Charlie The Kitten Who Saved A Life

CHAPTER NINETEEN

When the day finally came for the vet to take the collar off me, I nearly jumped off his table with joy. I felt light and free and frisky as a … well, frisky as a little kitten, I suppose.

‘He certainly seems to have cheered up a lot since last week,’ the vet said, and Laura laughed.

‘He hasn’t been very happy about being kept indoors. It’s just lucky his friend Oliver has been visiting, to keep him company.’

‘Oliver, the pub cat? He’s a very unusual cat, that one, isn’t he? Seems to understand humans, somehow – and befriending another cat, too? That’s unusual in itself.’

‘No it isn’t!’ I meowed at him. ‘You humans just think it’s unusual because you don’t understand us. We often make friends with other cats actually.’

But, of course, even vets don’t bother to learn Cat, do they, although you’d have thought it should be part of the job. So he completely ignored me, and busied himself instead with checking my leg and my eye, and putting a nasty, cold hard object into a very personal part of my body to take my temperature.

‘Well, I’m pleased to say that he’s on the mend,’ he said eventually. ‘The leg’s healed well, his eye has cleared up, and he seems to be putting some weight back on. He should be fine to go outside again now and get back to normal. Just bring him back in if you’re at all worried, won’t you.’

‘Of course. Thank you.’

‘I’m just glad it’s been a happy ending for the little fellow,’ he said, giving me a stroke. ‘Hard to imagine how he survived while he was missing, but I reckon he lost a few of his nine lives in the process.’

‘No, I didn’t!’ I protested. I’m pretty sure I would have known about it if I had!

‘Come on then, Charlie,’ said Laura, picking me up and putting me in the horrible basket to drive me home. ‘You can go off and play with Oliver now, to your heart’s content.’

Play? We had business to attend to! But of course, in the meantime, I was certainly looking forward to a run around outside. I’d noticed from the kitchen window that there was quite a layer of fallen leaves now on my lawn, and I was itching to get out there and dance around in them. I really wanted Caroline to come outside and play with me, but as usual, after school she was too tired to do much apart from lying on the sofa. I hadn’t told Ollie yet of my worries about her, but I knew he loved her too. At the moment he was far too concerned about Nicky to think of anything else, but I decided that as soon as I’d helped him with that situation, I’d ask his advice about Caroline.

After my dinner that evening, I trotted off down the lane into the village, as arranged, to meet Oliver at the pub where he lives. I jumped up onto the windowsill, pleased to find my injured leg was working so much better now, and meowed through the glass until he saw me.

‘Is Daniel in there?’ I asked when Oliver appeared from his cat flap in the back yard.

‘Yes, as usual. Thanks for coming. You look more normal now.’

‘I should hope so, without that thing round my neck. So what are we going to do? Leap on his lap and yowl in his ear till he goes home?’

He stared at me. ‘That’s a bit aggressive, isn’t it?’

I blinked. Was it?

‘Not where I’ve come from,’ I said, thinking back to some of the tactics the feral boys used.

‘Charlie, wherever you’ve been recently, please remember you’re back in polite cat society now,’ he admonished me. ‘We don’t go in for jumping on humans and yowling at them, around here – not unless they’ve hurt us, of course.’

‘No, all right, fair enough,’ I said, duly chastised. ‘So, what do you say we should do? Sing to him? Blink him kisses?’

‘No need for sarcasm, either. I thought perhaps we should bring Nicky to the pub and let him see how upset she is.’

‘How’s that going to work? She’ll be looking after her human kitten, Benjamin.’

‘I know. She can bring him with her. When he sees her with the baby he’ll remember his responsibilities and feel ashamed of himself.’

I didn’t want to argue with Oliver, but it sounded pretty unlikely to me. For a start, I wasn’t convinced we’d be able to persuade Nicky to bring the baby out to the pub at night, and even if she did, I suspected Daniel wouldn’t be impressed.

‘What’s wrong?’ Oliver said, as I hadn’t replied. ‘Are you not up for it after all?’

‘Of course I am. Come on then, let’s give it a go,’ I said.

I followed him down the road to Nicky and Daniel’s house, and once again I showed off the strength of my newly healed leg by jumping up onto the nearest windowsill. Oliver jumped up beside me and we put our noses up against the cold glass.

