Шейла Нортон - Oliver The Cat Who Saved Christmas

‘Well, he could probably have a look at it, at least,’ Nicky said. ‘But it’s really just a hobby for him, you see. He might be able to give your son-in-law some advice, as a favour, though.’

‘No, no – if he can fix it, my son-in-law will pay him properly. But of course, he’s probably too busy, working all week.’

‘Well, perhaps he might have time over the weekend,’ Nicky said, looking a little brighter. ‘I’ll talk to him about it.’

‘All right, dear. Let me know, will you?’

‘Of course I will.’ Nicky smiled, and I felt like smiling too. It sounded like good news. I hoped I was right for once.

I popped in next door to see them first thing in the morning, while they were getting ready for work.

‘Well, are you up for it or not?’ Nicky was saying as she ate a slice of toast, standing up, leaning against the kitchen worktop. ‘We need to let Cath and Tony know.’

‘I don’t know, babe. It depends how much work it entails, doesn’t it.’

I meowed with surprise. I was expecting Daniel to be really excited at the prospect of this working-on-a-truck thing. Especially being paid for it.

‘For God’s sake!’ Nicky had obviously expected more excitement from him too. ‘Just say you’ll go and look at it and assess how much work it is – then you can decide whether you’ve got time or not. What’s the matter? I thought you were really keen to get stuck into some motor work again?’

‘I am!’ He spread his hands, looking awkward. ‘It’s not about the time, Nick. If it’s a lot of work, I could work all weekend, spread it over two weekends if necessary, or even take a couple of days’ leave from the shop. I want to do it, and obviously I want the money…’

‘So what’s the problem?’

‘I’ve hardly got any tools now. A lot of them were my dad’s old stuff, but I’d got some things myself too. I left nearly all of them behind when I moved out. I couldn’t exactly bring them all to your parents’ place and expect them to store them somewhere. And of course, the next thing we heard was that Mum was selling up and moving to Spain with Whatsisname.’

‘She surely didn’t get rid of everything? Without even telling you? Oh, Dan! You never told me that,’ Nicky said, looking appalled.

‘By the time I’d phoned her and begged her to hang onto all the tools so that I could come and get what I wanted, it was too late. I was more upset because of them being Dad’s, really. At that time I never thought I’d be working as a mechanic so I just had to put it behind me.’

‘Oh.’

‘Exactly: Oh. So is there really any point me even going all the way over there to look at the truck in the first place?’

‘No. I suppose not.’ She reached out and touched his hand. ‘I’m so sorry, Dan.’

‘Not your fault. I’ll go and see them tonight and explain.’

‘OK.’

They finished their cups of tea and slices of toast in silence and I left the house with them when they got into their little car to drive to the station at Great Broomford. Neither of them had spoken a word to me. I didn’t blame them. I felt as disappointed as they were. Nothing seemed to be going the way I wanted, for some of my favourite humans. It didn’t seem like I was going to be the Cat Who Saved Christmas for them at all.

I spent most of that day with Tabby again. He was feeling fed up because the pretty little Burmese he had his eye on wasn’t interested in him.

‘Why these pedigree females seem to think they’re too good for the likes of us, I can never understand,’ he complained. ‘They should realise they’d have healthier kittens if they mated with good strong moggies like us, instead of going in for all that inbreeding.’

‘I don’t think you’re going to be able to change the way of world just to suit your sex life, Tabs.’

‘More’s the pity. Anyway, how are things with you? Got over that business at the Big House now?’

‘Yes. I’m just disappointed all our efforts didn’t work.’

‘All your efforts, you mean. I didn’t even have a clue what you were up to, playing with bits of paper when we should have been legging it out of there.’

‘It just seems such a shame. She likes him, and he seems to like her, too. Why can’t they just get together and be happy?’

‘Perhaps one of them is a pedigree and the other one isn’t,’ he said morosely. ‘As you said, you can’t change the world.’

No, I couldn’t, and I was beginning to realise that.

We played together in Tabby’s garden for a while, but we were both getting cold, and then suddenly it started to pour with that icy stuff they call sleet. It’s the worst stuff of all, when it comes down hard, little Charlie. Drenches your fur and freezes it at the same time.

‘Quick, into the garage,’ he meowed at me. It was a lot closer than his cat flap. ‘There’s a gap under the door.’

I’d never been in there before. The gap where the door didn’t close properly was only just big enough – I was surprised Tabby could squeeze through – but once inside, it was nice and dry, even if not very warm. We both sat and washed ourselves and rubbed our faces with our paws to get the icy drips off.

‘Why have they got a garage,’ I asked Tabby, looking around, ‘if they haven’t got a car?’

‘They used to have one – a big old thing, it was. Very bad-tempered. It used to growl and cough a lot, and sometimes it refused to move at all. They got rid of it in the end. Said they were getting too old to drive anyway, and now they just go on the bus or walk. My man, Eddie, used to look after it really well, too. See all those tools, in those boxes at the back there? He was forever opening the car’s mouth and looking at its teeth or whatever was wrong with it. But he said he was getting too old to do that any more, too.’

‘Oh.’ A little idea was blooming in my head, as I’m sure you can guess. ‘So why has your man still got all those tools?’

‘Don’t ask me. My woman said ages ago he should get rid of them, but you know what male humans are like, Ollie – never get around to anything. She did say the other day she was going to write an advert out to sell them, if he wouldn’t do it.’

‘And did she? Did she write the advert?’

‘I don’t know, Ollie. There’s a bit of paper in the front window, but don’t ask me what it is. I might be clever but I’m not Wonder-Cat, I can’t read. Why are you so interested, anyway?’

‘Oh, just being curious,’ I said.

‘Careful. You know what they say.’

‘Yes, I do. And it hasn’t killed me yet!’

I saw the piece of paper when we walked round the front of his house later. It was just ordinary white paper with big black letters on. For all I knew, it could be a page out of a newspaper. But was it worth a try? Or would I just be wasting my time – again?

After school that afternoon, Rose went to play with one of the children in her class. Grace went up to their bedroom, and when she came back down she was holding the pink purse, the one she’d tipped the money out of before.

‘Mummy,’ she said, ‘can I ask you something? It’s got to be a secret from Rose.’

I couldn’t help letting out a little mew of anxiety. Was this it? Was this the point when they’d go and buy the new cat?

‘What is it, love?’ Sarah said, sounding amused. ‘Have you decided what to get her for Christmas?’

‘Well, yes, it could be her Christmas present. That would be good. But do you think I’ve got enough money yet?’ She unzipped the purse and tipped out the coins and the note again. ‘If Daddy gives me this week’s pocket money tonight…’