Karen's Black Cat

by Ann M. Martin

  That night at dinner, we were eating our dessert when Sam said, “I left a copy of the Stoneybrook Express in the den. I did not have a chance to look at the pet ads. Has anyone else read them?”

  “I have not. But I will do it right now!” I said.

  “If you bring the paper in, we can read the ads together,” said Daddy.

  I ran for the paper and handed it to Daddy. I was too excited to look for the ad page. Daddy found it toward the back of the paper. He started reading the ads out loud.

  “I see several ads for puppies,” said Daddy. “There are German shepherds, Yorkshire terriers, and poodles.”

  “Really?” I said.

  All of a sudden I wanted another puppy. Puppies are very cute.

  “Do not get any ideas, Karen. We are already a two-puppy house,” said Nannie.

  “And we voted to get a kitten, remember?” said Charlie.

  “Oh, right,” I replied.

  Daddy was still reading the paper.

  “There is an ad for a lost dog named Woof,” he said. “He is a black cocker spaniel.”

  “That is so sad,” said Kristy.

  “I see an ad for parakeets. And one for a snake,” said Daddy.

  “Ooh, snakes are cool,” said David Michael.

  “We voted for a kitten,” said Charlie.

  “I see an ad for an older cat,” said Daddy. “But there are no ads for kittens today.”

  “In a way that is good news,” said Elizabeth. “There are usually too many kittens and not enough homes for them.”

  “Turn the page, please, Daddy,” I said. “Maybe there are more ads on the next page. Maybe there is a special kitten page and we just missed it.”

  Daddy turned the page.

  “There are only car ads here,” he said.

  “The paper comes out again on Friday,” said Sam. “We can look then.”

  “Friday? I cannot wait till Friday! I want our kitten now!” I said. “I have big plans. I want to make a little bed for the kitten in my room. I want to teach the kitten to walk on a leash. I want to make a special food dish with the kitten’s name on it!”

  “Whoa!” said Charlie. “Maybe you should leave a few things for the rest of us to do.”

  “There is still a lot,” I replied.

  I decided it was not a good time to tell everyone the great name I had picked for the kitten. Even though I knew they would love it.

  Everything was ready. All I needed was the kitten.

  A Little Talk

  Knock, knock. It was Kristy.

  “Um, Karen, may I talk to you for a minute?” she asked.

  I was in my room getting ready for bed.

  “Sure,” I replied. “What do you want to talk about?”

  “I was listening to all the plans you have made for the kitten. They are very good ones,” said Kristy. “But I want to make sure you heard what Charlie said. You need to leave things for the rest of us to do. The kitten will not belong only to you. The kitten will belong to the whole family.”

  “I know that,” I said. “But someone has to take special care of it.”

  “We will all want to take care of the kitten,” said Kristy. “It will make us feel better now, during the sad time.”

  “What sad time?” I asked.

  “Don’t you know, Karen? You went to the vet with my mom and Boo-Boo. You should know how sick he is,” said Kristy.

  “He is old,” I replied. “It is not that sad. He is just a little slower than he used to be. He was never much fun to play with anyway.”

  “Well, I am sad even if you are not,” said Kristy. “You should take some time to think about Boo-Boo. And please remember that any kitten who comes to live here will belong to all of us. You cannot be too bossy about taking care of him.”

  “I promise I will not be bossy,” I said.

  “And will you remember to think about Boo-Boo?” asked Kristy.

  “I will remember.”

  “Good night,” said Kristy.

  “Good night,” I replied.

  As soon as Kristy left, I thought about my plans for the kitten again. I thought about putting the kitten bed on the floor. But maybe the kitten would be happier on my pillow. That would be so cozy. I would have three cats to sleep with. Goosie and Moosie, who are my stuffed cats, and Pumpkin.

  Pumpkin. That is the name I picked. I was very happy with it. It was a good name for a boy kitten or a girl kitten. And it would be just right for a kitten who came to live with us around Halloween.

  Of course, the kitten would be an orange tiger-striped one. It would have to be, with a name like Pumpkin. I just loved saying that name.

