Alfie The Holiday Cat

Chapter Thirteen

Thank goodness for our evening trips to the beach, because on Friday, just before the end of the week after the children had moved up to the attic, and Polly was congratulating the builders on how quickly they were working, another disaster struck.

I had been watching George in the garden. He’d been trying to catch a glimpse of Chanel, yet again. I heard Claire scream from inside the house so I ran back in. I made my way upstairs and saw Claire and Polly with a red-faced Mark.

‘You’ve knocked down the wrong wall,’ Claire shrieked.

‘Didn’t you wonder why there were clothes and everything out which would be covered in dust?’ Polly shouted.

Mark’s face was ashen. Was Mark now in on the sabotage? I wasn’t sure how I was supposed to watch both him and Liam.

‘But Liam said it was definitely this wall. I asked him if he was sure.’

Ah, Liam had struck again, but this time he was trying to pin the blame on Mark.

Colin shouted for Liam, who appeared, looking shiftily at his boots. I hadn’t thought he would risk doing anything wrong so soon after paint- and roof-gate, but I guess this time he’d been hoping Mark would get the blame. I looked at the big, dusty hole in the wall between where Claire and Polly were sleeping and I knew that this was his fault. To give Liam his due, he had been shouted at so much lately that he must really like Andrea to put himself through this.

‘Blimey.’ Colin scratched his head, which he was doing a lot lately. ‘What have you done?’

‘I thought you meant this wall,’ Liam mumbled, turning red. He mumbled a lot. ‘I told Mark, but Mark could have checked with you.’

Thankfully the children were in the garden with Franceska, so they didn’t hear the language that Colin used. Let’s just say it was colourful.

‘But, I checked with you and you said you were sure,’ Mark protested.

‘I said the wall between the bedrooms on the left-hand side of the stairs. This is clearly right. Oh God, I am so sorry,’ poor Colin said. He looked as if he was going to cry himself.

‘Everything is covered in dust and this hole is where you were going to start the plumbing for the en suite bathroom. This is going to cause yet another delay,’ Polly stormed. ‘And Claire will have to move into one of the other rooms until you get this sorted.’ Polly looked angry, Liam looked at his feet, Mark was being so apologetic although it wasn’t really his fault, and Colin looked tired. I went over to Liam and jumped as hard as I could onto his foot.

‘Ow,’ he shouted, scowling at me. I gave him a small swipe with my paw just for good measure. His face turned even redder, if that was possible.

‘Don’t think the cat likes you,’ Colin pointed out.

‘Alfie is a very good judge of character.’ Claire narrowed her eyes at Liam.

‘Right, OK, well, lads, firstly help Claire move everything that’s covered in dust, Polly, Liam and Mark will rebuild the wall today as a matter of urgency. If they have to stay late, yet again, then they will so don’t worry.’ Colin held a hand out as Polly looked like she was going to object. ‘I’ll stop back to supervise. And the plumber is going to be working on the finishing touches for the kids’ bathroom and the outside shower today so he can start work here tomorrow. I promise, it looks bad but we’ll have this wall built good as new.’

I left them to it. It seemed to me that whatever Liam was doing, for Andrea, was costing him, rather than us, although it was of course delaying things, which was irritating because we had limited time. I was learning a lot about house renovations this summer it seemed.

Downstairs there was a big picnic going on on the front lawn and the village children were there. Their parents must be used to letting them go out on their own, I supposed; it was so different from life in London. Franceska was supervising everyone, and I saw the girls from next door looking at them from the beach, but with Franceska there, they didn’t dare come over and cause trouble.

‘Don’t you mind that those girls are staring at you all?’ Tommy asked the village children, as if he was reading my mind.

‘Nah, we’re having fun with you guys. They don’t like it but we already decided to stand up to them more, so that’s what we’re doing,’ Ben said.

‘And then maybe they’ll remember how to be nice again,’ Millie added.

I admired their bravery, and their optimism, so I decided it was time for me to follow their lead. Liam needed to be stopped and I was going to have to be the cat to do it. Gilbert was returning tonight and so I was determined to ensure I got him to help me. I needed a proper commitment from him. I still didn’t know how we would foil them but I knew we would. It was going to happen, if it was the last thing I did on this holiday.

As I went to get George so we could find some butterflies to chase, I knew I would have to come up with something, and fast. Those children, that woman, the cat and Liam, it was making my very restful holiday really rather stressful, but then that was what always seemed to happen when you were a cat like me.

After we’d exhausted ourselves chasing butterflies, I went to join the children while George took a nap. Aleksy and Tomasz had been given permission to go to the beach with the other children, and Toby and Henry weren’t pleased about being left behind.

‘Please can we go?’ Henry had asked Polly.

‘The thing is, you guys are younger than them, and so you should only go with an adult,’ Polly had explained gently.

