talking about made me angry.
When I was summoned for my turn inside the office, the doctor ' s assistant was waiting with gloves so thick, a lion couldn ' t penetrate them. She was experienced with Cleo by now.
It took fifteen minutes to pry the stubborn cat out of the carrier. She had an amazing ability to stretch out all four legs and cling, limpet-like, to the bars. When she actually got onto the table, the noise she made was indescribable. Nails on a blackboard were melodious by comparison. With both the assistant and I holding her down, the doctor was able to give her the exam.
After it was over, Cleocatra purred all the way home, but I was far from happy. As silly as it was, I just had to call Kent and share my anger at the two women. He would laugh, and then I would feel better.
When I got inside the house, Cleo immediately ran under the bed. She would stay there until she deemed I had been sufficiently punished. As I was putting her toy into exile with her, the phone rang. I reached up from the floor and grabbed it. " Hello? "
" Lily. It ' s Kent. "
" Kent! " I exclaimed. " I was just about to call you. You must be psychic. "
" Lily, listen. " His serious tone sent a shiver through me. " Something has come up. There ' s been a family emergency. "
" Ursula. " My heart lurched. " Oh, Kent, is it Ursula? "
" No, Gram is fine. I ' m sorry, but I can ' t really talk about it right now. I have to go back to England and take care of some things. When I ' ve got it sorted out, I can explain, but I ' m in a terrible rush at the moment. My plane ' s leaving in a few hours. I wanted to let you know, and I ' ll be in touch with you soon. "
" Is there anything I can do? " I asked anxiously. " Do you need me? "
" It ' s very sweet of you, but I can handle it. I do wish I had a chance to say goodbye. "
This time, my heart stopped. " Aren ' t you—aren ' t you coming back? " I stammered.
" Oh, yes, of course I am. I must be off now. I ' ll ring you as soon as I get to London. Right? "
" Right, " I said mechanically.
" Bye then. "
" Bye. "
I felt as cold as if I ' d stepped into ice water. Strange then how the heat rose up in my throat and turned into a torrent of tears. I lay back on the floor and sobbed. Cleocatra came out of hiding in alarm. She rubbed against me, and I buried my face in her soft fur. " Oh, Cleo! " I wailed. " He ' s gone. He ' s gone already and he didn ' t even come to see me. What ' s happened? Why couldn ' t he tell me? What if I never see him again? Oh, Cleo... "
I blubbered on for some minutes, then slowly began to regain control. I sat up and blew my nose while Cleo batted at the box of tissues.
" Go on, then, " I said, giving her a few tissues to shred. " You deserve it. What a day we ' ve had. But there ' s no sense in going to pieces, is there? Poor Kent has had some kind of family trouble and here I am feeling sorry for myself. Think of him . He said he would call me and I ' m sure he will. Then I ' ll find out what I can do for him. And of course, he ' ll be back. He wouldn ' t lie. Hasn ' t everything been wonderful with him? It has . So I have no reason to be getting hysterical. Just stop it, Lily Evans. "
I received only a blizzard of flying tissue in reply, but I felt better. I went into the bathroom and washed my face. I didn ' t have to work today and had planned on meeting Moira for lunch. That no longer appealed to me.
I called her to cancel, and then the doorbell rang. Definitely not , I thought. The last thing I want right now is company.
I ignored the sound until it stopped.
A tap on the bedroom window nearly made me jump out of my skin. I spun around. Stephen peered at me through the glass. Oh, great. " You scared me half to death! " I shouted.
" Sorry. " He waved his hand in what I took to be an apologetic gesture. " But I saw your car so I figured you were home. Can I come in? "
I should have resented his easy familiarity, but instead it was comforting. I went
When I was summoned for my turn inside the office, the doctor ' s assistant was waiting with gloves so thick, a lion couldn ' t penetrate them. She was experienced with Cleo by now.
It took fifteen minutes to pry the stubborn cat out of the carrier. She had an amazing ability to stretch out all four legs and cling, limpet-like, to the bars. When she actually got onto the table, the noise she made was indescribable. Nails on a blackboard were melodious by comparison. With both the assistant and I holding her down, the doctor was able to give her the exam.
After it was over, Cleocatra purred all the way home, but I was far from happy. As silly as it was, I just had to call Kent and share my anger at the two women. He would laugh, and then I would feel better.
When I got inside the house, Cleo immediately ran under the bed. She would stay there until she deemed I had been sufficiently punished. As I was putting her toy into exile with her, the phone rang. I reached up from the floor and grabbed it. " Hello? "
" Lily. It ' s Kent. "
" Kent! " I exclaimed. " I was just about to call you. You must be psychic. "
" Lily, listen. " His serious tone sent a shiver through me. " Something has come up. There ' s been a family emergency. "
" Ursula. " My heart lurched. " Oh, Kent, is it Ursula? "
" No, Gram is fine. I ' m sorry, but I can ' t really talk about it right now. I have to go back to England and take care of some things. When I ' ve got it sorted out, I can explain, but I ' m in a terrible rush at the moment. My plane ' s leaving in a few hours. I wanted to let you know, and I ' ll be in touch with you soon. "
" Is there anything I can do? " I asked anxiously. " Do you need me? "
" It ' s very sweet of you, but I can handle it. I do wish I had a chance to say goodbye. "
This time, my heart stopped. " Aren ' t you—aren ' t you coming back? " I stammered.
" Oh, yes, of course I am. I must be off now. I ' ll ring you as soon as I get to London. Right? "
" Right, " I said mechanically.
" Bye then. "
" Bye. "
I felt as cold as if I ' d stepped into ice water. Strange then how the heat rose up in my throat and turned into a torrent of tears. I lay back on the floor and sobbed. Cleocatra came out of hiding in alarm. She rubbed against me, and I buried my face in her soft fur. " Oh, Cleo! " I wailed. " He ' s gone. He ' s gone already and he didn ' t even come to see me. What ' s happened? Why couldn ' t he tell me? What if I never see him again? Oh, Cleo... "
I blubbered on for some minutes, then slowly began to regain control. I sat up and blew my nose while Cleo batted at the box of tissues.
" Go on, then, " I said, giving her a few tissues to shred. " You deserve it. What a day we ' ve had. But there ' s no sense in going to pieces, is there? Poor Kent has had some kind of family trouble and here I am feeling sorry for myself. Think of him . He said he would call me and I ' m sure he will. Then I ' ll find out what I can do for him. And of course, he ' ll be back. He wouldn ' t lie. Hasn ' t everything been wonderful with him? It has . So I have no reason to be getting hysterical. Just stop it, Lily Evans. "
I received only a blizzard of flying tissue in reply, but I felt better. I went into the bathroom and washed my face. I didn ' t have to work today and had planned on meeting Moira for lunch. That no longer appealed to me.
I called her to cancel, and then the doorbell rang. Definitely not , I thought. The last thing I want right now is company.
I ignored the sound until it stopped.
A tap on the bedroom window nearly made me jump out of my skin. I spun around. Stephen peered at me through the glass. Oh, great. " You scared me half to death! " I shouted.
" Sorry. " He waved his hand in what I took to be an apologetic gesture. " But I saw your car so I figured you were home. Can I come in? "
I should have resented his easy familiarity, but instead it was comforting. I went
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