Lost and Found.9 (c2009)

Mariah let the cat down on the plush, blue carpet and closed the door to her room. The cat was surveying the scene. Turning to the left he confidently padded to Mariah's desk. With a strong leap, he scattered her journal and drawings, littering the floor

"Hey! Clumsy! I have enough trouble keeping that organized as it is!" Mariah stifled a laugh as the fur ball cocked a curious look at the mess he had created. After a moment, the cat chirped softly and jumped into the window above the desk. He plopped down on his haunches and sat like a statue, gazing outside.

Mariah eased over to her CD player. She thumbed through a pile of CD cases. Finally, she found what she was looking for. "I hope you like Sting," she said. The cat did not look at her but turned an ear toward the music. Mariah sat in the center of the room, knees clasped to chest, contemplated the animal, admiring his fine pattern and his regal stance. He was soft to the touch and smelled like warm sidewalk. Did he have a family who was missing him at this very moment? Where did he live? Was he a stray or a tough tomcat with a huge range? Did he have a name?

Mariah mulled over several names in her head but couldn't decide on one that felt appropriate. The tom turned his head to look down at Mariah. As he did, she noticed a tear in one of his ears. Concerned that she had overlooked an injury, Mariah rose and approached the windowsill.

The cat winked at Mariah as she stroked his head. She felt the ear, running the old wound between her thumb and forefinger. He leaned into her hand and started to purr. "Tell me your name, cat," cooed Mariah. The tear was covered with soft downy fur and well healed.

"You seem too polite to be a fighter." The cat stood, arched his back and yawned. Mariah yawned too. "Maybe I'll call you Henry, after the cross-country cat." She snatched the book from her bedside table and started to read. Half way through the story, Mariah heard Renee call from downstairs. "After dinner I'll be back to keep you company and finish the story." Later, Mariah returned to find the cat had made a cozy nest out of her quilt. She picked up where she had left off in the story about Henry, a Siamese cat who had been accidentally left in the mountains by his family, forcing him to cross country ski towards home. As the story continued, the cat sometimes looked like he was listening intently. By the end of the book he had tucked himself into a crook in her arm and was purring peacefully.

Not wanting to disturb his slumber, Mariah let the book drop to the floor and hugged the cat gently. "I'll call you Henry," she whispered softly into his torn ear, "in honor of whatever journey brought you here." She fell asleep. The sound of his breathing coaxed her into a deep slumber.

A few hours later, as Tony lumbered to bed, he noticed Mariah's bedroom light was still on. He knocked softly twice. "Pumpkin, are you still awake?" he whispered as he pushed the door open. Tony smiled at the sight of his youngest child wrapped around the cat, sleeping peacefully. He felt like an ogre for wanting to take the animal to the shelter, but he could already feel his eyes beginning to burn. If my allergies weren't such a pain I would let her have a cat in a second, he thought. Tony knew Mariah missed having a friend around the house now that Nick was at the University. With a pang of loneliness, Tony thought about how much he missed his son. He sighed, then noticed Mariah's book on the floor. He crouched to pick it up and the cat suddenly opened one eye, looking Tony right in the face. The beast stretched out his front leg, spreading his toes wide, and winked at Tony before settling back into a curled position. Bemused, Tony spontaneously winked back at the cat. The feline acrobatically tucked his head upside down and covered his eye with his paw.

Before turning out Mariah's light, Tony covered her with a blanket and silently wished her sweet dreams. He closed the door firmly and turned towards his own bedroom. Instantly, an uncontrollable tickling invaded his nose. "SSSSsshhhhhheeeeehhhhhaaaaaassssssccccchhhhhhhoooooowwwww!" From the darkness of his room, Tony heard a soft exclamation. "Bless you." Tony crawled under the covers and snuggled close to Renee. She wrapped her arm around his waist and murmured, "My goodness" before drifting back to sleep.

Early the next morning, Mariah awoke to the feeling of soft fur at her knee. The cat had nestled himself under the blanket, and while Mariah was comfortably warm, her skin recoiled at the touch of his silky whiskers.

