Door Knocker

It was very cold Friday evening. Lite snow continued to fall onto what was already snow-covered streets. The temperature was ten degrees below normal and normal was cold enough. Luke was walking home from work. He wasn’t driving because, like many in the neighborhood, his car would not start. He could not afford to have it towed to a warm garage and let it sit inside until the fuel line thawed. He was walking.

Walking didn’t bother him. He had a job before that compelled him to walk. He walked sometimes miles; other times, just blocks. He carried 100 pounds or more each time he walked. Steel, ammo, water, food and the weight of his job went with him on every walk.

Now though, he was just walking home. The weight came from having read his pay stub before leaving work. There wasn’t enough. He once again was debating himself within his mind who would get paid and who would have to wait. How long would the Landlord wait? Maybe he had 10 days before the electric company sent a disconnect notice. Maybe?

He hated having to process this debate nearly every pay day. It was life and he would do it but still, he hated it. As he processed this thought, his eyes caught sight of a cat sitting in the road. It was sitting as low as it could in a tire track. The weight of a car compacted the snow in the track, and the cat found a small morsel of relief from the cold in the track. It sat there, seemingly frozen. Snow was layering on its coat bubbles formed on its nostrils as it tried to breathe.

Luke kept walking. He didn’t like cats, nor did he have the money to take care of one. In his life, every penny really did matter. His son was at home. He may not be freezing but he probably was hungry. No doubt his wife had given the boy lunch, but there wasn’t enough. The boy was supposed to be in school eating free lunch. The weather had shut down and the food meant for dinner each night now had to be enough for two meals. Luke clinched his fist as he wondered how to replace the food. Luke kept walking, faster now as he processed the problem of food.

Without warning Luke stopped walking. He went from a very brisk pace to standing perfectly still. His heart was pounding as he tried to reason with the tought that just entered his head. It was almost like a voice. “That Cat,” said the voice. Luke spun around 180 degrees on his right foot and began to run back toward the cat.

A car passed him as he ran and panic set in. He assumed the worst, but he kept running towards the cat. It only took a few minutes for Luke to reach the cat. It was still there. It had not moved. Tire tracks arched around the cat, but the noise of the car did not frighten the cat into running. The cat seemed to accept its fate. It was going to die tonight, right here on the track.

Luke looked at the cat. It was covered with black and white splotches. It was a large cat, maybe the alfa cat at some point in life. Luke quickly formulated a plan. There are four occupied houses in the area. He would knock on each door and try to find the cat’s owner. Then he could, with a clear conscious, leave the cat to its fate.

Luke recalled the last time he went door to door in a neighborhood. He didn’t want to think about it, but his mind always left him with little choice. He was good at his job. Stopping at a door, knocking, shouting” U.S. Army, open up.” In a language he didn’t understand, then he kicked open the door. “Door kicker” was titled he earned. He was fearless at it. He reached for the scars on his leg, chest and arm. They were left on him the last time he ever knocked on a door over there. That time, the man inside fired his rifle before Luke could fire his.

Luke cleared his head of those memories as his boot landed on the last porch step of the first house. He held the cat in one arm now, slightly away from his body as if it were diseased. He meant nothing by it; he just did not like cats. He stood directly in front of the door and knocked. He realized on the third knock that he was striking the door much harder than needed. The fourth strike sounded wimpy by comparison. A lady answered the door. She opened it a crack and said, “can I help you sir.” Luke raised the cat a few inches and explained how he found the cat and that he was hoping to find its owner. The lady politely explained that, though she liked cats, she was allergic and could not have one in her home. She thanked Luke for looking out for its wellbeing. Luke thanked her for her time and turned to leave as the lady closed her door,

Luke’s boot hit the snow-covered sidewalk when he noticed the cat was having trouble breathing. He took hold of the cat and brought it to his face so he could. The bubbles had frozen around the cat’s mouth and nostrils, making it difficult for the animal to take in a breath. Luke’s mind went back to that day, lying on his back in the doorway. The door that he just kicked down now lay across his legs. He could not move, and it was so hard to breathe. A hand grabbed his vest near each shoulder. It was two different fellow door kickers, each as fearless as he was. With one hand, they pulled him away and with the other, they continued to fire their rifles through the breech.

Luke shook away the memories and looked at the cat, wondering how to help. It let go with one hand and shook off his glove. With his bare hand he began rubbing the cat’s face. The mucus that was frozen in place and hindering the cat’s breathing was quickly melting. Luke wiped it off the cat’s face and then wiped it onto his pants. The cat began to breathe easier. Luke picked up his glove and continued his mission.

