Chapter 5
“Ms. Judy, I love all the kitties!” It was so much fun playing with them while Daddy worked. I kinda felt bad about that, but he insisted, saying what was left he could handle on his own.
“I think Sabrina has taken a liking to you.” Sabrina was the prettiest gray tortie, a type of cat breed I didn’t even know existed until Ms. Judy told me about it.
“She’s marking you with her scent.” I froze, icky thoughts hitting me.
Must’ve shown on my face cause Ms. Judy laughed.
“Not like dogs, Trey. Cats mark you with their pheromones when they rub on you. Only other cats can smell it, not humans.”
Whew. Not gonna lie, was freaked out for a minute.
Guess I had a lot to learn about cats…
Sabrina plopped onto my lap, batting at the feathery toy I dangled above her. “She’s so sweet. I just love her.”
“She’s a special girl. One of the locals found her abandoned by a dumpster in town.
Only three days old. Her eyes weren’t open yet.
They brought her right to me, and thankfully one of the nursing momma kitties fed her.
Was touch and go for a couple of hours when she hadn’t latched on, then finally in the middle of the night she did.
I was terrified we’d lose this pretty girl. ”
“Now she’s got a full belly and is a happy girl. Aren’t you, sweet girl,” I cooed.
“Who do we have here?” my sneaky Daddy said. I hadn’t heard him come in the room. “Looks like she’s claimed Trey.”
“That she has.” Ms. Judy winked at him. “This is Sabrina. Had her since she was an itty-bitty thing.”
“I love her, Daddy.” Ms. Judy knew all about us and our lifestyle. Tae and Uncle Chuck were very open, plus she spent the holidays with us last year. I wasn’t totally out yet, but now I didn’t have to hide in front of her. “Can I get a kitty costume?”
“Halloween’s not for a couple of months, Angel,” Daddy said.
“I know, but since I don’t have a kitty, I could pretend to be one at home.”
“I think that can be arranged,” Daddy said. “But wouldn’t you like to have a real kitty instead?”
Blink-blink. “Huh?”
“If you got to pick any kitty here, which would you pick to take home?” Was Daddy just teasing me? If so, it wasn’t funny.
“Daddy?”
Ms. Judy stood and rubbed the top of my head. “Is Sabrina your number one choice, Trey?”
“Am I getting a kitty, Daddy?”
“You are, Angel. Which one do you pick to come live with us?”
“All of them!” Daddy choked, and Ms. Judy got the giggles. “But our cabin isn’t big like Ms. Judy’s house, so I choose the one who chose me. Sabrina.”
“She’s perfect for you, Trey. Why don’t you play with her a while longer while Daddy and I get her ready to go.”
“Did you hear that, Sabrina? You get to come live with me.” Daddy was fulfilling all my dreams and wishes.
Did he realize that… “I wonder if I can find a costume that matches your pretty fur?” It would be sooo cool to be twinsies with her.
“We’re gonna have so much fun. Our new house is perfect for you. ”
“Yes, it will be, Angel,” Daddy said as he opened the door. “Ready to head out?”
“With Sabrina?”
“With Sabrina.” In walked Ms. Judy with a coolio carrying case for her.
“This cat carrier is collapsable and easy to store.” Ms. Judy showed me how to get Sabrina in it without her freaking out.
“Grab her by the scruff and scoop her legs out so she doesn’t feel like she’s dangling then set her inside. ”
“Easy peasy. Are you ready to go to your forever home, Sabrina?”
“Meow.”
“I’d say that’s a yes, Angel.”
I nearly squealed and just caught myself before sending the other cats into hiding. “We need to get toys, and a collar, and a cat box, and litter, and food, and treats, and… What am I missing, Ms. Judy?”
“Nothing, sweetheart. You already have all the love she’ll need.”
“Lots of love, Sabrina,” I assured my new kitty through the mesh sides of her carrier. “Can she go in the pet store with us?”
“As long as she’s in the carrier, she can go most places with you.
Sabrina is about a year old, litter box trained, and young enough you should still be able to put a harness and leash on her and teach her to go on walks with you.
Just make sure that harness is on nice and tight, so she doesn’t Houdini out of it. ”
“Yes, ma’am. I love her too much to let her get away.”
“Thank you both for giving another of my rescues a loving home and for your donation and all the hard work on the outbuilding. Perfect place for our supplies right now.”
“You are very welcome, Ms. Judy. And if you need help with anything else, don’t hesitate to call on us,” Daddy told her. I was so busy talking to Sabrina through her carrier that I missed half of it.
“Love you, bye,” I hollered as we left the room. Ms. Judy was laughing, and by the time we passed, Tulip she was chanting, Love you, bye. Love you, bye. “Silly parrot,” I called out as we left and barely caught her repeating, Love you, silly parrot. That bird sure was smart.
“Angel,” Daddy said as he locked my seatbelt in and made sure I had a good grip on Sabrina’s carrier. “Did you just tell Ms. Judy you loved her?”
“Oh shoot, I guess I did. I wasn’t paying attention. But that’s okay, ‘cause I love Ms. Judy in her own way.”
“And my silly boy taught Tulip new sayings too.”
“Ha-ha, he’s so funny and super smart. Daddy, thank you so much for Sabrina. I love her to the moon and back.”