When she squirmed out from under the covers, the cat bounded out into the open. Mariah stretched and yawned. The cat stretched and yawned too. Mariah happily turned her attention to her closet and attempted to decide on an outfit. The cat began to paw at the door, yowling impatiently, as Mariah tried on three shirts with two different pairs of shorts before deciding on a combination that pleased her.

Mariah tried to block the doorway with her foot as she wiggled out the bedroom door, but the cat was quick and crafty. He was running down the hall and scampering down the stairs, led by the smell of bacon coming from the kitchen. Mariah hurried after him. When she reached the kitchen, Renee smiled and said "Good morning sweetie." The cat was patiently perched atop a pile of phone books by the back door, eyeing Renee's plate full of bacon from a safe distance. Renee and Mariah look at the cat, and then at each other. Neither could hold back a smile.

Over breakfast they talked about their plans for the day, which included visiting the neighborhood swimming pool. Tony sat and read the paper and sipped his coffee while the girls gathered their swim gear. By noon it was already 80 degrees. Mariah and Renee walked to the pool and lounged in the sun. Mariah eyed the young lifeguards through her dark sunglasses and admired their strong, lean bodies, then swam laps while Renee read a romance novel. After a while Mariah lay on the hot cement. She breathed in deeply. The reassuring dry odor of the ground reminded her of the cat and she grinned. Perhaps he was taking a nap in the sun right now too, she thought.

On the walk home, Mariah told Renee how happy she was to finally be done with junior high school. Renee tried to give her daughter some advice about high school and in particular, high school boys, much like the advice she had recently received from Nick. Mariah chattered about the Continuation ceremony and the dance afterwards, which would start after dinner. Half -way home they cut through an alley. Mariah noticed a crumpled bit of paper caught in a small bush near the dumpster and what she retrieved turned out to be twenty dollars. "Your lucky day!" squealed Renee.

"Should I keep it, mom?" asked Mariah, with awe in her voice.

"I don't see why not. I don't think there is any way to know who might have dropped it."

"Wow." Mariah was grinning from ear to ear. "I've never found money before." Renee wrapped her arm around Mariah's shoulder and the two walked the rest of the way home in happy silence. When they arrived at the house, they found Tony and the cat staring glumly at each other from opposite sides of the living room. Tony clutched a tissue, periodically rubbing his runny nose. After an afternoon snack, Mariah hurried to get ready for her big evening. She showered and dressed with Henry the cat nearby. "Do I look any older?" she asked the cat. He mewed and rubbed against her ankles, making it difficult for her to get her panty hose on. She ripped a huge run in the first pair right away. Renee had bought her three pairs, knowing Mariah was not yet competent or comfortable in the grown up world of hosiery. The second pair was easier to maneuver into. She slipped on her white flats and tucked the $20 bill into her pocket for later.

Renee and Tony were putting on their shoes downstairs. Mariah hollered excitedly at her folks as she swung through the back door. "Let me see what it's like out there. I might want a sweater for later." She stepped into the back yard to breathe in the June afternoon. It was mild but could turn cool later, so Mariah decided to take a sweater along. She turned to head back to the house but stopped at the sound of a voice in the alley a few houses away, and coming closer.

"Snickers. Come here cat, cat. Sniiiiiiiiiiickers." Mariah's heard began to beat faster. A young woman carrying an infant appeared at Mariah's back fence. For an instant, Mariah felt like hurrying back into the house. The young woman smiled and softly said hello. The infant was squirming on her hip and clapped once when Mariah said hello back.

"Are you looking for someone?" asked Mariah timidly.

"As a matter of fact I am," replied the young woman. The child wiggled its toes and watched the young woman's lips as she spoke. "Our cat is lost."

Mariah's neck tightened and her stomach turned over. She looked closely at the woman's delicately pretty face and noticed puffy eyelids. It was obvious that she had been crying and Mariah felt a wave of compassion. "My name is Mariah," she said as she extended her hand to the stranger.