He climbed the steps onto the next porch and walked straight to the door. He knocked four times but this time, none of his strikes were overbearing. No one answered. He repeated the process but still there was no answer. Without another though, Luke exited the porch and started walking toward the next house.

As he proceeded through the snow, he realized that the cat was probably too cold. He stopped in place for a moment and thought of what to do. He smiled when it came to him. He unzipped his coat and put the cat inside. The cat resisted a bit but soon realized he was being helped. Luke carefully zipped his coat up around the cat, being careful not to catch a single piece of fur in the zipper. He felt for the back end of the cat through the coat and crossed his left arm tightly under the cat so it would not fall out.

Luke’s mind took him back again. This time it was after he had been pulled to relative safety. Grenades were exploding inside the house as hands were applying pressure to his wounds. He could feel the medic searching for a vein to start an IV and here the radio squelch as the call was being made for an evac helicopter. There were so many hands on him, each guided by a mind that knew exactly what to do. He heard the bird land and felt the lift as the hands grabbed the board placed under him and ran with him towards the open door. He felt the thud as the board landed on the deck, and he was pulled inside. He fell asleep as he was being secured and the rotors began picking up speed.

Luke again had to shake his head a little to get the memory to leave. He went to the third and repeated the knocking process. He could see someone moving through a window, but no one answered the door. He knocked four more times and waited. There was no answer, so Luke again made his way to the sidewalk and started towards the last house. The last hope for the cat. Halfway between the third and fourth houses, Luke stopped to check on the cat. It looked better from what Luke could see of it. Its face didn’t look frozen, and it was breathing just fine. Luke zipped up the zipper and continued his mission. As he approached the fourth house, he stopped at the bottom of the steps and open his coat to look at the cat again. He could feel and hear that it was purring. Despite being sick and close to death, it was happy to be with Luke. Luke looked up at the house then down at the cat. He shook his head and closed the coat, mumbling to himself that it was only six or seven more blocks to his apartment building. He started walking at a quick but guarded pace so as not to drop the cat. His arms switched positions as he moved.

He stopped at the door to his apartment. It was in a rough neighborhood, and he had to use the key to get inside. There was a buzzer system, but it did not work. As he entered, he noticed the many signs taped to the walls by the Landlord. He noticed one he had never paid attention to before. In large red letters was the words, “No Pets.” Luke convinced himself that he did not see the sign and started up the stairway. He lived on the second floor, so he always took the stairs.

He approached his apartment entry door with the key at the ready in his right hand. He stopped at the door and paused for a minute. He put the key in his pocket and decided to knock on the door instead. He knocked lightly, not wanting to cause alarm inside. He heard a chair slide against the floor and footsteps coming towards the door. Those footsteps were quickly joined by smaller feet and soon the door swung open. Sue stared at him for second, wondering why he didn’t use his key. She noticed his hand and arm tightly wrapped around his abdomen and she thought he might be injured. Then she looked at his face. Something was different. In the past his face always showed I love you, but it was also always distorted with pain and worry. Tonight, I love you showed through with a slight smile and a clear bright face. LJ tugged at Luke’s arm while saying the words “Daddy. I’m so glad you are home. Mommy made supper.”

Luke gave them each a quick hug with his left arm and made his way into the apartment. LJ closed the door and moved to where Luke was now standing. Sue looked again, looked at the right arm and asked what was wrong. “Nothing” Luke replied as he unzipped his coat a little and peered inside. Two bright blue eyes stared back up at him. He unzipped his coat completely, exposing the cat to Sue and LJ. Sue put a hand over her face a chuckled while LJ yelled with delight “Is that for me?” “Yes.”, said Luke, “but we need to talk about him.”

He looked at Sue and asked her what was so funny? “You hate cats.” She said. “I still do but I like a cat.” Luke said in reply.

LJ ran to Luke and held his hands up for the cat. Luke cautioned LJ that the cat might scratch him as LJ took hold of it. The cat, however, did not scratch. Instead, it nudged LJ under his chin with its head and started purring. Luke let LJ hold the cat and asked Sue to get a towel for the cat to lay on while the family ate their dinner. The cat curled up on the towel as the family ate supper. Luke explained to Sue and LJ his journey with the cat as they ate. Not the mental journey, just the journey with the cat. As dinner was ending, LJ held up his last fish stick and asked if he could give it to the cat. Luke told him it would be ok, and LJ ran to the cat, holding the fish stick high aloft in his hand. He laid the food next to the cat’s nose and after a few sniffs, the cat rolled onto its feet and started eating. “He likes Daddy.” LJ exclaimed.

