Over the next couple of hours, I frequently checked in on the cat. I’d decided that it was a boy and to call him Mr Pickles, like my stuffed animal.
He tucked in when I offered him some of the cat food I’d got for this exact moment. Mr Pickles went outside to do his business but came back into the house straight afterwards.
“You are so clever,” I praised him. “Such a clever boy.”
The clever boy spent the night on my couch, and somehow his presence made the shack feel a little less depressing.
I texted my brother before bed.
Noah: Hey Ollie, I’m running low on supplies
Noah: Could you take me to the shops tomorrow? I won’t take long
Lew surely would have taken me to Dwarfoods again, but I didn’t want to exploit his kindness. And I needed more food for Mr Pickles and myself, and perhaps a bit of cat litter so I could set up a litter box for him.
Ollie replied after a few minutes, and we arranged for him to pick me up at noon the next day.
***
Going to the shops with Ollie was such a different experience than the last one with Lewis.
My brother was distracted and we barely spoke as he drove me to the Dwarfoods outside of Kincardie.
“I’ll wait in the car, yeah? I need to reply to an email. Big booking,” he muttered as he pulled his phone out of the holder on the dashboard.
“Oh, yeah?” I asked, hoping to show him that, different as we were, I cared about him.
“A German hockey team. It’s not until next summer, but there’s lots to do. The brewing courses, too. I’ve been busy.” Ollie gave me a fleeting smile. I sighed and grabbed the shopping basket I had found when I cleared out the cupboard under the stairs from the backseat. So much time had passed, but perhaps not all was lost when it came to my brother and me.
I loved Ollie and maybe being closer to him would help. Somehow.
Puddles dotted the car park, but the rain had stopped a few minutes ago, and the watery autumn sun peeked through the clouds. I took a deep breath and inhaled the fresh air. It made me shiver a little. I knew I had to invest in a winter coat soon. It had already snowed once since I had arrived.
The mere thought of spending so much money on a piece of clothing I wouldn’t need come February made me weep inwardly. Maybe I could pick one up in a charity shop or something.
The shop was fairly empty at this time of day, but I still rushed to get it over with. One employee was restocking shelves, blocking half the aisle I needed with a massive cart. An elderly couple had a discussion about what cheese to get. I stopped and waited for them to move out of the way so I could get to the hummus.
It took maybe fifteen seconds for them to notice me but my breathing got heavier and my heart rate sped up.
Shopping fucking sucked, and I already missed Lew’s comforting presence shielding me. Maybe I should ask him to come with me next time, no matter how much of a nuisance it made me feel.
Okay, hummus.
I chose the cheapest option, carefully checking the labels on the shelf for the best deal.
When was the last time you went to a shop and just bought what you fancied?
I couldn’t even remember.
The last thing on my short shopping list was cat food and litter for Mr Pickles. Once I’d picked two boxes with wet food pouches and a value bag of organic cat litter, I paid and went back outside to find Ollie. Car parks confused me. For a moment, I feared I wouldn’t be able to find his car again.
Then I spotted my brother’s car.
“Found everything?” Ollie asked me as I opened the door and sat back down in the passenger seat with my basket on my lap. He stashed his phone away and started his car.
“Yeah, I did.”
Chapter 9
