The Cat Knows Everything

“Well, you have a cat now,” Mom says.

“A what?” I exclaim.

“We read Aunt Carol’s will today,” she replies, “There was a letter for you.”

She hands me the slip of paper. It reads:

“Dearest Amy,

Death is tragic, especially for those left behind. When my day comes, please take good care of Alfred. He means the world to me. You are a kind soul, Amy, and I know Alfred will come to love you. Please cherish him always.

With all my love,

Aunt Carol”

My mouth feels dry. “I-I don’t know what to say,” I respond.

Mom gently squeezes my shoulder.

“Give it time,” she says.

I join my stepdad at the dinner table.

“He looks terrible,” I think.

“It’s going to be okay,” I say and give him a smile. He stands up and heads to the bedroom.

“Did I say something wrong?” I ask.

“No, dear. Dan just needs time. He was very close to Aunt Carol,” Mom says.

“It must be hard…losing someone you love,” I say.

“It is very hard,” she replies.

I fiddle with my phone.

“Mom?”

“Yes, Amy?”

“I’ve been thinking. I can’t take care of Alfred. Dan is allergic to cats.”

Mom pulls up a chair beside me.

“I’ve been thinking too. Aunt Carol’s house needs looking after. It’s close to college. And you’d be close to Jeremy.”

She winks at me.

“Mom! You’re embarrassing me.”

“Perhaps I should have left that last part out?”

“Perhaps.”

I wink back at her.

“I don’t know. I don't think I’m ready to be on my own.”

“It would be a big change. Just know, I am always a phone call away.”

“Or a text away?”

Mom chuckles.

“Or a text away.”

“Okay. I’ll think about it.”

Later that week, my mom and stepdad help me move into Aunt Carol’s old house. The stove takes forever to boil water, so I toy with the word magnets on the fridge. I slide “The” to the far left and study the remaining words. My eyes land on the “cat” word magnet and I add it next. Then my phone rings.

“Hi Mom.”

“Hi Amy. How are you settling in?”

“Oh no!”

I rush over to the pot of boiling water and take it off the eye.

“Is everything okay?” Mom asks.

“Yes. I forgot there was a pot on the stove. It almost boiled over,” I reply.

My mom laughs.

“Happens to the best of us. How is my girl? And how is Alfred?”

“I’m good. Alfred is weird. He won’t come close and doesn’t seem to trust me.”

“I’m sure he misses Aunt Carol. We all do.”

“Yeah.”

“Oh. I almost forgot. Please box up the books and papers in the office. Dan will pick them up Wednesday. I’ve got to run. Love you, Amy.”

“Love you too, Mom.”

I spend the next few days packing up the office. It is littered with Aunt Carol's stories and I read every single one.

Wednesday arrives and I help my mom and stepdad carry boxes to the car.

"Thanks, Amy," my stepdad says.

"You're welcome. Can you stay for lunch?" I ask.

"I wish we could but we're having lunch with the Smiths."

"Okay. Some other time then."

"For sure."

He smiles at me. Mom walks up and gives me a hug.

"Well, Amy, we've got to run," Mom says.

"Bye. See you later," I reply.

While making lunch, I notice some of the words on the fridge have moved. The train of word magnets now reads “The cat knows everything.” I grin.

“My mom’s handiwork, no doubt,” I think.

Alfred sits on one end of the couch. I pet his head and sit on the opposite end.

“Alfred, do you know everything?” I ask.

In response, Alfred stretches and goes back to sleep.

After dinner, Jeremy stops by. He walks into the room and Alfred hisses at him.

“You have a cat?” he growls.

“What’s wrong with a cat?” I ask.

“What’s wrong with a cat! I’ll tell you what, Amy. You call me when you’re past this stage.”

Jeremy storms out of the house. It isn't long before my confusion turns to tears. Alfred approaches slowly and gently rests his head on my leg.

I am up half the night trying to figure out why Jeremy was so upset.

“It isn’t like him,” I think, “he must have had a bad day.”

A few days later, I bake his favorite cookies and drive over to his house to surprise him. But something isn’t right. There is a second car in his driveway. I drive past his driveway and continue down the road. Then I spot him making out with a red head. I can’t believe it. I slam on the brakes, yell, throw cookies at them, and peel out.

I collapse on the couch as soon as I get home. Suddenly, my phone vibrates. I am half terrified to look at it, but I look anyways. It is a text from Jeremy. It reads, “We’re through.” I slam the phone down on the couch. Alfred jumps.

“I’m sorry, Alfred. It’s just…it’s just…” I say.

I start sobbing. Alfred crawls into my lap and purrs.

I am about to get a glass of water when my phone rings. Alfred looks down at the phone then looks up at me. I take a deep breath and pick up my phone. It is my mom. I tell her all about Jeremy.

“Do you think Alfred knew? Is that why he hissed at Jeremy?” I ask.

“Animals have a sixth sense. They often know who is a bad seed,” she replies.

“Mom? Can I come over for dinner?”

“Of course you can. I’ll see you around six.”

“Okay. Goodbye, Mom.”

“Goodbye, dear. I love you.”

The next day I find myself thinking about Jeremy, so I keep busy by preparing for my finals. I pull a notebook out of my backpack.

“Wait. This isn’t mine,” I think, “Mine is blue. This one is small and black.”

I examine the first page. It reads:

“Alfred the Mighty

by

Carol Thomas”

I chuckle at the title and lay the notebook aside.

Later that evening, I am relaxing on the couch when Alfred walks up to the wall and meows loudly. He paws at the wall then stares at me. After an hour of this, I walk over to him.

“Alfred the Mighty, we need to talk. If you want outside, you need to paw at the door,” I say.

He meows loudly and starts digging into the wall. Alfred stops and stares at me as if to say, “Are you going to help?” I grab the hammer laying on the kitchen table.

“Just so you know, I’m framing you for this,” I say.

Inside the wall is an antique coin purse. I shake it. There are several coins inside. I pick Alfred up and hold him in my arms.

“Thank you, you wonderful kitty!” I say.

The next day, I wait at the door for the coin shop to open. The coin dealer inspects the coins, excuses himself, makes a call, then walks over to me.

“$20,000 is my offer.”

“$20,000!”

The coin dealer smiles and shows me the check.

“Do we have a deal?”

“Yes!”

“Good. Thank you for your business.”

“Thank you!”

When I get home, I give Alfred a big kiss and dance around the house. Then I call my mom to tell her the good news.

“You demolished a wall?” she says.

“Uh…yeah,” I say.

“Whatever will I do with you?” she exclaims.

Mom laughs.

“How about this…let’s forget about the wall and go out for a fancy dinner? Your treat?” she says.

“Steak?” I ask.

“Why not? You’re buying,” she replies.

I chuckle.

Our fancy dinner turns into a night on the town. It is early in the morning when my parents leave. I am tired but too excited to sleep. I pick up the small, black notebook and begin reading “Alfred the Mighty.” Halfway through the story, Alfred curls up beside me. I find myself yawning and soon dose off.