LJ took a position on the couch as things settled down. He fell asleep with the cat on his lap. Luke listed LJ and laid him down as the cat jumped off LJ’s lap. Sue brought in a blanket from LJ’s bed and raised it in the air to spread it and cover LJ. As she did, the cat jumped back onto the couch and laid the feet of LJ. Sue said she was tired and was going to bed. She already knew that Luke would be in later, when he was so exhausted that he could fall asleep.

Luke returned to his seat at the table, He sat and though. The worries, the money, the cat, his family. How will they make it? The memories. How did he make it? The cat. How did the cat make it? These things repeated all night long. Soon the sun was shining through the window and Luke knew he would get no sleep. It was Saturday so he didn’t have to report for work, but there was still much to do. Mail ran early on Saturdays so Luke thought he would go downstairs to the mailbox. As he rose from his chair, he heard a faint knock on his door. He walked over to the door wondering if the Landlord with an eviction notice was. Luke knew he was over a month behind. He reached the door and peered through the peep hole.

The letter carrier stood at his door holding a parcel and a light orange piece of paper. Luke recognized it right away. Mail that requires his signature. This always meant bad news. Luke opened the door and carrier said “Sir, I have a parcel that requires your signature.” Luke took the pen and small paper and signed on the appropriate line then handed them back to the carrier. The carrier thanked him while handing Luke the red, white and blue package. The carrier departed down the stairs while Luke closed the door and went back to the table.

He saw the cat walking toward him and leap onto the table. It hunched down on its hind legs and stared at Luke as if it wanted to tell him something. Look turned the parcel over in his hands to see who sent it. The words Department of Veterans Affairs glared back at Luke. For eight or ten years he had been waiting on this parcel. He opened it and started going through the documents. He was trying to read it, just looking for key words. He found the first set of words. A judge has made a decision on your appeal. He continued reading, skipping lines until he found the word “granted” and he began to feel the weight he had carried since his injuries melt away. He rifled to the page that contained blocks with dates and dependents and dollar amounts. He found the words “the total amount will be deposited in your account on file with in ten days if it has not already been deposited.”

Luke dropped the papers onto the table and ran to his phone. He hoped he had enough prepaid minutes to call his bank. He had all his account information memorized so he could enter it quickly. He dialed the number and waited for the prompt. As soon as he heard “enter your account number.”, his fingers began to quickly work. Soon he heard your available balance is. He began to sob just a little as he heard how much was deposited. Many of his worries were instantly gone. He finally sat in his chair at the table. He hung up his phone and crossed his arms over the paperwork. He laid his head across his arms and thought he might fall asleep. As his eyes closed, he felt a tap on his shoulder and heard the words “Everything ok Daddy.” Luke stood up and said” Everything is just fine LJ. Give me a hug.” LJ reached up his arms and Luke picked him up. They hugged and Luke lowered LJ to the ground. LJ noticed the cat sitting on the table, still staring at the paperwork. He climbed up on a chair, sat down on the table and started petting the cat. He looked up at Luke and asked, “Daddy what’s mt cats name?” Luke was stunned by the question. He had not even thought about a name. Luke stood silent for a few seconds, then said “Ranger. His name is Ranger.” LJ said he liked that name. He scooted across the table and hugged the cat. “I love you, Ranger.” he said out loud. Luke reached out and patted the cat on the head and before he even realized what he said, out of his mouth came the words “I love you too Ranger.” Sue, who had been standing unnoticed in the bedroom doorway, heard the exchange of words and saw the jesters taking place at her table. She slipped quietly back into her bedroom. She wasn’t sure what just happened, but she knew some had changed. She walked over to a curtain and pulled it back revealing the closet space. Hanging from the bar in the closet was a blue suit, decorated with patches and awards. She looked at the scroll on the shoulder and she knew how the cat got, no earned its name.

Sue closed the curtain and walked towards the table. LJ was still petting Ranger, but Luke was standing now by a window. She called out to Luke who raised his arm and motioned her to come join him. Before she reached him, Luke looked up outside the window and whispered, “ Thank you for the knock on my door” he paused just a second, “and that cat.”