want your backpack."

  "Open it."

  Her brows slid together and he knew her temper was beginning to boil. Leave it to Sebastian to save the day. He picked that moment to wake up and poke his head out to see what was going on.

  Jill let out a shriek of pure delight. "Oh, David!" She scooped up Sebastian and cradled him against her chest. "A kitten!"

  "You're kidding," David said, afraid to inspect the backpack post-Sebastian. "Where did he come from?"

  "He's beautiful," she crooned, kissing the top of the kitten's head. "Look at those muttonchops and that fluffy striped tail! Does he have a name?"

  "Sebastian."

  "Sebastian?" She grinned. "I think it suits him."

  Sebastian did too. He meowed once, loudly, then started to purr again, a loud and happy hum of pure pleasure.

  "So you like him?"

  "I love him," she said. "But I thought you said we shouldn't get a pet until we're settled in a house."

  He tol
d her about the pet shop.

  "That's so cruel!" Her eyes glittered with angry tears. "How could she even think about leaving a sweet little kitten alone in the store on Christmas?"

  It occurred to him suddenly that the little lady in the pet shop might have scammed him royally but Sebastian looked up at him and damned if it didn't seem like he winked.

  "It's official," Jill said, hugging them both. "Now we're really a family."

  #

  "David." Jill's voice, sharp with curiosity, brought him back to the present.

  "What's the matter with you? Jake Malloy is waving us over."

  "I saw him," David said, lying through his teeth. "I was about to pull into his driveway when you said that."

  She shot him a look but said nothing. The marriage might be over but she was still his wife.

  Jake was standing near the mailbox. He was one of the neighborhood's nosier residents, the kind of guy who would poke around in your garbage, given half the chance.

  David whirred down the driver's side window.

  "So what's up?" he asked.

  "I hear you're looking for Samson," Jake said.

  "Sebastian," David corrected him.

  "The fat cat, right?"

  "That's the one. You seen him?"

  Jake nodded, eyeing Jill with open curiosity. David could see the wheels of gossip turning.

  "By the Zimmermans' house," Jake said, still eyeing Jill. "He was standing in the foot of the driveway, eating something."

  "Sounds like Sebastian to me. Thanks for letting us know."

  Jake poked his head into the car. "I thought that was you, Jill."

  She peered around David and smiled. "Good to see you, Jake. Merry Christmas."

  "Yeah, Merry Christmas" said Jake in his usual gracious manner. "So what's the story?"

  Jill's smile flickered. "Excuse me?"

  "The story," Jake repeated, eyeing David in the same curious way. "Looks to me like the divorce is off."

  "Can we get going?" David asked. "If we're going to nab Sebastian, we'd better move before he takes off again."

  Jake looked from Jill to David. "Been a long time since I saw the two of you together."

  David couldn't bite back his anger. "Take a good look, Malloy, because it's going to be your last."

  He gunned the engine and pulled out of the driveway.

  "That was a rotten thing to say, David." Jill shot him a withering glance.

  "He had it coming."

  "He made an observation."

  "A stupid observation."

  "You didn't have to bite his head off."

  "He's lucky I didn't push him into a snow bank."

  "What is your problem?" she demanded. "He was only trying to help us find Sebastian. Assuming you even give a damn."

  He started to tell her that he had been thinking about Sebastian, about the little kitten with the big attitude that had helped them take their first step toward being a family, but then he thought better of it. After tomorrow they wouldn't be a family any more.

  It would all be ancient history.

  Chapter Four

  Claire Zimmerman peered at Jill and David through her storm door for a moment, then a huge smile spread across her face. "This is the best Christmas present I could possibly have!" The elderly woman flung open the door and motioned them inside. "When did it happen? I want all the details, every single one of them."

  Jill exchanged glances with David. "Claire," she said carefully, stepping into the warm foyer, "I'm afraid you're jumping to conclusions."

  Claire's round face didn't lose a glimmer of happiness. "Of course I'm jumping to conclusions--and what better conclusion could I possibly jump to when the two of you show up on my doorstep on Christmas Eve?"

  Jill found herself wishing the floor would open up and swallow her whole. Claire Zimmerman was the last person she wanted to disappoint. "Claire, please--"

  "Eddie!" Claire called up the stairs. "Come down here this instant! I have a wonderful surprise for you."

  "Say something," Jill hissed to David. He gave her the deer-in-the-headlights stare she'd first seen when he coached her in the delivery room.

  Eddie lumbered down the stairs, all two-hundred-fifty pounds of him poured into a Santa Claus suit complete with fluffy white beard. "Ho! Ho! Ho!" he bellowed, patting his unpadded belly with gusto. "Best Santa Claus in town six years running."

  Jill couldn't help smiling. "Looks like you're about to make it seven, Eddie."

  "Eddie," said Claire in her most wifely tone of voice, "don't you notice something special?"

