Chapter 3

The rain hadn't stopped. I booked a pet funeral service for Fluffball, a proper farewell, and sent him ahead early.

Then, like a soaked, wandering ghost.

I walked home in a daze.

When I opened my phone, I somehow landed on Rupert Henson's account.

The account had been active for two years.

It was packed with stray-cat rescue posts, and Georgette Kaufman was in every single one.

On the overpass at two in the morning, in the underground garage of some run-down apartment complex, in a filthy landfill.

And under each one, Frank Gilbert had left a like and a comment.

"Wow, what a perfect match! Such a sweet, kindhearted couple!"

The most recent post was a photo Rupert had taken of Georgette from behind. The caption read:

"Thank you to Georgette, who's allergic to cats but still won't quit the rescue work! And who donated half a million to our shelter!"

The comments were all teasing.

"She's obviously doing it for you. I can hear the wheels turning all the way from overseas!"

Before I knew it, my face was wet with tears again.

At last I shut the phone off, bought a plane ticket, and sent a message to my aunt.

"Aunt Vivian, is that company of yours in Switzerland still hiring?"

Not long after, the smart lock clicked. Georgette was back.

The instant she saw me, her eyes went red.

She crouched down carefully in front of me and said,

"Drew, let me explain. I swear, I only felt sorry for him. Nothing crossed the line between us."

"Fate put someone drifting and alone right beside me. He runs around all day volunteering, he needed looking after, and I couldn't bring myself to..."

"Really? There are plenty of people drifting and alone in this world. How come I never see you helping all of them?"

I said it with a sneer.

Georgette's face went a shade paler.

She was quiet for a long moment. Then, the way she always did, she brought over a bowl of hot ginger tea she'd made herself.

"Drew, don't be angry. You're freezing, you got caught in the rain. You'll catch a cold."

She coaxed, and then, without waiting for an answer, threw herself into my arms.

"It's my fault. Hit me, yell at me, whatever you want."

"But you have to take care of yourself. It took so much to get you healthy again."

It came back to me all at once.

When I first met her, I was still buried in the grief of losing my father.

Stomach trouble, headaches, insomnia, over and over.

It was Georgette who looked after me, all three meals, never missing one.

Who bought the medicine and hunted down folk remedies to get my body back in shape.

In the end I put on weight, and she'd grown much thinner.

And somewhere along the way, she'd found another young, simple boy who needed her care.

The smell of stray cats still clung to her.

It turned my stomach. I reached out and pushed her away.

"Georgette, let's break up."

She looked up at me, staring like she couldn't believe it.

"Drew, but we're almost ready to settle down."

"Just because I didn't go with you today to take Fluffball to the vet, because of Rupert?"

"Over a cat? Is it really worth this?"

"You want to know? Fluffball is dead."

I answered her calmly.

"You asked why I showed up there, didn't you? Because I was carrying Fluffball while his heart was giving out, running to the animal hospital like a madman."

"Because you, who are allergic to cats, were out on a stray-cat rescue and couldn't spare a minute to drive me."

"You didn't care, because he was my cat, not Rupert's."

Every sound in Georgette's throat died there.

She couldn't meet the disappointment in my eyes.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know..."

I turned my head away. I didn't want to hear any more.

Before long, the sky lightened.

I took a cab to the place where Fluffball's farewell was being held.

Georgette followed silently behind me and came in too.

"Drew, I... want to see Fluffball off, one last time."

I ignored her.

Fluffball lay quietly on the little bed, snacks and toys arranged all around him.

I bent my head and cried until I was a mess.

Just then a noise broke out at the door.

"Young man, there's a client holding a farewell in there! You can't go in!"

The next second Rupert burst in, out of breath.

"Georgette, Frank said you were here, and I found you after all!"

"You didn't pick up when I called. Little Buddy, the one we adopted, suddenly got stressed out and won't eat!"

"I really don't know what to do. Can you come look at Little Buddy with me..."

Georgette's face flooded with worry in an instant.

"What happened? Wasn't he drinking goat milk just yesterday? I..."

She glanced at me, hesitating.

Rupert seemed to sense something. He rushed over and grabbed my wrist.

"Come on, let Georgette stay for this. Your cat isn't coming back anyway. She's better off going to save Buddy, the one we adopted."

"If nothing else, we'll pick out the most expensive purebred cat and make it up to you, all right?"

I moved to shake him off without thinking.

But Rupert wouldn't let go.

In the scramble he stepped back and knocked over the little bed Fluffball was lying on.

A loud thud.

Fluffball's body hit the floor, the little toys and snacks scattering everywhere, a total mess.

In that moment, I finally lost it.

I shoved Rupert to the ground and screamed until my voice broke:

"Why would you barge in here! Couldn't you see someone was holding a farewell?"

"Your cat won't eat, what does that have to do with me! Are you sick? Get out!"

"Shut up! Stop it!"

Georgette pushed Rupert behind her and swung her hand hard across my face.

A sharp slap, and my head snapped to the side.

"Drew James, how can you be so unreasonable right now! What are you doing, bullying a boy this young?"

Her face was dark, her voice cold:

"The cat is already dead. I apologized, and I promised to buy you an even better one. What more do you want?"

With that, she took Rupert's hand and hurried off.

I wiped away my tears, lifted Fluffball up, and set him back in place.

I finished saying goodbye to Fluffball on my own.

Then I packed my things and went back to the little apartment where I'd once kept him.

I'd barely gotten home when my aunt called, her voice breaking.

"Drew, I kept telling you to move here sooner."

"I really can't stand the thought of you staying back home with no family around you..."

"Aunt Vivian, I'll be there next week."

After I hung up, I bought a plane ticket to Switzerland.