“Then she’ll be on the same ride there with us because your Daddy loves you to the moon and back.”
“And Sabrina too?”
“And Sabrina too.” He parked in front of the pet store. “Now, let’s head inside and spoil your new girl.”
“Our new girl for our new house.”
“Yes, my angel. Our new girl for our new house.” Daddy grabbed a shopping cart, and I put Sabrina’s carrier in it. “Let’s grab the easy stuff first, litter and a box.”
“We’re out of room already, Daddy, and we haven’t got the food or fun stuff.”
“Why don’t you take this cart and head over to the fun stuff. Daddy will get another one and the food and meet you there.”
When I saw the huge wall of collars and leashes, I froze. “Whoa, that’s intense.” By the time Daddy came back, I was no closer to choosing one than when I walked up.
“You alright, Angel? There’s nothing new in the cart.”
“I can’t pick one. They’re all so cute. Look, ladybugs, bumble bees, rainbows. They even have a whole Frozen section.”
“Hmm, I see what you mean. When you look at Sabrina what do you see?”
I glanced down at her carrier. Her wide eyes stared around, likely confused with all the animal scents in here. “The prettiest girl in the world.”
“True, but what do pretty girls like?”
“Princess stuff. And pink. Glittery pink princess stuff.”
“I think you have your answer then.”
“My pretty pink princess. It’s perfect for her. Thank you, Daddy. Did you get the food Ms. Judy said to get?” I grabbed a collar and the matching leash and harness. It was going to be so much fun to teach her how to go on walks.
“I did indeed, and a container to keep it fresh in. What’s next on the Sabrina list?”
“Umm.” I thought hard. Probably should’ve made a note on my phone with everything before we left Ms. Judy’s. “Toys, treats, and a scratching thingy so she doesn’t ruin the furniture. Oh, and a bed.” By the time we were done, both carts were full.
“I think Sabrina will need her own cabin.” Daddy shook his head. “Who knew one animal required this much stuff?”
“Animals do require a lot, just like humans,” the clerk said as we got to the registers. “New baby from Ms. Judy?”
“Yes.” I smiled and pointed to her carrier. “This is Princess Sabrina.”
“That explains the pink princess bed.” He smiled. “Since you were kind enough to adopt and not shop for a pet, we’ll give you ten percent off your entire purchase today.”
Daddy looked at his name tag. “Doug, you just made me a very happy man.” We loaded all the bags into Daddy’s truck, then me and Sabrina in the front.
“Once we get home, why don’t you let her out in our room and close the door.
That way she can sniff around while we get everything unloaded and set up. ”
“Okay, Daddy. I can’t wait to tell Tae. I’ll take a bunch of pictures and send them to him. Betcha he calls me right away.”
“He’ll be excited. Might wanna hold the phone away from your ear or his squeal will deafen you.” Daddy was so silly, but right. Tae was so much fun.
“Do you think his kitties will play with Sabrina?”
“I don’t know if cats play well together, but his are still really young, so they might. I’d recommend a slow introduction for sure.”
“Can I still get a kitty costume so Sabrina and me can be twinsies?”
Daddy laughed. “I’ll see what we can do. Come on, let’s go get our new gal set, then Daddy will make dinner.”
As soon as we were all set up, I let Sabrina loose. She sniffed everything as she slowly creeped around. I took a video of her stalking her new home and sent it along with a bunch of pictures to Tae, and my phone rang right away.
“You got a kitty!” was the first thing he said.
“Yes, from Ms. Judy. Her name is Sabrina, and she’s a gray tortie. Isn’t she beautiful?”
“She is sooo pretty. I can’t wait to meet her. Can she meet Oreo, Twinkle, and Simba?”
“Daddy thinks so, but he said to do a slow introduction with them. When are you guys coming up here again?” I hoped soon ‘cause I really missed my bestie.
“Daddy!” Tae hollered. Glad I had him on speaker and not against my ear. “When are we going to the cabin?”
“Soon, sweetheart. Oscar and I want to get started on Esther’s cabin,” Uncle Chuck told him. “Who are you talking to?”
“Trey. Look, Daddy, he got a kitty from Ms. Judy. Her name is Sabrina.”
“Hey, Chuck!” Daddy hollered from the kitchen.
“Hey, Oscar.” Daddy came over by me. “We got the furniture Esther wanted donated removed today. Her house goes up on Monday.”
“I’m so excited.” I couldn’t wait for Grandma to get here. We had Samian’s room all set up for her. He was spending the summer with a new friend he made. “Is she still following you up this weekend?”
“Yes and insisted we bring up some of the things she wants to keep with us.” Uncle Chuck chuckled. Ha, that was fun to say. “We have plenty of room to store it all between the three of us. I think my mom’s coming up soon too.”
“Excellent. I’ll run through the cabins and get the water and solar turned on.
” We always shut those off to the cabins when they weren’t in use to conserve water and electricity.
Daddy and Uncle Chuck made our tiny neighborhood a smart one.
The concrete guys had poured Grandma’s slab already, and it was pretty close to dry.
She tried to play it off, but I knew she was super excited about moving up here into a shiny new home, as she called it.
Our family had its only tiny community. Well, Uncle Chuck and Tae’s cabin was kinda big, but it was still fun to know that all of us were family up here.