After Roxanne had gone, TammyLee came over to the bed and looked at it. She smoothed the quilt, and then collapsed, curled up in a ball and went to sleep almost instantly. Amber wasn’t supposed to go on the bed but she climbed up there and stretched out against TammyLee’s back, and I curled up with my head on her chest. The three of us slept and slept until it was dark, and, when Max put his head round the door, I stared at him until he went away.
We all needed to sleep, and let the day fold up into the night like a damaged flower, best forgotten.
I was better in the morning, well enough to go downstairs, eat my breakfast and sit in the window in the morning sun. It looked as if everything was back to normal, until Max had a go at TammyLee.
We were out on the patio, and TammyLee had her face in a mug of coffee, with a maths book spread out on the garden table. Amber was rolling on the lawn, and Diana sat in her wheelchair, drinking from a funny little cup with gold squiggles on it. I sat quietly on the cushion next to TammyLee, dreaming of the time when we could go to the river again and I could resume my sardine fishing.
Then Max’s aura caught my attention. He was on guard, like a dog, tense and suspicious. His coffee sat untouched on the table, his newspaper folded on his lap, and he was staring into the sky, then glancing at TammyLee with questions simmering in his eyes. He kept taking a breath, as if to speak, then changing his mind.
‘That boy …’ he said, eventually. ‘What was his name again?’
‘Dylan,’ said TammyLee, without looking up. ‘And I’m trying to revise, Dad.’
‘Do you know him?’ asked Max, his eyes bright with suspicion.
‘Yeah. He was a year ahead of me in school. He’s left now, Dad.’
‘So what’s he doing now?’
TammyLee shrugged.‘How should I know?’
‘I don’t like his attitude,’ said Max, frowning.
‘He’s just a lad,’ said Diana. ‘You were like that once.’
‘I most certainly was not. I’d never have dared speak to an adult like he did. Rude, he was, and arrogant. If there’s one thing I abhor, its insolence.’
‘Oh, don’t go on about it, Dad. I’m trying to study.’
Max stood up and banged his newspaper on the table.
‘Answer my question, girl.’
TammyLee sighed.‘I don’t know,’ she repeated edgily. ‘And you’re being rude, calling me “girl”.’
‘Well, I didn’t like the way he spoke to you, or the way he looked at you. He openly threatened you. Didn’t you hear what he said?’
‘Look, Dad, it’s pretty typical. All mouth and trousers,’ said TammyLee.
‘Well, I hope you haven’t been associating with him.’
TammyLee glared at Max.‘Who I make friends with is my business, not yours. And, in case you haven’t noticed, I’ve got an EXAM tomorrow. You just don’t listen, do you?’
‘She has,’ said Diana. ‘I think you should leave this for another time, Max. We had enough drama yesterday. Let’s have some peace.’
‘You can’t have peace when there are issues to be discussed,’ said Max. His back was rigid, his cheeks twitching as he looked at TammyLee, who was doing her best to ignore him. I just sat quietly, looking at the dark pink colour that was creeping up TammyLee’s neck and over her face. I wished Max would leave her alone. Amber was thinking the same, her brown eyes moving anxiously from one to the other.
‘Leave it for now, Max,’ Diana insisted. Her face was white, her eyes like black bubbles, and her hands looked luminous, as if she was made of glass. I sensed that she was very ill. Like me, she had been to the distant shores of the spirit world, and returned, many times.
‘All right. For now.’ Max picked up his newspaper and shook it open. He glowered at TammyLee. ‘If you didn’t speak to me so rudely, young lady, I’d be more prepared to listen.’
TammyLee rolled her eyes and Diana put a hand on her arm. A secret smile passed between them. I wondered what would happen when she died. Would TammyLee leave? Would she take me with her?
I’d met some cats who lived their whole lives in one place, with one family, and they were contented. They didn’t know how lucky they were. You’d think that I, the Queens of Cats, would be given a life of luxury and stability. But so far, my life had been full of change and anxiety. I wasn’t sure I could cope with much more of it.
Only Amber knew when I was anxious. Now, she put her paws up on the windowsill, her tail wagging, and gazed at me with shining eyes. I gave her a kiss, and jumped down to sit close to her warm comforting body. We were best mates, Amber and I, no matter what the humans were doing. My bond with her was precious.
TammyLee was trying to focus on her exam, but I sensed that Rocky was uppermost in her mind. When she came home from school, I ran to meet her, and she seemed happy.
‘That’s IT!’ she said joyfully, as she picked me up. ‘The last exam is over. I’ve made a mess of it, but I don’t really care, Tallulah. I’m going to be a hairdresser, no matter what Dad says.’