the shed, but she’s not anymore.”
“Was this just a little kitty you’d found? A stray?”
Too choked up to say anything, Jadie didn’t respond.
“Well, she’s probably all right. Most likely she’s just moved on. Sometimes wild kitties do that. They aren’t very used to being with people, and even when you’re good and kind to them, they don’t know they’re supposed to stay in one place.”
“She
didn’t
run away,” Jadie replied. “She couldn’t. She was in a box.”
“In a box? Where?”
“In our shed, like I was just telling you. Out in back of my house. That’s where I was taking the food to her and I was putting it in the box. But now it’s gone.”
“How’d she get in a box? Who does the box belong to?”
“They’ve taken her away and they’re going to kill her,” Jadie cried, her voice trailing off into a whine.
“Who’s going to kill her?”
“Them.”
“Them who, Jadie? I don’t really know what you’re talking about.”
The tears evaporated and Jadie’s eyes grew wide and dark. She sat very still, as if holding her breath. Then she inched closer to me on the bench.
“Who’s taken your cat?” I asked.
“Miss Ellie,” she whispered.
“Pardon?”
“Miss Ellie,” she said a little louder.
“Miss Ellie who?”
“Miss Ellie. Who’s with Bobby and J.R.”
“Miss
Ellie?
”
I
echoed in disbelief. “The lady who’s on TV?”
“Sometimes she’s on TV, but sometimes she comes to my house.”
“Miss
Ellie?
”
Jadie looked up, a pained expression on her face, and I realized she knew I didn’t believe what she was saying. Anxious not to destroy the trust growing between us, I backed off quickly.
“So, Miss Ellie has your little kitty.”
Jadie nodded, tears filling her eyes again.
“And she comes to your house? What does she do there?”
“She comes,” Jadie said, her voice small and apologetic. “She comes to be on TV sometimes, but mostly she just comes. To get me and Amber. To have us go with the others.”
“The others? Who else is there?”
“Bobby and Sue Ellen and J.R. Pam’s there sometimes and Clayton and some of the others, but I don’t know everybody’s names.”
Absolutely baffled, I tried my best to make sense of all this without seeming to disbelieve her. Jadie’s earnestness gave me no reason to suspect she was knowingly making this up. “These are the Ewings you’re talking about? From ‘Dallas’?”
Jadie nodded slightly. “It’s the Ewings, but I’m not sure where they come from.”
I sat back and a small silence ensued.
“Is Jenny Miss Ellie’s cat?” I asked finally.
“No. They just caught her, I think. I don’t know whose cat she is. Don’t belong to nobody, I think. Just a little cat.”
“But who caught her? How did she end up in a box in your shed?”
Jadie shrugged. “She was just there.”
“Maybe she got into the box accidentally. Kitties do get into very strange places sometimes. That’s just the way cats are, especially young ones. Maybe nobody really caught her after all. Is that possible?”
Jadie’s shoulders sagged, and she shook her head.
“Well, Miss Ellie wouldn’t hurt her, would she? Maybe she’s just going to give her a new home.”
Shaking her head, Jadie began to cry. “No, it isn’t like that.”
I looked at her.
“She’ll kill Jenny. Miss Ellie’ll eat her.”
Chapter Nine
T he hardest adjustment I had to make in returning to teaching after three years at the Sandry Clinic was the sudden and total loss of professional peers. Teaching was a natural activity for me, and I found I fit back into the routine of a school very quickly indeed. And I unashamedly loved it. I got on well with Mr. Tinbergen and the other teachers, enjoyed the camaraderie of the lounge, joined in the gossip, and took up my position in the pecking order. However, I soon realized that, while I’d always find a sympathetic ear when I wanted one, I wasn’t necessarily going to find
“Was this just a little kitty you’d found? A stray?”
Too choked up to say anything, Jadie didn’t respond.
“Well, she’s probably all right. Most likely she’s just moved on. Sometimes wild kitties do that. They aren’t very used to being with people, and even when you’re good and kind to them, they don’t know they’re supposed to stay in one place.”
“She
didn’t
run away,” Jadie replied. “She couldn’t. She was in a box.”
“In a box? Where?”
“In our shed, like I was just telling you. Out in back of my house. That’s where I was taking the food to her and I was putting it in the box. But now it’s gone.”
“How’d she get in a box? Who does the box belong to?”
“They’ve taken her away and they’re going to kill her,” Jadie cried, her voice trailing off into a whine.
“Who’s going to kill her?”
“Them.”
“Them who, Jadie? I don’t really know what you’re talking about.”
The tears evaporated and Jadie’s eyes grew wide and dark. She sat very still, as if holding her breath. Then she inched closer to me on the bench.
“Who’s taken your cat?” I asked.
“Miss Ellie,” she whispered.
“Pardon?”
“Miss Ellie,” she said a little louder.
“Miss Ellie who?”
“Miss Ellie. Who’s with Bobby and J.R.”
“Miss
Ellie?
”
I
echoed in disbelief. “The lady who’s on TV?”
“Sometimes she’s on TV, but sometimes she comes to my house.”
“Miss
Ellie?
”
Jadie looked up, a pained expression on her face, and I realized she knew I didn’t believe what she was saying. Anxious not to destroy the trust growing between us, I backed off quickly.
“So, Miss Ellie has your little kitty.”
Jadie nodded, tears filling her eyes again.
“And she comes to your house? What does she do there?”
“She comes,” Jadie said, her voice small and apologetic. “She comes to be on TV sometimes, but mostly she just comes. To get me and Amber. To have us go with the others.”
“The others? Who else is there?”
“Bobby and Sue Ellen and J.R. Pam’s there sometimes and Clayton and some of the others, but I don’t know everybody’s names.”
Absolutely baffled, I tried my best to make sense of all this without seeming to disbelieve her. Jadie’s earnestness gave me no reason to suspect she was knowingly making this up. “These are the Ewings you’re talking about? From ‘Dallas’?”
Jadie nodded slightly. “It’s the Ewings, but I’m not sure where they come from.”
I sat back and a small silence ensued.
“Is Jenny Miss Ellie’s cat?” I asked finally.
“No. They just caught her, I think. I don’t know whose cat she is. Don’t belong to nobody, I think. Just a little cat.”
“But who caught her? How did she end up in a box in your shed?”
Jadie shrugged. “She was just there.”
“Maybe she got into the box accidentally. Kitties do get into very strange places sometimes. That’s just the way cats are, especially young ones. Maybe nobody really caught her after all. Is that possible?”
Jadie’s shoulders sagged, and she shook her head.
“Well, Miss Ellie wouldn’t hurt her, would she? Maybe she’s just going to give her a new home.”
Shaking her head, Jadie began to cry. “No, it isn’t like that.”
I looked at her.
“She’ll kill Jenny. Miss Ellie’ll eat her.”
Chapter Nine
T he hardest adjustment I had to make in returning to teaching after three years at the Sandry Clinic was the sudden and total loss of professional peers. Teaching was a natural activity for me, and I found I fit back into the routine of a school very quickly indeed. And I unashamedly loved it. I got on well with Mr. Tinbergen and the other teachers, enjoyed the camaraderie of the lounge, joined in the gossip, and took up my position in the pecking order. However, I soon realized that, while I’d always find a sympathetic ear when I wanted one, I wasn’t necessarily going to find
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