The house no longer smelt like home, either. The distinctive scent of lavender, which had always suffused Margery’s clothes and furniture, was now smothered by the chemical reek of polish and detergent, so overpowering that they made my eyes water and my throat sore.
During this time I spent my days patrolling the house, attempting to reclaim my territory by rubbing my scent glands on as many surfaces as possible. But it was a hopeless task, in the face of David and his relentless packing, boxing and cleaning. If Margery wasn’t around, David made no attempt to hide his dislike of me, shooing me out of the house at every opportunity, although I noticed that in front of Margery he still maintained the pretence of finding me endearing.
There is no doubt in my mind that the upheaval at home made Margery’s confusion worse. I could see her deteriorate in front of my eyes. She had all but stopped eating, having given up cooking weeks ago when she could no longer hold all the stages of the process in her mind. She found it difficult to settle – like a wary cat expecting to be attacked – and would repeatedly go to the front window and peer out, as if waiting for something or someone.
I did what I could to try and calm her nerves, but as her distress increased, so did my sense of foreboding. I still didn’t know what David planned, but deep down I knew that life for Margery and me was going to change. All I could do was stay close and try and comfort her, whilst taking what reassurance I could from the familiar feel of her hands on my fur, and the smell of her skin.
One afternoon I came into the living room to find Margery in tears, as David sat beside her on the sofa with his arm awkwardly round her shoulder.
‘Come on, Mum, you know it’s for the best,’ he was saying in a pleading voice. ‘It’s just not safe for you to be here any more. The stairs are too much for you now, and you know you’ve been getting forgetful recently.’
Margery said nothing, but wept silently into her cotton handkerchief.
‘The Elms is a great place. They’ll be able to take proper care of you there. Cook your meals, do your washing and all that. Come on now, it’s for the best.’ And he embraced her in a clumsy bear hug.
I tiptoed silently out of the living room. My head was spinning and I needed to get some fresh air. I pushed my way through the cat flap and went to sit on the front path. I began to wash, an activity that helps me to order my thoughts as much as my appearance.
At least now I knew the worst, and there was finally an explanation for what had been going on. Margery was going to move out, to live in a place called The Elms. Pausing mid-wash, I looked up and noticed for the first time a wooden‘For Sale’ sign attached to the gate at the end of the path. I felt my blood run cold.
My heart ached for Margery, knowing how much she would miss our lovely home, but I also feared for myself. When Margery moved into The Elms and our house was sold, what would become of me?
I slipped back inside through the cat flap and paused outside the living-room door. I could hear Margery’s soft sobbing from within, and David’s voice was a low, wheedling monotone. I didn’t know what was in store for me, but I knew there was one thing that might make me feel better.
I crept past the living-room door to the staircase, where David had placed his shoes neatly next to the bottom step. After a quick glance over my shoulder, I squatted over David’s shoes and peed in them. And, fastidious though I am about personal hygiene, it felt good.
3 [Êàðòèíêà: i_004.jpg]
One morning not long after the shoe incident I was enjoying a quiet meditation in my usual lookout position by the front-room window. Autumn was in the air outside. Leaves were falling onto the street’s front lawns and the sky was a leaden grey.
There was not normally much passing traffic in the cul-de-sac, so naturally I noticed when a large lorry turned into the street. As it approached I saw the logo on its side– ‘Expert Removals’ – and I felt my whiskers vibrate from the rumble of its engine. It drew up slowly in front of Margery’s house, then began to reverse into her driveway. Three men jumped out of the cab and started to open up the doors at the rear of the lorry, pulling at straps and sliding heavy bolts, before pressing a button that lowered a platform onto the drive.
I had never seen a removal lorry before, but knew that the uncertainty regarding what was happening to us was about to come to an end. I turned back to look at my surroundings. The sofa where I had spent the night was pushed up against the living-room wall, stripped of its cushions, tartan blanket and lacy armrest covers. The sideboard, armchair and other large items had been placed together in the middle of the floor, with wooden packing crates filling every available space.
I heard the familiar sounds of Margery moving around her bedroom upstairs. I could picture her carefully combing the waves of her hair into position and powdering her nose, before spraying lavender water behind her ears. In spite of the many things about everyday life that she struggled to remember, her morning grooming routine seemed to have survived intact. Although it pained me to think this might be the last time she ever did it in her own home, I also drew some comfort from it: it reassured me that not everything from our life together had been lost.
Soon I heard David’s voice outside the front door and the sound of his key in the lock. He was barking instructions to the removal men as he came in, sounding even more impatient and harassed than usual. Instantly the contemplative mood of the front room was shattered, as the men flung open the door and began to manoeuvre the larger items out of the house and into the lorry.
At first I stayed in my spot on the windowsill. I felt a responsibility to Margery to keep an eye on proceedings and make sure her possessions were treated with due care. But watching my favourite pieces of furniture disappear into the cavernous lorry brought a lump to my throat, and before long I could watch no longer. I arched my back in a stretch, before flexing out to my full length along the windowsill. Then I jumped down and made my way through the living room, being careful to avoid the booted feet all around me.
I considered going outside to get away from the dismantling of my life that was going on inside the house, but it had started to rain, and somehow it felt disloyal to Margery to leave her to face this alone.
Passing the cat carrier sitting ominously in the hallway, I made my way upstairs and found Margery sitting on her bed. She was wearing her blue woollen jacket and a felt hat with a crocheted flower on the rim. It was an outfit that I knew she saved‘for best’, and I thought she looked beautiful in it. But when I padded around to her side of the bed, I could see that tears were silently falling into her lap. She made no attempt to stop them, but just sat gazing out of the window.
I chirruped at her, trying to sound cheerful. She looked surprised at first, then looked down at me and smiled.‘Oh, hello, you.’
I wasn’t sure whether or not she remembered my name, but at that moment it was enough that she recognized me. I hopped up onto the bed and nestled beside her. Her hand automatically came to stroke me, tickling me behind the ears and under the chin in my favourite way. I purred my loudest purr, doing mybest to drown out the noise of the removal men’s voices and the lifting and lowering of the lorry’s platform.
We remained upstairs on the bed for what felt like a lifetime, while all around us we could hear the men stomping through the house, being chided intermittently by David. Part of me wanted to stay like this forever, but another part just wanted it to be over, for the axe to fall and put us both out of our misery. I will never know whether Margery suspected this would be our last cuddle together, but I felt certain of it. She continued to stroke me and I continued to purr; perhaps we were both trying to reassure ourselves that we would be okay.