The Cat That Went to Homecoming (15 page)

He was an alcoholic? I had to think back and
try to see him that way. Yes, he did often have a beer can in his
hands, but I always thought that was just what grownups did. Kids
drink juice, grown men drink beer and grown women drink wine.

“Believe me when I say this meeting with you
today was the hardest hurdle for me to jump. I was ashamed of
myself, and avoiding you was just so much easier. Who wants to tell
their child that they’re a failure?”

“Dad, drinking a few beers doesn’t make
someone a failure,” I said.

“It does when you can’t hold down a job. No
job means no income for your family. When you make your wife so
miserable she cries every night and worries about your health,
worries about her child, you’re failing to be a good husband and
father.” The unshed tears started to fall from his eyes.

“Dad, this restaurant was a bad idea because
there is no way either of us will be able to eat this expensive
food,” I said as I pushed my cold lobster aside.

He laughed, “You are like your mom in so many
ways. I see you have her looks, but what’s even more beautiful is
the person you are inside. I don’t want you to worry about the
expense of this day, just hear me out.” He all but pleaded. It
brought tears to my eyes.

He went on to explain the twelve-step program
he was in, and what the steps were. The program was designed to
make a person more aware of his or her alcoholic behaviors and how
those behaviors hurt that person’s loved ones. He was working on
his ninth step, making amends to those he had wronged. He said he
had been talking to my mom a great deal lately, and that they had
restored their friendship.

He left us three years ago because he had
been unfaithful to my mom. He had met a woman at a tavern he would
frequent during his lunch hours. They started a relationship. She
was also an alcoholic, so he felt she understood him better than my
mom did. He was so deep into his sickness that he didn’t care how
he was hurting my mom or me.

“Alcoholics are selfish, Ellen. We don’t want
to see the harm we’re doing to our loved ones and we certainly
don’t want them to tell us to stop. We care only about getting our
next drink,” he said.

He moved to Ohio with the woman from the
tavern and her child, but that relationship failed. Two alcoholics
together were combustible. He was not able to hold down a job, and
was so narcissistic that he refused to work for anyone but himself.
That was why he moved to Louisiana, not to do good for the victims
of Katrina, but to work freelance and be his own boss. He was paid
‘under the table’ for his work so the government could not find him
and take any of his earnings away for child support or taxes.

“I was selfish, pure and simple. I felt like
the world owed me something. I was truly lost,” he said.

One day, after a night of heavy drinking, he
awoke with what he thought was the worst hangover of his life. It
turned out to be much more than a hangover. He had pancreatitis,
caused by alcohol, and his liver tests proved he was well on his
way to liver disease. He was advised that quitting was the only way
he could save his life.

“While I sat in my hospital bed with IV tubes
sticking out of me and no one to visit me, I realized the mistakes
I had made over the years. I missed you. I missed your mom. I
wanted to get my life back on track. I worked under the table so I
didn’t have health insurance. A lot of the money I had saved up
went towards the medical bills. It was time for me to get a real
job with benefits.”

He moved back to Wisconsin seven months ago
and applied for every job he could find. He joined the twelve-step
program and obtained a sponsor who helped him find an apartment
instead of the hotel he had been living in for a few weeks. His
sponsor also helped him with all the legalities regarding his
delinquent child support.

“Your mom and I had a hearing, and our child
support agreement has been re-established. The legal issues are
still being ironed out, but I am committed to the support order. I
have enough saved to open a shop and possibly pay back all that I
owe your mom. If not, I will make sure you and your mom are taken
care of first.”

“I really don’t know what to say Dad. I’ve
had a pretty rough few weeks, and all of this new information is a
lot for me to take in,” I said honestly.

“I’m not asking you to say anything, I am
just grateful that you would be willing to listen to me. In time,
you can respond in any way you want and I will not be mad or
hurt.”

We hardly touched our food. It was packaged
in to-go containers that we could take home. Dad insisted on taking
me to the mall for some school clothes. I really wanted to go home
and lock myself in my room for some alone time, but he was so
persistent. I got a little mad.

“Okay fine, but if you won’t let this go,
then you’re taking me to get some expensive name brand clothing
that I’ve never been able to own before,” I said.

