Chapter 5: It's the unexpected things that keep life interesting

            “I need a nap.”

            Evie’s father was stifling a yawn as he stretched back against the open doorway of the church.  The sanctuary looked almost empty without the decorative candles, ribbons, and flowers Callie had requested for the ceremony.  The rainbows had also faded as the sun rose higher in the sky over the course of the day.  Regina Nole had put together beautiful arrangements of the remaining flowers and handed them out to the bridesmaids who happily accepted them.  Free flower arrangements from the best florist in town was simply too appealing to turn down.  Evie was seated in the very last pew, closest to the doors that had pulled open to reveal her sister in all her beautiful glory just a handful of hours earlier.

            An opening door broke the peaceful silence in the sanctuary.  Donna Remington’s petite frame quickly floated through the opening beside the piano at the front of the room, the plush carpet muffling the sound of her pumps against the floor.  Her pencil skirt restricted her stride, but like always, she managed just fine.  Her speedy little steps reinforced the illusion of her floating effortlessly and elegantly regardless of where she happened to be.  She floated to the end of the aisle where Evie and her father were waiting patiently.  She clasped her hands together in front of her and smiled brilliantly.

            “I believe that’s everything.  Mr. Barry is locking up for us, so we are ready to leave.”

            Evie nodded her head and wordlessly rose.  She had been more than pleased about peeling her bridesmaid dress once the reception was over.  She was now in a comfortable pair of jeans and a floppy t-shirt—perfect for helping to undecorate the church.

            “What are your plans for the remainder of the day?” her mother asked as she placed a delicate hand on her daughter’s back.  “Are you coming back to the house?”

            “I really think I need to get back.  I would like to get back to Knoxville before it’s too late and sleep in tomorrow morning.”

            Her mother cut her eyes over questioningly.  “Do you have plans for church in the morning?”

            “Uh,” Evie groaned inwardly, “probably not tomorrow.  I’ve had a lot of excitement this weekend.”

            Donna hugged her daughter tenderly.  “Are you leaving from here?”

            “I figured I’d take a short stroll through town before heading out.  A few things have changed since my last trip.”

            “Yes, I suppose they have.  You really must stop in at the pet store.  They have some of the most adorable critters in there, and it’s refreshing having something new for the tourists.”

            “We have a pet store now?”  How many tourists could possibly buy live animals while on vacation?

            “Indeed!  It’s only been there a month or two.  It’s right on the main drag across from the park.  You can’t miss it.  It has a giant dog stature holding a sign out front.”

            “I’m pretty sure the dog is gone,” Bill interjected from his spot at the door.  He wiped his face with his hand and stretched his shoulders against the doorframe.  “Someone vandalized it last week.  Wrote all kinds of dirty things on the sign.”

            “What a shame!  Kids these days!” Donna shook her head sadly.

            “Who said anything about it being kids?”  Bill crossed his arms across his chest and cocked his head to the side as if he was with holding a secret.  A smirk began to appear under his mustache.  Now, he was just messing with her.

            Donna’s eyes narrowed at her husband.  She took a breath as she rolled her head toward Evie and grinned.  “I believe I need to take your father home now.  He’s quite grumpy.”  She stretched her arms around her daughter’s shoulders and hugged her tightly.  “Be safe.  Please let me know when you make it home all right.”

            “I will.”

            When her mother released her, her father came over and engulfed her in a bear hug.  His mustache poked her as he kissed her on her cheek.  “I love you, pumpkin.”

            “I love you too, Dad.”

            The three of them left the church and parted ways in the parking lot.  Evie slid into the driver’s seat, placed her hands on the wheel, and took a deep breath.  Where to now?  It wasn’t more than a jump down to Light Your Life where she could park behind the store.  That would probably be the most reasonable place.

            She pulled onto the street.  She couldn’t help but admire the picturesque houses with their green lawns and picket fences.  It was a street she had driven nearly every day of her life up until leaving for college, but she never actually saw it until after she had been gone for several years.  It truly looked like the entire street had been pulled from a Thomas Kincade painting.  The only thing missing would have been cars from the ‘50s.  Sunlight flickered across her windshield as she drove under the shade of the mature trees between the sidewalk and road.  In many places, the roots had lifted up sections of the concrete, but the residents weren’t about to let the city do anything to fix it.  It added character to the quaint little town.

