'Dad'stardly Day?

Harland awoke confused by his surroundings. He wondered how long it takes to get used to living in a new house. Waking up this way bugged him. He wasn't one to say he hated change. A change can be good. But this room was so different than their last bedroom. The furniture wasn't even positioned remotely the same. Maybe he should try rearranging everything. Maybe Sunday.

Most people wake on a Friday and think 'TGIF'! But not Harland. As a small business owner, he worked every day the shop was open. That means he goes in every day except Sunday. 

He employs two good souls. One is a student, the other is a young mother. However, neither have a schedule that would allow him to take too much time for himself. Besides, Tes seems to think she'll inherit the store one day. He didn't have the heart to tell her it was a slowly dwindling niche market. The world was moving into the digital era.

He got ready, made a road coffee, and left to open the store. The commute took the same amount of time as before they moved. At least that hadn't changed. He enjoyed his talk radio on the way in and leisurely drove across their small city. 

Around noon, the coffee truck pulled up in the back alley and honked. Tummy a little grumbly, Harland locked the front door, flipped the sign, and went to the back. "Hey Har, how's the new house," Mario asked handing over a Mars Bar. He always remembered his customers' favorites. "Eh," Harland shrugged noncommittally. He looked over the food choices. 

"Aw, come on, Har. Is Tes getting into dating? You have that look. I had it when Tina started dating. Pretty sure when no one is looking I still have it." Mario smiled. 

"Close enough, I guess. We can't get Tes to come out of her room. All week! Can you imagine a teenager who wants to stay in their room, Mario? It's unnatural." Harland picked out a tin. M for Manicotti. He set a Coke on top then fished out some money. 

"My wife says to give a girl time. It's the only cure for anything at that age," Mario joked. Harland nodded and smiled. Mario had a way of making people feel better. He was perfectly suited for this job. Har liked to imagine Mario as a bartender on wheels, minus the alcohol. 

"Well, I have to get back to it, Mario. Drive safe out there! And thanks for keeping me fed!" Harland waved as Mario got back in his truck and began his slow roll down the alley. 

Eager to eat his lunch, he flipped the sign back, unlocked the front door and sat at the desk nearby. Suddenly, two aisles away, he heard a thump. With a mouthful of food and his heart in his throat, he slowly set down his fork. As silently as he could, he went to investigate. To his knowledge, no one else should be here.

There, in the centre of an aisle lay several books. Curious, he thought. He looked around, peering through the shelves. He saw no one. 

He pulled his gloves out of his back pocket and put them on. Gently, with a father's touch, he replaced the books to their home. He may not have authored them, but each was as unique as a person. His love of books spans all genres. 

Just as he stood back up, he heard another thump. Had someone been in here before he'd gone to grab his lunch? Was someone trying to rattle him? If so, they must not have kids. They probably are a kid, more likely. Worse, he thought, it might be one of my own! He had to stifle a laugh.

Now it felt a bit more like a game of 'hide and seek'. He was down. The kids always played here growing up. But he knew all the best hiding spots. He grew up in this shop, too.

Moving throughout the space, he looked for signs of people. Soon enough, he came upon another small pile of books pulled off a shelf. Just as he stooped to replace them, another thump sounded closeby.

He froze, hoping they didn't know he was near. He kept a keen eye on his surroundings. Suddenly, something jumped onto his shoulders from above!

He circled and flailed, completely forgetting he was much bigger than whatever just pounced on him. Something had curled around his head and eyes. With his gloves on, he couldn't tell what it was. Some kind of animal, he was sure. Throwing his arm downward, a glove flew off and he groped for the little beast.

He kept thinking, over and over, "please don't be a raccoon!"

He grasped what he hoped was its scruff. Gently, he pulled. Holding it out, away from his face, he opened his eyes. A black cat stared back, unabashed. Harland brightened at the sight and pulled it into a soft cuddle, stroking it soothingly. "Hello Mischief," he cooed at it.

It allowed this affection for a few moments. Then it tried to scale him and lay on his head again. This time, it didn't cover his eyes. Resigned to take him captive, he gave up the fight and walked back to his desk. 

He remembered the new phone Les had given him. Opportunity, he thought gleefully! He pulled it out of the desk and opened the camera feature. 

After taking a few minutes to figure it out, he finally got a funny pic of this cat as his hat. He sent it to his wife and kids. As he shook with laughter, the cat swatted his nose, as if to say "settle down, ooman." To the cat's dismay, it only made him laugh harder.

But there it stayed until Colleen arrived to take over. "How do you get into these messes, Harland," she asked, laughing. The cat allowed her to pet it but still refused to leave Harland's crown. "It's some kind of magnet, I think. For weird things," he responded. They laughed and she took some pics as well. The angles she was able to get were much funnier than his attempts. 

She shot the pics off to him and they laughed about which would look best framed behind the register. "Well, it won't leave me, so I wonder how it will feel when I leave the store?" Harland grabbed his phone and keys and started to make his way to the back door. Colleen followed, prepared to lock it behind him. 

Still, the cat wouldn't move! Out of the store, into the car, the cat laid upon its claim. Being a bit tall, the cat seemed to almost squish itself between Har and the roof of the car. He gently pulled it off his head and placed it in his lap. He did this maneuver several times on his way home as the cat snuck back whenever it had an opportunity. 

