Рейчел Уэллс - Alfie And George

‘Oh, Tasha,’ Franceska said. She was carrying bags filled with food from the restaurant. I was worried and upset for Tash but I was almost distracted by the smell of sardines. I had to shake my head to focus as I rubbed against Tash’s legs.

‘Men!’ Polly said, handing everyone a glass of champagne. ‘I’m not suggesting we toast them because, let’s face it, at the moment none of us are one hundred per cent happy, so maybe we toast against them?’

‘Don’t get me started,’ Franceska said, looking upset. Oh no, not her too!

‘What’s up, Frankie?’ Polly asked, concerned.

‘No, not tonight. We’re celebrating Tasha’s new flat, so back to the toast.’

‘God, I’m happy to toast against men,’ Tash said, trying to laugh as she took a sip.‘And hey, at least you guys can count your blessings, none of your men are in any way, shape or form as awful as Dave.’

‘I guess we can drink to that?’ Franceska said uncertainly, and they all laughed.

I tucked into my sardines with relish. It was certainly nice having a night out and not having to take care of George, although I missed him and worried about him too. I just hoped Jonathan was taking good care of him. The women all seemed to be having a good time now, after a rocky start. Men had become a banned topic and so they chatted instead about Polly’s new job, Claire’s adoption plans, Franceska and Tomasz’s new restaurant and Tash’s idea about how to make the flat her own. As Polly promised to help her with the interior, they all settled into easy chatter, and lots of laughter, which grew louder as more champagne was drunk. It seemed they were emptying the bottles at an alarming rate, which was OK because at least no one was crying.

Later that night, they all kissed Tash goodbye, Franceska got into a taxi to take her home and Claire and Polly staggered down the road with me. Neither of them seemed to be able to walk in a straight line, so I had to keep dodging them to make sure I wasn’t stepped on. When we got in I ran upstairs to find George fast asleep in my bed. I felt a surge of relief, followed by a rush of love as I snuggled down next to him. I drifted off to sleep cuddling my kitten, feeling glad that, for tonight at least, the women were all happy again — or at least happier than they had been lately.

I was incredibly excited. George was finally allowed out, further than the garden and without the lead or any humans — although of course I warned him to not go anywhere without me. He asked ‘why’ a million times but I was reluctantly getting used to that. It was a momentous occasion and one that felt a long time coming, mainly due to Claire’s overcautious behaviour.

The cat flap had been formally unlocked. Jonathan had been pleased, saying that I had a habit of making him let me in when he was in the middle of watching something. He said it as though I did it on purpose. Anyway, freedom was once again mine. I was excited to introduce George to my friends, to my street and to the great outdoors, the world that existed beyond our small lawn. I was also going to pop in to see Matt, so George could see where they lived, and then if we had time I would show him Tasha’s flat, although she didn’t have a cat flap so we could only visit with her if she was in and saw us. A bit like the old days with Franceska and the boys really. Wow, freedom once more — I vowed never to take it for granted again.

I was looking forward to our first excursion very much and had taken extra time over my grooming. I wasn’t sure why, but humans always dressed up for special occasions and this, George’s first proper outing, was definitely a special occasion. I tried to make sure he looked his best too, but let’s be honest, he was so cute that I really didn’t need to worry. I jumped through the cat flap first, George following behind me. He was still a little unsure of it, although he was getting better. He had grown a lot in the time he’d been with us, and although still a kitten he was big enough now to run, jump, and climb.

George blinked as the sun hit his eyes. It was a lovely, sunny day for his first trip.

‘Right, stay close to me and don’t worry, I won’t let anything happen to you,’ I said, giving him my best pep talk.

‘I know, Dad,’ he said. We slid under the gate and made our way to the front of the house.

‘Before we start, I need to give you a lesson about roads.’ As we stood on the pavement, a number of cars whizzed past us.‘You see, those cars are dangerous.’ I had nearly been hit a number of times when I first encountered roads.‘Don’t cross the road unless it’s clear both ways,’ I continued sternly.

As we walked I gave George a full tour of Edgar Road. I pointed out Salmon’s house and said it was to be avoided at all costs, although there was no sign of him anywhere, thank goodness. Our first stop was Tiger’s house where we waited in her front garden, by her favourite bush. George wriggled under it and started playing with leaves. Tiger emerged a few moments later.

‘Oh, hi, I was hoping you’d be here already,’ she said, ignoring me and giving George a nuzzle. I looked at her indignantly. Having a kitten meant I was getting used to being ignored but it didn’t mean Tiger could get away with it.

‘Hello, Tiger-Mum,’ George said, so sweetly that Tiger looked as if she might cry.

‘Right, come on, we have to give George a proper tour of the neighbourhood,’ I said, no longer feeling slighted.

‘OK, but George, you’re still only little so you must tell us if you get tired,’ Tiger said, sounding sweet and concerned. I raised my whiskers; what had happened to my Tiger?

‘I will, let’s go, let’s go.’ George was full of excitement as he bounded off in the wrong direction.

‘George, this way,’ I said, and he turned round and joined us. We made our way slowly to our cat meeting point. I pointed out Polly and Matt’s house on the way and explained that Tash’s flat was in the other direction, although I’m not sure how much George was taking in. He was so busy looking around that I doubted he was listening.

‘I bet you’re glad Tasha’s moved into Edgar Road,’ Tiger said as we stopped and watched George staring at an overgrown plant for a minute.

‘Yes. Not only is she one of my favourite people but it’s good to be able to keep an eye on her,’ I said.

‘I like Elijah,’ George said.‘He’s funny.’

‘I love how all the kids get on so well,’ I mused as we moved on, gratified that George was listening after all.

‘And any more news about the cat pictures?’ Tiger said.

‘Not in front of the kitten,’ I said, as quietly as I could.

‘What was that?’ George asked.

‘Nothing,’ Tiger and I replied at the same time. I looked at her with concern.

I was delighted to see that our cat friends were already congregated. Nellie was sunbathing, Elvis was sitting in a shady spot and Rocky was cleaning his paws. I excitedly ran up to join them.

‘Look, I’ve brought George to see you,’ I said breathlessly.

‘Where?’ Rocky asked, looking up.

‘Right there.’ I turned around but George and Tiger were nowhere to be seen.‘They were there a minute ago.’ Panicking, I turned and retraced my steps. I found Tiger looking at George, who was sitting on a gatepost in front of someone’s house.

‘What happened?’ I asked, concerned.

‘When you ran off George decided to jump on the gatepost. He says he likes it up there.’

‘George, come down now,’ I said.

‘No. Look, there’s a funny animal in the garden.’ I jumped up onto the other post and looked in. The funny animal was a small dog, who was yapping at George and now me. ‘I’m going to go in there to see it.’