James burst through the front door and froze when he saw Emma sitting on the hallway rug, her shoulders hunched and eyes red from crying. Emma, are you home? he shouted. I can barely make out whats happened to you. Youve been wailing so loudly I cant catch a single word. And, of course, the phone died at the worst possible moment. Whats wrong, love? You look like youve seen a ghost.
The cat hes gone, Emma whispered, struggling to finish the sentence. Muffin isnt home.
How could he disappear? James asked, bewildered. Where could he have gone? Could he be hiding somewhere in the flat?
No. It was your sister Lucy. She told me Muffin bolted into the hallway when she stepped out for a walk with Michael. But you know, James, our Muffin wouldnt run off on his own. Hed never dash out into the street, especially not in this cold. I think she let him out on purpose
What?! James clenched his fists. Where is she now? Wheres Lucy?
She said shed gone to the corner shop Im not sure. Ive been looking everywhere for Muffin, but theres no sign of him. No ones seen him. How could this happen, James? Could a person really be that cruel, throwing a defenseless animal onto a winter street? Is that even possible?
A person, maybe not. Lucy, however shes done things like this before. Dont worry, her feet wont be treading our hallway any longer. Honestly, why did we ever let her stay?
A month earlier
I was walking toward the bus stop when something grey caught my eye beneath a thin layer of snow. At first I thought it was just a stone, but the stone was trembling, shivering like an old, battered fridge.
It was the only thing that had ever made a rock quiver from the cold, so my curiosity got the better of me. I stepped off the pavement and drew closer.
Thats when I realized it wasnt a stone at all but a tiny grey kitten, halfburied in the drifts.
Well, I never I muttered, scratching my neck. What are you doing here, little one?
It was a rhetorical question. Any sensible person knows why a stray animal ends up in the street: its trying to survive, however it can. This kitten wasnt meowing for help; it simply lay there, trembling, as if it had accepted the worlds indifference and was just trying to keep warm.
I gently lifted the shivering creature, brushed the snow from its fur, slipped it into my coat, and, one hand gripping the zipper, raced to the bus stop just as the trolleybus was pulling in.
On the way home I remembered how Emma had always wanted a grey, striped cat, but we never found the time to visit the shelter. It seemed fate had tossed one right at my feet. When destiny hands you something, you take it.
Emma, Ive got a surprise for you, I announced as I stepped inside.
Oh, youre spoiling me again, she smiled from the hallway. One minute its golden earrings, the next its a new phone Ive been dreaming of, then tickets to the cinema. What now? A holiday voucher for a ski resort?
Better than that! I beamed, unzipping my coat to reveal the kitten. Picked up right outside. You wanted exactly this, didnt you? Grey and striped?
Good heavens, Emma gasped, cradling the trembling animal. Hes freezing, poor thing. Lets get him inside, warm him up. You strip down, wash your hands, and head to the kitchen dinners ready.
She looked at the kitten again, eyes softening. Hes lovely.
And so Muffin found his way into our lives. We tossed around a dozen names before settling on the classic Muffin. It seemed more fitting than Tom or Lucas.
It was late November, the first snow of the season, so the kitten hadnt yet learned the perils of a winter street. Thank the heavens for many, that first frost proves to be a fatal trial.
In the two weeks Muffin lived with us, Emma and I grew attached to him almost instantly, our affection deepening each day. He quickly learned that we were good people who wouldnt toss him out like his previous owners. Hed sometimes tip a teacup or nudge a remote off the sideboard, but wed only ask him to be a bit more careful. Ill be more careful, I promise, hed meow, leaping onto the nightstand and sending the TV remote tumbling to the floor.
Everything was fine, until a knock sounded on the door one Sunday morning.
What on earth could be at the door at this hour? I squinted at the clock it was half past six, still dark outside.
Neighbours perhaps? Emma guessed. Did something happen to them?
Ill have a look, I said, heading to the entrance.
When I opened the door, there stood Lucy, not alone but with her fiveyearold son, Tommy.
Hey, brother, she said with a smile. Were dropping by, hope thats okay.
Actually I began.
Dont worry, I know what youre thinking, Lucy cut in. I didnt get a chance to warn you earlier, and at this hour you probably wouldnt have answered the phone anyway, so I thought Id just come. Can you let us in and help with the luggage? Im dragging my suitcase up to the fourth floor and my legs feel like theyll give out.
I let them in, though the sight of a suitcase made me uneasy you dont usually show up at a flat with luggage.
What happened to you? I asked.
Its obvious, isnt it? Lucy replied. My husband kicked me out. Hes found another woman, can you imagine? Ive got nowhere to go. If you dont mind, Ill stay with you for a while until I sort things out. We could even ring in the New Year together. Its been four years since we talked, after all. Were not strangers.
You know why we fell out, I said. Its hard to build a proper relationship on a foundation of lies.
Lucy waved it off. Old grudges are like old wounds theyll scar you forever, as they say. How many times can I be blamed? Everyone makes mistakes.
I wanted to say more, but held my tongue. I didnt want to start the day with a fight, and Emma would never approve of me taking a jab at my sister, whod just been driven out of her home.
The root of the tension was our fathers death five years earlier. Hed left a threebedroom flat in Manchester that was slated to be inherited by Lucy and me. No other relatives existed. Lucy, then heavily pregnant the father of the child was still a mystery had been pressing me to give up my share, arguing she needed the place more, and I, being single and still living in a student hall, obliged. I thought I could sort out my own housing later, maybe with a mortgage, like everyone does now.
