Chapter Four

Rotting urine fumigated the air. The gray walls haunted her; they were sterile and institutional.

A middle-aged woman greeted her. “Can I help you?”

The woman’s back hunched over the computer screen as she ate some kind of orange food from a bag shoved under the desk. She desperately needed a shower and a comb.

Winonna couldn’t breathe. Everything around her caved in. It was as if the place was decaying with every passing second. Winonna didn’t hear the woman speak until she repeated the question louder. 

Winonna stammered as she approached the counter. “Uhm… I was sent here by Doctor Griffin from the clinic across town.” She suddenly forgot the name. The woman stared at her with deadening eyes. Winonna closed hers to think.

Stammering, she reached for her phone to find an answer as the woman said bitterly, “Yeah. We got an email about you.” 

Winonna noticed her nametag: Betty. “Great.” Winonna said through a fake laugh. Holding the kitten close to her chest, she felt his heart racing.

“I just need you to sign here.” The woman shoved two papers onto a clipboard and slammed it on the counter. 

“Sign?” Winonna asked.

The woman rolled her eyes. “Yeah, sign that you are giving the cat away.”

Winonna stood frozen. It was as if her limbs were stuck.

The woman tapped the clipboard. 

Winonna looked at the papers then back to the woman. She heard the clock ticking behind her, the animals shrieking, and her own heart thumping. Their moans begged for a home. Winonna noticed the woman’s eyes were blotched with black make-up that looked like it was put on in the dark. She didn’t look like a Betty. The cat’s heart thumped faster within her arms. He let out a meow as if it were his final plea to stay.

“Could I see him again?” Winonna asked.

“No. He’s not your cat.”

Winonna looked down at him, she felt his warmth next to hers. The cries from the animals in the back echoed within her heart—her very soul. She felt his heart racing inside his tiny chest, and she thought of him inside the cage—alone. Alone again. She remembered how she found him and her heart ached.

 “I forgot something in the car.” Winonna clutched the cat tighter as she sped out of the building.

Turning her back to the woman, she bolted out of the door. The cat clutched to her chest. She whispered to him on their way out, “I’ve got you.”

Racing to her car, she put it in drive and didn’t stop until they were home.

Home. Our home.

When she parked, they stayed together in the car for what seemed like hours. And she couldn’t stop crying. The cat made his way to her lap and purred.

Winonna took him inside and he roamed, familiarizing himself with the new space, he puttered around. Making his way to the miniature, he sniffed and walked around it. But his tail collided with a piece. A mouse fell to the floor.

Winonna snickered and said aloud. “I’m going to have to find a new place for my tiny homes.”

The memories flooded back to her as if her mind were a dam that finally broke free. She smiled as tears fell from her face.

“I miss my family.” She confessed to the cat. “I bet you miss yours too.”

The cat meowed back to her as if responding. They were two lost souls who found a home within each other. Winonna reached and held the cat in her arms. Holding him up to look into his blue eyes. The kitten cocked his head with an almost smile.

“So.” Winonna said aloud. “What do I call you?”

The cat purred.

Winonna remembered his bravery and strength within the eye of a snowstorm. He held on. A creature not defined by his size but that of his heart, a cat with mighty valor.

“Val.” She smiled, knowing that it was the perfect fit.

Val purred, letting her stroke his head.

The phone rang. It was Anthony. 

“Hey!” Winonna sang into the phone. 

“Hi! You alright? You didn’t answer my call.” 

“Sorry, I’ve been out all day. And I’ve got to run out again soon—I need to get cat food.”

“Did you just say cat food?” He asked incredulously. 

“Yup.” Winonna smiled. 

Anthony laughed. “What’s the cat’s name?

“Val.”

“You needed a friend.”

“We needed each other.” Winonna explained the story to Anthony. The whole ordeal made her so giddy; she felt like a kid again. Laughing with her brother, she felt lighter. “Oh, and if I’m going to Ireland with you, I’m going to need a passport.” 

“You want to come?” He shouted.

“Maybe.” She said, “Why don’t we start with something a little closer to home.” 

“I don’t know.” He hesitated. 

“Come on, Anthony. It’s time you came back to the States and visited us. We could see dad and then go see mom. Together.”

Part Two Coming Soon…

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