Short stories

Black cat

He sighed without leaving his daughter out of his sight. She played with her dolls in the garden. Close to her was the huge plastic pink house. Nancy hit the counter, attracting his attention.

“It’s out of the question,” she said through clenched teeth.

“She has a problem. It’s not normal for a girl of her age to always play alone.”

“Don’t judge the way I raise our daughter, Mike. I know very well what is good for her.”

He abruptly turned to his wife, shaking his head.

“You’re too protective.”

“Please! Our daughter is normal.”

“She spends all her time with this fucking doll house! We should never have offered it to her!”

“I noted that your parents gave her this house for her birthday. And we have just moved here. Give her time.”

“How do you explain Bill?”

“She has a lot of imagination. There is nothing wrong with that!”

A heavy silence fell upon them. Mike turned his attention to his daughter, completely discouraged by the situation in which they found themselves. Changing school didn’t appear to have any effect on Dylan. She was a little more isolated every day in her imaginary world populated by princes and princesses fighting wizards and dragons. Nobody was allowed in her world. Being an only child, she used to play alone. It was a hard habit for a seven years old little girl. Mike insisted anyway.

“Dylan needs professional help and soon.”

“Out of the question.”

“Why do you refuse to see the truth?”

“Do you realize that you categorize our daughter as a psychiatric case? How dare you do this?”

“She needs help to get out of her world,” Mike replied by flip-flopping. “I never said that we should commit her.”

At the same time, Dylan went into the kitchen. Her parents turned to her, surprised to be interrupted. They were even more surprised to see the huge fat cat she carried in her arms. She proudly showed them the cat that didn’t flinch a bit. It had green eyes half closed and it purred like a motor truck. Nancy went to her daughter and gently stroked the animal behind the ear. The cat completely closed its eyes and let itself go under the caresses.

“It’s very cute,” she said. “Where did you find it?”

“Hiding in the bushes. Can I keep it?”

Mike sighed.

“It may already be someone’s,” her father said.

“It doesn’t wear a collar,” Nancy replied.

The girl buried her face in the animal’s black fur while her mother continued to caress it. How a human being could abandon such a beautiful creature?

“Please, daddy! It likes me!”

“I have nothing to say against the idea,” Nancy announced. “It seems very affectionate.”

“My dear,” Mike replied as he knelt before his daughter, “I’m… I’m allergic to furry animals.”

The girl looked down, sad not to be able to keep the cat. Nancy frowned, looking up at her husband.

“What about the cat we had before I gave birth to our daughter? The one who died two months before?”

Mike furiously glared at her because she totally destroyed his lie. Their daughter hastened to promise that she would take care of it. She went to her room to leave the cat and then take her mother’s hand saying they should buy everything it needed. Before leaving the house, Mike asked his daughter if she had found a name for the cat. She hastened to tell him with a cheerful voice: