Night Club Cat, part six

[frogs_of_war]

Our area is on hold, no one is supposed to go out that doesn't have to, until the freezing rain turns to rain and then melts the ice/compact snow that covers everything. Then we wait to see how bad the flooding is. Which probably means the store I work at is crowded with customers getting that last thing or just seeing what the roads are like. I'm so glad I had the day off.

Night Club Cat, part six
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Key batted at a rock. How long before Key got more than kisses? He wanted Sexy against a wall or, better yet, in a bed. If Sexy was staying in town for weeks, he had to have a hotel or a room somewhere. Why hadn’t he invited Key over?
 

 

Maybe Key had enough to rent a room for the night. But he’d need all that for living on. Would anyone be willing to rent to someone with no ID? Would he want to rent from someone who was?
 

 

Key sighed.

 

Mrs. N was watering her flowers. Key rubbed against her leg, then batted at the falling water.

 

“Kit, stay out of that.” Mrs. N lifted her watering can. “I put fertilizer in it this time.”
 

 

Key sniffed at the wet plant, then wandered off as if he hadn’t understood her. Amberly, a neighbor girl, was bouncing a ball in the alley. She never tried to pick him up.
 

 

“Kit!” Amberly set her ball aside and held out her hand. Key sniffed it. She backed into her own yard and sat down. He climbed into her lap and let the petting commence.

 

“Would you like a tea party, Kit? Hailea is with her mom today, so no one is going to try to put you in a baby bonnet.” Hailea was Amberly’s stepsister. Their dads moved in together after Amberly’s mother died and Hailea’s parents broke up. The men were great at barbecuing and often left him something good to eat.
 

 

Was that charcoal next to the brick grill? Key went over to look. That was charcoal. They only brought it out of the shed when they were going to use it. Pork, chicken, beef, or fish? He knew where he was eating tonight.
 

 

“Come on, Kit!” Amberly came out the back door with her little table. “The front yard today?”
 

 

Key came reluctantly. Amberly always gave him good treats, but her family lived next to Mom and Dad. Their cars were both in the driveway. Maybe they were dancing in the living room to those old-timey songs they loved so much. The front door opened.

 

“I’m so glad you came to see us.” Mom wiped a tear with the back of her hand. Who had hurt Mom? Key would make them regret it.

 

Dad put a hand on Mom’s shoulder. “To think… Will you…?”
 

 

“I’ll help in every way I can,” said Sexy of all people. “You know how to get a hold of me.”
 

 

Dad nodded.
 

 

“Thank you.” Mom held Sexy’s hand a bit too long, but Dad just tried to smile.
 

 

Key rubbed against his leg. Dad looked at Sexy. Sexy nodded. Then Dad bent down and rubbed the back of Key’s neck. Mom hurried inside. Sexy grinned at Key and sauntered off. Why was he here? What had he said to Mom and Dad? Why were they both upset and glad he’d come?
 

 

Key followed Sexy down the sidewalk. At the corner Sexy turned. Key cut across the Hazelton’s lawn, but when he got to the sidewalk, Sexy was gone.
 

 

He hadn’t gotten into a car. There hadn’t been time for him to drive away. Key sniffed around. Sexy had just vanished. Key traced his steps.
 

 

“Kit!” Amberly was setting up her dolls on little chairs. “I’m almost ready.”
 

 

She fussed a bit. All Amberly’s dolls smelled nice. “I just need to get our refreshments. Dad might have something you’ll like.”
 

 

“Amberly,” Mom came across the grass, carrying a bowl. “I saw you were having a party and I was wondering if you needed something for Kit here.”
 

 

“Thank you, Mrs. Marlow.” Amberly grinned. “That’s perfect. Be right back.” She scampered into the house.

 

Key moved to the far side of the table as Mom set the bowl down.

 

“I need to apologize to Mrs. N for all the bad thought I had about her, naming her little stray after my Kit, my Christopher.” Mom wiped a tear. “Beck saw you turn into a cat.”
 

 

Key took another step back, but Mom didn’t try to touch him.
 

 

“He thought he was crazy. We didn’t know what to think, but the clothes you left on the porch had cat hair in them. Beck refused to explain. We were all so upset and frightened.” Mom held out her hand. “But we love you and missed you every single day.” Mom but down her hand with a sigh. “When you’re ready, come and see us. Of course you could just be a normal cat.”
 

 

She got to her feet as Amberly’s screen door closed with a bang. Her arms were too full of tray to close it slowly. Key ran across the yard and poked around in the flowers. What had Mom meant? Who was Christopher? Did she mean Key?

 

Cziske was Key’s surname. He’d been teased about it in school, but Christopher? He didn’t recognize Christopher. And the name Kit was so wrapped up in what Mrs. N called him… Had she called him Kit as a boy too?

 

Key needed some time to think.
 

 

“Kit?” Amberly looked up from her table. “Everyone’s served. It’s time to eat.”
 

 

Key wandered back over. Amberly scolded a doll for being too greedy. She’d probably picked that up from Hailea, whose mother was always putting her on a diet. Eight-year-olds who were served healthy foods in reasonable amounts didn’t need to go on diets. The dolls had each had three baby carrots and two chocolate chips on their plates and fuzzy orange juice in their little cups. This was not a Daddy planned Tea Party. Those were elaborate, including things like radish roses and apple swans.
 

 

His bowl didn’t have dry kibble in it, like it would have if Amberly had asked her Dad. This fish and rice might have been leftovers. It tasted as good as it smelled. After he finished eating, he sat on Amberly’s lap and got pets.

 

Mrs. N came around the block and she and Mom talked. They kept looking at Key. What were they saying?
 

 

“Hello to you too, Kit.” Mrs. N knelt and held out her hand. “My concern finally made its way to through the University’s bureaucracy and they sent us a graduate student.”
 

 

She turned to Mom. “I wasn’t about to risk Kit’s sanity by trying to do it myself. I’m not sure how much he remembers, but I don’t think he would have stayed this long if he didn’t remember anything.”
 

 

“That nice Yasin said it wasn’t just luck he ended up back home.” Mom sucked in a breath.
 

 

Mrs. N patted her arm. “There there. Kit dear, I left some clothes you might fit in your loft.”
 

 

That was nice of her, but Key wasn’t ready for any of this.