‘She’s there, sitting on the sofa,’ Oliver said. ‘Come on, let’s make a noise and get her to let us in.’

‘Hang on, who’s that?’ I said. A tall, thin male with lots of facial fur was sitting next to Nicky on the sofa. ‘Is it her father?’

‘No, I don’t think so. I think it’s the male who lives next door. Put your ear against the glass, Charlie,’ Oliver said, doing the same himself. ‘Let’s try to hear what they’re saying.’

In fact I could only hear the male’s voice at first. Nicky didn’t seem to be saying a lot.

‘I prefer Thai food myself,’ he was saying. He had a peculiar kind of smile on his face, and he seemed to be leaning too close to Nicky. She didn’t look very comfortable and was edging further along the sofa. ‘I know a nice little Thai restaurant in town. The food is delicious, and it’s a really nice atmosphere in there. Do you like Thai? I think you’d enjoy it. Maybe I could take you there one of these evenings when you’re all on your own.’

Nicky gave a funny little laugh that didn’t sound quite right. ‘I’ve got Benjamin asleep upstairs, remember.’

‘Can’t you get a babysitter? We wouldn’t have to be out late. I’d drive you.’

‘No, Kevin, I can’t. It wouldn’t be right.’

‘So is it right that he spends every evening at the pub? You’ve already told me you’re fed up with being left on your own.’

‘I shouldn’t have said that.’

‘You wouldn’t have said it if you didn’t mean it. I’m glad you felt you could confide in me, Nicky. Glad to be here for you, as a friend, you know, someone you can talk to. You obviously need that, and God knows you deserve it. You work so hard, looking after Benjamin all on your own, as well as minding other people’s children.’

‘It’s my job. It’s what I do. Dan works hard too.’

‘Yes, but he’s not being fair to you, is he? You deserve to have a bit of fun in your life too. You need someone to take you out, treat you a bit special and show you some attention. Everyone needs that, don’t they?’

He reached out a paw to take hold of one of hers, but she moved it away, staring straight ahead of her, going a bit red in the face.

‘Don’t, Kevin,’ she said. ‘I … look, I’ll go and make us both a cup of tea, shall I?’

She got up, but as she did he reached out for her paw again, giving it a little stroke.

‘I’m not here to upset you in any way, Nicky. I’m just trying to be a friend to you.’

‘I know, and I appreciate it.’ She shifted from one back paw to the other, still looking uncomfortable. ‘So: tea or coffee?’

‘I’ve heard enough,’ Oliver said, jumping down from the windowsill. ‘It’s bad, Charlie, very bad. Worse than I thought. They’re on the verge of mating, I’m afraid. It’s the same as what happens with unneutered cats when they’re getting randy.’

‘Really?’ It was nothing whatever like the kind of mating I’d witnessed among my feral cat friends. There was no long drawn-out meowing and paw brushing involved in that, unfortunately, although I think their females might have liked it a bit better if there had been.

‘Yes. I can’t expect a little kitt—cat … like you to understand such things, but I can assure you we need to move fast.’

‘What are we going to do, then? Rush in and jump him? Go for his throat?’

He gasped. ‘Charlie, what in the name of all that’s warm and cosy has come over you since you went missing? We don’t go for the throat of a human, even if we don’t like what they’re doing.’

‘Sorry. I keep forgetting myself.’

‘Yes, well, the sooner you remember yourself the better. No, what we’re going to do is go back to the pub and persuade Daniel to come straight home, right this minute, before it’s too late.’

‘How are we going to do that? Jump on …?’ I stopped quickly, seeing the look he was giving me. ‘Whisper in his ear?’ I tried instead.

‘We have to walk backwards and forwards to and from the pub door,’ Oliver said, as we started to run back down the road. ‘Watch me, and do what I do, OK? I taught Daniel to understand a bit of Cat body language when there were some important issues last year. It’ll soon come back to him. As long as he hasn’t had too many of those drinks of beer. It seems to make humans extremely forgetful.’

In no time at all, we were jumping through the cat flap into the back room of the pub.

‘Follow me,’ Oliver said, striding ahead of me into the main room where everyone seemed to be talking very loudly or laughing and lifting their glasses of drink to their mouths. ‘There he is, by the window. Now remember, watch me and do what I do.’

‘OK.’ I followed him to where Daniel was sitting with a couple of other males. They had drinks on the table in front of them and were deep in conversation.

‘I still say West Ham should’ve been allowed that goal,’ one of the other males said.

‘Don’t talk rubbish, man,’ Daniel said, laughing. Then he glanced down and said, ‘Oh, there you are, Ollie. And who’s this you’ve brought home with you? It’s little Charlie Kitten, isn’t it?’

‘I’m not a little kitten now!’ I meowed crossly, but Oliver gave me a look and hissed:

‘Stay focused on the job, Charlie!’

‘We heard he’d been found. He looks a bit skinny, doesn’t he?’ one of Daniel’s friends said, bending down to stroke me.

I could sense that Oliver was getting frustrated.

‘Never mind about all that!’ he meowed. ‘Daniel needs to come with us.’ And he proceeded to stalk across to the main door of the pub, his tail waving in the air. ‘Come on!’

I copied him, meowing as I went, waving my tail.

‘What’s up with them?’ the other friend asked. ‘Do they want to go out? George!’ he called across to Ollie’s owner, who ran the pub. ‘What’s up with your cat? Has he been fed?’

‘Oh, for mewing out loud!’ Oliver said to me. ‘They’re so slow to catch on. Come on, do it again.’

We turned round, ran back to Daniel’s table, meowing loudly, and once again walked towards the door, looking back at him. Suddenly, he put down his glass, staring at us.

‘I think they want me to go with them,’ he said.

‘What? Are you serious? Did they talk to you, or what?’ one of the others laughed.

‘In a way, yes. Oliver’s done it before. He has … some kind of strange powers.’ Ignoring the sniggers from his friends, he pushed back his chair and got up. ‘It might be an emergency,’ he said, suddenly looking a bit frightened. He threw some money down on the table. ‘Sorry, lads – got to go.’

‘See?’ Oliver meowed to me as he opened the pub door and we all ran out into the night. ‘I told you we could do it.’

‘Yes. Well done.’ We started to run, ahead of Daniel, leading him back along the road to his own house.

‘What is it, boys?’ he panted, running after us. ‘It’s not … not Nicky, is it? Oh my God, please don’t let it be something wrong with Benjamin? God, no, please, don’t let anything have happened to them, while I was …’ He broke off, and when I looked round I saw him wiping his face with his paw. In the light of the street lamps he looked white and scared. ‘What the hell have I been doing?’ he muttered. ‘I’ll never forgive myself if …’

But he didn’t get any further, because by now we were at his front door and he’d already got his key in his paw. He opened the door and was just about to charge in, when we all heard the sound of voices coming from the lounge. I glanced at Oliver. Kevin with the furry face was obviously still here. Daniel froze where he was on the doorstep, listening.

‘But why not?’ Kevin was saying in a soft, wheedling kind of voice. ‘We’re getting along so well together, aren’t we? And let’s face it, your marriage is … well, it’s pretty much on the rocks, isn’t it? You can’t deny …’

I heard Daniel gasp. He took a couple of steps into the hallway, but stopped dead again as we heard Nicky interrupting Kevin. This time her voice was a lot louder than before, and a lot crosser.

‘That’s enough, Kevin! I think you’d better go.’

‘Oh, come on, Nicky! You know you want to …’

‘No, I don’t! I don’t know how I’ve given you the impression that I was interested in you in that way, but if I have, I’m very sorry. I did think we got on well, as neighbours, as friends perhaps, and I’ve enjoyed your company in the evenings. It’s true Daniel’s been neglecting me recently—’

Daniel gasped again, and put his paw to his head. He looked like he was going to fall over.

‘—and yes, it has made me sad, but that doesn’t mean I’ve stopped loving him. And it doesn’t mean I’m going to jump into the arms of another man, just because you’ve told me about your divorce, and let me confide in you. I shouldn’t have done that. Daniel and I will sort out our problems. I don’t want you to come round anymore.’

‘Oh, surely there’s no need to be like that,’ he said. ‘I think—’

But we never found out what he thought. Because at that point Daniel suddenly seemed to burst into life again and, throwing his keys on the hall table, he raced into the lounge and skidded to a halt within nose-touching distance of furry-faced Kevin, who staggered backwards away from Nicky with a look of surprise.

‘You heard my wife,’ Daniel said in a growly voice like an angry dog. ‘Go.’

