Thomas had always dreamed of a son. He even had a name picked out – Timothy. But as life would have it, his family was growing three daughters instead…
His wife, Mary, never lost heart.
“Just look at them – aren’t they beautiful?” she would say.
Thomas would smile and nod. Of course, he adored his clever little girls. Yet sometimes he felt a pang of envy watching the neighbour kick a ball with his boys.
“Come on, Tom! Your Amelia does karate. She fights better than any lad,” his friend said.
Thomas laughed. Ten-year-old Amelia was indeed a feisty girl. Her younger sisters, seven-year-old twins Charlotte and Emily, were just as spirited.
But the dream of a son never left him…
His daughters had a dream too – a pet.
“No way. I can’t stand a creature that never stops barking,” Thomas said, brushing off their pleas for a dog.
“A cat will ruin the wallpaper. Hamsters stink. Parrots are too noisy,” he dismissed every suggestion.
The girls frowned, even sulked.
“Emma and Lily next door have two dogs! And they’re fine!” Amelia muttered, but their father was unmoved.
“We’ll think of something,” Charlotte said, who never gave up easily.
Thomas’s birthday was approaching. The girls sat in Amelia’s room arguing over what to give their dad.
“A thermos? A shaving kit?”
“No, that’s too boring!”
“Well, you think then, smarty-pants! We’ll draw a card! Only two days to go!”
“Oh, that’s so childish! The gift has to be surprising and memorable! That’s what Mum says.”
The discussion had been going on for half an hour and was about to turn into a fight when the phone rang:
“Amelia, did you take out the rubbish?” Mum asked.
“Of course… yes, we did. Are you coming home soon?” Amelia lied without blinking. And, after confirming Mum wouldn’t be back for a while, she quickly got ready.
“We’re coming with you!” the twins backed her up.
“What, all three of us going with one rubbish bag?” Amelia frowned.
But in a few minutes, the whole group was out the front door.
“Listen! Over there, by the bins,” Emily whispered.
The girls froze and nodded. Getting closer, they realised the meowing was coming from the wheelie bins.
“Surely no one stuffed a cat in there?” Amelia said uncertainly.
Charlotte just shrugged and started pulling out the bags stuffed inside the bin.
The sisters wrinkled their noses and helped. As if sensing rescue was near, the cat let out a desperate cry.
“I hope it doesn’t jump at us. Why hasn’t it come out? Is it stuck?” Amelia grunted, leaning over the edge.
On the other side, Charlotte and Emily were working hard.
A few minutes later, the answer came:
“These grown-ups have lost their minds. Who would think of tying a cat in a plastic bag and dumping it!” Amelia fumed, untying the rustling polythene where a terrified ginger cat sat.
“He’s beautiful and friendly! How could someone throw him away?” Emily sighed.
The cat immediately climbed onto the girl’s arms and pressed against her, trembling.
“What have you little hooligans done? Littered all the rubbish on the path! I’ll tell your parents! Having fun while your mum and dad are out!” Mrs. Higgins screeched across the yard.
Arguing with the fierce old woman was useless. She was charging towards them despite her age.
“Run,” Amelia ordered.
And the sisters dashed to the entrance. The old woman’s angry shouts followed them.
“Phew, we got away,” Charlotte panted, slamming the front door.
“She’ll still tell on us, you’ll see. Remember when we broke the window in the stairwell? She was there and told Dad that very evening,” Amelia snorted, recalling their mischief.
Meanwhile, Thomas was coming home from work. He was in a great mood. The weekend and his birthday were ahead. He’d always loved this holiday and was happy to spend it with family.
Suddenly, a Romani woman appeared beside him:
“An unexpected gift waits for you, dear! You’ll be happy, you’ll laugh!” she said quickly, touching his hand, and then walked away.
“Odd fortune tellers nowadays. They used to ask for a coin,” Thomas chuckled to himself and, dismissing her words, hurried home.
At home, there was lively discussion:
“Did we find out what Mum’s giving?” Amelia asked her sisters, but they shrugged.
“I asked, but she said it’s a surprise. We’ll all know when the time comes,” Charlotte answered.
That was odd. Mum usually prepared for Dad’s birthday with them.
“I saw her putting something in a gift envelope. Maybe a spa weekend? Remember, they talked about a getaway together?” Emily said thoughtfully.
“Maybe. But our surprise will be just as good. And it will be memorable and totally unexpected for Dad,” Amelia giggled.
“Just hope he doesn’t find it before time,” Charlotte put a finger to her lips.
The doorbell rang, and the girls rushed to open it. Their parents stood at the doorstep.
“You’re awfully quiet today. Come on, confess – what have you done this time?” Mary said, scrutinising her daughters.
But the sisters assured everything was fine.
“We even took out the rubbish!” Amelia reported.