            With it being a Saturday, the sidewalks became a great deal busier as she got closer to downtown.  Shoppers strolled lazily with their families, or in pairs.  When she emerged from the residential area, the trees cleared and the houses changed to storefronts.  Evie turned down the side street that led to the private parking lot for shop owners, pausing for tourists to dart in front of her car as they crossed the street.  Since her car probably wouldn’t be recognized, she pulled the hanging tag out of her glove compartment and slid it over her rearview mirror.  It would be a shame if she got towed.

            The day couldn’t have been a more beautiful spring afternoon.  She hopped out of the car, looking forward to the stroll.  It always tickled her when she walked among the tourists who doted over the quietness of the town and how they wished they could live in such a fantastic place.  When she had been younger, she overheard the conversations and had to stop herself from interjecting that it really wasn’t all it was cracked up to be.  However, now that she was older and could see the town with fresh eyes, she smiled at her happy childhood and could honestly say she was glad to have grown up in a place as simple as Belgrove.  The hills rolled the landscape and the buildings stood against a backdrop of the Smokey Mountains.  She laughed to herself as she strolled past her father’s store that she had never paid attention to them before.  This town really was beautiful.

            She hooked a thumb through the strap of her purse and fell into the casual pace of the tourists who strolled nonchalantly with their shopping bags and cameras.  Further down the sidewalk, she saw two familiar faces working their way through the people.  It was Kyle and Mathew Nole.  What are the odds?  They were talking about something as they walked closer.  Should I say hi?  Or, should I just walk by like I didn’t see them?  What’s the right thing to do about this?  Why am I even asking myself that?  Kyle Nole wouldn’t care who I am… Kyle laughed at something Mathew said and glanced up, locking eyes with Evie who had been unknowingly studying him.  It was funny how things like that happened.  You just happen to look up at the one person in the room who is staring you down.  I wonder if the brain is capable of telepathy and we just don’t realize it yet?

            “Well, hello, stranger,” Kyle smiled down at Evie as they approached.

            Guess that solves my dilemma.  “Hi guys.  Funny bumping into you down here.  I kinda figured everyone would be at home, resting.”

            “Mom and Dad are.  We just had some stuff to drop off at the shop.  You know, ribbons and such.”

            Evie’s eyebrows flew up as she nodded her head, “Ah.”

            “What brings you down?”

            “Oh, I hadn’t been on the actual strip in quite a while, and Mom said there were some new stores, so I’m just doing the touristy-thing.”

            There was a long pause as the two of them waited for the other to say something.  Mathew scuffed his shoe across the concrete.  Was he waiting patiently?  Evie couldn’t tell, but she figured he had better things to do than wait around while they acted awkward.  Evie wondered briefly what had become of her sister’s garter that he had been wearing around his head like a headband at the reception.

            “I’m, um, going to go.  Nice to see you guys again.”

            Mathew waved politely and continued walking on, but Kyle paused.

            “Would you like some company?  I make for great conversation.”

            It was one thing to connect at a wedding.  That’s what bridesmaids and groomsmen were supposed to do, right?  They stand together.  They dance together.  They have a good time together.  And when the party is over, they go their separate ways and return to their regular life as if nothing happened, right?  So, Evie found herself staring at Kyle in amazement, completely at a loss for words.  He had been the most popular guy in their graduating class back in high school, and she still kind of saw him that way.  How could Kyle Nole be asking for more time together?  She was flattered!  “I certainly can’t turn down great conversation, now can I?”

            Kyle smiled, revealing his perfect teeth.  He reached into his pocket and pulled out a set of car keys and handed them to his younger brother.

            “How are you going to get home?” Mathew asked.

            Kyle shrugged as he backed away.  “I’ll figure something out.  Be nice to my baby!”

            “Yeah, yeah,” Mathew tossed back with a wave of his hand.

            Kyle joined Evie and smiled down at her dashingly.  “So, where to?”

            “I don’t really know.  Like I said, I haven’t been down here in a long time, so I just want to see what’s changed.”

            A resounding BANG echoed through the street.

            The tourists leaving Ms. Mildred’s store all jumped simultaneously and then laughed when the shop door slammed behind them.  The happy chatter floated across the crowd to Evie and Kyle.  Evie rolled her eyes to Kyle who returned her glance with a sheepish expression.

