No Regrets
And I want the flat spotless by the time Im back! Mrs. Olivia Parkers voice echoed down the stairwell as she slammed her door shut so forcefully, the glass panes rattled.
Natalie, who was heading down the stairs, jumped at the noise and froze, half hoping her neighbour wouldnt spot her.
But luck was not on Natalies side. Mrs. Parkers gaze landed straight on her.
Ah, Natalie Good morning! Mrs. Parker set a cardboard box down, fumbling with her coat buttons, clearly in a rush.
Hello, Mrs. Parker, Natalie offered a polite smile. “Have the children been up to mischief again?”
You have no idea. Im at my wits end Mrs. Parker muttered, wrestling with the last stubborn button.
Just then, the box on the floor wobbled.
Natalie flinched, startled despite standing safely away. She wasnt easily spooked but hadnt imagined the box would move.
“Now, what on earth her curiosity piqued.
For a wild moment she imagined a rebellious multi-cooker inside, spewing raw vegetables and destined for the tip after misbehaving one time too many.
Go on, have a look, Mrs. Parker said, picking up the box and tipping it towards Natalie.
Natalie cautiously approached, peering inside. Of course, she knew there couldnt be a live kitchen appliance, but what she saw still caught her completely by surprisein a good way.
Two big eyes blinked up at her from the bottom of the boxa tiny kitten.
Oh, goodness, how adorable! Natalie gasped.
Not the word Id use, Mrs. Parker grumbled, snapping the box closed.
Where did you find him? Natalie asked.
The kids brought him in I regret letting them keep him. Such a fuss over this kittenI havent the words. Even I fell for his pretty little face at first, but as my mum always says, All that glitters is not gold. Hes a heartbreaker on the outside, but his temperamentwell, lets just say hes as stubborn as my ex-husband.
Hell calm down as he gets older, Im sure, Natalie tried to encourage her. Are you off to the vet for his jabs?
Vet? Heaven forbid, Natalie! Ive had enough of his antics already. Im taking him up to the cottage in Kent. Let him stay there.
Natalie looked at her, hoping Mrs. Parker was joking. But the deep furrow in her brow said otherwise. It wasnt 1st April, after all. It was mid-November.
To the cottage? Now, at the end of autumn?
Why wait till spring? Whats the difference? If it were winter, Id take him then, too. Hes no kittenhes a misfortune.
Mrs. Parker paused, catching her breath before going on. You should see the mayhem he causes! The last time I took this many calm-down pills was when I was raising two kids on my own. My minds made up, hes going to the cottage.
But
Or maybe Ill just leave him in the courtyard where the kids found him, but theyll only bring him back and hide him in a cupboard. And I cant go through that again!
She pulled her phone from her pocket, checked her watch, and shook her head.
Now, thats enough chitchat, Natalie. I’ll miss my bus.
With a huff, Mrs. Parker tucked the box under her arm, spun on her heel, and started down the stairs, white-knuckling the railing.
Natalie watched, unable to fathom how anyone could dump a helpless kitten alone in a cold cottage. He wouldnt last a day.
Wait, Mrs. Parker! Natalie called out.
What is it, now? I told you, Im late!
Please, dont take him to the cottage. Let me see if I can find him a good home. Give him to me.
Mrs. Parker halted and, with a sharp turn, looked over her shoulder.
A good home? Whats that supposed to mean? That my hands are bad? I raised two kids myself, she narrowed her eyes.
Im not saying that. I just want to help. He wouldnt survive at the cottage.
If he wants to live, hell manage. If not, well, its fate. Some werent meant to make it
Thats not fair.
Its not meits him, with his wild behaviour, not fit for a nice flat.
Hes only a baby. Hell learn! And you wouldnt send your kids off to Kent, even when you lose your temper.
My children are my children. Dont compare them with that! scoffed Mrs. Parker. Go on, then. Take him. Suits me. Saves me the bus fareand lets see how long you last! she sneered, setting the box at Natalies feet before disappearing back into her flat, slamming the door behind her.
Through the thin walls, Natalie overheard, Right, who’s started tidying? Hand over your phones, all of you!
