Chapter 22
Chapter Twenty-Two
The name Bright Light Cat Sanctuary answered her questions. As did the preponderance of the creatures rubbing round her ankles the second they were inside the gate.
The door opened and a tiny dark-haired woman with wild curly hair rushed out to greet them, embracing Sofia in a tight hug.
‘Angeliki!’ Sofia’s voice was so loud that Maddie had to cover her ears.
‘Sofia!’
The answering call from the other woman was even louder, and the two of them eventually disentangled after more cheek kissing and exclaiming, before Angeliki turned to greet them.
‘Welcome.’
Maddie made do with a handshake as did Charlotte. Sofia was still beaming with joy.
‘I take it you two know each other?’
‘Yes, Angeliki is a friend of Grace’s, and I hope she’s become my friend over the last year too.’
‘Vevaíos! For sure we are friends.’
Sofia made the heart sign with her fingers.
‘I didn’t expect to find you here today though. It’s a real bonus.’
Sofia patted her friend on the shoulder once more before turning to the others.
‘Angeliki has a veterinary practice in the town. She’s very dedicated and works all hours.’
The vet did a mock curtsey.
‘Thank you for that. I volunteer here for the odd shift and do some of their urgent operations as well as regular sterilisations of the cats to keep the population down. Can I show you all around?’
‘That would be great.’ Maddie frowned. ‘Why do I detect a slight Scouse accent?’
‘Because I trained and lived in Liverpool for ten years.’
‘That’ll be it then. Great city.’
‘Yes, I would love to go back some day. But my work keeps me so busy… Come, this way.’
On every fence, low wall, little patch of terrace, or corner of the extensive gardens was a cat.
Charlotte bent down to stroke a big tabby, who immediately rolled onto its back, purring in ecstasy.
‘How many cats have you got here in total?’
‘Usually between sixty and seventy, but sometimes up to ninety. The woman who owns the property, Annike, bought these buildings years ago for a song, thank goodness, when she moved here from Norway.’
‘How on earth does she manage all this?’
Maddie swung her arm in a big arc, trying to ignore the little black cat who was looking hopefully at her from the top of the wall. It was pretty obvious what Sofia and Charlotte’s plan was: make poor, lonely Maddie fall in love with one of the cats and take it home with her.
‘She has an army of volunteers.’ Angeliki pointed at figures out in the gardens.
‘Some are from the island, but others come here from abroad for the free accommodation and simple food they get in return for their help. They’re mainly young women, or occasionally couples travelling together who decide to stay a while.
‘It’s very popular with the Irish, but it’s not just youngsters; we have a huge age range.
The volunteers are up early, and they have the afternoons to themselves.
As long as you’re not looking for hotel style bedrooms, you like eating communally, and of course, most importantly, you love cats, it works. ’
‘What a lovely idea. I wish I’d known about something like this when I was young. Tony and I could have…’
Maddie stopped herself saying more. She’d done with the could haves. A cute black and white mother cat suckling her babies distracted her for a moment, and she stared fixedly at the ground to the right of the little family. When she looked up again, Sofia’s expectant eyes were trained on her.
‘I know what you two are doing…’
‘What?’
‘Never mind. Let’s get on with the tour.’
Angeliki gave them all a puzzled look before continuing.
‘Of course, not all Greeks love cats. Some people see the feral cats as little more than vermin and even try to’—the vet closed her eyes a moment—‘poison them.’
‘No!’ Maddie couldn’t stop herself.
‘That is why we strive to keep the population down where we can, and offer subsidised sterilisations at the surgery, plus fundraise all over town. As you can imagine it costs a lot in food and bills. Annike is amazing. She gives all the cats names, and she can pick each one out in a pack, no trouble. No cat turned away is the motto of the sanctuary.’
The stunning scenery and the sight of so many contented cats lolling in the sun or scratching away at special posts had wormed its way into Maddie’s heart whether she liked it or not.
‘And of course we do our best to rehome as many cats as we can, both here and abroad. Visitors come to the sanctuary, fall in love with a particular cat and we arrange the transportation back to their country.’
Maddie knew if she looked up, both Sofia and Charlotte would be focussed on her. She wasn’t going to fall for their little games.
The tour of the grounds was almost over, when Maddie spotted a ginger cat with only three legs in the middle of a pack. The plucky little thing was keeping up with the others and even elbowed a bigger cat out of the way to get to the food.
‘What’s happened to her or him?’ Maddie tried to keep her voice casual.
