is,” said the Merilee person. “Really, you can’t blame your cat for being upset. Most cats don’t like to travel. It unnerves them. You have to kind of ease cats into a situation like this. After all, this is a strange place. That can be scary.”
A human who understood? What a treasure!
“I can see that,” said Zach.
Yeah, finally .
“I guess the hat wasn’t such a good idea, either,” said Zach.
“Right up there with me telling your girlfriend what I thought of her. I’m sorry.”
“She’ll get over it,” said Zach. “Blair’s a sport.”
Here was a new word for Ambrose to add to his vocabulary. Sport: horrible human female .
Merilee squatted down and looked into the carrier. He regarded her with an air of wounded dignity befitting someone unjustly incarcerated.
He could tell right away that this woman understood his plight. She had kind eyes. And … wait a minute. Was it possible?
“I’m sorry you’re scared, sweetie,” she said.
He looked closer. Yes, this was indeed the volunteer from the animal shelter. They had met in another life. She’d tried to save him when his owners banished him to the nasty place for scaring that stupid canary to death. Sentenced simply for behaving like a cat—grossly unfair! Merilee had gotten him featured as a pet of the week in the Angel Falls Bugle, but all to no avail. “Someone will want you,” she’d assured him.
No one had, though. Was it any wonder Ambrose had turned bitter in his later lives and taken to torturing unfortunate beagles? A guy couldn’t trust anyone, not even Merilee, who had failed to save him from destruction.
She opened the door and Ambrose braced for betrayal. Now she would pull him out and feed him to the Santa monster.
Much to his surprise, however, she merely dropped a couple of kitty treats in his carrier and then shut it again, saying, “There you go. You just relax and enjoy those.”
Relax? Here on the floor right in the middle of a store that allowed people to bring in dogs? Right.
But the door to his carrier remained shut and the cougar stayed gone. When no one was looking Ambrose moved forward and sampled the cat treats. Delicious.
So Merilee was still a nice woman, trying to bring some goodness into dark places like this. Ambrose peered up to see Zach smiling at her. Obviously, he liked her. Surely these two good people should mate. They were bound to produce more good people.
Here came the cougar again, a paper towel pressed to her hand. Who invited her back? She grabbed Zach by the arm and said, “Let’s go, Zach.”
“Uh, thanks, Merilee,” said Zach.
Then the cat carrier was airborne once more and they were leaving the store, and that was the end of pictures with Santa. Good.
Even better, Zach and the cougar were fighting.
“What were you thanking that clerk for? Did you hear how she talked to me?” Blair Baby ranted as they pulled away from Pet Palace.
“Did you hear yourself?” Zach retorted.
“That animal is feral.”
“No, he’s not. He was just pissed,” Zach snapped. “I told you putting the hat on him was a dumb idea.”
You’ve got that right .
“Well, excuse me for trying to help,” huffed Blair Baby.
Zach said nothing.
At last she let out a long sigh. “I’m sorry. You’re right; it was a bad idea. Let’s not fight over a silly cat.”
Silly? This woman who just made a public fool of herself is calling me silly? I’ve seen birds with bigger brains .
“I’m not the one doing the fighting,” said Zach.
She said nothing to that. Instead she came back with, “I guess you’ll just have to snap a picture of him when he’s sleeping. If you can get a shot that doesn’t show his ragged ear you might find a home for him by Christmas.”
By Christmas? So now the cougar had set a deadline for getting rid of him. How soon till Christmas? Zach’s mother had stopped by the other day to remind Zach that Christmas was right around the corner. But which corner? How
A human who understood? What a treasure!
“I can see that,” said Zach.
Yeah, finally .
“I guess the hat wasn’t such a good idea, either,” said Zach.
“Right up there with me telling your girlfriend what I thought of her. I’m sorry.”
“She’ll get over it,” said Zach. “Blair’s a sport.”
Here was a new word for Ambrose to add to his vocabulary. Sport: horrible human female .
Merilee squatted down and looked into the carrier. He regarded her with an air of wounded dignity befitting someone unjustly incarcerated.
He could tell right away that this woman understood his plight. She had kind eyes. And … wait a minute. Was it possible?
“I’m sorry you’re scared, sweetie,” she said.
He looked closer. Yes, this was indeed the volunteer from the animal shelter. They had met in another life. She’d tried to save him when his owners banished him to the nasty place for scaring that stupid canary to death. Sentenced simply for behaving like a cat—grossly unfair! Merilee had gotten him featured as a pet of the week in the Angel Falls Bugle, but all to no avail. “Someone will want you,” she’d assured him.
No one had, though. Was it any wonder Ambrose had turned bitter in his later lives and taken to torturing unfortunate beagles? A guy couldn’t trust anyone, not even Merilee, who had failed to save him from destruction.
She opened the door and Ambrose braced for betrayal. Now she would pull him out and feed him to the Santa monster.
Much to his surprise, however, she merely dropped a couple of kitty treats in his carrier and then shut it again, saying, “There you go. You just relax and enjoy those.”
Relax? Here on the floor right in the middle of a store that allowed people to bring in dogs? Right.
But the door to his carrier remained shut and the cougar stayed gone. When no one was looking Ambrose moved forward and sampled the cat treats. Delicious.
So Merilee was still a nice woman, trying to bring some goodness into dark places like this. Ambrose peered up to see Zach smiling at her. Obviously, he liked her. Surely these two good people should mate. They were bound to produce more good people.
Here came the cougar again, a paper towel pressed to her hand. Who invited her back? She grabbed Zach by the arm and said, “Let’s go, Zach.”
“Uh, thanks, Merilee,” said Zach.
Then the cat carrier was airborne once more and they were leaving the store, and that was the end of pictures with Santa. Good.
Even better, Zach and the cougar were fighting.
“What were you thanking that clerk for? Did you hear how she talked to me?” Blair Baby ranted as they pulled away from Pet Palace.
“Did you hear yourself?” Zach retorted.
“That animal is feral.”
“No, he’s not. He was just pissed,” Zach snapped. “I told you putting the hat on him was a dumb idea.”
You’ve got that right .
“Well, excuse me for trying to help,” huffed Blair Baby.
Zach said nothing.
At last she let out a long sigh. “I’m sorry. You’re right; it was a bad idea. Let’s not fight over a silly cat.”
Silly? This woman who just made a public fool of herself is calling me silly? I’ve seen birds with bigger brains .
“I’m not the one doing the fighting,” said Zach.
She said nothing to that. Instead she came back with, “I guess you’ll just have to snap a picture of him when he’s sleeping. If you can get a shot that doesn’t show his ragged ear you might find a home for him by Christmas.”
By Christmas? So now the cougar had set a deadline for getting rid of him. How soon till Christmas? Zach’s mother had stopped by the other day to remind Zach that Christmas was right around the corner. But which corner? How
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