Frederick is a trucker who isnt exactly unpopular at work people simply keep their distance. Hes a sensible driver, reliable and diligent, but he never joins the crew for a drink after the shift. No one even asks to be his partner, and he likes it that way. The other longhaul drivers have nicknamed him Grim and it sticks; they rarely use his real name.
Todays run looks ordinary: familiar route, standard freight, nothing to raise an eyebrow. He steers his rig, eyes the highway, and then, near the shoulder, something flickers in the grass. A striped cat is crawling out from the weeds. Frederick almost passes, but a sudden pang in his chest makes him pull over and investigate.
The cat is huge, blackstriped, hissing as though its preparing to sell its life for a few breaths. Its fur is matted with blood, a paw limp, and it looks barely alive.
How did you get into this mess, you miserable moggy? Frederick asks, crouching beside it.
The cat bares its teeth and lets out a hoarse meow, as if to say it needs no help and would rather be left alone.
Frederick recognises the stubborn pride of a cat he once knew the pampered feline that used to curl up on his grandmothers hearth when he was a boy. He remembers the warm purrs, the soft belly rubs, and the sudden loss of both cat and granny years ago.
Im no veterinary surgeon, but you look like you cant keep going like this, he says. Theres no shelter around here, so let me get you to a vet.
He lifts the cat gently, places it on the back of his cab, and the animal settles down, as if accepting its fate.
Diverting off the main road, Frederick rolls into the small market town of Whitby and finds a veterinary practice. The elderly Dr. Margaret looks up as he walks in, cat cradled in his arms, and the few patients in the waiting room step aside.
Lucky you, little one, the vet says, inspecting the cat. Well clean you up, bandage the wound and youll be back on the road in no time.
Frederick protests, Ive got a delivery to finish, I cant stay.
Dr. Margaret shrugs. Theres no animal rescue nearby, and you cant just release a wild cat back onto the highway. Hes not a kitten hes a grown cat, and hell need care.
The cat watches them with green eyes that seem to pierce Fredericks conscience. He feels a tug of guilt to abandon it now would be cruel.
Fine, he grumbles, and the vet begins treatment.
In the waiting area two older women chat loudly.
Emilys daughter rushed in again today, hiding from her husband, one says.
Poor thing! Shes a pearl of a woman, and that bloke of hers is a nightmare. Hes even been abusive, they say, the other replies sympathetically.
Frederick doesnt linger on their gossip. He has his own worries a promised wedding that fell apart when his fiancée left him for a man with a temper, a life that feels as if its been written in the margins.
When the vet hands back the cat, still weak but moving, he says, Give him a few weeks, the plaster comes off and he should be fine.
Thanks, Frederick says, taking the animal and heading for the door.
He has no clue what to do with this unexpected gift, but time is tight; he must still deliver his load. He secures the cat on the sleeper berth and pulls back onto the highway.
A few miles later, he spots two figures by the roadside. A desperate woman waves, and a small girl clings to her.
Sorry, Im not taking passengers, Frederick mutters, keeping to his rule.
A sudden Meow! echoes from the back of his truck.
Awake? he asks the cat. What do you want?
Meow! the cat repeats insistently.
Maybe youre hungry? Frederick guesses. Good thing you spoke up, or Id have left you to fend for yourself.
He stops, lifts the cat onto the grass; it arches its back and flicks its tail, confirming Fredericks suspicion.
Just then the woman and the girl rush toward him, the girls eyes red from crying.
Please, take us with you! Its only about thirty miles to the next town, the woman pleads, dragging her daughter by the hand.
Frederick sighs. Im not a taxi driver, Im a haulage man. Take the bus.
We missed our only bus, the woman explains, wiping away tears. Well pray for you forever if you help us.
The cat, now limping a little, pads over to the girls foot. She kneels, strokes it, and the cat purrs.
Let me give you a lift, and you can keep the cat? Frederick offers. Hes already settled in.
