Let's Forgive Each Other

Apple Pie lounged, relaxed, burnt-red, furry legs perched on the curl of a wooden decoration underneath the poker table. His buddies and he play nightly games of poker here, cards like Go Fish and Rummy 500, and sleep.                                                                  

However, Apple Pie’s eyes were closed, a flat dark blue hat’s front down on his nose. He wished Jollies was playing his trombone’s soft tunes. The former had it rough the last few years: his money he gained from working a shift downtown in a thrift store was stolen by one of his close relatives, who shipped the money off to some university to pay for his nephew’s college. His grudge against this uncle, or whoever he actually was, has been festering since he had been betrayed. When he sneaked a look, the tan alley cat, smoking a cigar, threw down a couple 2’s and 4’s apiece. His third closet ally, a rough-colored grey Norwegian Forest Cat named African Lion spit that he had no cards to beat Jollies. Jollies laughed, pounding his fisted paw.                                    

“You gotta care if you’re gonna win.” He threw the rest of his cards down as African Lion signaled defeat. He grabbed his iced glass of water and downed it. Then he mentioned he’d be out catching mice for—               

“You already caught about two dozen or so this morning!”

Smoke infiltrated the room from Jollies’ thick, ugly cigar Apple Pie stared at, him wishing he’d would just ditch the stupid thing. But the cat shrugged, leapt off his chair and boasted he was still ready to enjoy a feast of plump, tender mice needing to—

“You can leave those animals alone!” Apple Pie jumped up and snatched his cigar before Jollies’ claws came out and landed hard on his paw. But Jollies just shuffled off, forcing his so-called friends to watch him stroll away, humming contentedly to himself and then whistling something else entirely.

Apple Pie, eyes half-closed, switched to African Lion. He leaned towards him.

“What do you think you’re doing letting an arrogant cat like that in the house, eh, Apple?”     

As Apple Pie chucked the cigar into a wastebasket besides a plant in the corner of the rectangular basement of an abandoned parking garage, African Lion widened his eyes as if Apple Pie couldn’t have done a more amazing feat even if he had performed in the circus. “Wow! Didn’t think you had it in you to talk about Jollies like that.” He raised his eyebrows. “But—” he hesitated. “I think Jollies will get mad—”   

“African.” Apple Pie rose completely from his chair and walked on two feet over to the other half of the table, grabbing a pile of cards with his tail. Tossing them over his head into his paws, he spun on a heel and fanned out the pile. “Choose a card. Any kind.”              

“Uh…” The heavy-maned cat flicked his eyes from one card to the next, indecisive. Then he jabbed at one. “That…that one!”  

Apple Pie looked at him.

“What?”

“African Lion—you need to take it!”

African Lion gave a surprised look. “Oh!” Nodding, he swiped a card from Apple Pie’s deck and stared at it.      

“Now. Please don’t tell me.” Apple Pie laughed quietly to himself. Like last time.

African Lion shocked him with his obedience, and then Apple Pie told him to put it back in the pile. He did this, too. Apple Pie struggled to smile genuinely. He may be a card-playing cat, but he needed to understand the rules of the game first. At least Jollies wasn’t here to freaking kill his opportunity to learn.      

Apple Pie shuffled the deck, telling African Lion to keep a look out for Jollies. As he switched from studying the back alleyway and then his cards, Apple Pie told him to focus a minute on the cards. When Apple Pie mixed them around, African Lion could not be torn away—his eyes became huge, his white mouth became an oval and he took in so much breath as he stared wide eyed at Apple Pie that he immediately clamped his mouth shut after realizing this, and apologized. Apple Pie took out and flipped over the card.

African Lion’s jaw would’ve hit the floor if it went any lower. Apple Pie chuckled and then asked him whether that was his card, to which his friend nodded yes.

“So that’s a trick I learned from Jollies.”         

“You’re unbelievable, Apple Pie!”  

African Lion hurled from his chair, ran around the table and away towards Jollies. When he told Apple Pie he was going to return, mice or no mice, with Jollies, Apple Pie burst out laughing. He grabbed a side of the table and put his other, curled, paw on his side.   

“You better convince him pretty well!”        

African Lion nodded once and then scampered off. I’ll show Apple Pie and Jollies I’m more than just a card-confused cat! African Lion hurried along the dark place, shivering as he entered an empty lot wth two ramps, that broken-down elevator and the thousands of painted white lines. “Where are you?”

African Lion hurried through the parking garage and then up the right-sided ramp. Encountering Jollies on the roof’s ledge, he scampered over, telling him he better come back.                      

“Why?” Jollies snickered, hopping down and giving African Lion a snarky look. “You’re not in charge.”

“Because,” African Lion thought. “Apple Pie has a trick up his sleeve.” He wanted to teach Jollies a little lesson in meanness, but he knew the bigger, tougher cat would just leave the group. Besides, Jollies would make African Lion widen his eyes fearfully, because he was the last cat to stick up for himself. He always feared doing something new for once.       

