“Fine. I thought this might be the case.” She reached for the kitten, took it from me, and cuddled it against her chest. “I’ll take care of him for you.”
“Youwill?”
“Yes. He’s still your gift, but I’ll keep him at my apartment and make sure he’s properly cared for. Then if you ever want to see him, I can just bring him to you for visitation privileges.”
Things were starting to click. “You bought me a cat as a gift, so you could keep it.”
“I did no such thing!” she said, in mock outrage. “He came free from the shelter with only a small donation. Oh, and he’s blind in one eye, so when he’s a little older you’ll need to spring for the surgery to remove it, so it doesn’t become infected.”
“Surgery?”
“You don’t want to be seen as both an absent father, as well as a cruel one, do you?”
“I am not its father!”
She smiled, lifted the kitten to her face and gave it sweet little butterfly kisses. “The adoption papers on file at the Houston Animal Shelter say otherwise.”
“You got a cat for yourself. That is not a Christmas present!”
“I’m giving you the gift of life without any of the responsibility. Some might say that’s the greatest gift of all time.”
I was annoyed. I recognized the feeling, but couldn’t identify the source. It wasn’t the kitten. It was Flowers and her non-gift, I was pretty sure.
I sat back down behind the desk. “What’s its name?”
“Uh, I believe that’s your call, Dad, but I have narrowed it down to two choices for you.”
“Do tell,” I said.
“Rocco or Bambi.”
Rocco or Bambi. “Really?”
“Think about it. You call me Flowers…”
Right. Bambi. The movie. That sounded right. She’d be playing the lead in some Disney spin off with her and the cat.
“I’m not naming an animal Bambi,” I grumbled.
“Rocco it is,” she beamed. Then she picked up his little paw and made it wave to me. “Thanks, Dad. Merry Christmas. Have a nice time with your family, and when you’re back, you can come see me whenever you want to.”
“I’ll make a note,” I drawled.
“Come on, Rocco, time to take you home,” she said, as she turned to leave. I could hear the continued conversation even as she made her way to her office. “Good thing I sprung for the extra food, kitten bed and litter box at my place just in case we couldn’t thaw his cold, dark heart, huh?”
I’d been played. If I didn’t understand anything else about what just happened, I at least knew that.
Flowers was going to have to learn I was not someone to be trifled with. Perhaps she had given me the best gift I could ask for after all.
A reason to plan revenge.
THIRTY
ANNA
She wasn’t lonely. And she definitely didn’t miss him.
Christmas