No longer listening, Natalie crouched down, lifted the box gently, checked that the kitten was tucked safely inside, and headed up to her floor.
Just like that, shed become the proud owner of a multi-cooker boxcomplete with kitten.
It hadnt remotely occurred to Natalie this morning that shed be bringing home a fluffy lodger. Shed only intended to buy coffeeshed run out, quite inconvenientlyand had simply wandered into the right place at the right (or wrong) time.
Truth be told, shed never been an animal lover. Shed never felt that passionate bond so many cat and dog owners talk about.
But she couldnt allow Mrs. Parker to abandon the tiny thing.
Because indifference is not cruelty. You simply dont walk away! After all, she couldnt understand why, in a world full of people wanting pets, youd give up so readily.
Anyone would take such a cute face. Natalie was sure of it. All she needed was a few good photos on social media, and thered be a queue outside her door for a piece of furry joy.
Easy.
*****
Natalie decided not to dither. The moment she returned home, she snapped photos of the kitten and posted adverts in all the local Free to a Good Home groups.
Then, she finally went out for coffeeand, remembering the kitten, some kitten food, too.
While she was at it, she grabbed a litter tray and some litter. Unexpected expenses, but there was no other way. Ill send all this off with whoever picks him up, she thought, smiling proudly at her good deed. The cost didnt bother herit was for a worthy cause.
According to Mrs. Parker, the kitten answered to Bagel, but he didnt turn his head at the name, so Natalie devised a new one.
She ran through dozens of classics until she hit upon the 132nd option.
Youre now Percy. Do you like that, Percy? she asked.
Miaow! came the answer, as Percy scampered off to do battle with a pair of equally fluffy slippers, which, evidently, offended his sensibilities. There could only be one fluffiest, after all.
Natalie found herself grinning as she watched him play. She figured it was time to get some work done.
Natalie was a freelance photographer, well-booked for shoots, and she loved her work. It brought not only joy but a solid income.
She had a set of photos to edit from a recent job. So she fired up the laptop, opened up Photoshop, and got to it.
But quiet work wasnt in the cards. Percy, having vanquished the slippers, charged around the flat, always skidding out on the turns. The racket was astonishing.
Oi, Percy! Natalie pivoted on her chair and wagged her finger at him. He stopped in the middle of the room and looked expectantly. I know youre bored, but remember, youre here temporarily
Miaow!
No arguments! Youre my guest, so dont make a mess or distract me. Please?
That was the wrong thing to say.
Percy gazed up with such plaintive big blue eyes that Natalie felt instantly ashamed. Properly guiltyembarrassment bubbling up inside her.
How can you scold someone so tiny?
All right, you can playjust keep it down, she relented.
Percy yowled gleefully and tore around the room even faster, tumbling into the chair, the sideboard, the armchair.
Eyes on the prize, obstacles be damnedthats Percy through and through, Natalie mused. She stuck her headphones on and put on some music, trying to tune out the chaos, immersing herself in her photo edits.
But only five minutes later, Percy launched himself directly under the desk, swiping out the plug for her computer as he passed, and promptly vanished again.
Oh, honestly was all Natalie managed as her screen blinked blank.
The next half-hour saw not only Percy but Natalie herself dashing around the flat trying to capture him.
She failed to catch the kitten, but did manage to stub her toe and bang her kneetwice.
Once the computer was up and running again (twitching nervously), she checked her ads. The posts were flooded with likes and comments, which was encouraginguntil she started reading.
Everyone left the same messages: Hes darling! Youre so lucky! Little charmer! But not one person offered to take him. No calls, not even a message. No queue at her door for sure.
Natalie updated each advert: Ill deliver Percy anywhere. All of London, the countryfurther if you wish! Surely the distance had put people off beforebut now, someone must come through!
Meanwhile, Percy grew tired of his antics, climbed up on the sofa, rolled onto his back, belly up, demanding affection. Natalie ended up tickling his tummy until he fell asleep. She soon nodded off with him, and work was postponed entirely.
*****
A week passed, and Natalie realised that rehoming Percy was far harder than shed expected. Likes and comments kept coming, but nothing changed. No messages, no calls.
