Broken home, busy Mom, playful kitten: Angel’s life is stressful, but a kitten makes it better.
1.
Angel walked down the stairs, one by one, feeling sad. She tried to make her mother smile, but Mother was busy cooking, cleaning, and rushing around. Mother never sang anymore.
“Oh Miho,” Angel sighed to the little gray kitten who rubbed her ankles as she sat down on the last step next to the sidewalk. “Kitty cat, will you play with me?” The kitten was ready to play. He loved to run after floating autumn leaves as Angel threw them lightly into the cool, brisk air. Then he chased his own tail as Angel giggled.
“Angel! Dinner time!” called Angel’s mother.
Angel gave the gray kitten one last stroke and whispered, “Tomorrow, my friend,” into his ear. She ran inside to wash up and enjoy dinner in her mother’s warm kitchen.
2.
The next morning Angel got up early to get ready for school. Her mother was busy, as usual, and said, “Hurry, please hurry, Angel. I can’t be late.” Angel knew her mother didn’t want to be late for work. That made Angel wish she could stay home with her mother, and she moved a little bit slower.
Angel’s slowness made her mother even more nervous about being late. Angel was so upset she couldn’t eat breakfast.
Finally they left the house. Angel didn’t think about her gray kitty, Miho, because they were in a terrible hurry by then. The school bell rang right before they got there, and then Angel’s mother had to rush to the bus stop so she wouldn’t miss the bus and have to walk five miles to work.
Angel went to class with a heavy heart, wishing her mother didn’t have to work so hard.
After school that day all she could think about was getting home so she could play with her kitten again, but when she got there Miho was nowhere to be found. Angel looked in the front yard under all the bushes and high in the tree. Then she went around to the backyard and looked into the hole next to the basement of the house and in the fruit trees.
Miho was gone. Angel cried until her mother came home.
3.
“Oh Angel,” said her mother. She sat on the back porch steps and put her arm around Angel. “Angel, he will probably come back. If he doesn’t, I can get you another kitten.”
“I don’t want another kitten. I want Miho!” Angel said.
“I know, I know,” sighed her mother.
“No, you don’t know,” screamed Angel. Her face flushed red and her hands curled into fists. “How could you know, you never helped me play with him.”
“I didn’t know you needed help,” said her mother. “I thought you were happy playing with him all by yourself.”
“I really wanted to play with you, Mommy,” said Angel. “I miss you, the way you used to be. I miss being able to stay home with you and read books with you, and have fun.”
“I remember, Angel, my honey,” Mother said. “I’m so sorry we don’t do that anymore. I’ve been so tired from working every day that I haven’t been able to give you the time you deserve.”
Angel hugged her mother, and leaned against her, silently thinking about how hard her mother was working to try to pay the bills. Her tears fell onto her mother’s lap.
4.
When her mother got up to go make dinner, Angel followed her inside. “Mommy,” she said, “let me help you.”
“Alright,” her mother said. “Let’s see what we can find for you to do.”
“I know what to do!” said Angel. She washed her hands, then got two plates and put them on two bright red placemats. Next she got napkins and silverware and glasses, then put salt and pepper shakers between the two place settings.
“Looks good!” Mother said, as she stirred the soup.
Angel got a big plate out and set it in the middle of the table. On it she set a few slices of bread and a chunk of cheese and a little knife to cut the cheese with. Then she got the lettuce and tore it into pieces and put them into two salad bowls. Her mother cut a tomato and put the slices on top of the lettuce. Angel got salad dressing and butter out of the refrigerator and set them on the table too.
As soon as the vegetables in the soup were cooked all the way through, Angel and her mother sat at the table. They held hands and said a little prayer, and ate their delicious meal together.
5.
“Happiness feels good,” said Angel.
“You’re so right,” said her mother. “Happiness comes to us when we are at peace with each other. It comes when we are grateful to be alive and glad to be in the situation we are in.”
“But it is hard sometimes, Mommy,” Angel said. “I don’t like you working all the time, and I don’t like Daddy living somewhere else.”
“I’m very sorry you’re having this sadness while you are just a little child. But both your father and I still love you very, very much.”
“I liked helping you fix dinner. I want to do that every day.”
“You’re a good helper, Angel,” Mother said. “When we do things together we can both be happy again. Now we are working instead of playing, though. It feels good to work, doesn’t it?” She smiled. This was the first time Angel had seen her mother smile in a long, long time.
Then Angel and her mother heard a little sound. “Meow.” It was Miho!
“Meow.”
There was that sound again!
Angel ran to the back door and opened it. There was her little gray kitten, bristling against the cool night air. She scooped Miho into her arms while her mother went to the refrigerator and poured a bowl of milk. Together they knelt down and watched the kitten drink.
A little more happiness had come into their lives.
Story by Linda Jo Martin 2011
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