Page 28 of Not My Friend
“What?”
“I got a cat.”
I paused with a sushi roll halfway to my mouth. “I’m sorry, did you say you got a cat?”
She nodded. “Yeah.”
“You hate cats.”
“I know.”
“Then why did you adopt a cat?” I asked.
“I didn’t adopt him, he adopted me.”
“Finish your sushi,” I ordered. “This I have to see.”
Forty-five minutes later we pulled up to Kimberly’s place. She lived in a sweet townhouse at the south edge of Seattle in a residential neighborhood that appeared to mostly be new construction.
She pulled into the garage, and I parked my car in in the short driveway, then walked through the garage to meet her.
“Cute place,” I said as we walked through the connected door.
“Thanks, I bought it two years ago.”
“You own this place?” I asked in surprise.
Homeownership was hard to manage in a city this expensive.
“Did you win the lottery or something?”
She shook her head. “No, my grandma died and left me a small inheritance, which was enough for a downpayment, and between my income at the state and a home ownership program focused on redeveloping this neighborhood, I was able to pull it off.”
“Wow, that’s so cool. Congratulations.”
I followed her up a short flight of stairs to the main floor. It was open concept, wide and airy, with a living area near the front windows, dining area in the center, and kitchen in the back. I expected the place to be generic in the way that a lot of new construction was, but the walls were painted bright jewel tones, and she’d decorated the space with a variety of artwork and trinkets that really brightened the place up.
I walked over to the gas fireplace, examining a picture on the mantle. Her family I realized, grouped around a Christmas tree laughing at the camera. I felt a twinge of sadness. My family had never looked that happy to be together.
Unaware of my sad thoughts, Kimberly continued explaining the house.
“There’s a bathroom right there,” she said, pointing to a room off the kitchen. “Then I have two bedrooms and a bath upstairs. Do you want a drink or something?”
Before I could respond, I heard a loud hiss, and then a cat was attacking my jeans.
Kimberly
“Vader! Leave Gina alone!”
My cat hung from Gina’s shins, claws sunk into the fabric as she glared up at my kind of girlfriend. I dropped to my knees and pulled Vader’s claws out before hugging my furry little buddy to my chest. Vader purred, then turned to look at Gina and released a hiss.
“Wow, animals usually like me.”
“I don’t know what his deal is,” I said, standing up. “He’s usually pretty friendly with people.”
I set Vader down and he stalked away to the kitchen. A few seconds later I heard him binge eating his cat food, which meant he was stressed.
“Have a seat,” I said, gesturing to the living room. “I’ll get us a drink.”
