IN SEARCH OF A MISTRESS Oliver, what on earth are you doing? my husband stared at me as I threw him a
Theres Always Work Left to Do at Home Old Granny Edith fumbled with the latch of the rickety wooden gate
Three years ago, I divorced my husband. We had nothing in common except our son. I wasn’
“YOU MISSED IT, SARAH! THE PLANE’S GONE! ALONG WITH IT, SO HAS YOUR POSITION AND YOUR BONUS!
Parental love, honestly, is its own wild adventure. Mum used to say all the time, Children are the flowers of life.
“Mate, pack it in, would you? Ugh. Is that you who smells?” “Sorry,”
“Mate, pack it in, would you? Ugh. Is that you who smells?” “Sorry,”
3lst December Megan, are you busy? Mum called, peeking her head through my bedroom door. One second
Back from Holiday, Tom Isnt So, your Tom still hasnt called or written a letter? No, Vera, not by the
— I’ve Had Enough of You!!!… I Eat Wrong, I Dress Wrong, I Do Everything Wrong!!! — shouted Paul.
— You Can’t Do Anything!!!… Can’t Even Earn Proper Money! … You’re No Help at All Around the House! … — Marina sobbed, — …And We Have No Children…, — she whispered almost inaudibly.
Snowy — a white-and-ginger cat of about ten years, perched silently atop the wardrobe, watched the latest “tragedy” unfold. She knew for certain — she could even feel it — that Mum and Dad loved each other, truly… So she just didn’t understand — why say such hurtful things that made everyone feel worse?
Mum ran crying to the bedroom, and Dad began chain-smoking on the balcony.
Snowy, seeing her family falling apart, mused: “This house needs happiness… and happiness is children… We must find children somewhere…”
Snowy couldn’t have kittens herself — she’d been spayed years ago, and as for Mum… the doctors said it was possible, but it just never seemed to work out…
In the morning, once her parents left for work, Snowy slipped out through the window for the very first time and went to visit her neighbour, Mittens, for advice.
— What on earth do you want kids for?! — scoffed Mittens, — Look at ours! When their kids visit, I have to hide… they smear lipstick on my whiskers, they squeeze me so tight I can’t breathe!
Snowy sighed: — We need normal children… If only we could find some…
— Well… That stray Maggie had a litter… there’s five of them…, — Mittens mused, — take your pick…
Taking her chances, Snowy scrambled from balcony to balcony and down to the street. Nervously twitching, she squeezed through the iron bars of a basement window and called:
— Maggie, please could you come out for a moment…
A desperate squeaking sounded from inside.
Cautiously crawling closer and glancing all around, Snowy was nearly moved to tears at the sight: five tiny, blind kittens, their noses searching the air, crying deafeningly for their mother under the radiator, directly on the gravel. She realised — Maggie hadn’t been here in days. The kittens were starving…
Holding back tears, Snowy gently and persistently carried each kitten to the front steps.
Trying to keep the pitiful, hungry bundles in one place, she lay down beside them, anxiously awaiting the return of Mum and Dad.
Paul, wordlessly collecting Marina from work, brought her home in silence. Approaching the house, they stopped in astonishment — on the doorstep lay their Snowy (who’d never ventured outside alone before), surrounded by five mewling, multicoloured kittens.
— How on earth did this happen?? — Paul was baffled.
— It’s a miracle…, — echoed Marina, and scooping up the cat and babies, they all hurried inside.
As the now-contented Snowy purred in a box with the kittens, Paul asked:
— What are we supposed to do with them?
— I’ll feed them with a bottle… Once they’re bigger, we’ll find them homes… I’ll ring my friends…, — whispered Marina.
Three months later, overwhelmed, Marina sat stroking the feline “herd,” staring into space, repeating over and over: — Things like this just don’t happen…, just don’t happen…
And then, with happy tears, she and Paul laughed and spun around together, speaking all at once:
— I didn’t finish the house for nothing!
— Yes, a fresh-air baby will be so happy here!
— And the kittens can run around!
— There’ll be room for all of us!
— I love you!!!
— Oh, I love you even more!!!
Wise old Snowy wiped away a tear — at last, life was looking up… How fed up I am with you!!! You dont like how I eat, the way I dress, or anything else I do!