"Hi Mariah. My name is Sara and this little guy is Gordie." The baby flashed a charming smile at Mariah as he was introduced.

"Will you keep an eye out for a mostly white calico? He didn't come home two nights ago. I think I let him go out too soon. We've only lived here a few weeks and I decided to let him explore more of the neighborhood. I'm worried now that something has happened to him or he's been hit by a car."

Mariah was torn. She liked the woman, who seemed genuinely anxious, but she did not want to give up the cat. Maybe it's not hers after all, thought Mariah. Deep down though, Mariah knew that was wishful thinking. She reached out to grasp Gordie's hand. He giggled and kicked his legs happily.

"My little Prince Charming likes you, Mariah," said Sarah. "By the way, I am offering a $50 reward for any help finding the cat, so keep your eyes peeled, okay?"

As Sara turned to leave, Mariah spoke up. "Hold on." Her voice croaked like a frog. "I think I can help." Reluctantly, she told Sara to wait at the fence. She retreated inside the house and plodded through the living room. "What's wrong, Princess?" said Tony as he saw the grim look of determination on her face. Wordlessly, Mariah scooped up the cat and carried him outside.

When Sara saw that Mariah was holding her Snickers, she cried out with joy. "That's amazing! Oh, Mariah, you have made me so happy!" She began to cry and the baby squirmed. Snickers weasled free of Mariah's grip and jumped the fence, eagerly scampering toward Sara and Gordie. She knelt and rubbed the cat vigorously around the ears as the cat tried to nibble playfully on the baby's toes. Mariah couldn't help but smile. "I've missed you Dink! I've been worried you had been squashed like a pancake and it turns out you've been shacking up with a true cat person! I'm sure she treated you very well too. You look like you had a good time."

Mariah shoved her hands in her pockets and held back tears as she watched the cat thread through Sara's legs, purring like a small generator. "Mariah I am so grateful you found Snickers and took care of him for us. And I have $50 right here as a reward."

Mariah fingered the $20 bill neatly folded in her pocket while Sara shifted the baby to the opposite hip.

"You know, don't worry about he reward," said Mariah softly. "We had fun last night but he belongs with his family."

"Mariah, that is very kind of you. Are you sure you won't take the money?" Mariah nodded and Sara sighed. "Well, feel free to come and visit anytime. We are over on 12^th and Milwaukee, in the only duplex on the block. My husband is Allen. Come to think of it, do you babysit? We're looking for a reliable babysitter."

A few minutes later, Mariah returned to the living room. Tony and Rene had been watching from the window and neither knew what to say to their daughter.

"Well, no need to worry about the cat or your allergies. That was his owner. They're new to the neighborhood."

"I'm sorry kiddo," said Tony gently.

"It's okay. She is very nice and the cat was happy to see her. She has a baby and lives a few blocks away. Don't worry about me. She said I could visit anytime and I think I found a pretty good summer job. She and her husband both work at the hospital downtown and they need a lot of babysitting. I hope you don't mind I gave her our phone number."

"Not at all. Honey, you did the right thing," Renee said.

"Yeah, I know'" replied Mariah with a shrug.

"Are you all right?" asked Tony.
"Yeah, Da. I'm good. We better get moving. I think dinner starts at 5:30 and I definitely don't want to miss this ceremony for any reason. I've been waiting years!"

Lost and Found INTRODUCTION
Lost and Found CHAPTER ONE: FISH
Lost and Found CHAPTER TWO: DREAMS
Lost and Found CHAPTER THREE: PARTY
Lost and Found CHAPTER FOUR: SCRAPS
Lost and Found CHAPTER FIVE: CIRCLE
Lost and Found CHAPTER SIX: STARS
Lost and Found CHAPTER SEVEN: AVENGER
Lost and Found CHAPTER EIGHT: FLUSH
Lost and Found CHAPTER NINE: HENRY

Lost and Found PART TWO: CHAPTER TEN: WARNING