“Do you need any help?”
“I’ve got it,” said Riley, who was obviously struggling a little with the cat carrier and her oversized gym bag.“We have to go.Sally called and said Dot’s lonely.She’s been whining all morning.”
Sarah opened the back door, took the cat from Riley, and placed it in the back while Riley climbed in the front seat.
When they got to Sally’s house, Riley ran to knock on the door while Raven retrieved the cat.
“Oh, good.You’re here,” said Sally, with a look of relief.
“Did you have any trouble with this one?”asked Simon, appearing in the doorway looking as relaxed as a teacher on vacation.Maybe she should have been a teacher after all.
“No, he seemed to settle in pretty well.Riley played with him for about an hour after you left and tired him out, I think.Yesterday was an eventful day for them.”
“But Dot takes longer to adapt,” said Sally, her face serious.“She missed him.”
“Well, let’s reunite them, shall we?”said Sarah, handing the carrier to Simon.
“Sally, go grab your stuff.You don’t want to be late for camp.”
“But Daddy…”
“The cats will be fine.I’m just doing chores around the house this week, and they’ll be together and can play.”
“Maybe we can see them together for a few minutes, to reassure the girls so they don’t spend all day worrying?”suggested Sarah.
He looked down at Sally’s hopeful face and grinned.“Okay, but then you have got to go.You don’t want to make Sarah late for work.”
You don’t want to make Sarah late for work.His words were simple, but they showed he had integrity.Enough integrity that he was concerned about honoring their shared custody arrangement and, more importantly, that he had considered how his actions, and the actions of his daughter, might impact her.Not everyone took the time to consider others.Simon was a nice man.More than that, she thought, as they all went to the living room, he was thoughtful too.
Dot was sitting on the bed they had bought for her the previous day, which they’d placed in an old playpen in the middle of the room.She looked lackluster and lonely.“Clever to put her in a playpen,” said Sarah.
“Wanted to save my curtains for as long as possible,” he said, placing Dash inside.Dot’s lethargy vanished as she ran toward her brother.
“There,” said Simon.“She’s happy again.Now go.”
Sally turned her beaming face up to her father and nodded.Without another word, she ran upstairs to grab her bag and, within moments, was waiting at the door with Riley.
“Thanks again for taking them both,” said Sarah, nodding toward the cats.
“Ditto.”He nodded at the girls.“I’ll see you back here about five?”
“Yes, we’ll be back right after camp,” said Sarah, stepping toward the door and away from him.A large part of her wanted to play hooky today, to hang out with the cats… and Simon.
Once she had dropped off the girls and arrived at work, she made a beeline to her office, past a group of staff who were sharing their news about their weekends.They were, for the most part, younger, single, and without children.Today, for the first time in ages, she had something she could share other than the usual news about Riley, cleaning.and weekend work.
She paused for a moment, tempted for the first time to join in, but she only smiled tightly and said, “Good morning.”
“Good morning,” they chimed in, as though they were students and she were the teacher.Once she had reached her office, they returned to their conversation.Maybe another day.
Once she started work, her cases consumed her time and attention.Before she was aware, the alarm on her watch was reminding her it was four thirty and time to go.
When she pulled up to the college gym, the girls ran to the car, excited to tell her about the day.Riley would regale her with a tale while Sally quietly pointed out any discrepancies.Riley would nod without concern and say “Sally’s right.There was that detail too.”
By the time they got to their destination, Sarah felt like she understood the girls a little better—at least she understood they had a good relationship.Friends like that were rare, and, with some luck, maybe they would still be friends long into the future.Sally was good for Riley, so she certainly hoped so.Since Riley was an only child it was important that she have good friends.
Sarah thought of her friends back home in Toronto.She had lost touch with them since she’d moved out west after marrying Graham.And though she had a few friends locally, it was never quite the same.Her old friends knew her like one knows an old house, and they still loved her despite every crack, creak, bad wallpaper choice, and broken fireplace.
New friends?Well, that was harder.
