(Josiesayz: This may
seem a little rushed, in places, compared to my usual writing (it is supposed
to be like this) and I know it is very silly and the ending is very unrealistic
(again, it is supposed to be like this). This is a short story, inspired by a
dream I had a while back, where my old boss and I lived together and adopted
all of the cats at a rescue shelter. He wasn’t my actual boss. At my old job,
during lockdown, my manager was furloughed, and one of the most wonderful people
in the whole world was my temporary manager. His name actually is Richard
(Richard Morgan) I didn’t want to change it for this story. He really did help
me through a lot and is a wonderful human, who deserves nothing but the best in
life. I also wrote a poem about him (So Glad That I Met You: https://josiesayz.blogspot.com/2021/06/so-glad-that-i-met-you.html)
and I made him a mini felt ukulele when he left (https://josiesayz.blogspot.com/2021/03/felt-ukulele.html).
Wherever you may be Richard, I hope that you are happy and healthy – and yes, I
followed your advice and got the hell out of there too.)
Her breathing
grew heavy. Throwing one foot in front of the other, the red-head scrunched up
her face, desperate to keep up with the man running in front of her. Ahead, the
man appeared to jog on with ease. With a lead in his hand, his dog raced
alongside him. As they neared the park entrance, the man’s footsteps slowed.
Coming to a halt at the main gate, the man turned around. A smile prodded into
his cheek, as he inhaled a deep breath. Watching the female race towards him,
he brushed a hand through his dark hair. “Well done,” he beamed, as the woman
stopped beside him. “You kept up with us well.”
“Thanks,”
she gasped, leaning a hand against the gate.
“Seriously
Calli, I’m impressed,” he said with a nod. “You’ve improved so much these past
few weeks.”
“I’m
trying,” she panted. “I guess taking Brutus for a run around the park every day,
during lunch, has helped. Well, he takes me for a run, should I say,” she added,
with a chuckle.
“Aww,
who’s a good boy,” the man cooed, crouching down to give his chocolate coloured
Labrador Retriever a scrub on the back.
As
they walked out of the park and made their way over to a nearby apartment
block, the red-head hugged a hand to her companion’s elbow. “Rich-ard,” she
sang. “Have you decided yet what you wanna do today?” she asked, as they
climbed the stairs inside the building. Brutus tugged on his lead, racing ahead
of them.
“I
was thinking of going for a walk around the Malvern Hills today, what d’ya
say?” asked Richard.
“You
do know every weekend doesn’t have to be a work out, right?” Calli said, with a
nervous laugh, loosening her grip around Richard’s elbow.
“But
I thought you liked going for walks,” replied Richard, with a pout.
“I
do,” Calli told him in a small voice, as Richard fished their door key out of
his pocket. “I guess I should have know that moving in with your boyfriend, who
has a degree in sport science, means that every moment that I’m not sat at my
desk, working, in our living room, I have to be working out.” Her brow
furrowed, as a nervous laugh escaped her.
“We
don’t have to,” muttered Richard, opening the door. His shoulders drooped. “We
can stay in if you’d rather,” he added, as he unclipped Brutus’ collar from his
lead. With an excited bark, Brutus raced inside the apartment. “I just thought
it might be nice, is all.” Richard shrugged. “It’s the first dry sunny Saturday
in a while and I wouldn’t be asking you to go hiking with me in a storm again,”
he said with a weak smile and a nervous laugh. Calli beamed back as him, as she
closed the door behind them. “Look, it’s not a workout this time, I promise.
Just a couple on a casual walk with their pet dog.” Richard rubbed a hand up Calli’s
arm, as he stood in front of her. “You can tell me all about that story you’re
working on and we can plan that holiday we were talking about.” Prodding the
right corner of her mouth into her cheek, Calli rolled her eyes. “You can use
the water bottle with the bumble bee on it that I got you,” he added in a
singsong tone. “And I’ll drive us there and at any point you want to go home,
just say and we will. What d’ya say?”
“Can
we stop off and buy snacks?” asked Calli. “You did eat all of my honey and oat
granola bars.”
