I gathered up the broken bone fragments and took one last breath. Nervously, I jumped through dimensions, gripping Lola’s roses especially tightly so they wouldn’t get lost. I wasn’t surprised to find that she lived on the top floor of her apartment building. She had so loved to feel the currents of the air, they had reminded her of flying. Perhaps she felt closer to the master that had cast her out this way. That the very same being, my grandfather, was aiding me now made the situation even more acutely uncomfortable. Losing my nerve a bit, I popped myself through just outside Lola’s apartment door.

I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. I had no idea how Lola would react. I didn’t want to hurt her any more than I already had. Holding the roses and bones protectively, I made the small jump through the door.

I saw her right away. She was curled up on her settee, facing away from me, with a pale green blanket wrapped round her like fluffy cupcake frosting. Her reflection in the mirror on the opposite wall showed her eyes were glued to the book in her lap, her brows knitted slightly in concentration. I could smell her unique, floral scent from the doorway, the sweetness of night-blooming jasmine.

I felt such a swell of emotion, I took a step back, nearly losing my balance. I hadn’t realized how much I had missed her; I felt such joy at seeing her! Even greater than how I’d felt, as a boy, when my father had come home from a long absence to spend time with my mother and I.

But my happiness was immediately tempered by the reality of the situation. I now fully understood how Lola felt about me, what I had done. I could never give her the romantic love she deserved. After this, I truly might never see her again.

It was a bit puzzling that Lola had not heard my shuffling. However, I soon realized that she had those wires in her ears, the sort that filtered music. She was vaguely bobbing her head, presumably to go along with some sort of rhythm.

Full of trepidation, I scanned quickly around her apartment. I told myself it was to ensure we were alone, but I knew in my heart that I was stalling, afraid to speak.

The place was full of an obscene number of both plants and books; I spotted some venus flytraps under a bright light, and nostalgia twisted in my gut. Upon further inspection, I found that we did, indeed, have company.

I spotted a silver Persian cat with only one eye and a rough lion cut lounging by a window. Instinctively, I knew she was female, and had issues with her bowels. She gazed at me inquisitively with her one, large, green eye.

A grizzled, ancient, orange cat with a tail as long as its body watched me suspiciously from one of those feline play trees. It seemed that he had been neutered late in life; he didn’t appreciate my presence.

I looked down, and found a spindly, long-legged, gray fellow approaching. He began rubbing contentedly at my legs. With a myriad of health issues, his purr was nevertheless of admirable volume.

I forced myself to look again towards Lola, only to spot yet another duo of cats lounging on a second divan. A tubby, female tabby with early kidney problems and tooth pain sat beside a glossy, young black and white cat with glittering eyes. Both regarded me curiously.

I smiled to myself. Leave it to Lols to collect a cattery’s worth of misfits.

Gripping the things in my arms more tightly, I gathered my courage. I walked up behind her, but still, she did not seem to notice me, she was so engrossed with her work. With a nauseating mix of excitement, guilt, and melancholy, I tapped her gently on the nape of her neck with my tail.

Notes

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