“Apple Pie what? Wants to babysit me?” Jollies let out a cruel laugh and then hopped back up on the ledge. “I’m here to do what I want. You can go back and tell Apple he’s not the boss of me!” Jollies returned to the ledge, singing a tune he’d known since he was a wee little kitten. Now that he was older, he paused to remind African Lion he knew it by heart.

African Lion nodded, but his mind was with his friends. He didn’t have them anymore. He sighed and sat down, tail twitching slowly. Jollies would never understand his dilemma. But maybe Apple Pie had advice. He may harbor bitterness about that stolen money, but—   

“Apple Pie didn’t tell me to do anything. I came on my own accord!” And as he ran back to the room with a sniggering Jollies, African Lion called behind his shoulder, “Maybe you ought to know why.”    

Only laughter.

When African Lion appeared with Apple Pie again, he didn’t tell him he challenged Jollies. He did say he was sick of Jollies’ stupid attitude. “he’s so—”

“Arrogant.” Apple Pie sighed, shifting so his chair became a makeshift bed. “Any way we can turn this dump into something inhabitable?”       

African Lion looked around. Then he walked up to a plant and grabbed it with his teeth. Dragging it with him, he soon pushed it outside, letting it stand with the other plant he had removed from a dusty, dirty corner. African Lion retreated outside the parking garage to the sidewalk with the very tall grass desperate to be cut. A mattress, blanket and pillow came to mind.

“I can turn that table into a bed and hang pretty stuff on the walls!”

Grinning, African Lion sprang over a log and then spotted some yellow and white down by a section of cars. Suddenly, people started walking towards a car in front of him, their incessant chatter causing African Lion to scamper around the material to hide. Then, when they had finally left, African Lion grabbed the mattress and then came back with the pillow. He hurdled over logs, staying clear of walking feet, hurrying shoes and noisy children. Stealthily escaping their feet and hands whenever they got within reach, African Lion hopped up onto his findings, flashing a smile like he had saved the world.  

Apple Pie threw up a smile and then shrugged. “It’s a place to sleep. I’ve been—”       

“Apple, ditch the comments!”

Apple Pie stared at him, eyes open.

“I don’t know what’s come over you, but Jollies and you have treated me like lousy cat food since we met.”      

Apple Pie grabbed his shoulders, squeezing them. “African, that’s not true. I’m,” he admitted, exhaling, “sorry my crudeness has deflated your trust in my friendship. But,” he pulled African Lion towards him, and this cat perked his tufty ears. “I can make all things happen.”

He winked, and let go. “Watch.”     

African Lion did so and then pulled a sly look, and the two friends looked at each other like they had a huge plan up their sleeves. Then African Lion promised Apple Pie he’d be back, and proceeded to continue his hunt for renovating the garbage dump of an abandoned parking lot room for a more homely look.  

Up on the roof, a pudgy Jollies danced a little to his own tune, hitting his fat paws against the cement ground. He got down and casted some of the mice bones away, telling them he was sorry they had to go through such a horrific fate. “But,” he closed his eyes and stretched his paws behind his head, leaning back and gazing at the darkening sky, “I don’t really have much to do around here. I’m practically not doing anything. Except,” he laughed, a deep chortle, “eat you!”  

African Lion pressed on, coming back with four or five new objects at which Apple Pie gazed in admiration and even cleaned everything with something like polish. Apple Pie corrected him, but African Lion wore a constant smile on his cute face, wondering why so much trash was around what he thought as such a beautiful area.

Apple Pie snickered when he had tugged in some cartons of stale milk. He downed a couple of them, and wiped the milky moustache off his face. “African, you can’t call this garbage bag a beauty. Look at all the crap lying around!” Apple Pie starting ticking off his paws. “There are straws, sticky bubble gum, empty soda cups—”

“That we could use!”

Apple Pie took some plastic water bottles and a roll of string and started puncturing holes into them. He hung them along the wall behind his chair. “Like this?”  

He stepped back, and African Lion nodded firmly, grinning. “Yeah!”

“Thanks.” Apple Pie continued with other junk, telling African Lion he was ready to use some of this stuff to lure his close relative over here so he could literally shake the money out of him. African Lion warned him to be careful, but Apple Pie threw his paws up. “Whatever! He stole.”

African Lion pursed his lips. As he continued, he turned them into amazing decorations he hoped other cats would see from far away. Soon, they’d have a family! But, African Lion remembered, his smile slipping down into a frown, no one lived around here—Newark was abandoned, just like the population of cats was scarce. At least Apple Pie’s comments about the lack of cats around here—even alley cats and strays—bordered on annoying.   

“Hey, Apple Pie.”

“Yeah?”

“I thought of taking Jollies and you to the real city areas. Let’s look for Newark’s cats. They got to be around here somewhere!”

Apple Pie didn’t answer—he focused on something. African Lion trotted up to him, and tapped him on the shoulder. Apple Pie told him he was busy.

“I know, but I’m just interested in other places other than this—”

“Dump?”

“Fine! It’s a trash heap.” African Lion returned to his job of turning trash into treasures. “Besides, I thought Jollies would want to do something other than hang out upstairs.”

“Where he could finally get somewhere with his singing.”

“Yeah—where he could sing to thousands of cats, not just one—himself!”