“Of
course,” he chuckled, with a nod. “See, I told you you’d like them,” he added,
seeing Calli’s eyes light up.
“Deal,”
nodded Calli. Wrapping his arms around her, Richard pulled Calli into an
embrace. She hummed against him. A warmth fluttered inside her, as Richard
kissed the top of her head. Butterflies swirled in her stomach and her cheeks
tingled. “I’ll go take a shower and get ready,” she smiled up at him.
*
Having trudged up
to the highest peak, Calli gazed out at the fields, trees and deep green hills
that surrounded them. Above, the sky was crystal clear. She hummed, as a smile
stretched across her face. “Glad you came now?” asked Richard, hugging his left
arm around her waist, from behind.
“Of
course,” Calli replied. Tugging at his lead, Brutus grew restless of their stop
and wished to continue chasing birds and digging up patches of grass. “Brutus
doesn’t give you long to take in the sights, does he?” chuckled Calli.
“Yep,
he’s always on the go,” Richard replied, as they began their descent down the
other side of the hill. “Takes after me.”
As
the three of them made their way down the hill and greeted several people
walking in the opposite direction, Brutus sniffed at the walkers’ shoes and
barked at a man’s crotch. Richard turned to Calli and asked, “D’you want to
take Brutus’ lead for a while?” as the chocolate coloured Labrador Retriever
swerved to the left. Calli shrugged.
“I
don’t know,” she muttered. “I don’t think Brutus likes me all that much,” she
said, as the dog raced back to Richard’s side.
“You
two get along great,” Richard enthused. “Especially since you’ve been taking
him out on walks at lunch. He loves it.”
“I
know, but,” sighed Calli, with a shrug.
“Look,
he’s just a little over protective,” Richard told her.
“That
and I won’t let him chew the felt ukulele I made for you,” Calli reminded him.
“True,”
Richard chuckled. “But you can’t blame him. You’re the third woman he’s had in
his life over the past five years. Yes, I know how bad that sounds,” he added with
a groan, scratching a hand to the back of his head. “But he’s looking out for
me.”
“I
know,” muttered Calli.
“And
you’re not about to leave me any time soon, are you?” he said with a soft
smile. As his deep brown eyes gazed down at her, Calli felt her stomach swirl
around in a circumbendibus.
“No,”
she laughed. “I’m not about to leave you at the alter for your best friend, nor
am I going to leave you for a fellow model at the modelling agency that I’m not
apart of,” she said with a chuckle. “After my failed long term relationship,
miscarriage and all the mess that’s happened since, you’re the one person that
I feel safest around,” she said lacing the fingers of her right hand through
his left. “If it wasn’t for you, I’d
have given up trying. So thank you for coming into my life when you did.”
Hugging her left arm around Richard’s left bicep, Calli rested her head against
his arm and let out a dreamy hum.
“And
thank you for saving me too,” he told her, giving her hand a squeeze. Loosening
her grip around his arm, Calli smiled up at him. “You were the only one I could
talk to when, you know, my life fell apart. Not many people know about that,”
he told her softly. “But then the whole lockdown thing happened and I was your
boss and I, we couldn’t-”
“We
spoke on the phone every day,” beamed Calli. “And even though I couldn’t see
you, you helped me in more ways than you could ever know.”
“You
helped me too,” Richard grinned back. “Sorry I detoured us,” he added, looking
over at Brutus, chasing a butterfly. “I couldn’t tell you how I felt. I was
your manager. I-”
“None
of that matters now,” Calli reassured him, as she hugged his arm. “We’re
together now and that’s all that matters… and all of our chats about fantasy days
out can finally come true.”
“Yeah,
I can finally take you on that drive to Scotland,” said Richard, with
excitement.
“Are
you sure driving is a good idea?” giggled Calli. “I thought you said you wanted
to try a different whiskey in every pub we pass. You’re not going to be in a
fit enough state to drive us anywhere. Nor would you be able to remember the
beautiful countryside you’ve been telling me so much about.”
“Fine,
how about we go to Scotland for the week and we go to one pub a day and I try
one whiskey at each stop off,” Richard decided. “Then I can still take you on a
tour of the beautiful Scottish Highlands.”