Three days later, the mild panic set in: What if nobody ever takes him? Am I going to end up keeping him?
Honestlyjust what I didnt need! she groaned, then immediately told herself off.
Percy, curled up by the keyboard with his paws wrapped around the mouse, opened one eye at her outburst, as if to say, Nap time! Must you shout?
With a sigh, Natalie picked up her phone and checked the commentsagain, nothing new. More admiration for Percy, and less hope for herself.
She recalled a recent trip to a therapist, searching for why her life felt incomplete.
She had a good job, plenty of money, even her own London flat (thanks, Mum and Dad). Life should be perfect.
But lately there was an inexplicable emptiness. Relationships werent the problemshe was on a break, enjoying some peace.
So what was the missing piece?
The therapist had urged her to talk to herself and dig deep inside. But really, that only left her clutching a glass of water and a paracetamol.
Disappointed, shed asked her friends instead.
Youre bored because youre spoiled rotten, said Alice, always slightly envious of Natalies luck and career.
No, Alice. I work just as much as you, if not more. I have every right to be tired.
Maybe thats exactly it! Mary mused, spooning up a last bit of treacle tart. Youre lacking fat for happiness! Too skinnymust not have had enough desserts as a child.
None of it helped. Natalie resolved to ignore those thoughts. But now, here they were again.
Just what I didnt need But what if Percy is the piece I was missing?” she whispered. “Well, we’ll live and see, wont we?
*****
A month whisked by since Percy arrived, and Natalie could hardly believe how quickly the time vanished.
No one had come to fetch the kitty. Despite over a thousand likes on his photo, no one wanted to take him home.
Now, thirty whole days later, she began to understand why.
That month was fullenough content for a novel. But in short, Percy was a clever kitten. He quickly learned to understand his new housemate, even when Natalie told him for the tenth time to get off the sofa.
He tried out new professions: first, interior designer, which involved destroying four sets of curtains until Natalie gave up on curtains entirely.
Next, head chefsampling everything edible on the table, then spitting out gherkins, mushrooms, even potatoesculinary arts abandoned in favour of reliable cat food.
Finally, his purpose crystallised: simply making Natalie happy.
What that meant, of course, differed for both. For Natalie, it meant finally sleeping soundly and finishing her editing. Which hadnt happened much latelypeace was a memory.
It seemed the universe thought things were too calm, and so it sent Percy her way.
Whenever Natalie tried to nap or relax, Percy would appear out of nowhere: Play with me? his eyes pleaded. Then chaos would ensue, exuberant and wordless.
Natalie could now sympathise more with Mrs. Parker, however much she disagreed with her plan. She could never abandon Percy, even on the roughest days.
There were silver linings, too. Shed stopped wondering what was missing from her life. That question simply dissolved.
She learned to clean with lightning speed, racing to tidy up before Percy awoke.
Shed gained enough joy to last a lifetime: when he finally learned how to use the litter tray alone, she was as chuffed as a parent witnessing babys first steps. No longer did she need to carry Percy to the tray in the wee hours.
Of course, Percy still found mischieflike flicking the lamp on and off all night, prompting Natalie to hide it in the cupboard along with the ex-curtains (and yes, the flat was brighter without them!).
Looking back, Natalie realised shed grown used to everythingjust as people do.
Eventually, she made an astonishing discovery: Percy didnt live with her; she was the regular visitor. All day, whilst she worked, he ruled the flat. He greeted her at the door, said farewell in the morningtruly the man of the house.
Finally, Natalie understood she didnt need to search for a good home for Percy.
She already was his good home.
She was the kind, patient person prepared to endure all his antics, ready to play or cuddle at any hour, happy to share her bed (even if Percy claimed most of it).
She was happyno regrets. Because she loved him, and who could possibly not love a Percy?
And clearly, Percy loved her, too. He stopped waking her up at dawn so she could finally rest before each hectic day, quietly curling up beside her, waiting for her to wakesometimes with just the ghost of an accusatory glance, as if to say, How long are you going to sleep, dear human? I do miss you
And in those simple, unexpected moments, Natalie found her answer, realising some giftsbig or smallchange your life in the most extraordinary ways, and love finds us precisely when we least expect it.