“Good. Then why is the bathroom so wet?” Mum asked, heading to the sink.
The girls exchanged glances.
“Sorry, Mummy, I wanted to wash my T-shirt. Got it a little dirty,” Emily looked down.
“Never a dull day!” Thomas laughed. He was in excellent spirits.
The girls quickly went to their rooms and went to bed without any fuss.
“The team is growing… Look how obedient they are today. They must be planning a surprise for me,” Thomas smiled, kissing his wife.
“More like the calm before the storm,” Mary said doubtfully. She knew her daughters too well…
They were already in bed when a noise came from Amelia’s room.
“I thought I heard meowing,” Thomas murmured sleepily.
When they entered the kids’ room, Amelia was sitting with Charlotte:
“I had a bad dream, but it’s fine now. Can I sleep with Amelia?” the girl said softly.
“Of course, sweetheart. Are you sure you don’t need us?” Mary asked.
The sisters nodded, and the rest of the night was quiet…
On the eve of his birthday, Thomas slept badly. He had nightmares about the red-haired fortune teller. She meowed and stared at him with bright green eyes.
Finally, he opened his eyes and froze. Right on his chest sat a ginger monster, boring into him with its gaze!
“Meow,” the monster greeted Thomas.
“Ahhh!” Thomas cried out.
Mary immediately sat up, trying to understand what was happening.
“What? What is it?” the birthday boy stammered, staring at the ginger cat that was now trying to settle at his feet.
Mary blinked in confusion.
“Oh, Dad! You’ve already seen our surprise!” Amelia walked in, trying to sound cheerful.
The twins followed:
“Happy Birthday, Daddy! We decided to give you a present you’d remember. Meet Pudding. He’s very good, calm, and well-behaved.
By the way, he’s been living with us for two days, and you didn’t even notice. All the sofas are fine, and the wallpaper too,” Charlotte and Emily spoke over each other.
Mary laughed as Thomas gasped for air.
“Don’t worry, Dad. Mum is going to give you a spa weekend, and you’ll have a great break away from us. We’ll manage on our own,” Amelia blurted out.
“What spa? Wait, girls,” Mary looked at her daughters in surprise.
“But isn’t your gift in the envelope a holiday trip? I saw it myself,” Emily came to her sister’s defence.
Mary laughed nervously.
“Nothing can be kept secret in this house,” she finally said.
“But what am I supposed to do with this beast?” Thomas asked in bewilderment, watching the cat purr quietly at his feet.
“You see, Dad, it happened by accident. We went outside and found the cat in a bag… in the wheelie bin. Then Mrs. Higgins appeared. She was shouting. Well, you know how she is…” Amelia began.
“We got scared and ran home as fast as we could,” Charlotte added authoritatively.
“It all just happened, and the cat ended up here. But we couldn’t throw him back in the bin! We even washed him and made him presentable. He’s very calm and patient,” Emily said with tears in her eyes.
Thomas sighed. For some reason, the fortune teller’s words about an unexpected gift came to mind.
“Well… Some gift this is,” he muttered, looking at the whole crew.
“Darling, maybe the girls are right. The cat is really pitiful. Think what he’s been through. And he seems very calm and affectionate,” Mary came to her daughters’ defence.
Thomas sighed, weighing the situation.
“He’ll catch mice for us! I’m sure!” Charlotte threw in her strongest argument.
“But we’ve never had mice,” Thomas said sadly, looking around.
“Anything can happen. I heard some scratching behind the wall the other day,” Emily backed up her sister.
“Alright, you little rascals. We’ll see how you behave from now on. And we’ll see how Pudding behaves too,” Thomas laughed.
“Why Pudding?” Mary asked.
“You should hear how funny he purrs when you rub his belly,” the girls smiled.
“But what was the gift in the envelope?” Emily asked.
Mary looked a little embarrassed. Then she brought her husband a small box containing the envelope.
“No way!” Thomas exclaimed excitedly, looking at the contents.
He couldn’t hold back his tears…
*****
“Sure, a baby brother is wonderful. But I think our Pudding made quite an impression on Dad too,” Emily whispered to her sister that evening, lying in bed.
“Our Pudding is a traitor. He slept with us for two days, and tonight he moved to Mum and Dad’s room,” Charlotte frowned.
“Oh, come on. He’s Dad’s cat after all,” Emily giggled.
Thomas lay in bed, happy, listening to Pudding purr.
“What a soothing sound. Why didn’t we get a cat before? I don’t understand,” he whispered, pulling his wife close.
“Enjoy the peace and quiet. Soon this house won’t let you sleep,” Mary laughed.
“You know, I can’t believe we’re having a son! Thank you, darling. This is the best gift ever!” Thomas smiled and closed his eyes in pure happiness.