“Deal,”
she told him, with a giggle.
*
As the sun began
its afternoon descent, Calli plonked herself into the passenger seat of Richard’s
car. With an excited yelp, Brutus leapt onto the back seat. “Did you have a
nice time?” asked Richard, as he clambered into the driver’s seat and slammed
his door closed.
“I
did,” Calli smiled back. “The Malvern Hills is so pretty.”
“One
of the many reasons to enjoy the great outdoors,” he told her, as he turned the
key in the ignition. Calli’s beaming grin remained, as Richard began the drive
home.
The
two sat in silence, as the hills overhead faded, as the roads twisted and
turned. Dropping her sight to the wing mirror, Calli watched as the Malvern
Hills shrunk in the distance. “I’m so proud of you,” said Richard, with a warm
smile, as he placed a hand on Calli’s knee.
“Okay…”
Calli murmured, flickering her sight to Richard.
“Me
moving you out to Bedworth, away from your family and friends,” he told her,
returning his hand to the steering wheel. “You having to work from home to keep
your job and start a whole new life with me and Brutus, I know that wasn’t easy
for you.” Calli forced a swallow, as a lump formed in her throat. As Richard
flickered her a glance, she forced a smile and nodded at him. “So…” he went on.
“I was thinking, maybe we could get you a pet of your own. I know Brutus can be
a handful at times, so I was thinking a cat might be more your comfort level.
You often talk about your ex’s cats, so maybe having your own cat might make
you feel a little more at home.”
“Really?”
Calli gasped. “Are you sure that’s okay?”
“Yeah,
how about let’s go to a cat shelter right now?” suggested Richard, with a big
grin.
“Right
now?” Calli repeated, with a giggle, as lines creased her forehead. “Are you mad?”
“Maybe,”
Richard shrugged. “But a detour home might be a little fun.” Sat beside him, Calli
giggled.
As Richard turned into
the carpark, of the cat rescue centre, Calli’s stomach spiralled. Inhaling a
shaky breath, she lowered her sight to her lap. “Are you sure this is a good
idea?” she asked, feeling her throat close up.
“Is what a good idea?”
asked Richard, as he pulled into a parking space.
“Us coming here,” Calli
muttered. “What if I can’t look after a cat? What if I can’t bond with them?
What if Brutus doesn’t like them? What if-” she cried.
“Calli,” Richard sang,
with a chuckle. “Breathe.” Flickering her eyes closed, Calli hesitated a slow,
deep breath and relaxed her shoulders. “That’s it,” Richard told her, as he placed
a hand on her knee. A smile stretched across Calli’s face, as she flickered her
eyes open, to see Richard beaming back at her. “We’re just going to look at the
cats for a fun, peaceful end to the afternoon. If you find a guy you like, we’ll
look into adopting them. If you don’t or you don’t feel up to it yet, no
worries. We can come back when you do feel ready.” Placing a hand on Richard’s,
Calli stroked a thumb across the back of his hand.
“Thank you,” she
whispered, flickering her eyes from his to his smile. Leaning towards her, Richard
kissed the tip of her nose. Calli giggled.
“Come on,” he said. “Let’s
go take a visit to look for a possible future family member.” Taking Calli by
the hand, Richard led her into the cat rescue centre. Pleased of the peace and
quiet, Brutus curled up against his blanket, on the backseat in the car, and
began to snore.
As Calli crouch down
towards a ginger cat, he brushed his tail against her hand and began circling
her. “Somebody likes you,” beamed one of the volunteers. “Thomas doesn’t take
to people very well, but you seem to have the magic touch.” A purr hummed from
Thomas, as he rubbed his head against Calli’s knee.
“See,” said Richard, as
he appeared at her side. “I told you you’d make a friend.” A blur of white,
black and ginger raced towards them. Calli gasped, flinching. A second cat sat
at Calli’s feet, clawing a paw up for her to shake.
“Hello,” said Calli
softly, as she placed two fingers under the cat’s paw. “Nice to meet you too.”
“This is Gem. She’s
always eager to meet new faces,” said the volunteer.
