A Cat Called Alfie

Chapter Sixteen

I spotted Polly a while before she saw me. She was on her own, walking back to the house with a couple of shopping bags, humming to herself. At the same time, I noticed the front door of Snowball’s house open a crack, and I saw my chance. I rushed forth, so when Polly reached their gate, I stood in front of her, stopping her in her tracks, in the hope of engineering a meeting. Polly bent down to pet me as the front door opened and the mother, Karen, appeared. She was wearing a pair of jeans and a shirt and she looked uncertainly around her as she made her way out of the house and up to the front gate.

‘Oh,’ she said startled as she spotted us. She had dark rings under her eyes and she looked a bit messy. Or not exactly well-groomed like me, anyway. I never left the house with any fur out of place. Looking my best was incredibly important to me.

‘Hi, I’m Polly.’ Polly adjusted her bags and held out her hand. Karen looked at it as if she had never seen a hand before in her life. She went to take it and then she burst into tears. Polly and I were both taken aback.

‘I’m Karen,’ she sobbed.

‘Hey,’ Polly said in her gentle voice that always soothed me. ‘What’s wrong?’

‘I can’t, I can’t talk here,’ Karen said, she looked directly across the road to Heather and Vic’s house.

Polly nodded. ‘Listen, my house is only a few doors away, and my husband has taken the kids out, so it’s empty if you fancy a cuppa?’

‘I really shouldn’t,’ Karen protested.

‘It can’t hurt can it? Karen, you clearly need some time to collect yourself. Come on.’ Polly looked determined, like a woman who wouldn’t take no for an answer. And this cat wouldn’t either, as I decided to tag along with them.

Karen was quite a lot shorter than Polly, although most women were. She was about the same height as Franceska, her muddy blonde hair tied back in a ponytail. While Polly walked tall, holding herself with confidence and grace, Karen was walking as if she was shrinking into herself with each step. I could almost feel her weightiness; she walked as if she carried a whole other person on her back.

I don’t think she even noticed me as I padded along a couple of steps behind them, determined not to miss this opportunity.

Polly opened the door and silence greeted us, a rare event in Polly’s house. It made me laugh, because Polly was like an excited kid when no one else was around (apart from me), and once alone she would kick her shoes off, grab a bar of chocolate from her secret stash, put on a face pack, watch TV programmes she told me Matt hated or read her stack of magazines. Although not today of course, as Karen followed her into their small homely kitchen, and sat at the table as Polly wordlessly went to switch on the kettle.

‘Sorry,’ Karen started. ‘I shouldn’t be here.’

‘Why ever not?’ Polly asked. ‘Look, love, it’s OK to chat to me, you know.’

‘It’s not that, it’s just we agreed. No one else needs to know our business, not after what happened.’

‘OK, but if you do want to talk, I’m quite friendly.’ Polly smiled, then busied herself pouring tea before sitting opposite Karen.

‘Please, I can’t go into it now. But it doesn’t help that those people think we’re criminals.’

‘Oh, you must mean the Goodwins. I wouldn’t worry about them; they’re just the street busybodies.’

‘They keep coming round, knocking on our door, normally when I am at work but it’s driving Tim — that’s my husband — crazy. I told him that he should maybe answer the door to them, and put a stop to it, but he won’t.’

‘Well I guess they’re surprised that you haven’t been to one of their Neighbourhood Watch meetings,’ Polly said. ‘This is such a big street, but they kind of rule this part of it, unfortunately.’ Polly attempted a laugh, but it sounded wrong.

‘We couldn’t face it. Not yet, I’m not sure ever. All the questions. Tim saw them spying on us when the police came round the other day, they would want to know everything and I can’t answer those questions.’ Karen seemed slightly hysterical and I thought I understood now why Snowball was so hostile; she obviously had a lot on her plate.

‘I know they are way too interested in everything that’s going on, but I guess that by ignoring them you are fuelling that curiosity,’ Polly said, tentatively.

‘Polly, we aren’t criminals.’

‘Oh no, I wasn’t implying that, love.’

‘We’re just a family, having a tough time and want to be left alone.’

