‘She was a bit surprised at first but when I explained that Alfie always liked to make friends with other cats she didn’t seem too upset. She said she always worried about Hana being bored, she wasn’t alone very often in Japan.’
‘Maybe we can persuade her to put a cat flap in so Alfie can visit more often,’ Jonathan laughed.
‘Yelp!’ I jumped onto his lap; that was a very good idea.
‘Alfie, I think Jon was joking,’ Claire giggled. ‘Anyway, I invited her to lunch on Sunday at the restaurant. I checked with Frankie and she didn’t mind.’
‘Great. Hopefully she’ll start to settle in a bit more.’
I was excited at the news. Not that Sylvie and Connie were joining us, although that was nice, but mainly about the fact that we were having lunch at the restaurant. It would give George and I a chance to catch up with Dustbin, the restaurant cat who was a very, very good friend. He lived outside and was a bit feral, but he liked it that way, and he might have been rough around the edges but he had a heart of gold. I hadn’t seen him for a bit, probably because life in Edgar Road was keeping me busy, so we were due a visit.
In the meantime I had to find Tiger. She was still being a bit elusive of late, and I did want to see her. I missed her. George had seen more of her than I had, but that was because he went into her house. I wouldn’t go because if I got caught by her owners they threw me out. They didn’t mind George quite as much, but nor were they laying out the red carpet to welcome him either. He assured me she was fine but I still wanted to see for myself.
I went to Tiger’s house and nudged the cat flap. As I waited on the doorstep I was anxious, but Tiger appeared after a short time.
‘Hi stranger,’ I said.
‘Don’t start,’ she replied, giving me a quick nuzzle. ‘I’ve had my family all keeping me in, it was to do with the vet. I thought I was fine but it turned out I had some kind of infection, and I had to take some medicine, which is why I haven’t been out. It’s all gone now and I’m allowed out again.’
‘But George said you were staying in because of the weather.’
‘I didn’t want him to worry, or you. I was only allowed dry biscuits to eat for days, can you imagine?’
‘No, frankly I can’t. But you say you’re all better?’
‘Yes. The tablets, which my family thought they were being very clever in hiding in small bits of chicken – which I ate because it was the only respite from the biscuits – have all gone, and that means I am back to normal.’ She grinned.
‘Oh thank goodness.’
‘You know, Alfie, you worry too much. Tell me, what’s been going on in the world while I’ve been stuck in.’
‘Walk with me and I will do.’ I grinned. It hit me how much I’d missed her. I was a softy after all.
As we took a stroll, I told her about Hana and being stuck in the house.
‘It’s a shame, you know, she’d make a perfect companion for George,’ I said, not for the first time.
‘Stop trying to matchmake, Alfie,’ she replied. ‘George will make his own friends.’
‘I know, I was just saying, they aren’t that far apart in age and she’s lived a very sheltered life.’
‘That sounds like an understatement,’ Tiger pointed out. One of the many things I loved about her was the fact that she paid such good attention to everything I told her.
‘Yes, right, so I thought her sweetness would be great for George. Anyway, I don’t see it happening, she doesn’t go out and there isn’t an easy way for us to get in …’
‘Don’t tell me you’re going to give up that easily.’ We both stopped and I looked at her. She knew me so well.
‘Of course not,’ I replied, with a grin.
When I got home, feeling lighter than I had for a while, probably because of seeing with my own eyes that Tiger was fine, Claire was at the kitchen table with Polly and Sylvie. After establishing that George was outside, playing in the small back garden, I joined them, sitting myself on Polly’s lap and enjoying the sensation as she ran her fingers lightly through my fur.
‘So, the job is good?’ Polly asked. She had a big bag with her, which meant she had been working herself. She was an interior designer and although she tried to work part-time she could sometimes find herself very busy. Luckily, Claire was always able to help out with the kids if necessary, that was how we all did things on Edgar Road.
‘Yes, it’s strange though. I haven’t had a “job” since we moved overseas.’
‘That’s a long time to be out of the workplace,’ Polly said.
‘It is. And, you know, getting out of the house is good, the hours aren’t too long so I can be there for Connie … Not that she seems to want me to be.’ Her brow wrinkled.
‘Is everything OK?’ Polly asked.
‘If you ask Connie, it is. She says she likes school, she’s getting good grades already, she even has a sleepover with a couple of friends on Friday, so it seems she’s settled in pretty well. But, well, she’s very quiet and when I try to talk to her she gives me one-word answers, then makes any excuse she can to be in her bedroom with her phone or iPad.’
‘I think, from what Frankie says about Aleksy, that that is being a teenager,’ Claire laughed.
‘I hope so. I know it sounds strange but it’s like she’s gone from being this chatty little girl who loved to tell me about her day, who seemed to love me, to someone who acts as if I am torturing her by asking her if she’s alright and can barely stand the sight of me. I’m worried that she’s just putting a brave face on everything.’
‘Does she speak to your ex?’ Polly asked, gently.
‘Yes, he Skypes, or FaceTimes her a couple of times a week, and she’s pretty surly with him, but of course he doesn’t have to deal with her moods on a daily basis.’
‘Listen, I honestly think it’s just the big upheaval, but hey, you said she’s doing well at school?’ Claire said. Sylvie nodded. ‘She’s not got an eating disorder or a drug problem?’
‘Oh God, I hope not. No, she still seems to eat like a horse and she isn’t losing weight. I’m pretty sure she’s not on drugs,’ Sylvie replied with a slight grin.
‘Right, as far as I can tell that means you’re winning parenting her. I said the same to Frankie about Aleksy. He’s the sweetest kid, always has been, sensitive, caring, but he has started acting as if he’s a bit too cool for all of us, especially his parents.’
‘Meow!’ I shouted.
‘OK, apart from Alfie then.’ The three of them laughed.
‘Actually, even Alfie at times,’ Polly whispered but I heard and narrowed my eyes at her.
‘I need to stop worrying so much,’ Sylvie said.
‘Yes. My dad, he was a social worker and pretty good with children and teens, he told me that he got through me and my brother’s teenage hormonal phase by not pushing us too much. He said he gave us space and one day we started being pleasant again,’ Claire explained.
‘Oh God, I was a nightmare,’ Polly said. ‘I drank, smoked and was boy crazy, but then I started modelling when I was fifteen so I guess that explained it a bit.’
‘Was modelling a bit wild?’ Sylvie asked.
‘Yes, it was, but after a while I rebelled against the bad behaviour.’
‘Oh