Angeliki reached in and picked up the little cat with one hand.
‘A she. Cinnamon, or Kanela in Greek, was hit by a car six months ago and left to die at the roadside, which often happens with feral cats. And if you’ve seen anything of Greek driving, you’ll know why it’s so common.’
Charlotte and Maddie nodded vigorously in unison.
‘Someone brought her to me, and I managed to save her life, but I couldn’t save her leg. We didn’t know how she’d cope when she came here, but she’s a real fighter.’
The cat’s solemn green eyes stared up at Maddie. It was crazy to even entertain the possibility of taking a three-legged cat all the way back to Manchester, wasn’t it?
‘Would you like to hold her?’
Maddie took a deep breath. A lot rested on her answer.
‘OK.’
She took the cat from Angeliki’s arms and turned her back on the others for a private moment. The white underfur on the cat’s belly was supersoft to the touch and after a tentative stroke she was rewarded with a loud purr from her charge.
They locked eyes as the tiny cat stretched out its back legs, the little stump on one side barely moving.
The animal’s blinking eyes were giving her cat kisses the entire time she held her.
Maddie’s own eyes filled with tears. She couldn’t cry, not now, not with everyone watching.
One of her tears escaped and fell onto the cat’s fur, making her jump, but she carried on purring like a trooper.
The decision had been made as soon as she’d agreed to hold her. This brave little scrap of a cat was coming to live with her. Not one of the more perfect specimens that played around her feet. It had to be this cat. They’d both been knocked about by life, but neither of them was going to give up.
There’d be some red tape to go through, and it wouldn’t happen straightaway, but she’d give this cat her best life, the life she deserved. She’d keep her Greek name, Kanela, to remind her where she’d come from. Her friends had known better than she did what she wanted or needed.
When she turned back, the three women standing in front of her all had tears in their eyes as well.
‘You crafty buggers. It’s worked… Where do I sign?’
Angeliki led her over to the office to start the formal adoption process before leaving for her work in the town.
‘I’m so pleased you’ve picked her. I know you’ll look after her.’ Angeliki lowered her voice and looked around at the cats beneath their feet. ‘Don’t tell the others, but she’s my favourite. Such a strong girl.’
After plenty of photos of Kanela in every single pose imaginable, and a tearful goodbye to the little cat, it wasn’t just Maddie who needed the excuse of the ‘quiet hours’ between three and five in the afternoon for a lie down. It had been one emotional morning.
She was still looking at shots of Kanela on her phone while they waited for the car to take them to the club. They’d all agreed to wear the same dresses they’d worn to the panigyri, but Maddie had absolutely no plans to dance with stray fishermen tonight.
The Star Bar turned out to be high up on one side of the main town, a big performance space surrounded by old stone walls and open to the skies, with a bar attached.
Sofia took them up to the counter and looked from one to the other and then to the barmaid and back several times as if waiting for something. It was Charlotte who clocked it first.
‘Oh my God, it’s Suzie Sessions, isn’t it? My brother had her poster up on his wall for years. He was obsessed with her.’
Sofia smiled.
‘Yes, I think most teenage boys were obsessed with Suzie in the eighties. I got a bit of second-hand glory because I looked and acted a bit like her, being small, dark and mouthy, or as we say, spirited.’
‘You still do look alike.’ Maddie smiled. ‘What’s she doing here of all places?’
‘She owns the bar. Married a Greek years ago and stayed. Got two grown up sons.’
‘Hey, Sofia!’
Suzie came down the bar to greet their friend.
‘Didn’t realise you were back in town.’
‘Yes, and I’ve brought my friends this time, meet Maddie and Charlotte.’
Suzie waved from behind the bar and Charlotte did a particularly vigorous wave back while Maddie restricted herself to a smile and a nod.
‘Hi, girls. First drink’s on me. What would you like?’
Sofia dived in on their behalf.
‘Three Mythos please.’
‘Coming up. Is Grace on her way?’
‘Yes, she should be here in a minute.’
Suzie handed over three ice-cold bottles of the Greek beer they’d all come to love, condensation dripping in rivulets down the green glass. Charlotte wouldn’t dream of drinking beer at home, but here it seemed the natural choice.
‘Take these, and I’ll catch you later.’
Charlotte reached for one of the beers and leant so far over the counter she was practically lying on top of it.
‘Thanks so much, Suzie. Love your music. Always loved your music. My brother really, really loved your music. Such a pleasure to meet you.’
Suzie handed the bottles over to the others with a small smile.
‘Good to hear.’