            “Boy, you really fixed that door good,” she teased.

            “I did the best I could with what I had to work with.  She needs a new spring, but the old bat won’t listen to reason.”

            “Now, that’s not nice to say about…”

            “Nole boy!  You need to fix what you said you would fix!”  Ms. Mildred had popped her head out the doorway of her store and was yelling at Kyle with a spindly arm raised up in the air.  She must have spotted them passing in front of her store and figured she would try public humiliation as a tactic for getting what she wanted.  “This dang-blasted door is a public nuisance!”

            A couple stepped under the awning and approached the door Mildred was yelling from.  Her face instantly lit up welcomingly as she greeted them and ushered them into her store and stepped out of the way.  She immediately turned her beady, blue eyes back onto Kyle and started her yelling once again as soon as the shoppers had passed.  “I told you to…” BANG!  Ms. Mildred jumped at the shockingly loud noise the door made behind her when her shoppers unknowingly released it.  The frail-looking woman batted her eyes in frustration before collecting herself and stomping over to Kyle on the sidewalk.  She was small even in comparison to Evie who was petite to begin with, but there was nothing timid about Ms. Mildred.  What she lacked in height she made up for in attitude.  She marched right up to Kyle, barely taller than his mid-section, and shook her finger up at his face.

            “You better finish what you started, Nole boy.”

            “I told you, you need a new spring.  It’s either wound too tight, or not wound at all.  It needs to be replaced.”

            “There’s not a thing wrong with that spring!  It’s worked great for forty years.  At least it did until you got your grubby hands on it.”

            Kyle laughed out loud.  “You asked me to work on it because it wasn’t working at all!  I did what I could.”

            “You fixed it wrong,” she squinted up at him.

            “Okay, well how about I come by and look at it again tomorrow.”

            “On the Sabbath?  Why, I would never!” she gasped.

            “Your shop will be open, right?  What does it matter if you’re going to be there or not?”

            “Someone needs to make sure you actually do what you say you’re going to do.  You’ll look at it tonight.”

            That was a demand if Evie had ever seen one.

            “Fine.  It’s a date,” Kyle conceded.

            Ms. Mildred glared up at him as her temper slowly receded.

            “You better not hang around this one,” she said to Evie.  “He’s got trouble written all over him.”  She turned fully toward her and reached a wrinkly hand out to rub Evie’s bare arm.  “Callie’s wedding was beautiful.  Prettiest one I’ve seen in a long time.”

            “Thank you, Ms. Mildred.”

            Mildred gave Kyle one more beady glare before turning and disappearing back into her store with a BANG of the door.

            That one was completely intentional.

            Kyle shrugged off the interaction and gestured to Evie that they start meandering away from Mildred’s store.

            Evie stifled a small chuckle.  “I don’t think I’ve ever seen her so worked up!”

            “Like I said, a bat.”

            “You just hope you’re that spritely when you’re her age.  You know, I caught her up on a ladder yesterday.  She still acts like she’s still fifty years old!”

            “I don’t know if I want to get to her age,” he laughed.

            For a few minutes they traveled the street in silence among the tourists.  They didn’t walk close enough that their hands would accidentally brush, but also not far enough apart that they didn’t appear to be together.

            The heavy scent of fudge floated across the street which told Evie they were approaching Kilwin’s.  Fond memories flooded back as she enjoyed the sweet smells emanating from the fudge shop.

            “I had forgotten how good that smells!”  Evie paused for a moment as she glanced in the window.  Unfamiliar workers poured out the liquid goodness for all the passers-by to see.  There had been a time when she knew every single worker by name, as well as their families, but now she didn’t recognize anyone she saw.

            “Would you like to get some?  My treat,” Kyle asked.  He reached out for the door and pulled it open for her.

            “How could I possibly say no to that!?”

            “You couldn’t.”  He grinned dashingly as he stood holding the door, waiting for her to step through.

            The interior was exactly how she had remembered it.  The wooden floor still creaked as they moved through.  Glass display cases housed all the wonderful arrays of fudge, candy apples, ice cream, and candies.  The walls were still maroon and was decorated in the 1950s style with the silver trim and old-fashioned brass cash register.  Kilwin’s was always a busy place, and today was no exception.  The line in front of the fudge stood nine people deep and wrapped around the shelves in the middle of the floor that held bags of mints, peanut brittle, and other attractive goodies.

