Page 31 of Phishing for Love
“No.”
“Pleeeeeeeese.”
“Still no.”
“Why not?” she whines.
My sister answers in true Kate fashion. “Animals are too much work. You have to feed them, clean up after them, waste time walking or playing with them. And what do they offer in return? Almost nothing.”
“Ash gives me companionship,” I say. “A cat would be a friend for Lissy.”
“You said friends are important, Mom,” Lisset points out cunningly. “Ineeda friend.”
I take a moment to admire my niece’s craftiness. She’ll go far, this one.
“How about I think it over?” Kate says to Lisset, who nods eagerly and does a little butt wiggle of joy in her chair.
I hold my tongue. Poor thing. She’ll soon learn that when adults say they’ll think about something, it’s usually code forno.
When Lisset heads inside to use the bathroom, Kate frowns at me. “Stop tempting my daughter.”
“A cat will be good for her, Kate.”
And you. Especially you.
On a long sigh, Kate says, “Do you know that if you die all alone in your house, your cat will feed on your corpse as soon as you start to decompose?”
I stare at her in horror. “You made that up.”
“Not at all. I read about it. There was a study done.”
“Kate’s right!” Nathan snaps his fingers. “I remember watching something about that on YouTube.”
Grandma stirs. Not opening her eyes, she mumbles, “Only illiterate fools watch YouTube.”
Nathan’s head jerks back in shock, but I squeeze his hand. “Pay her no mind,” I whisper.
“And Tess, you pay Kate no mind,” my mother instructs me, shooting my sister an admonishing look. “Ash is a sweetheart.”
When Lisset returns, Dad sets up the sprinkler for her on the lawn, despite Kate’s objections that she’ll get wet and traipse grass and dirt through the house.
“Let her have fun, Kate,” Dad orders quietly, putting an end to the matter.
My sister doesn’t say anything, but I know, from the stiff set of her shoulders, that she’s not happy. After fifteen minutes of us all watching a giggling Lisset run exuberantly through the sprinkler, I sneak a glimpse at Kate, noting the softening in her face as she gazes at her daughter. Relief washes over me. The old Kate is still somewhere inside there.
[GROUP CHAT]
Tess:Kate says my cat is going to eat me.
Kenzie:Why? Don’t you feed him?
Tess:Apparently, if I die in my house, he’s going to nibble on my face.
Sofia:There’s a reason I named him Thanos.
Tess:Thanos wanted to kill half the world’s population!
Sofia:At least your cat will only go for you.