He imagined being pulled over. For the first time he wouldn't mind getting stopped. A part of him wanted to share this silliness with everyone. Sadly, he made it all the way home without so much as a sideways glance. 

After he parked the car, he pulled the cat down a final time, snuggling it close. "Listen here, little Overlord," he said, looking the cat in its bright blue eyes. It looked intently back. Unnerved, he went on. "I hope you know our home is your home. If you allow me to bring you in our house, I promise we will treat you as a member of the family. No one here will ever harm you, okay?" He maintained eye contact. The cat merely stared at him.

"OK, here we go, cat!" He opened the door, cradling the feline as he got out. The cat stayed in his arms. As he approached the house, the gardener came out from the backyard. "G' day Har," said Gerard. "I see you've met Bastet." He came up and pet the cat behinds the ears. It purred and pushed into his fingers.

"You know this cat," Harland asked, emphasizing the word 'this'. That seemed weird, he thought. "I found her in my shop today. Want to see something hilarious?" He pulled out his phone. Puzzled, Gerard asked, "she was at your store? Really?"

Harland fumbled to open his picture files and showed Ger the pics. "Wow, she must really like you, Har! I've never seen her leave the property before. It's been a few days since anyone has seen her. Some of the folks were starting to worry. Very glad to see she's just been out exploring!"

They laughed and took turns petting Bastet while Harland explained how he found her. Then, Gerard shared a tidbit of local gossip. "She owns this place, you know," he said, measuring Harland's response. "Don't cats own the world," Harland responded, thinking it was a joke. Bastet chortled as if in agreement.

"Honestly, this here is the bonafide Lady of the Land," Gerard assured him. "There's something in the land deed that says a cat must always be present. I'm not sure how many cats have actually held the title, but this one's been here longer than I have. She still looks almost a kitten, eh?" Ger scratched her belly and she rolled in Harland's arms to offer a better angle. 

"But, what about the Pawlmoor's?" Harland couldn't believe it. He was sure Ger was pulling his leg. Had to be. "Oh sure, them, too. Always has to be a blood Pawlmoor living in the main manor. All on the deed," Ger nodded.

Ger looked around to make sure no one was within earshot. He whispered "I've seen Royal talking to her like she's a person. Like he's having a conversation with her. Not like, cat talk, you know. But like he's responding to questions no one's asked."

"You're busting my chops, right?" The cat was looking between the two men as if she was listening intently. Harland was sure it was his imagination. Yet her eyes followed each of their voices as they spoke.

"Trust me, I wouldn't lie to you, Har. Promise. Mark my words, if she's interested in you, well, I've learned she is drawn to families with... Interesting skills. I tend this estate. Almost 25 years now. I've seen it with my own eyes. If I had to guess, I'd say you'll be getting a visit from Royal and his family on Sunday. Bastet claims someone, the Pawlmoor's usually follow her lead."

The men sat there for a moment in silence, admiring this strange little beast in Harland's arms. With a gentle pat on the back, Ger said good night, and good luck then made his way to his cart. "Thanks, Ger. Really. Have a great night." 

Unsure what to do with this information, he went to the front door. Before he could ascend the stair, Bastet leapt from his arms and landed gracefully upon the second step from the top. She did a little spin and walked to the door. He quickly caught up to her and found his key. Before he could even put it in the lock, she gently bumped the door with her head and it opened for them. 

He let her go in first then watched as she perused the room. He shut the door and put his keys in the bowl. He was excited to show off his new friend to the family.

Hearing sounds in the kitchen, he looked up. Les wasn't due home for another half hour, at least. The twins should still be at their friend's. Was a miracle happening? Did Tes decide to come out?

As he went to the kitchen, Bastet had managed to get on top of a bookcase. He hadn't seen her in his distraction. As he entered the kitchen, Bastet leapt onto his shoulders then perched upon his head. 

Looking up from her prep work, Tes was just in time to see the event. Startled at the unexpected arrivals, as well as the sight of a cat jumping her dad and nesting on his cranium, Tes grabbed her chest as she blurted out a loud laugh. Her breath blew flour into a cloud around her. She suddenly looked very pasty. They giggled in unison.

"You're alive," he exclaimed. He was so happy to see her doing something of habit. She always used to cook before the move. This was a good step. With his fluffy hat firmly in place, he gave his daughter a big hug. "Glad to see you expanding your environment." He gave her a tight squeeze before letting her go.

"Glad to see you... Expanding your friend base? I have to tell you, its' been a weird day, Dad," she said. "I can definitely relate," he responded. His heart warmed at the thought that things could truly get back to normal someday. Since Tes was determined to wait for everyone to get home before she spoke about her day. So, he decided to tell her about his day. They set the table and gabbed. Then they moved to the kitchen to finish the meal Tes had started.

Bastet eventually got down and curled up under a chair in the dining room. Harland was sure he could hear her purring all the way in the kitchen. 

He and Tes finished making dinner together. It felt just as good as it did in the old house. Maybe this was a good change after all.

As he sat down at the dining room table, he was certain he heard a soft voice whisper: Welcome.