Apple Pie sighed hard and heavy, and both cats looked at each other. “What do we say we look for—”

“Some mice?” Both agreed in unison. They bounded away from the place, and announced to Jollies they’re heading into the city to catch some mice. He nodded and then closed his eyes, falling asleep. Once they were among honking cars, strolling pedestrians, glaring neon lights and rolling strollers, Apple Pie and African Lion suddenly lost hope. Then African Lion grabbed Apple Pie’s scruff and yanked it forwards.

“Look! It’s your relative.”  

Apple Pie jerked away and stared at the older tom cat, his eyes narrowing and his claws coming out. He crouched, ensuring the older cat didn’t see him. African Lion looked from Apple Pie to his relative, whispering he wasn’t sure what to do. Apple Pie ordered African Lion to imitate him. He did, watching the cat warily.

The older cat looked both ways before crossing the street of rushing cars and blinding headlights. He soon reached a burnt red cat and a Norwegian Forest, the former having frozen to the spot and the latter narrowing his eyes. The older cat blinked at Apple Pie and nodded respectfully at African Lion. He returned a coy nod. “Apple,” African Lion poked him. “You can relax now.”

Apple Pie ignored him.

“Oh,” the relative smiled warily. “He’s too angry to even speak to me. He’d rather clam up than see me anymore anyway.” Then he turned, leaving. But to African Lion’s utter surprise, he returned, dropping two huge dead rats at Apple Pie’s feet. “Let’s eat—let’s settle this conflict once and for all.”

“Okay.” African Lion nodded and then slowly peeled away, trotting the opposite way. He found some mice and caught them, enjoying their chewy insides and plump fleshly hide and tail. However, he couldn’t find any huge rats. Somehow, Apple Pie’s relative made such a nice dinner!

He thought of Jollies, always able to steal away to his favorite spot on the roof, enjoying a feast of delicious mouse. Then he ran off, claws out. Bending his head, head down low, African Lion locked eyes onto something moving. Then, quick as lightning, he lashed out and dragged it towards him, but the animal’s eyes shimmered with terror. African Lion spread a horrible grin and pierced the rat so that it slowly lost breath and then lay limp at his merciless paws.

Eating his first real dinner, African Lion savored every bite, holding his head up high. Mice were a mere appetizer, for this cat had moved on to dinner.

As he searched for more rats to roast over a fire, African Lion found himself catching four or five more. However, while he bounded back to Apple Pie, his mouth holding the unfortunate rat’s thick pink tails in his mouth, African Lion stopped and looked at the shocking sight before him.

Apple Pie was sitting like an average cat, his back knees up against his sides in front of his long fluffy tail. His relative sat opposite him, and both of them bent their heads African Lion stared as he witnessed both cats seemed to agree on a dinner of rat and mouse evidently caught—from a nearby sewer African Lion noticed. African Lion shuttered, letting these two cats.

As Apple Pie started the conversation, African Lion listened. He sat there, absorbing his relative’s comments on Apple Pie’s grudge he’d held. Then spitting and snarling sounded, causing African Lion to crouch down, his eyes dead straight on the two warring cats. Apple Pie had extended his claws, and the relative’s eyes blazed, his tail jerking back and forth. Was this a dinner, or a fight?

African Lion sat upright when Apple Pie took a paw and shook it with his relative. But he noticed the paw shake was extremely stiff. No eyes showed mercy. No mouths spoke kindness.

“This dinner is not from me.” The relative spoke low and seriously.

“Not from me, either.” Apple Pie’s sudden reaction made African Lion’s eyes grow huge.

Careful, Apple. This cat doesn’t look like he’s patient enough to handle a feisty cat’s attitude.

The dinner soon ended, but Apple Pie trotted away. He soon came back with fresh meat in his mouth. dropping it in front of his relative, he nodded jerkily and proceeded to sit—respectfully—in front of him.

“Go ahead.” The relative jerked a paw at the dinner. “It’s your meal, too, right?”

Apple Pie and his relative looked at each other for a very long time. Then Apple Pie looked at the meal. He stood up and then saw his relative rise as well. Both of them spoke softly, but Apple Pie refrained from jabbing at him. He merely took the lead, sitting down before the other cat did so. But he didn’t—he merely looked at Apple Pie and told him to not challenge his authority again. Apple Pie told him he wouldn’t. The relative just nodded and said he hoped not.

“Don’t know why my own relative isn’t trustworthy.”

“You know why. Maybe because you’re so bitter!”

Apple Pie widened his eyes at his relative’s anger. Flashing eyes and bared teeth were reduced to a closed mouth held firm with an irate attitude, as the relative could barely speak. Apple Pie chose this time to try to make peace.

“Don’t know about that.”

“We’re family.”

“Don’t know who to trust—myself or you.”

“You can trust both.”

“How?”

Apple Pie rose up—so did his relative—and they talked, but the relative told Apple Pie to stand down from now on. Apple Pie didn’t answer but only nodded respectfully. He looked at the rat meal and then sat down again—the relative staring lethally as a quiet Apple Pie shook his head. He sat down again.