“Good, you deserve it! Let’s make it the most
expensive brand we can find,” he replied. I tried to keep my angry
face on, but he made me laugh and ruined my Oscar winning
performance.

“Oh, and Dad, I want one of those cinnamon
rolls to take home with me. I’ve always wanted one,” I added.

“I’ll buy you two, one for you and one for
your mom,” he said.

Mom was sitting on the front stoop when Dad
dropped me off. He shut the engine off and we got out of the
car.

“I’ll help you carry all these bags in,” he
said. I was not sure that was a good idea. How would Mom feel about
it?

“It’s okay, Dad, I can handle these myself,”
I said, in an effort to prevent any problems, but my efforts were
in vain.

“Hey, you two, how did it go?” Mom asked as
she walked towards us.

“Hi, Mom,” I said nervously, “It was
good.”

“Hi, Kayla,” Dad greeted Mom and looked as if
he didn’t know if he should hug her or shake her hand. In the end,
he did neither, just put his hands in his front pockets. “You’ve
done a great job with our daughter.”

“I can’t take all the credit. Ellen is just
naturally a good kid,” she wrapped her arms around my shoulders.
“Did you make him buy you the most expensive things you could
find?” she asked teasingly.

“I sure did,” I replied.

She kissed my head and chuckled, “That’s my
girl,” she said.

When Dad left, Mom and I carried my bags into
the house and straight to my room. I had to show off all the
clothes I picked out. I finally had a pair of name brand jeans! I
silently vowed to never buy a pair of Just My Size again! There was
just a week left until school started. Instead of the usual dread I
would normally feel about that, I was actually pretty excited. I
had a mental plan of what I would wear on the first day.

Chapter
Eighteen

Labor Day was the official end of summer, the
last holiday weekend before the school year started. Many families
headed out for the last picnic of the season, or went on
mini-vacations. I was going to be working. Jane had a booth set up
at the Labor Day festival in Fireman’s Park that weekend, at which
Hershey and I would be handing out flyers to promote Paws that
Heal.

I was exceptionally uneasy about it because I
just knew I would run into people I would normally try my best to
avoid. The festivities at Fireman’s Park drew in most of the local
residents who were still in town for the weekend. St Augustine’s
was the biggest parish in our county and they ran a brat and burger
stand for charity. I knew Cindy, Margaret, and Sarah were scheduled
to work at the stand. None of them had heard a peep out of Brandon.
If he would be in attendance was a mystery to us all.

My mom had the weekend off of work, which was
a rarity for her. She seldom got holiday weekends off. She had
plans on dropping me off at my assigned time, spending the
afternoon with a group of girlfriends at the park, and then taking
Hershey and I home after our job was finished. She intended to set
up a spot for us to watch the fireworks later in the evening.

Hershey had on his harness and leash and a
little ‘Paws That Heal’ scarf around his neck. He was adorable! I
had placed a small cat bed on the table and he sat curled up in the
bed, allowing patrons of our booth to pet or brush him. He never
once hissed or made any aggressive moves. He seemed to know he was
working and had to be a professional kitty! I greeted people and
handed out flyers always within reach of Hershey. I ate up all the
compliments I got on Hershey. I was starting to feel a little
fearless until a reporter from the local news station happened upon
us with her camera crew.

The reporter briefly interviewed Jane and
then turned to Hershey and me. My upper lip and brow began to sweat
and my hands started to shake.
Please Lord, don’t make me talk
on camera!

“This afternoon we have Hershey and his
handler, Ellen, here. Hershey is our most recent recruit,” she
said, reaching out to give Hershey a gentle rub on the head. My
little guy rolled over onto his back and meowed at Jane on camera!
Jane smiled and said, “He just warms your heart, doesn’t he?” With
her back to the camera, she winked at me. I just smiled back, very
proud of my Hershey.

Thankfully, the reporter had no interest in
interviewing me. After she left, I sunk into a lawn chair and let
out a sigh. “Oh, my God, that was nerve wracking,” I said to Jane,
who chuckled at me.

“Hershey didn’t seem to mind the attention,”
she said. “I know school starts for you next week and your
availability will be limited, but would you consider being part of
my weekend Children’s Hospital team? Hershey would be great with
kids, don’t you think?”