  Eddie's eyes widened. "Well, saints alive! If the two lovebirds aren't back together again and just in time for Christmas."

  "It's a miracle, that's what it is," said Claire, dabbing her eyes with the edge of her apron. "We've been praying for it since you told us you were getting a divorce. I just knew God was listening and wouldn't let us down...."

  #

  Then

  The cottage was set back from the road. It was small and doll-like, with dark green shutters and window boxes and rosebushes planted everywhere. The rosebushes were snow-covered now but Jill could imagine how beautiful they would look come spring.

  "It's wonderful," Jill breathed.

  "We can't afford it," David said. "C'mon, Jilly. We'd better go."

  "No!" She tugged at his hand. "The Zimmermans are expecting us. We told them we'd be here at two o'clock. The least we can do is keep our promise."

  "I don't like that look in your eyes," David said, his blue eyes serious. "Look at this place, Jilly. Do you really think we can swing something like this?"

  "I don't know but it doesn't cost anything to look."

  "You've got your hopes up and I don't want you to be disappointed."

  "I'm a big girl, David. I can take a little disappointment. Let's meet the Zimmermans and see what they have to say."

  Everything about the cottage enchanted Jill: the rosebushes, the sunny kitchen, the Zimmermans themselves. Eddie and Claire were a well-to-do childless couple in their late sixties. The cottage was the first house they'd ever owned and, hopelessly romantic, they'd held onto it through the years for sentimental reasons.

  "Laurel and Vincent moved away six weeks ago," Claire said as they sipped hot cocoa in the kitchen.

  "Why did they move?" David asked in the edgy tone of voice he used when he was worried about money. He shot Jill a look. They probably couldn't afford the place.

  Jill shot him a look of her own. Just be quiet and listen.

  Claire, oblivious to the non-verbal byplay, gave them both a beatific smile.

  "Laurel gave birth to a beautiful baby girl on Easter Sunday. Their new house has a wonderful nursery for little Elizabeth."

  "A baby!" Jill sighed with delight. "How wonderful."

  "Oh, it was, it was," Claire assured her. "This cottage is a very lucky place for babies." Her faded blue eyes grew misty and she patted her husband's hand.

  Jill's heart ached for them. How awful it must be to want a baby and never be blessed with one.

  David stood up. "Listen, we're probably wasting your time. We don't have a lot of money, Mr. Zimmerman. It's a good bet we can't afford this place."

  "David!" Jill's cheeks reddened with embarrassment.

  Mr. Zimmerman wasn't the slightest bit perturbed. "No, no, Mrs. Whittaker. I admire a man who puts his cards on the table that way." He stood up and faced David.

  "One hundred dollars a month. You do the yard work in the summer, snow removal in the winter."

  "You're kidding," David said. "Aren't you?"

  "Do I look like I'm kidding?" Mr. Zimmerman said, smiling.

  Jill's heart was pounding so hard she thought she'd faint. "One hundred dollars?" she asked, her voice nothing more than a squeak.

  "If that's too much, we'll lower it to seventy-five," Mrs. Zimmerman said. "Life has been very kind to us. If we can help a young couple get started, that's enough for us."

  Jil
l turned to David. "We'll never find a more perfect place."

  David nodded and she threw her arms around him. "What about Sebastian?"

  She swallowed. "I--um, I hope this isn't a problem, but we have a cat...a kitten really. His name is Sebastian and--"

  "The more the merrier," Claire said. "We have quite a menagerie ourselves."

  Mr. Zimmerman extended his hand to David. "Then it's a deal?"

  David shook the older man's hand. "It's a deal."

  And with those words, Jill and David were welcomed into the Zimmermans' cottage and into their hearts.

  #

  "Oh, Claire..." Jill's voice broke and she cursed her emotions for betraying her.

  She hated disappointing Claire this way. "There hasn't been a miracle. Sebastian is missing. We were hoping he might have come here."

  Poor Claire. Her big smile faltered then faded entirely. Every line and wrinkle on her eighty year old face fell into sharp relief. Eddie patted her on the shoulder and whispered something only his wife could hear. It was such a natural gesture, so much a part of their sixty years together, that it came close to breaking Jill's heart.

  That's all I ever wanted, she thought, feeling older than Claire, older than the world. Just to know I could grow old with him.

  "Sebastian," Eddie prompted, meeting Jill's eyes. "Has the old boy run off again?"

  Jill nodded. She didn't dare look at Claire because if she did she knew she'd start crying. "The movers were here this morning and he got underfoot. I scolded him and I guess he decided to teach me a lesson."

  "He's a sly one Sebastian is." Eddie chuckled. "Though I can't much imagine him traipsing through the snow. Seems to me he's more the warm fire and cozy blanket type nowadays."

  "Did you look under the porch?" Claire asked, her voice warm with concern. "I'll bet you he's hiding under there, waiting for all the commotion to die down."