The womans eyes fill with gratitude. I work at a vet clinic, I love animals. My aunt lives in the next town well ask her to look after the cat.
Frederick nods. Whats your name, love?
Ellen, she says, and this is my daughter Violet.
He glances at the cat, then at the tiny girl with her loose curls, frightened but hopeful.
Will your aunt take the cat? he asks, remembering the earlier conversation at the clinic.
Hopefully, Ellen replies, blushing. My husband left me, and theres no phone. Hes gone.
Frederick pulls out his phone, hands it to her. Give her a call when you can.
She whispers something about a broken marriage, mentions a nophone situation, and then, in a hushed tone, says, Aunt will take us, but not the cat.
Violet hiccups, clutching the cats fur. Come back, kitty, she murmurs.
Frederick sighs, accepts that the cat cant be rehomed right now, and drives the three of them to the small town of Harrogate, where Ellens aunt lives. He hands the cat over, and Violet refuses to let go, hugging the animal and planting a kiss on its whiskered cheek before pulling back.
Dont do that, Violet! Ellen scolds, halflaughing, halfpanicking.
Dads missing, so shes clinging to anything, the aunt mutters, shaking her head.
Frederick feels a strange pang in his chest. He had long ago given up on the idea of a family, but this little girl with her curls and her desperate need for a companion pulls at something inside him.
Will you visit us again? Violet asks, looking up at Frederick with big, wet eyes.
Ill try, he says softly, unable to refuse.
He watches them disappear into the house, then gets back in his cab and continues his route, the image of the girl and her mother lingering behind him.
Later, as he drives along a quiet stretch, he spots two men arguing near a parked car. One of them steps onto the road, waving his arms wildly.
Help! he shouts.
Frederick pulls over, but before he can get out, the man pulls a pistol and fires toward the road. A stray bullet whizzes past Fredericks head. In the same instant, the cat leaps from the cab, claws out, and snarls at the gunman. The attacker drops his weapon, stumbling backward, while the second thug lunges forward.
Frederick grabs the pistol, points it at the remaining attacker, and shouts, Hands up!
The thug screams, Get the cat off me, you crazy fool!
Frederick, with the cat still clinging to his arm, dives back into the cab, slams the brakes, and yells, Move!
He calls the local police on his mobile, reports the incident, and within minutes the officers arrive, cuff the two crooks, and take their statements. One of the constables, a grizzled man named Sergeant Hughes, remarks, Youve got a hell of a partner there, lad.
Frederick looks at the battered cat, which stares back with fierce green eyes.
My partner, he says, smiling despite the adrenaline, and hes earned his stripes today.
The story of the trucker and his brave cat spreads through the drivers radio network and social media. Folks wave when they see his rig, and the cat becomes something of a legend on the motorway.
Three weeks later, the plaster comes off the cats leg at the clinic. Frederick drives back to Whitby, hoping to see Ellen and Violet again. He steps into the waiting room and there they are, the woman wiping tears from her cheeks.
Oh, its you, Ellen says, eyes brightening. I had a dream last night that youd be coming.
Frederick chuckles, Dreams do funny things, dont they? No trouble with Violet?
Not at all, she replies, smiling, my aunt loves us, and Ive finally filed for divorce.
Frederick feels a sudden, unexpected rush of warmth. What if we keep in touch? I could use a friend on the road.
Ellens face lights up. Id like that very much.
The cat, perched on Fredericks lap, lets out a soft meow as if approving the new arrangement.
Months later they are married, and Frederick switches jobs, becoming a driver for a mobile veterinary service. The cat now known around the circuit as TailMate lives with them, watches over Violet whenever she visits, and occasionally curls up on the sofa, dreaming of endless highways.
Life isnt a grand romance any more, but its a steady, warm one, and Frederick knows that without his feline partner the roads would feel far lonelier. The world needs wise cats, after all.
