“It is such beautiful countryside around here,” said Annelie trying to get Muffin to look out the window. MC was enjoying the view. Meow.=Muffin, come look, lots of trees and hills. Muffin looked. Meow,meow.=It nice for sure. “You are so enthusiastic Muffin,” said Kristina sarcastically. Meow,meow?=How about I chomp enthuiasticky? “Good one Muffin,” said Annelie smiling, “but save your chomps for John.” Meow,meow!=He get more than chomps if I see him!

Soon they arrive at the town they wanted and the bakery, which was right in the middle of the town. Annelie and Kristina start going into the bakery and Annelie says to the cats, “you two sit here and wait for us.” “Oh, what do you have there?,” asked the young woman, “there is no one here, let them come it too, I love cats.” So the cats came in walking slowly. “Oh, look at this, my two precious cats,” said the woman, “you do not know me, but I know you.

I see you with big giant of a man, twice, then you get swept out of the bakery where I work and you run to a very beautiful woman which is perhaps the big man’s wife, yes?” “No, they are not married, but how did you know that?”, asked Annelie. “I see them from the bakery where I work in Paris,” said the woman and she knelt down on the floor close to the cats who were just sitting still, “and this little gray princess, her name is Muffin, yes?” At that tears were flowing down her cheeks. Meow,meow!=She know my name, she know my name! Then she started crying hard with her head down.

“I…know why…you…are here,” she said barely choking out the words as she looked up at Annelie. Then she began crying uncontrollably. Kristina knelt beside her and put her arm around her, “what is wrong?”, she asked the woman. Annelie knelt down too and showed her a picture of me on her phone, “do you know this man?” The woman looked, “yes, yes, that is him, my Bernard, what is his real name?” “Steve,” said Annelie softly. “And one of you are married to him?”, asked the woman. “No,” smiled Annelie, “but we are his friends, very good friends. But yes, he is married, his wife’s name is Kat, short for Katharina.”

“Seven weeks now I look after Bernard…I mean, your Steve,” she began, “I am sorry, I needed a name for him, so I call him Bernard after my grandfather.” “That is alright,” said Annelie, “you may call him Bernard still.” “He comes to the bakery, all dirty, and hungry, he has not eaten for two days he says,” she continued, “I give him a muffin, he thinks of a gray cat when I say muffin, that is how I know your name little princess.” Then she tells them her story from the beginning.

“I tried to get Bernard to see a doctor, but he would not, he was too scared, always so scared, except when he was with me, then he says he is relaxed and calm, not afraid. I am so sorry, I, I, should have done something more…” Then she began crying hard once again. “I know his wife will be hating me for living with her husband so long,” she said finally, “I guess you all must hate me so much.” She keeps her head down. Muffin goes up to her and hugs and kisses her.

Meow,meow?=Why you think we hate you? You look after my human, keep him safe. I not hate you, I love you. “Oh, so cute, which of you does this?”, she asks the girls. “Neither of us,” said Kristina, “it will be hard to believe, but the cats can talk, they are special cats which can be understood only by certain people they trust.” Carine looks at the cats. “Yes, I can see you are special,” she said, “and I know you want your Steve back again. What will I do now? Go back to Paris and the streets again? I cannot do that, I have changed, I have given up that way, I do not want to go back. But I do not want to be alone, I cannot stay here, his wife will not want me around.”

“You will be surprised when you meet Kat,” said Kristina. “Yes, that is for sure,” said Annelie, “she will not tell you to go, she will want to help you. You are very much welcome to stay here and work with us if you want.” She give a big sigh. “My mind swirls right now,” said Carine, “oh, my name is Carine Blanchet. Come, I will take you up to Bernard, but please take it slow with him, he likely will not remember any of you.” Up they went to the second floor where Carine and I were living in a large room. “Bernard, I have brought some friends for you to see,” she said in such a kind way. “You are friends of Carine?”, I ask. “No Bernard, these are your friends, Annelie and Kristina,” said Carine, “and these are your cats, remember I tell you of seeing them in Paris.” I frown a bit…

To Be Continued.

©2022 Steve McLeod.