Pro tip: attach harness to belt, not handlebars. Unless you want to eat dirt.
@SavvySav:
Sounds like he and my cat would get along.
@DrGarretVet:
Bet Gen laughed so hard she forgot to be mad.
@HoleInOneToBogey:
She filmed it and sent it to my agent. He wants to send it to Nike. .
@DogsRuleCatsDrool:
Look at that! Bogey just earned his first sponsorship.
Chapter 11
Taysom
Itseemsalittlevulnerable and inconsequential at the same time.
“I just asked a question once. I can’t remember how I found the site, but I know it’s affiliated with an entire chain of pet shelters throughout the world.”
“A question?” Charlotte prompts.
I hesitate and then sigh. “I was considering getting a dog or cat a while back.”
“And you’re not anymore?”
“Probably not. Too much travel for football, you know?”
We’re interrupted by the cat again, telling us in no uncertain terms that he wants out of there now.
“I feel so bad for the little guy.” Charlotte steps off the porch and gets on her knees so she can peer in through the latticework. “And where’s his cat mommy and cat siblings? I wonder if his owners are looking for him?”
“If he even has owners. He could be a stray.”
“He still has a cat mommy somewhere.” She frowns. “Unless something happened to her.”
“Come on, little buddy,” I say, crouching down so I can better see the shape of him. I guess Charlotte’s right about how shining a light on him would probably scare him. Still, it’s dark under there, and I’d like to get a better look to see if he has any injuries.
“Hey buddy…” Charlotte says in a sweet, quiet voice. “We have dinner for you.” She pushes the bowl even closer to the side of the porch. She peers in closer. “We’d love to help you if we knew how.”
“I just typed up a question in the forum. We’ll see if anyone responds.”
“I wish he could understand we won’t hurt him. We’re only trying to help.” She rests her head against the top board of the porch. “Poor little baby. How did you get in there? If we can figure that out, maybe we can figure out how to get you out.”
As odd as this situation is, I like spending time with Charlotte. The whole Mercer family just has that effect on me. I’m comfortable around them. In a world of constantly changing loyalties, people being your fan only when you’re playing well, and the media making all kinds of judgments about you, it feelsgood to be around someone who feels safe…someone you’ve known forever.
And now that Charlotte is older, the four years between us, which used to feel big, don’t mean anything at all.
And well…it’s Charlotte. I don’t exactly know how I feel about her. Just that old friends like her need to be held onto.
A gasp slides across the air, and it takes me a second to realize it’s Charlotte and not the kitten.
“Are you okay? What happened?”
