Before I Die by Jackie Morrissey

Author:Jackie Morrissey [Morrissey, Jackie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Inkubator Books
Published: 2020-06-20T16:00:00+00:00

20

The cat’s banshee wail of fury brought Maureen into the hall at maximum speed. Figs was backed into a corner, his hair standing on end, hissing and spitting at Dolores.

‘What happened?’ Maureen looked at her pet in consternation. He often hissed as Dolores went by, a gesture of hostility that she would have copied herself if it had been socially acceptable to do so, but this was more like a declaration of war. Dolores stepped out of his path and flicked a dishcloth at him as he raced for the back door cat flap.

‘Your cat, he is not nice. A vicious creature. You found him, yes? You should be careful. He might attack you too if he is angry.’

Maureen ignored her comment. She was disturbed to see poor Figs so upset. It was his home too, after all. She tried to disguise the note of suspicion in her voice as she questioned Dolores. ‘What set him off, though? He wouldn’t just… go off like that, with no reason.’

Dolores waved her hand in dismissal of Maureen’s words. ‘This is a wild animal. You should get rid of it.’ With that, she stepped away, cleaning cloth in hand, leaving Maureen to wonder what had happened to rouse such fury in the cat. She followed Dolores into the front room. The incident had reminded her of something.

‘He was outside the front door yesterday evening. Did you see him going out? He could get run over by a car out there, or savaged by a dog. I always keep him to the back garden.’

‘You were out in the street? When? You should not go out alone. You are not well enough for that. This is not a good idea.’ There was disapproval in Dolores’s voice.

Maureen was impatient. ‘I can go out if I want. I’m fine. I feel a bit better this morning. But I am worried about the cat. Please don’t let him out the front door. Okay?’

Dolores gave her a long and appraising look, then shrugged. ‘Okay. I will be careful. Now, sit here in the front room. I will bring in tea. And cake I made myself. Chocolate. A little bit will be all right for you. Today, I cook. I will leave you something to put in the microwave.’

Maureen would have been just as happy to make a sandwich for herself, but knew there was no point in arguing with Dolores. She would do what she wanted, regardless. She sat, sipped the tea Dolores put beside her, ate the cake, and made plans. Today, she would go out. She always felt at her best in the mornings, so she would go soon, while she still had some energy. Her train of thought was interrupted by a rap on the window. To her delight, Ross’s face appeared, pressed against the glass windowpane. She got to her feet as fast as she could, and made it to the front door before Dolores had realised they had a visitor. Maureen hugged Ross as if he’d been gone for a year.

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