Page 93 of Hold the Pickle
The microwave finishes its cycle. I don’t want to resent those kittens. I should aim my anger at the apartment complex for forcing our hand. Why should they refuse a litter if they were going to charge us extra and keep our deposit if the place got damaged?
And there’s the matter of the lease. We could have gotten out of it if they kicked us out. But now I’m stuck here.
I stab the chicken and noodles, not wanting to eat. But I have another long shift coming up, and I need the fuel to get through it.
The savory bite nearly unravels me. It’s like Nadia is here, sitting next to me, spooning it onto my plate. A meal. Nourishment. Company.
Real life.
I had it for a while.
And I don’t know exactly how to get it back.
31
NADIA
This is torture.
I lie on my bed, letting the kittens crawl all over me.
The cats aren’t torture. I fall more in love with them every day.
But being here. In my childhood bed. No job. No friends. Nothing to do but watch fur grow.
I shift to my side. “This was a bad idea,” I tell Ferris, who bops me on the nose for my negativity. His tiny claws scrape my skin. I tap his head. “Be nice.”
Mama Cat hears my tone and leaps onto the bed. She picks Ferris up by his scruffy white neck and jumps back down. Now that the kittens are getting more adventurous, she’s been aggressive at keeping them in line.
“Thanks, MC,” I tell her.
She plops Ferris next to Cattarina, who puts a meaty paw on the kitten’s back, as if to say, “Don’t do that again.”
There’s a knock at the door, louder and faster than Mom or Dad. My heart leaps for a moment, imagining Dalton is here, but that’s dashed when my brother Axel’s voice comes through. “Hey sis, you okay?”
“Yeah, watch for cats on the way in.” I sometimes let the kittens have the run of the house, but this morning I didn’t feel like chasing them down.
Axel opens the door, his shock of sandy brown hair appearing first. He watches the floor as he enters. “Got an attempted jailbreak,” he says, scooping up the black body of Doppelgänger.
“Normally it’s Ferris who makes the escape,” I say. “But he’s in time out.” I wave over to the cat bed in the corner, where Cattarina holds vigil over Mr. Mewler, who is a fuzzy white blob at her massive feet.
He takes in the room. “Mom said you had six cats.” He sits on the edge of the bed. He looks the same as always, mop of hair, scruffy beard, hiking boots and workout clothes. He’s always tan from his daily mountain treks. He’s known far and wide for hiking naked, although he bought an entire mountainside of property to make sure nobody encounters him.
You’d never know from looking at him that he has a net worth of half a billion from selling a hiking app before he even graduated college.
He might be my favorite brother, but don’t tell Rhett and Court. They’re salty enough as it is.
“You here to see Mom or what?” I ask. Axel and I have texted back and forth a few times since I returned, but he didn’t say he was coming over today.
“Nah, they’re not even home.” Doppelgänger creeps over the bed as if he’s stalking Axel and is ready to pounce. Axel notices him. “You’re fierce.”
Doppy lets loose with a spring into the air, attaching himself to Axel’s back.
I lean over and pull him off. “DopBeBop, we need to get you some toys.”
“I can take you shopping, since you’re unemployed.”
“Send me a personal pet shopper. You can afford it.”
