Dad nodded and then said gently,“Except you couldn’t bring Jemima?”
“Yes. Beth and I looked so hard for somewhere I could go that would let me have a cat, but there wasn’t anywhere.” Mrs Bell rubbed her eyes. “I arranged for the people from the animal shelter to come and get her,” she explained. “She’d had her kittens – I could hear them squeaking – but I never saw them because I couldn’t get up the stairs. I just put lots and lots of food down for her – nice treats like bits of chicken, so she had the strength to feed her babies.
[Êàðòèíêà: img_36]
“Beth went up and peered round the door and she said they were gorgeous, all curled up with Jemima in a box of old clothes. She took a photo for me. And of course I saw them when the girls from the shelter took them away. Poor Jemima… She was terrified.”
Elsa sneaked her hand into Dad’s. She’d been so angry about Pepper being left all alone – she hadn’t imagined there would be such a sad story behind it.
“But they didn’t take Pepper?”
Mrs Bell shook her head, wiping her eyes with her hand again.“Beth and I must have miscounted, that’s all I can think of. We told the shelter people there were four kittens, and they found four kittens. All tabby. But perhaps the little black kitten was hiding? They just didn’t know to look for him. I’m so sorry. Thank goodness you found him.”
“Yes.” Elsa nodded earnestly. Then she added, “We weren’t sure if you were going to want him back.”
“I wish I could,” Mrs Bell said. “It broke my heart giving up Jemima and I would have loved to keep the kittens too. Though I would have made sure to get them all neutered or spayed, of course.” She looked at Elsa and Sara and Dad hopefully. “Are you going to be able to keep him? If not, I can let you have the details of the shelter where they took Jemima and his brothers and sisters.”
Elsa turned to look at Dad, her eyes wide with hope, but he was nodding.“That would be really helpful. The girls are keen to keep him, but I’m not sure we can manage a cat when we’ve only just moved house.”
Elsa blinked back tears and she saw Sara’s face fall. How could Dad still say that, after hearing Jemima’s sad story?
[Êàðòèíêà: img_4]
Both the girls were silent in the car on the way back. Sara didn’t sit in the front with Dad, like she often did. Instead she got in the back with Elsa and reached for her hand. They held on to each other all the way home.
“Look, I’m sorry,” Dad said gently as he turned off the engine in front of the house. “I know you two want to keep Pepper. Maybe once we’re more settled, we can look at getting a pet. Guinea pigs, like you wanted, Elsa, or we could think about a cat.”
Elsa nodded, and sniffed, and she stumbled up the path after Dad and Sara, trying not to burst into tears. There didn’t seem to be any point crying and arguing when Dad had made up his mind like this.
Then Dad pushed the door and it bumped against a little ball of dark fur. Dad peered around and caught his breath worriedly.“Pepper!”
[Êàðòèíêà: img_37]
The kitten blinked up at them, limp and bedraggled, and then his eyes seemed to glow golden. He sprang to his feet, mewing frantically.
“It’s not that long since Elsa fed you,” Dad said, shaking his head. “Are you hungry already?”
“Oh, Dad…” Elsa scooped Pepper up, half laughing, half crying as he nuzzled desperately at her, nosing at her cheeks and chin. “I don’t think he’s hungry. Look at his paws. His claws are split. And there’s a bit of blood on this one.”
“Look at thedoor…” Sara put in.
“We left him behind,” Elsa said shakily. “Like Jemima and the other kittens did.”
“You mean, he thought we’d gone forever?” Dad reached out to stroke Pepper very gently with one finger. He looked shaken, Elsa thought.
“He’s been abandoned before,” Sara said quietly.
Dad sighed and rubbed his hand across his face.“I suppose so. All right.”
Elsa blinked at him.“All right what?”
“We’ll keep him.”
“What?” Elsa could feel her mouth gaping open, like a fish. “You mean it?” she whispered at last. When Dad nodded, she pressed her cheek against Pepper’s fur, feeling a faint purr start up. She was holding on to him as tight as she dared, and it didn’t feel like enough.
[Êàðòèíêà: img_4]
Elsa reached over and lifted Pepper out of the Christmas tree– again. This time he came with a long strand of silver tinsel wrapped all round his paws.
“It’s not a cat toy,” she told him sternly, but Dad laughed.
“It’s the best cat toy, Elsa. Climbing frame, jingly bells, nice squishy presents to land on if you fall out… Talking of which… Here – open this one. It’s for you and Sara. Sara, put your new phone down for a sec. Look at what Elsa’s opening.”
[Êàðòèíêà: img_38]