Chloe
glanced around the livingroom before heading to the kitchen and slipping out
the small door in the slider to the deck.
Her family was settled in for the evening and she was ready to take a
walk. After the dinner dishes were
cleaned up Dad turned on a baseball game and the kids started their
homework. Mom had given Chloe her
evening brushing before settling down to enjoy the game as well. Chloe’s medium length coat of blotchy orange
and black, dotted here and there with patches of white, glistened in the lights
and she spent half an hour completing her grooming. Some people called her color calico but she
preferred the more regal definition of tortoiseshell and white, although she
was not an uppity cat. She loved her
family and slept at night on the foot of Daughter’s bed. But in the evenings she liked to stroll a bit
around the neighborhood before she settled down for the night.
Her
house sat on the beach, and during the day she would often stretch out on the
deck railing to watch the activity. She
never went down to the water – as a kitten Mom had taken her down and let her
explore a bit. But the gentle edge of a
wave touching her feet sent shivers down her entire body. She’d tried to get all four feet out of the
wet at the same time but the only thing that accomplished was getting her belly
wet and she cried out in frustration. Mom
had laughed, picked her up, and carried her back to the house.
Chloe
liked being outside but she never wandered too far from her home. Three houses in one direction there was a
noisy, mean-spirited Welsh Terrier that barked insults
at her from his fenced back yard.
Sometimes she sat quietly, letting him mouth off until his family made
him go inside. But mostly she kept her
distance for she was really a well-mannered cat.
Like
most nights Chloe turned in the other direction and walked along the back fence
of the house next door, looking for Sparky.
“Meow?” she called softly and the pretty little red and white Papillon
bounced off the back porch. Plume of
tail wagging happily over his back, he ran over to visit. They touched noses and spent several minutes
in friendly conversation before Chloe continued on.
The
next house had no pets but there was a birdbath and feeder in the back
yard. Both had plexiglas
covers with small openings so that the finches and sparrows could access them
but not the obnoxious seagulls. Chloe
liked to watch the smaller birds. She
never stalked them, or bothered them in any way, and they’d grown used to her
occasional observations. The house next
to that one was the last at that end of the beach. It had stood empty for some time, but
recently a man had moved in. He didn’t
seem to be there much, but Chloe always checked, just in case.
She’d
first seen him from her perch on the deck railing, jogging along the
beach. Both Mom and Dad had waved and
said Hi, and he’d smiled and waved back.
On his return trip he’d stopped to talk a bit. Chloe had walked the rail to where he stood
and he’d very gently reached out two fingers and rubbed under her chin, a very favorite spot. Chloe
just knew that he must have cats of his own although she didn’t smell any scent
on him. When she discovered that he’d moved
into the last house she was surprised to find that he didn’t have his own
cat. She’d also quickly discovered that
he wasn’t home much, so that was probably the reason.
She’d
surprised him the evening after their first meeting. She was unused to seeing activity at the end
house on her evening strolls and she was curious to see who was there. She jumped up on the porch rail and walked
over to look in the kitchen window. He
startled at her appearance before bursting out laughing. Chloe liked his laugh and she sat down to
watch as he prepared a salad. The window
was open and he talked to her through the screen. He laughed again as Chloe caught the scent of
shrimp and swept her whiskers forward when he topped his salad with small
ones. Putting the salad bowl on another
plate, he picked up the entire meal as well as a glass of liquid and came out
on the porch to eat. Chloe stayed where
she was on the railing – a good cat did not beg. But when he picked a shrimp off the top of
the salad and held it out to her she wasn’t about to turn down the delicacy –
just to be polite, of course.
Since
that night Chloe always checked to see if the man was home. He always smiled and spoke to her when he saw
her, and if he was eating there would be a nibble of something. Some nights they did nothing but sit together
watching the sun go down, the man in his chair and Chloe on the railing. A polite cat did not jump into a lap without
an invitation.
Tonight
when Chloe looked in the kitchen window the man was nowhere to be seen,
although she could hear movement in the house.
She jumped down and checked the back door – it was open with just the
screen door in place. Chloe sensed
something was wrong, however. Normally
the man moved very quietly around the house but this evening there were bumping
sounds and grumbles that were definitely not like the man’s normally soft
voice. When there was a moment of
silence she tapped the screen door lightly with her paw and asked politely,
“Meow?” Her only answer was more silence
and she became more concerned. Tap,
tap. “Meow?” This time she heard steps head her direction
but they weren’t the man’s usual easy movement and she watched intently through
the screen.
It
was the man who came into the kitchen, but moving slowly with heavy steps. He did smile ever so briefly when he saw her
but it changed to a dark look Chloe had never seen before. The man moved out of her sight and she
hesitated. Should she go back to the
kitchen window? Should she stay where
she was? Maybe she should just leave –
the man didn’t seem to be in the mood to visit.
But before she could decide, the man came to the screen door and,
opening it, stepped out onto the deck. He
moved stiffly, and moaned slightly when he settled heavily into the lounge chair
and stretched his long legs out in front of him. But he sent Chloe a partial grin as he
reached out a hand to her. Chloe got a
whiff of something unfamiliar but definitely interesting and she walked over to
investigate. Mostly she was hit with a
strong medicinal smell. She wrinkled her
nose and flattened her whiskers at what was similar to what she smelled on
those infrequent occasions when Mom took her to the Vet’s. But even for a polite cat, what the hand held
was most intriguing. She’d never heard
of what he called pro shoe toe and she took it gently from the man’s
fingers. It tasted a little like ham but
it was shaved very thin. Whatever it
was, she ate it slowly and savored every bite.
When
she was finished she took a good look at the man. Once she’d taken the proffered treat he’d
laid his head against the back of the lounger and closed his eyes. She took the couple of steps that brought her
the rest of the way to his side and was concerned when his face was tight, not
the peaceful relaxation of sleep. She
hesitated because she was not a pushy cat, but wanted to show the man that she
cared and softly reached out a paw with claws very carefully sheathed to gently
tap the man’s leg. His eyes opened and
he smiled slightly as he reached out and rubbed the spot under her chin that he
knew she loved. But once more he closed
his eyes as his hand returned to his side.
Again
Chloe considered her options. While she
adored her family and would never think of leaving them, she was becoming quite
fond of this man. And not just because
of the little treats he offered her when she visited. She wanted to show him that she was concerned
and once more gently patted his leg. He
didn’t open his eyes but he did smile briefly and his hand tapped his own leg,
inviting her up. She accepted gracefully
and carefully, curling to settle in his lap and slightly against his chest,
purring softly. His hand settled on her
back close to her neck but he didn’t stroke her, just let it rest on her. It was as if he were letting Chloe know that
he appreciated her company and she purred louder. It caused him to smile again, and Chloe could
feel some of the tension leave as he started to relax.
Chloe
lay quietly; the more she purred the more she felt the man’s body lose its
stiffness. Every so often his hand would
glide down her back in a gentle caress before returning to just behind her
neck. She would renew her purr, he would
smile softly, and the pair continued to enjoy each other’s company as the
evening progressed.
As
the sun set and darkness started to settle in Chloe prepared to head for
home. She glanced at the man’s face and
he sent her the first honest grin she’d seen this evening. He gave her one more rub under her chin and
Chloe took her leave. She was glad that
she’d chosen to stay. Good cats do what
they can to look after their friends.
Author’s Note – This story was written late last summer,
before the lovely calico kitten whose picture is now posted on Seaview Stories’
pets page was even born. May kitten Chloe grow up to be as well
behaved as story Chloe. They say that miracles do happen J