  I was saying it to myself when I saw Boo-Boo pass by my room. I stopped and thought a minute about Boo-Boo, just like I had promised. At least I tried. But what was there to think about? Boo-Boo already had a name. He did not need a new bed or a new dish. I could not teach him any tricks. He was too old to learn them. And anyway, he was too cranky.

  There. That did it. I had thought about Boo-Boo. Now I could think about Pumpkin — my little orange tiger-striped kitten.

  Boo! Boo!

  “Did you decide which pet you are going to bring to the party, Hannie?” I asked.

  I was with Hannie and Nancy on the swings at recess.

  Hannie has three pets. They are Myrtle the Turtle, Noodle the Poodle, and Pat the Cat.

  “I wanted to bring all three,” said Hannie. “I thought it would be fun to have them at school together. And then I would have extra pets to share with kids who do not have any.”

  “That is a good idea,” said Nancy.

  “I know. But my mother said she will only bring Myrtle the turtle. That is because Myrtle is small and easy to travel with.”

  “Myrtle will be a good pet to have at school,” I said. “What about you, Nancy? Will your mom or dad bring Pokey?”

  Pokey is one of the kittens who was born in the toolshed. Nancy got to keep him.

  “Yes, Daddy will bring Pokey in,” Nancy said. “How about you? You have so many pets. Which one is coming?”

  “I have not decided yet,” I replied. “All I know is that my pet and I will have matching costumes.”

  “Cool idea!” said Hannie. “What are you going to be?”

  Brrring!

  Recess was over. I was glad. I had a lot of decisions to make. What pet to bring. What costume to wear.

  Back inside the classroom, we went over our spelling words. (I am a very good speller and wrote every one right.)

  Then Ms. Colman said, “This afternoon I would like to make a list of the names and kinds of pets that will be coming to the party. Then I can make name tags and buy treats for them. We will go around the room, starting at the back. Hannie?”

  “My mother is bringing Myrtle, my turtle,” said Hannie.

  “Great,” said Ms. Colman. “Nancy?”

  Nancy announced that Pokey was coming. Jannie said her cat, Eloise, would be at the party. Bobby, Hank, and Omar would be bringing their dogs. Chris would bring a rabbit. Terri and Tammy would bring a frog.

  “Karen? Will one of your pets be at the party?” asked Ms. Colman.

  “Sure!” I said.

  Ms. Colman waited for me to say more. When I did not, she asked, “Will you tell me which pet it will be?”

  “Sure!” I replied.

  Ms. Colman waited some more. While she was waiting, I was thinking. I had to say something fast. I could not keep her waiting any longer.

  “Boo-Boo,” I said at last.

  A few kids laughed.

  “I do not mean a boo-boo like you are hurt. I mean ’Boo! Boo!’ like ghosts say.”

  “You could not have asked for a better Halloween name,” said Ms. Colman. “What kind of pet is Boo-Boo?”

  “A cat,” I replied.

  My turn was over and I was glad. My feelings were all mixed-up. I was happy I had a pet with a great Halloween name. But I was worried because my pet with the great Hallowe
en name happened to be a pet I was not allowed to bring to the party.

  “Psst, Karen? You are so lucky to be able to bring your cat,” said Natalie. “My parents will not be able to bring in my mouse. So can I be your pet partner?”

  Without thinking, I said, “Sure!”

  Hmm. Bringing Boo-Boo was starting to sound like a great idea after all. He would have fun and Natalie would be happy. Maybe Daddy would change his mind.

  Kittens!

  When I went downstairs for breakfast on Friday morning, Sam and Charlie had their noses buried in the Stoneybrook Express.

  “Is our kitten in there?” I asked.

  Sam shook the paper. “Nope. No kittens here.”

  Sam likes to make jokes.

  “Is there an ad for kittens?” I asked.

  Just then Daddy entered the kitchen.

  “We will look at the paper together after dinner tonight. If we start looking now, we will be late for work or school,” he said.

  “But what if there are kittens and someone calls before we do?” I asked.

  “Then it was not meant to be,” said Daddy. “What is meant to be now is for you to eat breakfast and get to school.”