            She and Kyle made small talk about their past and shared in fond memories of coming to the store as children.  Evie hadn’t forgotten that Kyle had worked in the store during high school, but she listened to his stories about scooping ice cream and having to resist the temptation to nibble while on the job.  She had made a special effort to visit Kilwin’s on the nights he worked.  She had always hoped that something would magically make him aware of her, but it hadn’t happened.  She had been nothing more than just another face in the sea of people that flocked to Kilwin’s each day.  It felt strangely odd to be standing in the store, ten years later, alongside the very guy she had hoped to get the attention of so long ago.

            Kyle was such a gentleman.  After she placed her order across the glass display case and received her slice of fudge, he gave the clerk his own order and then dutifully slid down to the register and paid for both their orders as promised.  It was a small gesture, but Evie couldn’t help but be impressed.  It would be less crowded on the street so they wove their way back toward the door and emerged from the warm cloud of sugary sweet air.

            “Thank you for the fudge.”

            “You’re very welcome.  You can’t wander through Belgrove without stopping at Kilwin’s.  That would have just been a tragedy!”

            “I couldn’t agree more.”  The fudge melted across her tongue as she bit into the block like liquid pleasure that made every fiber of her being tingle.  So many wonderful memories!  After only four bites she wrapped up the reminder of the fudge in the waxy paper, dropped it back into the tan, plastic bag, and slid it into her purse.

            “I think I might die of a sugar coma if I eat any more right now,” she laughed.  “Thank you, again.  There’s nothing else like it!”

            Kyle had already placed his fudge block back in the tan shopping bag labeled ‘Kilwin’s’ and was waiting patiently.

            “So, what else would you like to see?”

            Evie glanced around at the store fronts.  “Mom said something about there being a new pet store here somewhere.  We’re almost to the end of the main drag, so I can’t imagine it would be much further.”

            They found the store easily enough.  The shoulder-high dog statue was seated out front, just as her mother had said it probably would be, minus the sign.  Kyle quickly stepped ahead of her and pulled open the door without her even having to pause.  What a gentleman!

            There was nothing exceptionally extraordinary about the pet store’s interior, but Evie found it welcoming.  The modest tiled floor was a light grey with a few aisles of pet products arranged toward the back of the room.  In an area just to the right of the entrance was a low, clear acrylic box the width of the front window.  The box’s floor was covered in pelletted bedding where at least ten rabbits lounged quietly.  Evie awed as she reached into the box and stroked the brown, fuzzy body closest to her.  The triangular shaped nose bounced up and down relentlessly.  A few of the rabbits re-arranged themselves by slowly hopping across the box, though most appeared quite content with where they were.

            Two children squeezed in next to her and reached their hands into the box as well.  She took that as a cue to move on.  Birds chirped and squawked incessantly in cages at the center of the floor.  The parakeets looked so tiny compared to the cockatiels in the neighboring cage.

            “I absolutely love parakeets!  We had two when I was growing up named Mango and Paradise.”

            Kyle listened quietly by her side.  He leaned his face in closer to the cage and a little green parakeet made a screeching sound until he finally backed away.  “They’re rather noisy.”

            “They’re birds.  Singing is what they do.”

            “That was no love song that little guy was making just then.”

            Evie laughed.  “That’s what happens when you get in their faces!  Besides, I don’t think he liked you.”

            “Apparently, not,” Kyle responded as he began looking for something more interesting than the birds’ cages.

            A clerk in a blue apron approached them and welcomed them to the store.  She pointed out that a special adoption event was going on at the back of the store to help homeless animals from one of the local shelters.  “If there’s anything I can help you with, please let me know,” she said before moving on.

            Walking around the corner at the back of the store revealed how much larger the store was than what Evie had assumed it would be.  There was a short wall about waist high that surrounded an area with several chairs and the back wall was lined with dozens of metal cages, each with a swinging door on it.

            Kyle, always the perfect gentleman, opened the gate for her and the two of them stepped through.  They were greeted by shelter volunteers who explained the history of the shelter and introduced them to a few of the cats they had brought with them that day.  They also offered to show them any additional cats they liked.  Evie thanked them and wandered down the row, examining each feline in the compartments.

            “Are you in the market for a cat?” Kyle asked.