Since my job with Jane doing yard work was
coming to an end, I had been thinking of applying for a part-time
job. It had to be close enough to home for me to ride my bike or
walk to when a ride from Mom wasn’t available. That would probably
mean I’d be working weekends, but I didn’t want to lose my
opportunity with Paws That Heal. My experiences with Hershey were
more important to me than having spending money.

“I would love that Jane, but would it be a
set schedule? I would like to take on a part-time job,” I said.

“We visit the hospital once a month, more
frequently during the holidays. A schedule can easily be
arranged.”

I stood up to greet two people who had
approached our booth, introducing Hershey and asking the little
girl in the duo if she’d like to pet him. She looked to be about
four or five years old, and had Down syndrome.

“Ellen?” I heard a familiar voice say. I
looked at the guy behind the little girl and froze. John Peck!
“Hey, Ellen, is this your cat?” he asked.

“Hi, John, and yes, this is my cat, Hershey,”
I replied. I had to remain composed in front of Jane.

“Haley, this is a girl I go to school with,”
he said kneeling next to the little girl, “Ellen, this is my niece,
Haley.”

I leaned closer to Haley. “Hi, Haley, it’s
nice to meet you,” I said with all of my focus on her. “This is
Hershey.”

“Did you name him after a candy bar?” she
asked shyly.

“You got me, Haley! He’s my little Hershey
Kiss!” I replied.

“Can I hug him?” Haley asked.

“Yes, you may, but gently,” I told her. John
lifted her up to the right height so she could wrap her arms around
Hershey. Hershey stiffened in surprise, his eyes trained on me to
make sure everything was okay. I smiled at him and blinked my eyes
slowly, which was a communication between the two of us.

“It’s okay, Hershey,” I said out loud. He
blinked back at me and loosened up. Haley’s hug was gentle; she did
not make any sudden moves that would startle him.

I engaged in some small talk with Haley,
pulling out some of my cat knowledge to share.

“Haley, do you know why cats have whiskers?”
I asked.

“So they can smell mice?” she asked.

“They use their noses to smell, but their
whiskers feel vibrations in the air so a cat can tell if a mouse is
nearby without seeing it. They’re also a natural ruler for them.
They know they can fit through an opening to get at the mouse
because their whiskers are as long as their body is wide. If their
whiskers don’t fit through the opening, their body doesn’t fit.
Then the mouse is safe,” I explained to her.

“You know everything about cats!” Haley
said.

“I know pretty much, but not everything,” I
said to her.

My two hour stint was coming to an end, so
when my relief showed up to take my place at the booth, I said
goodbye to Haley and John. John pulled me aside and asked if I
would meet him at the St Augustine concession stand around 4 p.m.
He was watching Haley for his sister until then and wanted to talk
to me later. I was terrified of the idea of sitting alone with the
Incredible John Peck and was almost certain this was a trap.

“No, I don’t think so John,” I said and waved
at Mom as she approached us.

“How did it go today?” she asked when she
closed in on us.

“It went well,” I replied, hastily gathering
up Hershey’s carrier and my bag of supplies. I really wanted a
quick exit.

“Hi,” Haley said looking up at my mom,
“You’re pretty, like Ellen.” She said.

“Oh, thank you, sweetie,” Mom said, “and you
are a pretty little girl, too.”

“My name is Haley, and this my Uncle John,”
Haley announced with pride.

Mom and John politely greeted each other, and
I hurried things along by saying “Come on, Mom, we have to go.”

I said good-bye to my relief and her dog, to
Jane, and then again to Haley and John. As we walked away, John
said, “I’ll be there at four in case you change your mind.” I
refused to turn around.

On the drive home, Mom had a ton of
questions, but none of them were about Hershey’s performance. She
was more interested in finding out who John was. Did I like him?
She thought he was good looking. I told her the truth. I’d had a
crush on him forever, but it was never going to become a reality.
He had asked me to meet him later to talk, but I would not even
consider it. He was one of the biggest bullies in my life. I felt
it was ironic that his niece was a special needs child and that he
was never nice to people who were not what society considered
ideal.