The boys were now sitting on the grass and sulking. Well, Henry was sulking and Toby was copying him. Which was cute, but then, as they watched Aleksy and Tomasz and the others running up and down the dunes, I saw that they really did feel they were missing out.

‘Will they notice if we just go for a minute?’ Henry asked.

‘But, what if we get into trouble?’ Toby was still afraid of doing anything wrong. Claire and Jonathan often said they wished that he would, because it would show he felt safe with them. I wondered if that was why George was naughty, because he certainly didn’t listen to me, but maybe he felt safe with me? It was a strange kind of logic but I found humans tended to that.

‘I’ll say I made you come with me, don’t worry.’ Henry was generally a well-behaved boy, and the fact he was willing to take the blame for Toby showed that.

‘OK, but only for a little while?’

I toyed with the idea of following them to the beach, but there were a couple of things stopping me. Firstly, George had fallen asleep under the bush, when he was supposed to be looking for Chanel, so I didn’t want to be too far from him. And secondly, I felt that if anything happened to the kids, I should be nearby so I could get an adult quickly. I took up my place on the lawn, and had a lovely view to where the children were building elaborate sandcastles. I saw Henry leading a hesitant Toby across the road. I was pleased to see how they looked both ways before doing so. I had learnt to cross the road the hard way — almost getting hit by cars is no fun, I can tell you. I saw Aleksy look a bit reluctant as they joined them and the local children, but in the end both boys got onto their knees and started digging.

All my children were bronzed by the sun, they all looked so healthy, and I could see what Claire meant about this seaside living. I sat up a bit straighter as I saw the group being approached by Savannah and Serafina. Of course, despite my excellent hearing I couldn’t make anything out but I saw them looking cross, folding their arms. I saw Aleksy standing in front of Tommy, who could be a little aggressive when pushed. I saw Toby’s face crumble — he hated any kind of argument — and the local children looked as if they didn’t know what to do. I thought about moving closer but then I thought, perhaps I should get an adult. Before I had time to decide, one of the girls had thrown sand at Toby and he was crying. Aleksy grabbed him in a hug and I saw Tommy throw sand back at the girls. I ran as fast as I could inside the house. I saw Franceska first, and I meowed, yelped and yowled, running round in circles as fast as I could, which was my way of telling them they were needed. Summer and Martha were watching television and I guessed Claire and Polly were still upstairs sorting out the mess.

‘What’s wrong, Alfie?’ Franceska said and I ran outside. I knew she would follow me. As she did, she stood on the lawn and I yowled again.

‘Oh goodness, what’s going on?’ she said as she saw them. Toby was crying in Aleksy’s arms and Savannah and Serafina were running off. ‘Those boys were not supposed to leave the garden,’ she added.

She ran across the road and I saw that she said something to all the children before she took Toby and Henry’s hands and started back towards the house. Aleksy and Tommy followed her, looking downcast. I saw the other children wave them off, looking sad.

‘What’s wrong?’ Claire asked, coming out to the garden. ‘I saw you out of the bedroom window, Toby, you weren’t supposed to go to the beach without a grown-up.’ She grabbed Toby and hugged him, as her words gushed out.

‘It’s my fault,’ Henry said. ‘I made him come with me.’

Polly had joined them by now. ‘Henry, you are in big trouble,’ she said. ‘Go inside and up to your room to think for now and I’ll be up in a bit.’

Henry slunk off.

‘What happened, Aleksy?’ Franceska asked, sounding concerned.

‘Henry and Toby came over and I told them they shouldn’t but they begged us to stay. And we were building this really cool sandcastle but the mean girls came over and they were taunting us all, being horrible, and then they threw sand at Toby and it went in his eyes,’ Aleksy explained.

‘So I threw sand back and then they said that we were horrible and they couldn’t wait until we all left,’ Tommy added.

‘Come on, Toby, let’s go and get your eyes washed out,’ Claire said, lifting the crying boy up and taking him inside. ‘But that’s why you shouldn’t go to the beach without an adult,’ she added.

‘The thing is, Mum,’ Aleksy said when Toby was inside. ‘I think that they knew Toby was the most likely to get upset, as they kept picking on him.’

‘That’s not nice. Do you think we should go and see Andrea?’ Franceska asked.

‘Hey, I think I’ll go,’ said Polly. ‘You know Claire gets so upset for Toby and, well, I’m better at confrontation. Can you go and check on Henry for me? Tell him I will deal with him later.’

‘Of course, come inside now, boys, Summer and Martha are in the living room, so can you go and sit with them,’ Franceska said, taking them inside.

Polly took a deep breath and walked off. I went to the hedge where George had woken up and resumed his vigil.

‘Have you seen her?’ I asked.

‘No, I must have fallen asleep.’

‘Right, well Polly is going to see Andrea, there’s been a huge drama with the kids.’ I explained everything to George. We both decided to risk going nearer the house, as soon as Polly arrived, but we stayed hidden behind a rose bush by the front door. Polly knocked on the door.

