Grimalkin ✔

One

She hated her job. 

The supposedly sensible heels had blistered her feet. A headache pounded in her temples, courtesy of an entire shifts worth of customers who kept her scurrying from table to kitchen, and then couldn't be bothered to leave a decent tip. Her greasy boss had "accidentally" groped her ass and stared down the uncomfortably revealing top she was required to wear.

It was just another Tuesday in a never-ending parade of Tuesdays.

She couldn't afford a car on the less than minimum wage she made, so she was forced to walk everywhere she needed to go. She had even managed to convince herself that she didn't mind the walking. After all, it had given her great legs. But, deep down, she wished to be able to afford a car. Or to at least have a close enough friend to be able to count on for a ride.

The resentment festered and grew, leaving her less friendly as time went on. And more alone.

So, on this Tuesday that was indistinguishable from any other Tuesday, she was clicking her way along the sidewalk, eager to put up her feet. She kept her head down, uncaring about the comings and goings of the rest of the population. But a sound broke through the wall she had constructed between herself and the world.

The quietly thrumming rumble coming from behind her was both familiar and unexpected. She looked back, and found a cat keeping pace with her.

The animal was coal black and fluffy with big yellow eyes. It blinked slowly up at her as it stopped just out of reach, still purring loudly.

She may not have been all that fond of people, but the woman liked cats. She bent down and reached out a hand to the animal. With another slow blink and a disdainful flick of it's tail, the cat stepped forward, allowing her to rub behind it's ear.

After a moment spent stroking the soft fur, she rose up and continued home. But the hearty purring stayed at her heels for two more blocks, until she reached the steep wooden staircase leading up to the door to her tiny apartment.

She eyed the cat, unsure what to do about the creature. After all, her dislike was reserved for people, not animals. She was reluctant to leave it alone on the street if it didn't have an owner to care for it. Another pet to it's fluffy neck to search for the nonexistent collar, and her mind was made up.

She climbed the stairs and unlocked her door, holding it open for the still purring animal who didn't hesitate to walk inside.