‘Yet you’re sitting here with me. It can be lonely cutting yourself off — I should know, I’ve been there. We only want to help though.’

‘Yes.’ Karen looked as if she remembered that she was indeed doing that. I sat under the table, and listened, I didn’t want to draw attention to myself. ‘And I’m sorry, I don’t mean to be rude, it’s just that, well, I guess I’m not ready to be around people just yet. I’m so tired, working all hours, it’s not that I want to be anti-social, but we just need a bit of space.’

‘Hey, whatever you need.’ Polly tried to look supportive but I could see her underlying confusion. She didn’t look as if she knew what was going on and neither did I.

‘I had a row with my son, Christopher. He’s fourteen and so angry all the time.’

‘Hormonal teenager?’

‘Yes, but more than that. My poor children have been through so much … I really am sorry to be so weird but I just—’

‘Hey.’ Polly held her hands up in defeat. ‘Honestly, as long as you’re OK. And you know where I am if you ever do want to talk. I’d hate you to think we’re all like Heather and Vic.’ Polly, was full of compassion, it was one of the things all my families had in common.

Karen stood up. ‘I’m sorry again, but I really must go.’ Karen went to the front door, said a distracted goodbye and, looking around furtively, hurried off down the street.

‘Well for someone who has nothing to hide she sure acts like she does,’ Polly said as she picked me up and started stroking my fur. ‘I mean, Alfie, I’m sure there’s nothing criminal about them but she clearly isn’t the most normal person I’ve ever met.’ I miaowed my agreement. It seemed none of the family could give a straight answer. They all talked in riddles, never letting their guard down about whatever secret it was they were hiding. None of us had any idea what was going on.

My only conclusion was that if they didn’t have anything to hide, they were hiding from something. Or someone. Or everyone for that matter.

A little while later, the door opened as Polly and I sat side by side on her sofa, her flicking through magazines, me processing my thoughts. With a thundering of little feet, Henry ran in.

‘Mummy! We saw a rabbit, and some cows. Alfie! Hi, Alfie.’ I loved Henry’s excitement.

‘Where on earth did you take them?’ Polly asked, when Matt came in.

‘To the toy shop,’ he laughed. ‘They had a farm set and Henry spent ages playing with it, he loved it. I told him we’d get him some animals for his birthday.’

‘And where is my little girl?’ Polly said as Henry climbed on his mum and smothered her with cuddles.

‘Asleep in the pushchair. Hi, Alfie.’ Matt sat down, so we were all squished together on their sofa.

‘We need a bigger sofa,’ Polly observed.

‘Or maybe this boy could take up less room,’ he replied, tickling Henry so he giggled and wriggled.

‘Oh, Daddy.’ Henry laughed.

‘By the way, I bumped into the lady from number forty-eight today, Karen. She was upset so I invited her round and although she came she was still so secretive and basically couldn’t wait to leave. I have no idea what’s going on. I don’t think they’re a danger to the road like some think, but I agree that it is strange.’

‘Yeah, that’s what Jonathan said. He said they acted like everyone was out to get them.’

‘Actually that’s it, that’s exactly what it was like.’

‘But the Goodwins aren’t helping,’ Matt said. ‘They’re fixated on them; it’s like an obsession.’

‘Well maybe if we can get the Goodwins off their back they might start to behave a bit more normally then.’

‘You got any ideas how to stop Heather and Vic?’ Matt asked with a grin.

‘Short of locking them up, no.’ Polly laughed. ‘But remember how sad I was when I moved here. When Frankie tried to be friendly to me I pushed her away. What if it’s like that?’

‘Oh, darling, you weren’t well then and maybe they have their own problems, but unless they want to tell us we can’t make them.’

‘No, Matt, we can’t but putting the brakes on the Goodwins would be a good start.’ She looked determined.

I miaowed loudly. Polly and I were the most in tune it seemed, at the moment anyway. She was right, if the newcomers weren’t ready to tell us what was going on, then we needed to get the Goodwins to back off and then hopefully they might feel a bit more welcome, until they were ready to open up. That was what we had to do but I had no idea how we would do it. Once again I had to put my thinking cap on and let the head scratching — although I actually did enjoy a little head scratch — ensue.