“How long have these guys
been with you?” Richard asked, as he clambered to his feet and walked over to
the rescue centre’s volunteer.
“Gem only a couple of
weeks. Thomas has been here almost five months now,” she explained. “An inspector
brought him over. He was part of a big litter. The owners couldn’t afford to
look after him. You’re the first he’s taken to.” Looking over at the lady,
Calli smiled, as Thomas fought his ground with Gem for her attention.
Leaping down from a cat
bed by the windowsill, a tabby cat with a thick pile of fur wandered towards
Calli and the other cats. As Calli stood up, the tabby plonked himself down on her
feet. Calli let out a giggle, clasping a hand to her mouth. “Luka,” sighed the
lady. “I am so sorry,” she said to Calli. “I don’t know what’s gotten
into him. You usually can’t pull him away from the window.”
“No worries,” Calli told
her, wobbling, as she attempted to crouch back down and stroke the tabby cat on
her feet. “Hello there,” she cooed. “Richard, look what you’ve done,” Calli called
over to him, as a fourth cat, jet black, with a white tummy and a little
twinkling bell on her collar tottered over to say hello. “How can I possibly
pick just one?” she told him. Stroking a thumb to the head of the black cat,
Calli let out a sigh. “I love you too,” she told the cat.
“And
this little cutie is Tink,” said the volunteer. “She’s only been with us a
couple of months.” Wafting her paw at Calli, Tink attempted to climb up the
red-head’s arm. “She’s an adventurous little tyke.”
“Richard,
now look what you’ve done,” Calli sighed, as Richard crouch down beside her,
stroking a hand to Luka, who had since got up and was running circles around
them. “I love all of them.”
“Then
we’ll take all of them home,” he told her with a firm nod. “They’ll have loads
of fun racing around our place. Imagine all the exercise you’ll get looking
after them. And they can have full roam of the communal garden. Most of the neighbours
are elderly, so they’ll love the company, whilst they sit in the sun.”
“You’re
silly,” she giggled. “How can we possibly look after four cats and Brutus?”
“It’ll
be fine,” he told her, with a shrug. “They obviously make you happy. You’ll be the
master cat looking after-er.”
“I
don’t think that’s a thing,” laughed Calli.
“That’s
because you’ll be the first person to master it,” he said, giving her arm a
squeeze.
*
A couple of weeks
passed by. Sat at her desk, in the corner of the living room, Calli’s fingers
hovered over the keys of the computer keyboard, as she gazed outside, watching
the rain pour. There was a knock at the door. “I’ve got it,” Richard called,
from behind her. Letting out a sigh, Calli returned to writing her story.
Chatter
faded in the background, as she heard Richard close the front door. A meow
sounded behind her. Calli’s eyes widened. Spinning her chair around, Calli raced
into the hallway. “Meow!” cried a tabby cat as he raced towards her.
“Luka!”
Calli exclaimed, as he flew into her arms. A jingly bell rang out behind him,
as Tink bound towards them. “Hello,” she cooed, stroking the top of Tink’s
head. A ginger blur darted past her, as Thomas raced into the living room. Another
meow cried out, as Gem, the tortoiseshell cat clawed at Calli’s trouser leg. “Aww,”
she beamed, stroking a hand down Gem’s back.
“I
don’t think I’ve ever seen you this happy,” Richard chuckled, as he crouched
down to stroke Luka. Giggling, Calli beamed at him.
“I
can’t believe they’re all ours,” she told him, with disbelief, as she blew Gem
a kiss. “We need to go find Thomas,” she told the three cats. Upon hearing his
name, the ginger cat, Thomas, raced back into the hallway and leapt into Calli’s
arms. “Hello Thomas,” Calli cooed. “This is your new home.”
“It
is,” said Richard, hooking an arm around Calli’s back. “And hopefully it’s more
of a home for you too,” he told Calli. Lowering his eyelids, Richard leant
towards Calli. She flickered her eyes closed, as Richard gave her a soft,
gentle kiss.
“Thank
you Richard,” Calli whispered, smiling at him.
The end
- Josie -