  Oh, well. I did not need the kitten for the party. I was bringing Boo-Boo. I ate my Krispy Krunchies and went to the school bus stop.

  All day I thought about the kitten who was going to be Pumpkin. I wondered what he was doing. Was he eating lunch when I was? Was he playing with his brothers and sisters while I was on the playground with Hannie and Nancy?

  I daydreamed most of the afternoon. When I got home, I looked for the Stoneybrook Express but could not find it. Finally it was dinnertime. I ate as fast as I could.

  “Should I get the paper now?” I asked, swallowing my last bite of spaghetti.

  “I will get it as soon as everyone has finished eating,” replied Daddy.

  A couple of minutes later Daddy got the paper. Sam and Charlie had circled two ads for litters of kittens.

  Elizabeth called the first number, but all the kittens had been adopted already.

  “I knew we should have called first thing in the morning!” I said.

  Elizabeth called the second number. When she finished, she gave us the thumbs-up sign.

  “The woman who placed the ad is Mrs. Cooper. She just got home from work and our call was the first one she answered,” she said when she hung up the phone. “We can go see the kittens in the morning.”

  I could hardly wait! I counted kittens to fall asleep.

  * * *

  I saw kittens in my dreams at night. I saw them in my cereal bowl in the morning.

  At nine o’clock on Saturday, we drove to Mrs. Cooper’s house to see the litter.

  “Look how cute they are!” I said.

  Six kittens were playing in a box. Four were gray. One was black. And one was the orange tiger-striped kitten I had been hoping for!

  “We will call you Pumpkin!” I said as if I had just thought of it.

  I picked up the striped kitten and held him to my cheek. His paws were tiny and his eyes were big.

  “Look, he is the cutest of all,” I said.

  But no one was looking at Pumpkin. Everyone was in a circle around Kristy. She was holding another one of the kittens. It was the black one.

  “She is friendly and playful,” I heard Daddy say.

  The next thing I knew, Daddy was taking a vote.

  “Whoever votes for the black kitten, say ‘Aye,’ ” he said.

  There were seven “ayes” and one “me.”

  “We will take this black kitten,” said Daddy.

  “She is twelve weeks old and will have all her shots and health tests by next week,” said Mrs. Cooper. “If you come back next Saturday, you can take your kitten home.”

  Before we left, I kissed Pumpkin on his warm head and put him gently back in the box. I was so disappointed.

  Splat. A tear fell on his tiger-striped head.

  Daddy’s Cat

  On the way home, everyone was talking about how great the black kitten was.

  “We need to think of a name for her,” said Kristy.

  “We have a whole week to think of a name,” said Elizabeth.

  I tried not to let anyone see how unhappy I was. I did not want to seem like a baby. Daddy had taken a vote and the black kitten had won. I remembered what Kristy had said. The kitten was going to belong to the whole family, not just to me.

  “Are you all right, Karen? You are awfully quiet,” said Daddy on the way home.

  “I am fine,” I replied. “The black kitten is just not the one I liked best.”

  “I am sorry,” said Daddy. “But she is an awfully nice kitten. I think you will grow to like her.”

  I did not think so, but I kept quiet. Had everyone forgotten that black cats are bad luck? And I guessed we would not be naming the kitten Pumpkin. How could a black cat be called Pumpkin?

  When we got home, I sat in the den. I saw the Stoneybrook Express lying on a table and picked it up. Maybe there was another ad for kittens that we had not seen before. Maybe the black kitten would not pass her health tests. Maybe we would answer the other ad and there would be one tiger-striped kitten left. Just for us.

  Maybe not. We were going to pick up the kitten next Saturday. She would probably be crabby like Boo-Boo. She would keep to herself and not want to play or be petted.

  Meow!

  Boo-Boo jumped up and sat on my lap. I was surprised. Boo-Boo did not usually do this. I wanted to pet him but I did not. I did not want him to run away.

  Daddy sat down next to us. He petted Boo-Boo. Boo-Boo stayed. He even purred.

