hopped up onto the big concrete table and sprawled himself on his side, his tail flicking in the late afternoon sun. She reached over and gently scratched his ears.
“I’m not getting anything for you to eat,” she said. “Chinese food isn’t for kitties.” He just looked at her. Those golden eyes of his were mesmerizing. She smiled, then reached down and kissed him on the top of the head. He looked at her like she’d done something horribly wrong. She laughed.
Thaddeus took the opportunity to jump off her shoulder and hopped down beside Goliath, where the bird curled up against Goliath’s belly and hunched down, so he was tucked against Goliath’s underarms. She never really understood this move, but Goliath didn’t even move.
She looked down at him and said, “You are a beautiful kitty, and I thank you for not hurting Thaddeus.”
Thaddeus gave her a strange little look and started to make a weird cackling sound.
She stared at him. “I really don’t think I want to know what that means.”
And he did it some more.
She groaned. “There should be a handbook on bird sounds.” Then she realized there probably was one, and all she had to do was check the internet. She pulled out her phone, checked to see she had enough data, and then searched on sounds that African grays made.
The trouble was, they evidently had the ability to make hundreds of sounds, which she shared with Thaddeus. For whatever reason, Thaddeus seemed to think that was worthy of a chuckle. But sitting there, snuggled up with a cat who was likely to eat him, was hardly something to chuckle at. But, as long as Thaddeus was happy, she was good too.
She sat here, smiling, as she watched the pizza guy return, leave, and then come back again. “The delivery address must be pretty close for such a fast delivery,” she muttered.
And while she waited, the health food store switched their sign from Open to Closed and even turned the lights down. She could see the woman inside, trying to cash out.
Just when she wondered if the Chinese food had to be grown before it was cooked for her, she heard a call from behind them. She turned to see Mr. Wu waving at her. She walked back inside and said, “Is it ready?”
He nodded and smiled, handing her a plastic bag. The smell was especially good. She grinned at him and said, “Thanks.”
“You come again,” he said.
“What if I only have ten dollars?” she asked wryly.
“You come with no money,” he said, “we still feed you.”
Surprised at that and touched, she said, “Thank you. That is very generous.”
He shook his head. “You good people,” he said. “We feed you.” Then he disappeared into the back.
She could see all the slips of orders lined up by a kitchen pass-through window and realized he was in for a very busy Friday night. With the animals in tow again, she headed to the riverside this time and walked down Mission Creek. Then she had to cross over and come up around the corner. She headed up the back path to her property. She sighed happily as she reached home. She put the food on the little table outside on her deck, went into her kitchen to grab a knife and fork and a dinner plate, and poured herself a glass of water. Just as she sat down, she heard a voice call out.
“In the back,” she yelled. Good thing she’d disarmed the security; otherwise no way Mack could come in. She scooped almost half of the Chinese food onto her plate, realizing it really was a huge portion, and she would have enough for tomorrow too. Except, with Mack here now, there was a good chance she wouldn’t get any leftovers. He came storming through, but the fury on his face had her freezing in place.
“What on earth is the matter?” she cried out.
He stopped, took several deep breaths, and pinched the bridge of his nose. “I’m trying to calm down, but—”
“With you, it’s never an easy process,” Doreen said with a smile. “I’d offer you some of my Chinese food, but it’s all I’ve got.”
“And I’ll say, Thank you, and take it,” he said, marching back inside, grabbing a plate and fork.
She watched almost sadly as he scooped the rest of the Chinese food onto his plate. “If I’d known you were coming, I could have ordered twice as much.”
“I’m kind of surprised you had time to pick up Chinese