            “No.  I just like to look.  I’m actually more of a dog person, but I can’t pass up the chance to love on some animals.  I feel so sorry for them, you know?”

            One black kitty in particular was extremely persistent.  Evie spent a few minutes playing with him through the bars, but when she began to walk away he reached out his paw and latched onto her t-shirt with his claws.

            “Easy there, tiger,” Kyle exclaimed as he stepped in and rescued Evie from the cat’s grasp.  “I think he wants you to take him home!”

            “I think he does, too!”

            One of the volunteers opened the cage next to the black cat and replaced two kittens that had been pulled out to socialize with some shoppers.  The little girl who had apparently been holding one of the kittens was pleading with her mother to buy the little grey one.

            “Please?  I promise I’ll take good care of her!  I’ll even use my own money,” the girl begged.  With a big sigh, the mother finally gave in and the little grey kitten was pulled back out of the cage to be placed back into the arms of the girl who was grinning ear to ear.

            Evie stepped aside as she watched cats being pulled out of the cages, returned to the cages, and some who were being taken home.  She thought about her tiny little apartment back in Knoxville.  She knew it would require nothing more than a deposit to the landlord in order to bring a fuzzy companion home, but she only briefly entertained the idea.  The cats were all adorable, but what she really wanted was something she could take to the park with her, which certainly was not a cat.

            In the cage diagonally below the persistent black cat who still had his paws waving through the bars to grab her, was a fluffy tortoiseshell patterned kitty with a white face and paws reclined peacefully against the side of her cage.  Evie bent down with her face close to the cage door until she was eye level with the feline.

            “Hello, pretty girl.”  She looked at the tag on the front of the cage with the animal’s name and information on it.  “Her name’s Cleocatra,” she laughed to Kyle.  “How cute!”

            Cleocatra squinted her yellow eyes and reached one white paw through the bars out toward Evie.  She didn’t scratch at her like the black cat that was still clawing at the air wildly and rolling all different directions just to latch onto somebody.  Cleocatra left her foot hanging out between the bars until Evie gently stroked the paw.  The fur was just as soft as the bunnies in the front window of the store!  Incredible!

            “Hey, feel her fur!  I’ve never felt anything this soft on a cat before!”

            Kyle squatted down next to her for a better look at Cleocatra.  “She’s going to be quite fluffy.  Look how long her hair is already.”  He ran a finger down the white paw that was still hanging out of the cage.

            A volunteer stepped over and offered to pull Cleocatra out for her to hold.

            Evie shrugged.  “I’m not getting one, but she seems really sweet.  How can I say no?”

            Evie stood up and waited patiently while the volunteer clicked open the latch on the door, gingerly pulled Cleocatra out, and carried her over to where Evie was.  She passed Cleocatra over to her before turning to help another family that was interested in the remaining kitten.  Cleocatra hung in Evie’s arms silently.

            “A little bit of weight on you and you’ll be a force to be reckoned with!” Kyle said to the kitty.  He stroked her head and Cleocatra’s eyes rolled slowly up to Evie’s face.  The cat lifted up her chin while Evie lowered her own, and the two were nose to nose.  Cleocatra blew lightly two or three times, and seeming satisfied with whatever she found there, she settled back down and never offered to budge from Evie’s arms.

            “I can’t believe she’s not wanting to jump down.  Every cat I’ve ever known has not wanted to be held, but I’m pretty sure I could just carry her all over the store and she would be fine with it.”  She stroked Cleocatra’s tortoiseshell fur from her head all the way down to the tip of her tail, admiring the mix of colors all down her back.  There was no purring, no kneading of the claws, just simple contentment.

            “What do you think of her?” the spunky red-headed volunteer said when she returned from helping the other family with the kitten.

            “She’s so sweet!”

            “She seems very content there,” Kyle added.

            “Oh, she really is sweet.  My two-year-old played with her the other day.  She picked Cleo up by the back legs and Cleo just walked along with her front feet like she was in a wheel barrow race!  It was the sweetest thing ever!”

            “You really are a princess, aren’t you?” she asked the cat who lazily glanced up at her again before sliding her eyes closed once more.  “I especially love her tortoiseshell pattern.  It’s so unusual.”

            Technically, she’s a torti and white.  Cats with a true tortoiseshell pattern have no white on them.”

            “Well!  How interesting!  You learn something new every day.”