  “So, Boo-Boo,” said Daddy. “How do you think you will like having a new kitten in the family?”

  Boo-Boo flicked his tail.

  “Remember, the new kitten is not taking your place. No other cat can do that. You know we love you and we always will,” said Daddy.

  “You had Boo-Boo even before you had me,” I said. “You had him even before you met Mommy, right?” I asked.

  “Yes,” said Daddy. “I brought Boo-Boo home from the shelter when I lived by myself. We kept each other company.”

  “Then it is sad that he is getting old,” I said.

  “Very sad. Boo-Boo and I are old friends. It is hard to see an old friend feeling bad,” Daddy replied.

  I petted Boo-Boo very lightly. He flicked his tail and purred. Poor old Boo-Boo. Maybe he was not such a bad cat after all.

  There was a phone call for Daddy. When he stood up to answer it, Boo-Boo left too.

  I sat and thought for awhile. I was sorry I had said some bad things about Boo-Boo lately. I was sorry for getting so excited about the new kitten and forgetting how Boo-Boo might be feeling. I was sorry for being disloyal to Daddy’s old friend. I felt like a real meanie-mo.

  But I was going to make things better with Boo-Boo and Daddy. Out of all my pets, I had picked Boo-Boo to go to my class party. That was very special. It was a good way to make up with Boo-Boo.

  I knew Daddy did not think bringing Boo-Boo to the party was a good idea. But he would change his mind. This was the best honor Boo-Boo could have. And the best way for me to show Daddy how much I loved his old friend.

  The Bad-Luck Spell

  Ouch! I had been out of bed for all of ten seconds on Sunday morning when I stubbed my toe. I sat down on the bed, rubbed my toe, and started over.

  After breakfast the phone rang. It was Hannie.

  “I know I said we could play today. But I have to go visit my aunt and uncle. I am sorry,” she said.

  “That is okay,” I replied. “I will see you tomorrow.”

  Hmm. So far this was not my lucky day. I knew something that would cheer me up. Talking to Mommy, Seth, and Andrew in Chicago. I asked Daddy if I could call them.

  “Of course,” he said. “This is a good time to call. It is early and they will probably be home.”

  They were home, but it was not a good time to call. Tha
t is because they had bad news for me.

  “We all want to be with you so much, Karen. But Seth is going to have to work here in Chicago a little longer than we expected. We will not be back till late November. I promise we will be home for Thanksgiving,” said Mommy.

  “Thanksgiving! That is so far away. It is not even Halloween yet,” I said.

  “I am so sorry,” said Mommy. “But we have no choice.”

  I talked to Mommy a little longer. Then I talked to Seth and Andrew. But the call did not cheer me up. When I hung up, I felt worse.

  I looked outside. It was raining. I wondered if that was more bad luck. Then I decided it was a good thing. I would stay inside and do quiet things. But while I was drawing pictures, my purple marker ran out of ink. No one could drive me downtown to buy another, so I had to draw pictures without purple.

  I was glad when Sunday was over. Monday started out a whole lot better. I reached school without anything bad happening. And in class something good happened. We had a spelling bee, and guess who won. If you guessed me, you are R-I-G-H-T!

  Then my luck started to change again. I spilled my milk during lunch. And at recess, Hannie, Nancy, and I headed over to the swings. But Pamela, Jannie, and Leslie got to them just before we did.

  “You had better be careful,” I said to my friends. “My bad luck may be catching.”

  After school I went outside to meet Daddy. I usually ride home on the school bus, but Daddy had said he was going to be out with the car anyway and would drive Hannie and me home.

  “Are you sure you want to come home in the car with me? Thanks to me, we might get a flat tire,” I said to Hannie.

  “I am not worried. Anyway, I already told my mom I would be going with you.”

  “Hi, Karen! Hi, Hannie!” called Daddy when he saw us. “How was your day?”

  “It was okay,” I said.

  “Karen is having bad luck today. You had better check your tires,” said Hannie.

  Daddy laughed. “My tires are fine, thank you. Jump in and buckle up.”

  On the way home, Hannie and I talked about our Halloween costumes.