‘Hello.’ Andrea opened the door. She was wearing a pink dress, high heels and full make-up and in her arms was Chanel. The Persian must have sensed us as she tensed and sniffed around.

‘She’s so pretty,’ George breathed before I shushed him.

‘Andrea. We have a problem. Your daughters threw sand at one of the children, who is now having his eyes washed out. They also said some horrible things. Now I know you want Seabreeze Cottage and you don’t like us but children should not be dragged into this.’ Polly didn’t hold back or beat around the bush. I was proud of her.

‘My girls wouldn’t have done that. And anyway, your children are being mean to them. They are playing with their friends and excluding them,’ Andrea replied.

‘Surely you’re not that stupid? They’ve tried to stop the local children playing with them, they’ve been saying terrible things and also now throwing sand. I know this is what happened and let me tell you, if it happens again I’m—’

‘What? Are you threatening me?’ Andrea interrupted. Chanel had spotted George’s tail and was yowling and yelping like her owner.

‘You’re not going to win, and neither are your children,’ Polly hissed, sounding as upset as Chanel.

‘We’ll see about that. If your children are scared of mine, well then they won’t want to stay in the house, will they?’

‘God, I knew you were a witch but someone who will involve their children in something like this is despicable.’

‘I want that house, and nothing is going to stop me getting it.’ Andrea’s brows furrowed furiously — even I was scared.

‘We’ll see about that.’ Polly turned and stormed off.

Chanel managed to hiss at us before Andrea carried her back inside and slammed the front door.

That evening Seabreeze Cottage was not a happy place. The children were downhearted by what had happened that day: Toby was still upset, Henry sorry that he’d gone to the beach when he shouldn’t, and Aleksy and Tommy were sad that their lovely afternoon playing with their new friends had ended so badly. Only Summer, Martha and George were happy but they didn’t really understand what had gone on.

The adults weren’t faring any better. Liam was still fixing the wall in Claire’s bedroom when the children were put to bed, and so Polly asked him and Colin to leave. Claire would have to sleep in one of the smaller rooms for the night, as would I. When they’d gone, the three of them sat in kitchen drinking wine.

‘God, that woman. I swear she is so calm and cold, and she acts as if she’ll stop at nothing to get this house,’ Polly fumed. She hadn’t mentioned her encounter with Andrea until the children were safely in bed.

‘God, she’s ridiculous, fancy involving the children. What kind of person does that?’ Claire stormed.

‘An evil one. Why does she want this house so much? Her house is grander, so it can’t be to live in.’

‘I’ve got no idea,’ Polly said. ‘Her house is enormous and Colin says it’s one of the few in the village that is a whole house — most are apartments. And there’s no sign of this husband either, is there? I wonder if there’s a problem there.’

‘If she is as mean to him as she is everyone else, then maybe,’ Franceska said.

‘I wouldn’t have thought that she would leave that grand house for this. We love it, I know, but she wouldn’t think it good enough for her. No, it’s not that but something … Anyway, whatever it is, we should find out. No, we need to find out.’ Polly crossed her arms determinedly.

‘I’m more concerned about the children, I don’t want their holiday ruined by those girls. Poor Toby was so upset and then he was so worried about getting into trouble he wet himself, and he hasn’t done that for ages.’

‘Oh, Claire, poor Toby. I think tomorrow we go out for the day, to another beach, and give the children a nice day a bit away from the village,’ Franceska suggested.

‘Great idea,’ Polly concurred. ‘I don’t want to leave the builders but Colin’s promised to keep a closer eye on Liability Liam.’

‘Why doesn’t he sack him?’ Claire said.

‘I think if he does anything else, he might have to. But I think he’s well-meaning, just a bit incompetent.’

‘Yowl!’ No he isn’t, I said but no one seemed to hear me.

‘Polly, you have been working hard with the house, so you deserve a day off,’ Claire said.

‘I could do with that, I don’t want to sound like a 1950s housewife but I’m really looking forward to seeing Matt this week.’

‘I think on Saturday afternoon we send the men to the beach with the kids and we find somewhere to get manicures or something,’ Franceska suggested. ‘We have earned some pampering.’ I noticed that Franceska had been down lately, maybe she needed cheering up.

‘Oh yes, let’s do something like that! But tomorrow it will be nice to get out of the house as well,’ Polly said.

‘Alfie, you are in charge tomorrow,’ Franceska said, stroking my head.

‘Meow.’ It was a good job for them that I was, I thought.

And with that in mind, I waited for Gilbert and saw him briefly before I went off to bed.

‘They are out all day tomorrow, so come and see us if you like.’

‘Alright, I will,’ he said, not sounding exactly enthusiastic, but then nowhere near as unenthusiastic as when I’d first met him. It was progress, that was for sure.