Рейчел Уэллс - A Cat Called Alfie

‘You, Alfie, are a fool, a soppy fool.’

It was too late for me to leave before the front door opened and chatter flooded in, happy, lively chatter. Snowball smiled.

‘Come on, you might as well meet them all properly.’

‘Won’t they be cross?’

‘Today they wouldn’t mind if you were a lion.’

I followed Snowball into the kitchen where the family were dishing up food and pouring drinks.

‘Wish it could be Champagne, darling,’ Tim said, as he handed Karen a glass of wine.

‘I think we’ve had enough Champagne to last a lifetime, don’t you?’ she replied, smiling.

‘Can I have some wine?’ Daisy asked.

‘A small glass,’ her father replied, pouring her one.

‘What about me?’ Christopher asked.

‘Oi, Daisy’s sixteen, but you’re only fourteen! ’Fraid not.’ Tim ruffled his son’s hair affectionately.

You would think it was a totally different family to look at them and I smiled at Snowball, who couldn’t stop grinning at me.

‘Is that the cat from next door?’ Karen asked, spotting me.

‘Yes, it’s Alfie,’ Christopher replied. ‘Remember I told you I rescued him? I think he and Snowball are friends.’

‘Even the cat next door is nice, then,’ Karen mused. ‘I was touched by that note and I feel quite bad for acting like a total nutcase in front of them, but I’m not sure I’m ready to tell everyone what we’ve been through.’

‘I agree, it’s still so raw,’ said Tim.

‘We still probably need a bit of time,’ Karen said.

‘Not to mention getting the dreaded Goodwins out of our hair. Did you hear the police say they were hiding in bushes trying to catch us out?’

‘Clearly bonkers,’ Daisy said.

‘Yes, but I’m not ready to deal with them yet.’ Karen sounded upset.

‘Kids, Karen, I would like to say that I am really sorry for how bad things have been. I know moving was awful and adjusting to new schools, but now that Simon’s been caught, I do feel that we might start to get back to normal. Well, a new kind of normal anyway.’

Tim looked sad again. I could see there had been a giant step forward but it wasn’t quite giant enough.

Quietly, Snowball led me outside.

‘Wow, things have changed quickly,’ Snowball exclaimed when we were alone. ‘I know Tim will never forgive himself for trusting Simon, but at least now he’s been caught, it’ll make him feel there’s some justice.’

‘Do you think they’ll get the money back?’

‘I think it’s probably long gone. It was spent on bad investments and gambles from what I heard, but they have a home. It might not be what we were used to but it’s better than many people have, you taught me that.’

‘Everyone seemed happier. Well, apart from Christopher,’ I pointed out.

‘He’s still missing his old life. I don’t think he’s made friends at school; I haven’t seen him with anyone and he seems so withdrawn, more than any of the others. I’m Daisy’s cat and Christopher doesn’t like me half the time. Whenever he rows with his sister, he seems to blame me.’

‘Is he mean to you?’ I asked.

‘Not really, just says the odd thing, calls me a scraggy moggy when he’s really annoyed but I know deep down he doesn’t mean it. He pretends not to like Daisy but deep down he loves her too,’ Snowball explained.

‘I think we need to get my families and yours together. Honestly, it’ll really make yours feel welcome and wanted.’

‘They might, one day. But I am glad I met you, Alfie.’ Snowball nuzzled my neck and I felt like a million dollars.

‘Goodness, this is a bit like when Claire and Jonathan go out with Matt and Polly,’ I said.

Three faces looked at me. Tiger, Tom, Snowball and I were at the park, playing in the flower beds. It was like a double date, I thought. Although for now Snowball was in the friend zone, I knew it was only a matter of time before we became more romantic.

Tiger wasn’t exactly romantic towards Tom, but he followed her around like a lovesick puppy. She obviously liked him but she was, like Snowball, playing a bit hard to get. However, we were spending a very pleasant afternoon together so I wasn’t complaining. Surprisingly, Tiger and Snowball had hit it off and Tom was definitely more charming than we had ever known him. I could see us becoming a tight little unit which made me feel more content than ever.

Although there was nothing wrong with my life before, having Snowball come into it had definitely added another dimension. My eyes shone a bit brighter, my smile was a bit wider, and when I slept, my dreams were filled with happiness.

And Snowball: her slow thaw towards me had accelerated at great speed — next stop love. Her family were also slowly thawing. I had seen quite a bit of them. Snowball said I was always welcome, so I had kind of added them to my list of homes, despite being there the least. I wanted them to meet my families, become friends, which is what a doorstep cat wants more than anything: to bring people together. Despite the fact they were happier and had been pleased to receive Claire and Polly’s note, they hadn’t rushed round with open arms. I understood. When you’re hurt like that, when you lose everything and especially with betrayal added into the mix it takes time to heal and gain back the confidence to trust new people.

We still needed to find a way to get them to be friends the way we were. Gathered in the park, it seemed a good time to try to come up with a plan.

‘Last time you brought humans together you nearly died,’ Tiger pointed out.

‘Well I’m not going to do that a second time,’ I mused. ‘I’m down to my last six lives I think, so I still need to do something and it has to be big.’

‘Like getting stuck up a tree again,’ Tiger teased.

‘No, that’s too—’ I stopped, they had just given me an idea.

We were distracted by a low flying butterfly; Tom tried to swipe it at the same time as Tiger and their paws collided.

‘Sorry,’ Tom mumbled looking bashful.

‘Well I don’t know, Alfie, maybe it’s enough that they are happier now. And they did say they’d speak to the neighbours. Maybe that’s enough?’

‘No, I don’t think so.’ I was a determined cat.

‘But none of us have a clue what to do.’ Snowball lay down and looked sad as she put her head in her paws. ‘I’m worried they’ll leave. I know they said things are looking better but they’re still not happy. I really don’t want to leave Edgar Road.’ Snowball looked so sad, lying there, that my heart went out to her. I couldn’t let that happen.

‘I think I know what to do,’ I exclaimed, remembering my earlier brainwave.

‘Oh no, I’m not sure I want to know,’ Tiger said, covering her ears with her paws. ‘Knowing you it’s going to be dangerous!’

‘I want to know. Come on, Alfie, tell us,’ Tom pushed.

‘No, you are all going to have to wait and see. Tiger, tell Snowball how good I am at getting humans to do what I want.’

‘He is, Snowball. He can convince any human of anything. He doesn’t pull the fur over my eyes, but those humans fall for it every time.’

‘I guess we’ve got nothing to lose.’ Snowball sounded doubtful.

‘And everything to gain,’ I finished.

I felt a sense of purpose as we strutted home. I walked beside Snowball, whilst Tiger and Tom frolicked behind us. They definitely brought out the playful side in each other. We were almost at Snowball’s gate, when Salmon jumped out on us. I had almost forgotten about him.

‘Well, what do we have here,’ he said, licking his lips ominously. ‘You all look cosy together.’ Snowball hissed, but I stood next to her protectively.