All his life, James had dreamed of a son. He even had a name picked out – Thomas. But as fate would have it, the family had three daughters growing up…
His wife Emily never lost heart:
— But look what beauties we have! — she would say.
James smiled and nodded. He loved his clever little girls dearly. Yet sometimes he felt a faint pang of envy when he watched the neighbour kick a football with his boys.
— Oh, come off it, James! Your Chloe does karate. She fights better than any lad, — his friend told him.
James laughed. Chloe, at ten, was indeed a tough little thing. Her sisters – the seven-year-old twins Sophie and Lucy – were just as spirited.
But still, the dream of a son never left him…
His daughters also had a dream – a pet.
— No way. I won’t put up with a creature that barks all day, — James brushed off their pleas for a dog.
— A cat will ruin the wallpaper. Hamsters stink. Parrots are far too noisy, — he rejected every suggestion.
The girls sulked and even felt hurt.
— At Hannah and Laura’s house they have two dogs! And it’s fine! — Chloe muttered quietly, but her father was firm.
— We’ll think of something, — Sophie said, always the one to keep trying.
James’s birthday was approaching. The girls sat in Chloe’s room arguing over what to give Dad.
— A flask? A shaving kit?
— No, that’s too boring!
— Well, you think of something then, clever clogs! We’ll draw a card! Only two days left!
— Oh, that’s so babyish! The present has to be surprising and memorable! Mum says so.
The discussion had been going on for half an hour and was about to turn into a fight when the phone rang:
— Chloe, have you taken the rubbish out? — Mum asked.
— Of course… we did. All done. Are you on your way home? — Chloe lied without blinking. And, hearing that Mum would be late, she quickly got ready.
— We’re coming too! — the twins said.
— What, all three of us with one bin bag? — Chloe frowned.
But a few minutes later the whole gang was out the front door.
— Do you hear that? Over by the bins, — Lucy whispered.
The others stopped and nodded. As they got closer, they heard a pitiful mewing from the dumpster.
— Surely someone didn’t stuff a cat in there? — Chloe said uncertainly.
Sophie just shrugged and began pulling out the bags that filled the bin.
The sisters wrinkled their noses and helped. As if sensing rescue, the cat let out a desperate yowl.
— I hope it doesn’t jump at us. Why hasn’t it climbed out? Is it stuck? — Chloe grunted, leaning over the edge.
Sophie and Lucy were hard at work on the other side.
A few minutes later they found the answer:
— Adults have gone completely mad. Who in their right mind would wrap a cat in a bin bag and throw it away? — Chloe fumed as she untied the rustling plastic. Inside sat a terrified ginger tom.
— He’s beautiful and so friendly! How could anyone dump the poor thing? — Lucy sighed.
The cat immediately climbed into her arms and pressed close, trembling.
— What do you think you’re doing, you little hooligans? You’ve emptied all the rubbish onto the path! I’ll be telling your parents about this, mark my words. Making a game of it while your mum and dad are out! — old Mrs. Higgins yelled across the courtyard.
Arguing with the fierce woman was useless. She was marching towards them, despite her age.
— Run, — Chloe commanded.
And the sisters dashed for the entrance. Mrs. Higgins’s furious shouts followed them.
— Phew, we got away, — Sophie panted, slamming the front door.
— She’ll tell on us, you’ll see. Remember when we broke the hallway window? She was there in seconds and told Dad that very evening, — Chloe said with a snort.
Meanwhile James was coming home from work. He was in great spirits. The weekend and his birthday were ahead. He had loved this holiday since childhood and was glad to spend it with his family.
Suddenly a gypsy woman appeared beside him:
— An unexpected gift awaits you, dearie! You’ll be happy, you’ll laugh! — she said quickly, touching his hand, and then hurried away.
“Strange fortune-tellers these days. They used to ask for silver to cross their palm,” James mused, and paid the words no mind as he rushed home…
At home, the discussion was lively:
— Did you find out what Mum’s giving him? — Chloe asked her sisters, but they just shrugged.
— I asked, but Mum said it’s a surprise. We’ll all know when the time comes, — Sophie answered.
And that was odd. Mum usually prepared for Dad’s birthday with them.
— I saw her putting something into a gift envelope. Maybe a trip to a spa? Remember they talked about a getaway together? — Lucy said thoughtfully.
— Possible. But our surprise will be just as good. And he’ll remember it for ages, and it’ll be a total shock, — Chloe giggled.
— Just as long as he doesn’t find it early, — Sophie put a finger to her lips.
Then the doorbell rang and the girls ran to open it. Their parents stood on the doorstep.
— You’re awfully quiet today. Come on, confess – what have you done this time? — Emily said, eyeing her daughters.
But the sisters assured her everything was fine.