After the baby was born, Lucy sold the flat and moved in with a new boyfriend, Val, who ran a small business. Val needs the money for expansion, she explained, so Im using the proceeds to start a life with him. I was furious because wed agreed shed hand over at least half the cash, but the money vanished into business development.
Our mother stayed out of it, saying theyd sort it themselves. Ten years earlier, when we were kids, Id found a stray kitten on the street and brought it home, only for it to disappear later. I never suspected Mum, as shed allowed us the space to keep pets back then. The only person who could have taken the first kitten was Lucy.
Tell me where you put it! I shouted at her. She denied it, but I could see the lie in her eyes. The first kitten had been a troublemaker for her from day one. Then I found another, and it vanished as well. Coincidence? Unlikely.
Mum just shrugged, and Lucy pretended she had nothing to do with it. I stopped bringing animals home after that, and our relationship grew even more strained.
Now Lucy was back at our doorstep, asking to stay a while.
What if we let her stay? Emma sighed. She cant be kicked back onto the streets with a baby. The New Years coming; maybe we can finally patch things up.
Fine, I waved my hand. If youre okay with it, let her stay. Ive got a bad feeling about this, but
The next day Lucy started complaining about Muffin. Hed keep her awake at night, lounging on her sofa, watching her with a strange look. Then Tommy developed a cold.
Thats definitely an allergy to your cat, Lucy told me. My old dog was as healthy as a cucumber.
Maybe its just a cold, I replied. You take him out for walks, after all. Even if it is an allergy, what do you expect? Muffins part of our family.
Youre still the same sentimental fool, Lucy laughed. Family member? I thought youd outgrown that childish phase. How do you still bring stray animals into the house? How does Emma put up with you?
Its because Emma loves animals as much as I do, I said. You seem to hate them. What have they ever done to you?
Theyre a nuisance. I cant sleep because of your cat, and its making my son restless. When you have your own children youll understand.
Children were a sore spot for me. Emma and I have been trying for years without success; doctors cant give us a clear answer, and Lucy knows that. The subject always makes me angry.
Im thinking we should rehome the cat, Lucy suggested. Muffin is just a cat, while I and my son are your real family. Im sure Mum would say the same.
What are you talking about? A shelter? Muffin lives in his own home, unlike you. If you dont like something, youre free to leave. I didnt invite you here. Find a flat and move out.
I almost said something harsher, but I held my tongue, knowing it would only spark a bigger argument. Lucy calmed down enough to keep her resentment for Muffin quiet, but she kept pushing him off the sofa and into the far corner whenever we werent looking. Eventually Muffin started retaliating: he knocked her phone off the nightstand, then accidentally snagged her favourite jumper.
My cat ruins my stuff! Lucy shouted. Why even keep an animal if you cant teach it right?
She never mentioned how her son had once pulled Muffins tail and stolen his favourite soft toy, stashing it in his suitcase.
Thats it! I snapped. Dont forget youre staying in my flat. If you want to remain, keep your hands off my cat!
Alright, alright, Im sorry, she muttered.
On New Years Eve Emma called, sobbing, trying to tell me something important. I left work early and drove home, hoping to catch what she was trying to say.
I burst in, saw Emma on the hallway rug, still crying. I havent understood a word, I said. Your phone died, you were wailing whats happened?
The cat Muffins gone, she whispered. Hes not home.
How could he vanish? Could he be hiding somewhere?
No. Lucy said he ran out into the hallway when she went for a walk. He wouldnt have done that on his own. I think she let him out on purpose.
What? Where is she now? Wheres Lucy?
Shes probably at the shop. Ive been looking for Muffin all day, but theres no sign of him. How could anyone be so cruel, tossing a defenseless creature onto a winter street?
Im sure it wasnt a person, but Lucy could do it. Shes done this before. Dont worry, Ill find Muffin.
That night I never found Muffin. It was dark, and he could have been anywhere.
When Lucy arrived with Tommy the next morning, I gave her a hardline interrogation.
Why did you do that? Why throw the cat out into the cold?
It wasnt me, she shrugged. He bolted when I opened the door. I didnt chase him. My child comes first, not some cat.
I stared into her eyes and saw the lie. Lucy had done it deliberately.
She tried to smooth things over. Tommy, I bought some champagne. Lets not argue over a silly thing, okay?
Fine, I said. Pack your things.
What? she snapped.
Did you hear that? Pack your suitcase or Ill throw it out the window. I sent her off at the train station with a few pounds for a ticket, telling her she could stay with her boyfriend or her mother, but I never wanted to see her again.
Later that day Mum called, accusing me of being heartless.
Lucy came to you as family, and you drove her away with a child? How can you live with that, son?
I told her Id cut off contact.
On 31December, at the dinner table, Emma and I werent looking forward to the New Year. The clocks minute hand ticked toward midnight, the champagne still uncorked. It felt odd to celebrate when our beloved cat was missing.
Emma suddenly whispered, Someones at the door.
Lucy again? I muttered, getting up.
When I opened the door, there sat Muffin, shivering but alive, having somehow survived the night and found his way back.
Emma! Hes back! I shouted, cradling the cat.
We warmed him, fed him, and Emma clutched him tightly, not letting go for a moment. He purred contentedly, as if saying, I made it home, where Im loved.
James, a minute to the New Year, Emma murmured. Ready for the champagne?
Of course!
I popped the cork, poured the fizz, and as fireworks burst outside, we toasted to a fresh start. As they say, how you greet the New Year is how itll be.
From that night on, Muffin stayed with us, his purrs filling the flat, and Emmas belly began to round with new life. The cat seemed to sense the change, curling close to her as if protecting the future that lay ahead.