‘No need for that, mate,’ Kevin protested, waving his paws in front of him as if he was smoothing something down. ‘Nicky and I have just been having a nice friendly chat over a cup of tea. While you were neglecting her. As she said.’

‘Dan, I didn’t say … well, I didn’t mean …’ Nicky was saying. ‘Don’t! Dan, leave him alone. Don’t hit him! It was my fault, I must have given him the wrong impression.’

I felt my fur standing on end. Daniel had got hold of Kevin by his jumper and had his paw screwed up into a fist, like a weapon. Kevin’s eyes were wide with fear, and he was making a stuttering noise that sounded like ‘Uh … uh … uh …’

‘Dan!’ Nicky squealed more loudly. ‘Don’t! It won’t help! Please don’t do something you’ll regret.’

‘Sparrows alive!’ I meowed.

I wasn’t going to wait to see what happened. Nicky was one of my favourite humans, and Daniel was making her upset, even more upset than she’d been with Kevin. I wasn’t going to stand for it. I wasn’t a timid little kitten anymore, I was a fighter, a rescuer, a cat who sorted things out and got things done. Just as Daniel was raising his paw to hit Kevin right in his furry face, I leapt up onto the sofa, threw myself at Daniel and clung to his jacket by my claws, yowling in his ear.

‘Stop it, for the love of catnip!’ I shouted. ‘No fighting! Nicky doesn’t like it.’

‘Ouch! Bloody hell, Charlie, what the hell are you doing? Get off me, you crazy kitten. For God’s sake!’ he cried, struggling to loosen my claws from the cloth of his jacket. The fight seemed to have gone out of him, because even though I’d shocked him, he was being gentle with me now. ‘There you go. Get down,’ he said, putting me back on the floor. ‘Stay there! What’s the matter, woman?’ he added, turning to Nicky, who seemed to be trying not to laugh.

‘Sorry.’ She reached out and put both paws round his waist. ‘He didn’t hurt you, did he? I’m sorry, Dan, but that was so funny. It was … as if he knew someone had to stop you. Are you all right?’

‘Yes.’ Daniel stared back at her. ‘I’m OK. I’m sorry. I lost my temper, and you’re right, it would only have made things worse.’

‘Yes. He’s not worth it. He was just trying his luck. I shouldn’t have let him get so close to me. It was stupid of me.’

‘No. Stupid of me, leaving you on your own every night, without giving a thought to how you felt. I’m such an idiot, such a selfish idiot! God, Nicky, if you ever left me I don’t know what I’d do.’

‘I’m not going to leave you, you fool. I knew we’d sort things out eventually. And I know you’re working so hard, I can understand you want a drink with your mates sometimes, but …’

‘But not every night. It’s not fair, and I shouldn’t have been doing it. I should be coming home to you and Benjamin. Can you forgive me?’

‘Of course. Don’t be daft.’

‘And you won’t see Kevin anymore?’ He turned to look around the room. ‘Where is he?’

‘He sneaked out quickly when Charlie threw himself at you,’ Oliver meowed. Oliver was looking at me in a very strange way. ‘I think … I have to say … I think you saved the day just then, Charlie boy.’

‘I don’t think we’ll be seeing much of Kevin now,’ Nicky said, laughing again. ‘You and Charlie have both scared the life out of him.’

‘Good. What a creep! I suppose I should feel sorry for him. He’s probably lonely, and wishes he had a lovely wife like you to come home to.’

‘Yes, well, he’ll have to find one of his own.’ She cuddled up to him and they started to kiss each other.

‘I think we should make ourselves scarce now,’ I meowed at Oliver.

‘Let those two cats out, will you?’ Daniel muttered at the same time.

‘Did you bring them home with you?’ Nicky asked him as she went to open the door for us.

‘Um, well, actually they brought me home,’ he said. ‘I know you think I’m mad, but I’m telling you, Ollie here has some kind of strange powers. He told me there was an emergency.’

‘Right.’ She giggled. ‘Well, if that’s the case, I reckon little Charlie has the same powers too. He saved you from your own temper just now.’

‘Yeah.’ He was watching us both as we trotted to the front door. ‘In fact they might well have saved our marriage. Amazing.’

‘Job done!’ I said to Oliver, and we started to walk home together.