Adventures in Cat-Napping

Chapter 13

Ali released a small sigh as he heard Nora and Mrs Jones clamber up the stairs. Picking up the used dishes and cups, he moved them to the sink and opened the tap, washing away the grease as he searched for gloves.

As awful as it sounded, he had no qualms washing his own dishes, but touching anyone else's, forced his nose to wrinkle. It was not a thought he could compute, and so he searched until he found an unopened packet of elbow length pink gloves...with baby-pink fur. The fuzzy material immediately caused his skin to tingle, but he swallowed away the negativity and forced himself to wash up, just as he'd promised.
From Nora's annoyed tone that he could hear echoing from above him, however, he was certain that he would not want to trade tasks.

"I haven't unpacked my pyjamas yet" Mrs Jones yelled in return, as Nora groaned, her voice surly as if her inner-child was having a tantrum. Somehow, it brought a smile to his face and he shook his head, focussing on the dishes; a task that was far simpler.

Harriet Jones was certainly an interesting woman. When Nora had moved to the kitchen, Ali had asked if she had a space for him to pray and somehow that had warmed the ice in her eyes. By the time he had returned to the room, she had unlocked Mr Mitten's cage, and Billy had entered from behind the bookcase. Apparently that's where he preferred to hide most days, and to his surprise, the miserable cat actually prowled towards him.

It took a few moments, and Ali had been petrified when Billy had chosen to sit before his knees, but his own slight movement had encouraged the feline to join him on the moth-eaten sofa and place his head on his knee.

It was the most affection Billy had ever shown his cat sitter, and all Mrs Jones had done was huff in response. "Well, he certainly knows you," She had said, "he's barely come out of his hidey hole, since we moved." Meanwhile, Mr Mittens had headed straight for her, flopping beside her knee with a soft meow, which encouraged her to scratch the space between his ears.
"And how do you find it here?" The sound of clanging momentarily interrupted their conversation and the pair glanced towards the white panelled door.

"Are you sure she can cook?" Mrs Jones asked, and out of pure honesty, he could only shrug. Nora had never mentioned cooking before, or even an interest outside of the food that she ate. He could only assume she was telling the truth.

"We erm, don't know each other well," He explained, gaining her attention as she tilted her chin. He sighed, moving his focus to Billy as he finally took the opportunity to share his story. "Billy...Bertha is my daughter's cat, but I took him to a pet shop hotel because when she leaves him at home for work, he gets depressed. Nora works at the pet shop and agreed to drive me..."

"She drove you all the way here...to Inverness?" He nodded, and the woman murmured, though the surprise was evident in her tone. "It's nice here..." She added, finally answering his question. "Quiet, but after a life of busyness, it's definitely a feeling I could get used to, and Bertha, she's great company."
Ali smiled at that. It was clear that Mrs Jones felt content, and Billy was potentially a catalyst for these emotions, but the feline currently purring on his lap was not his to give, and he was stubborn. He would not be leaving until Billy was safely back in his home.

"What do you think of Mr Mittens?" He asked, and she glanced down at the cat who was currently sleeping on her lap.

"He's adorable, a true gent," She grinned. "Is he yours?"

And so Ali told her the second part to his truth.

***

"Nice gloves," Nora's familiar voice teased as he flinched from her unexpected arrival, turning from the sink to see her covered in a white powder.

"What happened to you?" He asked and she shrugged, running a hand through her hair, leaving a trace of the powder that was stark against her unnatural red hair.