‘What’s the matter, Timba?’ she asked, and I did another one. I stood up on my back legs and put my paws on Angie’s chest. I stared at her. Her breathing changed and she started to cry. ‘You know, don’t you, Timba?’ she said, stroking me on both sides of my face. ‘You’re such anunderstanding cat. I really don’t want to go to work today. But I HAVE TO.’ She picked up her car keys and left.
I worried about Angie all morning until the sun came out, sending shafts of warm light through the windows. Vati and I looked at each other. We knew an overgrown garden where we could mess around and catch mice, even if I ended up catching them for both of us. We set off down an alleyway and under a broken gate, and spent the afternoon in the long grass, playing with the nodding seed heads and grasshoppers.
I wasn’t relaxed. Part of me was listening, sensing change and it had heavy footsteps. Strange in a town where hundreds of people were walking around, but my sensitive mind focused on those particular footsteps.
‘We should go home,’ I said, and Vati led me back through the broken gate and down the alleyway. We both knew something at home had changed. It spooked us, and we ran, low to the ground, our whiskers twitching.
At the corner of the street, Vati turned and looked at me with frightened eyes.‘You stay here,’ he said. ‘I’ll creep to the gate and check this out.’ Alarmed, I watched him slink along the pavement to our front garden. I saw him peep round the gatepost and his neck stretched out with fright. He came charging back with his fur all stiff.
‘What’s wrong?’ I asked.
‘There’s a man sitting on the doorstep,’ hissed Vati.
‘I sensed him all day,’ I said, remembering the footsteps.
‘What shall we do?’ Suddenly Vati was like a scared kitten again, his winsome face waiting for me to lead him. I thought about the man on Angie’s doorstep. It could only be … my tail went up by itself. ‘Come on,’ I said, and Vati followed as I trotted confidently along the pavement.My tail waved in the air behind me like a plume of joy. I knew that my eyes were sparkling like suns, my heart buzzing with anticipation.
I paused by the gate to arrange myself for a grand entrance. With my fluffy coat flowing, I shone in the sun as I trotted faster and faster down the path, doing purr-meows at the man on the doorstep. I felt like the most powerful cat in the Universe.
And I was right.
It was Graham. On the step beside him was a bunch of red roses.‘No, Timba,’ he said as I patted the crinkly cellophane. ‘Don’t shred the paper. These are for Angie … my Angie,’ he added, and then asked me a question. ‘Do you think she’ll have me back?’
I did a yes-meow.
I couldn’t wait for Angie to come home. Vati and I sat on Graham, keeping him firmly under control in the afternoon sunshine. Until, at last, we heard Angie’s quick bright footsteps on the pavement. I was anxious then. Would she fly into a rage and tell Graham to go away?
Angie had been angry with Graham for so long.
Graham got to his feet, the bunch of roses crackling in his hand. He looked suitably shamefaced, but it was only a mask. I knew in that moment that love was stronger than anger. I watched it change on Angie’s face. When she saw Graham she paused in disbelief. Her school bag fell to the floor, its heavy burden of books spilling across the path. A smile dawned on her face and she ran to him, almost crushing the roses in a huge hug. Graham looked pleased, and I saw a tear sparkling in the corner of his eye.
‘Angie …’ he breathed.
Vati and I weaved and purred around their legs as Angie gazed up at Graham and into his eyes.‘Does this mean what I think it means?’ she asked.
‘Angie,’ said Graham again. He searched for the right words. I did a purr-meow to encourage him. ‘Will you have me back?’ he asked nervously. ‘I made a terrible mistake, letting you go like that. I’ve regretted it so much. Please … could we start over?’
If cats could cry, I’d have cried with happiness when the smile reached Angie’s eyes and she gave a scream of joy. ‘Thank you, Universe!’
‘Does that mean yes?’ Graham enquired.
‘Yes. A million times yes!’
I knew then that we’d be going home.
Vati and I exchanged knowing looks. We’d cracked it!
We didn’t follow Angie and Graham into the house. We sat on the doorstep, proudly, guarding the love-nest.
Two black cats against the world.