I shook my head and followed. Why was he only confiding this allergy in me now?
Mom had spent most of her time describing the beautiful landscaping when she told us about this place. At least that hadn’t changed, even if the larger establishment had.
Grassy paths guided us through the generous display of collected plant life. We saw so much diversity in size, color, and type, I seemed to find a new favorite every time the winding path led us to a new bed of blooms.
As we approached the red brick wall that flanked the property, I had a thought that caused me to pull out my phone and do a quick web search. I paused to read through the information on the screen while Charles continued to wander ahead.
A few minutes later, I glanced up ready to share my findings, but my husband was nowhere to be seen.“Charles?” I called, craning my neck to search the area.
“Over here,” he called softly, popping up from the ground and waving his hand.
I wasted no time striding right on over.“There are all kinds of non-pollinating flowers.” I revealed the fruit of my research labors as I walked swiftly his way. “We can still have a garden, as long as we’re careful about what we—”
“Shhh,” Charles said, raising a finger to his lips then pointing toward the ground.
I fell quiet, moving as fast as I could to see what this was all about. As I drew closer, his wide smile grew in size.
“Do you see it?” he whispered and pointed toward a patch of clover near the brick wall.
I narrowed my eyes just in time to see a tiny black paw stretch into the air.“Is that—?”
“A kitten,” he confirmed, squatting back down to watch it sleep.
“What’s it doing out here?” I demanded, even though he clearly didn’t know, either. “Do you think it’s a stray?”
He reached his fingers forward carefully and scratched at the little white patch of fur on the sleeping kitten’s chest. “No idea. You could ask it though.”
Now there was a thought, but still I hesitated.“Are you sure you don’t mind? I thought we were both leaving work back home.”
“Your bond with animals is a part of who you are. It’s not something you can turn on and off at will. Besides, I want to know what he’s doing here, too.”
“Not he.She. It’s a girl,” I clarified, watching that fuzzy little chest rise and fall with each breath.
“How can you tell?” He looked from me to the kitten and back again.
“I don’t know. I just can. Should I wake her up to say hello?”
He pushed himself back to standing.“Go ahead. I’ll keep watch to make sure no one stumbles by and gets curious.”
“Good idea,” I murmured, but Charles had already moved to the end of the nearest path, giving me and the kitten some time to ourselves.
Despite the saying being to let sleeping dogs lie, I normally knew better than to wake a cat. Octo-Cat had taught me that lesson the hard way—and many times over at that. But this kitten seemed so small, and it could very well need our help. As a baby, hopefully it didn’t have the same reserve of colorful kitty curses to call upon.
I placed a hand gently on its side and felt a rumbling purr through my fingers. That was an encouraging sign.
“Hello, little one,” I said softly, waiting for any form of response. But the kitty remained fast asleep.
I stroked her fur softly.“Hi. My name is Angie, and I’m a friend,” I continued, applying increasing pressure with my strokes to wake her gently.
Finally, two little yellow eyes blinked open.“Where’s my mommy?” the baby mewled, and I swear my heart broke in two.
“Hi there, sleepyhead. I can help you find your mommy. Where did you last see her?”
The kitten remained lying on her side. She looked weak.“She told me to wait by the fence, but she hasn’t come back. It’s been a really long time.”
“Do you have any brothers or sisters? Are they around here somewhere, too?” I was already going into full-on rescue mode. Thankfully, I knew Charles would want to help the baby, too. After all, he was the one who’d discovered her.
The kitten drew in a deep breath before answering.“It’s just me and my mommy now. My brothers and sisters got taken inside a house by a nice lady while Mommy was off hunting. I was scared so I hid.”
“You don’t have to be scared of me,” I offered with what I hoped was a kind smile. I made sure to only use closed-lip smiles with animals, since the sight of teeth often sent them on the defensive. “And we’ll look for your mommy together. But before we do, are you hungry?”
This got the kitten to rise to her feet and perform a series of stretches.“Yes, very much so.”
“Then let’s go see if Madame Blue has some milk she can share,” I said, impressing myself with my ability to remember the old lady’s name after hearing it only once. “Before we go inside, though, would you tell me your name?”
“My name is Charlene,” she answered around a yawn as she finished her stretches. “And my mommy’s name is Mommy. I really miss her. Do you think we’ll find her soon?”
“I’m going to do everything I can to help you find her, but first let’s get some food in you. You’ll feel better once your tummy’s full.”
The kitty nodded.“Okay.”
“Do you mind if I carry you to the house?” I asked. Charlene had clearly been born a stray, and I didn’t want to frighten her by picking her up without first getting permission.
“Okay, but please be gentle,” she squeaked.
I leaned down and carefully lifted her into my arms. She was so tiny, she could practically fit on the palm of my hand.“It’s okay. I’ve got you now, and I won’t rest until I know you’re safe.”
4
I wasted no time introducing Charles to the kitten he’d found sleeping in the garden. “Hi, Charles. This is Charlene. She’s lost her mother, but we’re going to help her find her.”
“Oh, of course, we are,” Charles cooed, running his knuckles over the kitty’s head the way his Sphynx cats liked.
“What is he doing?” Charlene cried, pressing herself into my chest.
“He’s just saying hello,” I assured her. “Charles is my husband. He’s the one who found you.”
She scrunched up her nose as she considered this.“Why is his name like my name?”
I chuckled.“I don’t know. I guess that’s just a fun coincidence, but shhh. We’re heading into the house now, and I won’t be able to talk to you once we’re inside.”
“Why not?”
“Because most other humans can’t talk to cats. They’ll think it’s weird and get scared if they hear us talking to each other. And we don’t want to cause a scene. We just want to get you fed and then find your mommy, okay?”
Charlene appeared to think about this for a moment before letting go of some of the tension in her tiny body and saying,“Okay. I’ll be quiet.”
I reached down to stroke her head as Charles pushed open the front door.“I think the kitchen’s back there,” I told him, heading decisively to the right.
“I thought you said not to talk,” the kitten cried out.
“Hush, little baby,” I cooed like a mother singing a lullaby. The only time I could get away with talking to animals in the presence of those who didn’t know my secret was when using a cutesy baby voice to say very basic things—the way most people did with their pets, not expecting them to be able to talk back. Charlene didn’t know this, but I hoped my words would soothe her all the same.
Sure enough, she said nothing more and we found the kitchen easily. The old woman Charles and I had met earlier now sported an apron tied around her slim hips as she began to work on that night’s supper.
“No guests in the kitchen!” she shouted upon noticing us.
The kitten shrunk back in my hands, but I strode forward with confidence.“Sorry to trouble you. We found this little one outside in the garden, and she seems to be missing her mother. I was hoping we could have a spot of milk to offer her. She appears to be quite hungry.”