            “She’s already spayed, so you wouldn’t have to take care of that, and she’s up to date on all her shots.  She’s ready to walk out the door if you’d be interested in giving her a forever home,” the volunteer added.

            “Are you going to get her?” Kyle asked.

            Evie looked up into his handsome face and opened her mouth to say something, but forgot what it was going to be for a moment.  “I don’t know.  I wasn’t really wanting a cat.  I haven’t owned a pet since I left for college, and I really thought I wanted a dog.”

            “Oh she’s great with dogs,” the red-head chirped.

            Evie glanced at the volunteer out the corner of her eye before turning her attention back to the tortoiseshell—Wait.  That’s torti and white— kitty.

            Kyle smiled at the volunteer and laid a hand across her shoulders.  “You’ve been very helpful, but would you mind giving her a moment to think it over?”

            “No problem.  I’ll start pulling together some paperwork,” she offered.

            Evie found an open chair and sat down with the cat on her lap.  Kyle pulled up a chair next to her and he listened quietly as she weighed the pros and cons of taking the cat home with her.

            “Oh, I don’t know.  I just can’t believe I’m even considering this!  I never dreamed I would come home from my sister’s wedding with a cat!”

            “Well, how would you feel if you walked away from her right now?  What if another family adopted her?  Would you regret it tomorrow?” Kyle asked.

            Evie picked Cleocatra up under the front arms and held her up in front of her.  The cat let her weight stretch her hind legs down and out, but she didn’t struggle.  The toes of her hind legs splayed out, but she didn’t wriggle even once.  Evie set her back down in her lap and gave her another long stroke.

            “I would definitely regret not getting her,” she said finally.

            “Does that answer your questions?”

            She considered the cat carefully and slowly nodded, “Yes.”

            “Miss. Cleocatra, looks like you’re getting a new home today,” Kyle said to the cat as he jumped up and grabbed the eager volunteer again.

            The shelter provided a cardboard carrier for the ride home which Evie was grateful for.  It meant she wouldn’t have to purchase an actual carrier.  Who knew when she would be needing it again?  She purchased the basic necessities for a new kitty like litter, food, bowls, a box, and a few toys.  After paying for the adoption fee and supplies, the cashier bagged everything up and wished her well.  Kyle grabbed the bags before Evie could get to them.

            “I insist!  You have your new cat to worry about.”

            The cardboard carrier felt strangely awkward to carry.  She tried to walk smoothly, but occasionally Cleocatra would decide to adjust her position and the box would suddenly get heavier on one side and Evie would have to readjust.  She had her arms wrapped around the box with it pressed to her chest.  As they walked back toward her car she would lift up the box so she could peer into one of the little round holes.

            “You okay in there?”

            Cleocatra had nothing to say.

            By the time they had arrived back at the private lot behind Light Your Life it occurred to her that Kyle had given his car keys to his brother.

            “How do you plan on getting home?” she asked as she popped the trunk and Kyle dropped the bags in.  He popped around the side of the car and opened the door for her to set Cleocatra’s box on the seat.

            “Don’t worry about me.  I’m resourceful.”

            “If you need a ride, I can drop you wherever on my way out of town.”

            Kyle stood there for a moment, considering her offer.  His blond head was ever so slightly tipped to the side as he studied her.  Finally, his lips parted into a smile as he finally agreed.

            “I really appreciate this.  Do you know where my parents live?”

            “Not exactly.”

            “I’ll tell you how to get there.  It’s not far.”

            He jumped back to the passenger side and pulled open the door.  Evie was very aware of how his presence seemed to fill up her little compact car.  Everyone in her family was shorter than 5’7”, even her dad, so watching Kyle try to wrap up his 6 foot frame was quite humerous.

            “You can move the seat back if you need to.”

            “Thank you,” he said, reaching for the handle.  He let out a small sigh of relief when the seat scooted backwards and his legs were no longer pressed against the dash.

            “It’s easy to forget that there are actually tall people in this world,” she teased.

            “It’s all right.  I forget there are short people, too.”

            He was grinning at her playfully.  His crystal blue eyes were so beautiful!  And this close!  In my car!  Geez!  Snap out of it!  You’re a grown woman, act mature.

            She could smell his lingering cologne much stronger in the confined space.  Her heart was racing wildly as she cranked the car and began backing out.  They had no sooner gotten back to the main drag when a low, mournful meow emanated from the cardboard box on the back seat.

