girl, Joey. You always have been.” She reached for the cookies.
“Um, Grammy. Don’t you think you ought to wash your hands first? Or wait until after lunch to eat cookies?”
“What’s the point of being a grown-up if I can’t eat cookies whenever I want?” She did get up to wash her hands though. Small victories. I dialed the number and then squeezed my eyes shut.
Luckily, it was the answering service who picked up. I exhaled and closed my eyes. Putting off the inevitable. I gave my cell number and explained that I had found a stray and wanted to get her cleaned up and checked out.
Five minutes later, I got a call back from the vet’s assistant, my personal nemesis, Ursula. We had been in gymnastics together for years. Had been friends when we were younger but as it became clear that I was being pushed to reach for elite status, Ursula had resented my success. Even after my accident, her frosty attitude hadn’t thawed one bit.
Haltingly, I explained the situation with the cat.
“I suppose Pete could squeeze you and your stray in around two.” She sounded like it was a huge imposition.
Two. That didn’t give me much time to go home and change into a mom-approved ensemble, get to the grocery store, and interview with Alina. I covered the receiver and turned to face my grandmother. “Grammy, would it be all right if I left the cat here for a little while?”
Grammy wiped her mouth, dislodging a cookie crumb. “Sure.”
“Two is fine. Thanks, Ursula.”
She hung up without acknowledging me at all.
I sighed and set the phone down. Grammy asked, “What are you going to call her?”
“She’s not my cat. It doesn’t seem right to saddle her with a name for just a little while.”
Grammy waved me off and the cat, having finished her vittles, hopped back up on Grammy’s lap. “Still, you should call her something.”
The cat’s green eyes met mine as though she were waiting for a verdict. I thought about the internet search and the information I had been stewing over that had sent me out on that hike. It probably wouldn’t matter in the long run. She must have an owner somewhere.
“How about Puck?” I asked.
Grammy harrumphed. “Sounds like a boy’s name. Course, girls can do anything boys can do better so Puck it is.”
“Anything except pee standing up. Thanks, Grammy. You’re the best.” I pushed away from the table.
“That was one of Grandpappy’s favorite sayings.” Grammy smiled wistfully.
My grandparents had been married for sixty-two years before my grandfather’s passing. My marriage to George hadn’t even lasted two. Was a forever kind of love like they had shared even possible for someone like me?
It occurred to me that if I accepted Robin Goodfellow’s deal, I would get to see my grandfather again. See me the way I’d been before my accident. A trip back in time. I’d only need one to right the ship. Just prevent the accident that had shattered my wrist. But maybe there were other tweaks I could make.
“Grammy, if you could travel back in time and fix something, what would you fix?”
Grammy actually considered the question instead of dismissing it as a whimsical flight of fancy. “There was this hairstyle I wore in the sixties that I absolutely hated. I’d undo the ‘do.”
I stared at her a moment. “That’s it? That’s what you’d change? A hairstyle?”
She worked her dentures around for a bit before nodding. “Yeah, I burned all the pictures of me from those years and now there’s a gap in my albums.”
If I ever reached my grandmother’s age, I hoped I would be half as content with my life as she was with hers.
“Try to keep her in the kitchen.” I gave Puck one final scratch behind the non-dented ear and made a mental note to scrub Grammy’s kitchen from top to bottom if Puck did in fact have fleas. I just hoped my grandmother wouldn’t end up covered in bites.
After washing my own hands again, I headed back up the street to our house. Mom’s car had been repaired and was sitting in the driveway. Mom was in her studio listening to Aretha Franklin. I hurried up the stairs and pulled on a plain gray straight wool skirt, a black V-neck sweater, and black boots. I pulled my hair up into a tight ponytail and then stuck diamond studs in my ears. After a glance in the mirror, I added a swipe of raspberry lip balm to help combat