I take a deep breath. I can't, can I? One look at Smutty and I know I have to at least try. Fuck it. Before I can change my mind, I type a message.
Me
Are you at home at the moment?
Immediately the little three bubbles appear telling me that he is typing.
Ben
Yes. Why?
Me
Okay, what's your address?
Ben
Are you going to answer any of my questions?
Me
Want me to come over or not?
Okay, maybe I am leading him on a bit here but I'm desperate. He’s my only option. I try to recall if he is a cat or dog person but I can't remember and frankly, I don't care.
A few seconds later my phone lights up with another message. Ben's address. He lives at the other end of the village near his sister; so too far for me to schlepp all of Smutty's stuff on foot.
Me
Okay. Stay there. I'll be with you in 30 mins or so.
I don't wait for his reply but go into full on mission mode. I put on yoga pants and a half decent jumper before packing up every little toy Smutty has, all of his food, his litter box, spare litter, and the fluffy cat bed he never sleeps in but might want to in a strange house. I dig out the cat carrier and with a ton of treats finally coax Smutty into it. He doesn't look pleased but doesn't cause a racket either.
The taxi I booked straight after I texted Ben is on time, but it takes me five minutes to convince the driver to take me and Smutty despite his no pet policy. It takes us another ten minutes to try to fit the scratch pole and all of Smutty's possessions into the boot before we make the short drive to Ben’s.
I'm surprised when the taxi driver stops outside a nice but reasonably sized house. I expected Ben to live in one of these outrageously oversized villas that are on almost every corner of the village now that Little Hadlow has become a commuter dream for the London bankers. But instead, Ben’s looks fairly humble and not like a house that shouts "I'm rolling in so much money I can waste tons on sending a dick shaped rocket into space."
The driver grumbles under his breath when I ask him to help me unload but eventually we have everything placed outside Ben's front door. I wait until the taxi disappears around the corner―I want to give Ben as little excuse as possible to send me away―and then ring the doorbell.
"Darling," he smiles as he opens the door. Oh, he definitely thought this was another PD session. His face falls when he sees me there in my messy hang-around-the-house clothes, surrounded by boxes and bags and a cat carrier in my hand.
"Amelia? What the f—"
"Be good and give me a hand," I say pretending there is nothing amiss here before pushing past him with Smutty.
Oh wow, this is nice. His house is decorated expensively, but tasteful and homely. I can see dark furniture and shelves with books in the first room on the left. That's where I place Smutty's carrier, so he is out of the way, before turning back to Ben. I was expecting more of a fight, but he’s picked up the scratch post and placed it inside the door to the left. He’s now carrying the box of the cat food and most of the bags into his house.
"Care to explain?" He tries again when our eyes meet.
"Let's just get this all in first," I say and shoo him down the corridor leading to the back of the house. I place the cat litter tray next to the scratch post before grabbing the last of the bags and closing the door.
"Now?" Ben makes me jump as he appears behind me.
"Sure." I push the bags into his hand and wave him off again.
My chest expands as I take a deep breath of relief. Smutty is in. He is safe. That's all I care about even if I basically performed a hostile takeover of Ben’s house. I know I sound a bit nuts but I also know Ben will let me get away with it.
Smutty's pink nose appears through the grid on the door as I lift his carrier. He sniffs the air of his new surroundings as we head in the direction that Ben disappeared. At the end of the corridor I find a living room and a kitchen. Ben is in the kitchen staring at all the bags.
"Ben, I need your help," I start, and his eyes land on me before zoning in on the cat carrier.
"No! No, Amelia. I don't like cats!" he exclaims with big eyes.
"Oh, come on! Smutty wouldn’t hurt a fly," I coo and open the cat carrier door. My beautiful black furball jumps out and immediately attacks one of the tassels of the rug on the floor. I laugh nervously when Ben raises an eyebrow.
I try to swat Smutty off the tassel but he takes that as a sign for a little rumble and attacks my hand with his ears pressed tightly against his head. He carefully sinks his teeth into my palm whilst clamping on tightly with his paws. He would never hurt me but even I can see that this doesn't look good.
"Clearly, tame like a lion," Ben says, crossing his arms in front of his chest.
15
Smelly Cat
Ben
This isn't going to happen. I have never and will never be a cat person. Amelia is standing in front of me with messy hair, nervously pulling on her ratty T-shirt. Her eyes are full of fear. And I feel a small crack in my armour.
"Ben, please." She takes a step closer. "My landlady has to make some repairs to my boiler tomorrow morning, and I can't find anywhere else for Smutty to stay. She doesn't know that I have him because she won't allow cats. Please." Her voice breaks and a tiny tear runs down her cheek. Amelia is not someone who will fake cry to get what she wants. Come to think of it, Amelia is also not a person to ask for help. If she’s here begging me to take her cat it must be serious and mean a lot to her.