— We even took out the rubbish! — Chloe reported.
— Good. Then why is the bathroom floor soaking wet? — Mum asked, heading to the sink.
The girls exchanged glances.
— Sorry, Mummy, I wanted to wash a T-shirt. I got it a bit dirty, — Lucy looked down.
— Never a dull day! — James laughed. He was in high spirits.
The girls quickly went to their rooms and went to bed without any fuss.
— They’re learning… Look how obedient they are today. Probably planning a surprise for me, — James smiled, kissing his wife.
— More like the calm before the storm, — Emily said doubtfully. She knew her daughters too well…
They had just fallen asleep when a noise came from Chloe’s room.
— I thought I heard a meow, — James mumbled half-asleep.
When they entered the children’s room, Chloe was sitting up with Sophie:
— I had a bad dream, but I’m fine now. I’ll sleep with Chloe, okay? — Sophie whispered.
— Of course, love. Are you sure you don’t need us? — Emily asked.
The sisters nodded, and the rest of the night passed peacefully…
On the eve of his birthday, James slept badly. He had nightmares about a red-haired gypsy woman. She mewed and stared at him with bright green eyes.
Finally he opened his eyes and froze. Right on his chest sat a ginger monster, staring him down!
— Meow, — the monster greeted James.
— Aaah! — James yelled.
Emily shot up, trying to understand what was happening.
— What? What is it? — the birthday boy stammered, staring at the ginger cat that was now trying to settle at his feet.
Emily blinked in bewilderment.
— Oh, Dad! You’ve already seen our surprise! — Chloe walked in, trying to sound cheerful.
The twins followed:
— Happy Birthday, Daddy! We wanted to give you a present you’d remember. Meet Muffin. He’s really good, calm, and well-behaved.
Actually, he’s been living with us for two days and you didn’t even notice. All the sofas are fine and the wallpaper too, — Sophie and Lucy said in turns.
Emily laughed as James gasped for air.
— Don’t worry, Dad. Mum’s going to give you a spa voucher, and you’ll have a lovely break away from us. We’ll manage here, — Chloe blurted out.
— What spa voucher? Hang on, girls, — Emily looked surprised at her daughters.
— But isn’t your present in the envelope a holiday? I saw it myself, — Lucy came to her sister’s aid.
Emily laughed nervously.
— Seems nothing in this house stays hidden, — she said at last.
— But what am I supposed to do with this beast? — James asked, bewildered, watching the cat purr softly at his feet.
— You see, Dad, it happened by accident. We went out and found the cat in a bag… in the bin. Then Mrs. Higgins appeared. She shouted so loud. Well, you know how she is… — Chloe began.
— We got scared and ran home as fast as we could, — Sophie added authoritatively.
— It all just sort of happened, and the cat ended up here. But we couldn’t throw him back in the rubbish, could we? We even washed him and cleaned him up. He’s very calm and patient, — Lucy said with tears in her eyes.
James sighed. For some reason the gypsy’s words about an unexpected gift came back to him.
— Well… Some gift this turned out to be, — he said quietly, looking at the whole honest crew.
— Darling, maybe the girls are right. The cat really is pitiful. Think what he’s been through. And he seems very gentle and affectionate, — their mother came to the girls’ defence.
James sighed again, weighing the situation.
— He’ll catch our mice, I’m sure! — Sophie offered a winning argument.
— But we’ve never had mice, — James said sadly, looking around.
— You never know – I heard a scratching behind the wall the other day, — Lucy supported her sister.
— All right, you little rascals. We’ll see how you behave from now on. And we’ll see how Muffin behaves too, — James laughed.
— Why Muffin? — Emily asked.
— You should hear the funny purr he makes when you rub his tummy, — the girls smiled.
— But what was the gift in the envelope? — Lucy wanted to know.
Emily blushed a little. Then she brought her husband a small box containing an envelope.
— No way! — James exclaimed excitedly, looking at the contents.
He couldn’t hold back his tears…
*****
— Of course, a little brother is wonderful. But I think our Muffin made quite an impression on Dad too, — Lucy whispered to her sister that night in bed.
— Our Muffin is a traitor. He slept with us for two days, and tonight he moved to Mum and Dad’s room, — Sophie frowned.
— Oh, come on. He’s Dad’s cat after all, — Lucy giggled.
James lay in bed, happy, listening to Muffin’s purr.
— What a peaceful sound. Why didn’t we get a cat before? I don’t understand, — he whispered, pulling his wife close.
— Enjoy the peace and quiet while you can. Soon there’ll be no sleep in this house, — Emily laughed.
— You know, I still can’t believe we’re having a son! Thank you, love. This is the best gift ever! — James said with a smile and closed his eyes in pure happiness.