            In unison, both Kyle and Evie turned to look into the back seat where the cardboard carrier was strapped with the seatbelt so it wouldn’t shift.

            “Was that the cat?” Kyle asked.

            Evie’s eyes widened as she slowly cut her gaze back to him.  “I have no idea.”

            They waited a moment more before giving up on what they both thought they had heard.  The back seat was silent once more, so they continued on.

            Scratching sounds cut through the quiet car and they could hear shuffling as Cleocatra moved around.  The box vibrated with the movements of the cat inside and then would settle down.  Another mournful, deep meow escaped the box.  The sound almost bordered on a growl.

            “That one was definitely the cat,” Kyle said.  “I don’t think she’s very happy about being in that box.”

            “I’ll probably take her out once I drop you off.  How much further?”

            “Not far.”

            They had passed the residential section of town where Evie’s parents lived and were now winding through quiet streets that led out toward the rural sections of the foothills of the Smokey Mountains.

            The meows grew more persistent with the further they drove.

            “See the driveway on the left with the white mailbox?  That’s it.”

            Evie turned in the paved driveway and couldn’t help but notice the stunning gardens and landscaping around the house.  Of course, a florist and his wife would have gardens around their house.  It was only fitting!

            “I enjoyed spending time with you today, Evie.  And, thanks for the ride.”

            “I enjoyed it too.  You were a pleasant wedding date.”

            He didn’t reach for the handle quite as quickly as she had expected him to.  She had kind of assumed that now that they were going their separate ways again he would hop out with little more than a goodbye, but that wasn’t happening.  Her stomach warmed as she waited quietly.  What was he thinking?

            Kyle grinned again and let go of the door handle.  “I know we haven’t seen each other in years, and I don’t know anything about your life, but we both live in the same town and I would like to see you again.”

            He waited.

            “May I ask you for your number?”

            Evie was shocked!  So she hadn’t been reading too much into his asking her to dance at the wedding!  His attention hadn’t been fleeting or in-the-moment.  He actually wanted to spend time with her!

            She grabbed a piece of paper out of the console and jotted her number down on it.  Her hands were as hot as firecrackers when she handed it to him.  He took it respectfully and opened the door.

            “Thank you, Ms. Remington.  You’ll be hearing from me.”  He started to close the door but quickly caught it and poked his head back in, “Goodbye Cleocatra,” he added.  He smiled at her once more and let the door close.

            Shocked, Evie turned the car around in the driveway and re-traced her path back into town.  Did I just get asked out?  She replayed the brief interaction a thousand times.  His smile.  His careful thought before asking the question.  Was he nervous?  He didn’t seem nervous in the least.

            Another mournful meow drifted to her ears followed by incessant scratching inside the box that made her skin crawl just like needles on a chalkboard.  The scratching and clawing had gone from annoyed, to persistent, to utterly desperate.  Cleocatra let out a shrill “Meeeoooowwwrrr!” and Evie heard a distinct tearing noise as the cat’s claws began shredding the side of the air holes in the box.

            “Alright, alright!  I’ll let you out.  Just give me a second to pull over.”

            Cleocatra wasn’t at all interested in giving her one more moment of time.  In the time it took Evie to pull onto the side of the road and turn around in her seat, Cleocatra had successfully expanded an air hole until it was just wide enough to squeeze her head through.  And there she was in all her fluffy glory when Evie reached into the back seat to open the top of the box, the cat’s yellow eyes flung wide in fear and her mouth repeatedly opening with each desperate cry.

            “Boy, you sure are a sight to behold.”  She unhooked the tabs on the top of the box, put a finger on the cat’s face to encourage her to pull her head back through the hole, and finally breathed a sigh of relief as Cleocatra’s head disappeared back into the box with a floop and she came bounding over the top and landed on the car’s backseat.

            “There.  Maybe now you’ll finally relax.”

            The cat slinked to the closest window as Evie pulled back onto the road and again resumed her long trek back to Knoxville.  Cleocatra stepped up onto the armrest, her shoulders moving side to side to compensate for the car’s motion, and let out another long, sad cry.  Her yellow eyes darted back and forth as she tried to track each passing tree as it whizzed by.  Unsatisfied, she gave up at the window and jumped down onto the floor where she explored for a few minutes before jumping up onto the console between the two front seats.

