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I reminisced on our recent encounter with two feathered friends who hadn’t been very nice at all, and shivered. “Please don’t mention birds to me, Dooley. At least not for a little while.”

“Oh, I’m sorry, Max. I just didn’t think—parakeets are nice birds, though. Not like—”

I arched a warning whisker in his direction.

“Okay, Max. I won’t mention birds again.”

I closed my eyes and drifted off to sleep once more.

“Max?”

“Mh.”

“How about a gerbil? Gerbils are nice.”

“Please let me sleep, Dooley,” I muttered.

“Oh, of course, Max. Absolutely.”

Just then, there was a loud knock at the door.

“There’s a knock at the door, Max,” said Dooley.

“I know, Dooley,” I said. “I heard.”

The knock was repeated, louder this time, and a voice was added to the mix. It was Garth.“Odelia? Chase?”

A third and final knock, when it didn’t bring the desired result, concluded the incident. Footsteps receded and finally faded away, and we were left with the burning desire to know why Garth had wanted speech with our humans.

It’s just one of those moments when one regrets the fact that an obviously benevolent and intelligent God didn’t outfit the feline species with opposable thumbs, enabling us to open doors and greet unexpected visitors.

22

The sound of laughter announced the return of the vacationers from their day spent ashore.

“I think they’re back,” I told Dooley, and stretched and yawned.

“I hope they had a good time,” said my friend, and followed my example.

The door opened and Odelia and Chase entered. When they didn’t immediately find us, Odelia cried, “Max! Dooley! Omigod, Chase, they’re gone!”

“Out here!” I yelled, hoping to nip this sudden panic attack in the bud. “We’re on the balcony!”

Odelia came hurrying out, and when she saw us lying under our respective chairs, placed a hand to her chest and expelled a shuddering breath.“Thank God you’re safe. I thought those birds had taken you again!”

“No birds are ever going to take us again,” I assured her. “Isn’t that right, Dooley?”

“I’m going to eat so much I’ll be as heavy as Max and then when they try to lift me up they won’t be able to do it,” Dooley announced happily.

I gave him a dark look, which entirely missed its mark, but at least Odelia didn’t look as if she was about to have heart failure. Chase also joined us outside, and both of our humans collapsed onto the deck chairs.

“And how was it?” I asked, quite unnecessarily, of course, for they both looked tanned and relaxed—even more tanned and relaxed than the previous day. If this kept up they’d both look like George Hamilton by the time we returned to Hampton Cove.

“We had such a great time,” said Odelia. “We spent the entire day in the company of Laura, David and Adele.”

I cut a quick look to Dooley.“Did Laura tell you about her forbidden romance?” I asked, remembering I hadn’t yet shared that particular secret with our human yet.

“Her what?” asked Odelia, gratefully closing her eyes.

“Her illegitimate romance,” I clarified. And I proceeded to give her a verbatim account of the conversation we’d overheard between the two lovers—separated by cruel fate—and Salvatore’s apt comments.

Odelia, who wasn’t aware of this romantic entanglement, quickly filled Chase in, who was equally surprised.

“They seemed very friendly with each other,” said Odelia, “but I didn’t see anything strange in that.”

“They are the same age,” Chase pointed out.

“Poor Laura,” said Odelia. “To love that man and not being able to be with him.”

“She could be with him, if only he’d get a divorce and marry her,” I said.

“Yeah, but that would create such a rift between Laura and her mom.”

“Do you think parakeets make good friends, Odelia?” asked Dooley now.

“I don’t know, Dooley. Why?”

“Oh, just thinking that maybe Salvatore could use a friend.”

“Salvatore has plenty of friends,” I said. “He’s got Bertha, and Laura, and David, and Adele.”

“Adele is so funny,” said Odelia. “She kept cracking jokes all afternoon. I had no idea she was so funny.”

“How about a gerbil?” Dooley said. “They’re the same size. I’ll bet Salvatore would love a gerbil.”

“Adele told me a very funny anecdote about Bertha,” said Chase. “How she once drove her wheelchair on her toes and how it hurt like hell because of her ingrowing toenail.”

“That doesn’t sound very funny,” said Odelia.

“You probably had to be there.”

“Oh, before I forget,” I said. “Garth was here earlier, knocking on the door and wanting to talk to you.”

“Oh? And what did you tell him?”

I smiled.“Nothing?”

Odelia laughed.“Oh my God. I keep forgetting I’m the only one who can talk to you guys.” She turned to her husband. “Garth dropped by. We probably should give him a ring.”

“Do you have his number?”