            “Hello, pretty girl,” Evie said, stroking the cat’s long, multicolored fur, trying to offer her some comfort about being in a new situation.  The cat looked directly into her face and pulled her lips back in a deep, muffled, “Mew,” that almost conveyed a sense of gratitude for being released from her cardboard prison.  Evie briefly tore her eyes from the road to steal a glance at her new companion.  While somewhat settled for the moment, it was obvious that the feline was less than thrilled about traveling.  She daintily stepped across Evie’s lap to peer out the driver-side window, her head bobbing back and forth with each passing landmark.  Evie ran a hand down the length of the cat’s body and tried to encourage her to lay down, which she did, but only for a second.  She leapt up, spun around, retraced her steps back to the console, and vanished into the floor of the backseat once more.

            Maybe she’ll calm down once she finds a quiet place to curl up.

            Evie enjoyed the landscape around her as they rolled on down the road.  Belgrove really was nestled in a beautiful part of the country.  She couldn’t help remembering the day she had driven her car, loaded down with everything she would need for college, down this very same road.  She could still remember that sense of freedom at being rid of the tiny town that everyone seemed to love so much.  She hadn’t belonged there.  She was destined for bigger and better things than what was offered in the foothills of the Smokey Mountains.  She longed for buildings, and traffic, and opportunities that simply didn’t exist in her hometown.  Evie laughed to herself as she approached the turn to the interstate.  Ten years ago she had itched with every fiber of her being to pull onto that highway and never look back, but today she was traveling the same road yet longing to take a little piece of her past with her.  Invisible strings were somehow connecting her to Belgrove and they tugged at her heart as she sped along the ramp and merged onto I-26.

            She shrugged off the homesick feelings and nestled into her seat for the long drive.  When she reached for the knob on the radio she heard something odd coming from the backseat that reminded her of the sound milk makes when you’ve just opened a new gallon and you’re trying to pour it for the first time.  Gulp, gulp, gulp.  What IS that?  The sound was followed by something splashing onto the floor and the salty scent of cat food began drifting through the car.

            “Are you kidding me!?  Did you just throw up?” she yelled.  Out of the corner of her eye she saw Cleocatra backing away from her spot on the floor behind the driver’s seat to the passenger side of the car where she proceeded to make the sloshing sound again.  Gulp, gulp, gulp.  There it was again… another pile of vomit.  “Well, this is just lovely.”  Evie desperately wondered what to do.  Should she pull over?  What the heck is that going to accomplish?  She had nothing to clean the messes up with.  My thought exactly.  She needed to keep moving.  Foolishly, she hoped that Cleocatra would settle, but less than a mile later she heard the gulping milk again.  And, again.  And, AGAIN.

            You just have to hold out until I can get to an exit that has some sort of life.  It was highly unlikely that they would both survive until they reached Asheville without someone wearing bodily fluids, so she had to hope for napkins at a restaurant’s drive-thru or gas station.

            Cleocatra suddenly appeared on the console.  She stared wildly out the windshield and meowed mercilessly as they sped down the road.  “Oh no you don’t!” Evie cried, “You keep that mess back there!” and used her arm to push the cat backwards off the console and into the backseat.  Cleocatra slid easily enough until she gripped the textured console with her claws and clung for dear life  Evie imagined that the cat was screaming, “Pleeeeaaaaassssseeee!  You have no idea how bad it is back here!  Saaavvvveee meeeee!!!”

            This was a bad idea.  This was a VERY bad idea!  Surely, the cat had nothing left to throw up by this point and they would be left with nothing more than harmless dry heaves.  She quickly stretched her neck around to glance into the floor behind her.  Orange piles covered the carpet from one side to the other.  The one thing she didn’t see was Cleocatra.  The fluffy monster had somehow managed to vanish.  One turn to the left and she spotted a dark clump of fur through the crack between the seat and the door.  There she is.  “Are you feeling any better, Cleo?”  No answer.

            A passing sign indicated a fast food restaurant was at the next exit, so Evie took the ramp and slowed as she approached the stop sign.  There still wasn’t a lick of movement or noise from the backseat.

            “Are you okay back there?” and that’s when she smelled it.  The cat was now purging her system from both sides.

            This was going to be a VERY long drive home.