The Black Cat

As usual, I had a fight with my boyfriend. They seemed to be happening more often than they used too. I guess the romantic stage was over and the war had begun. I looked up at the night sky and I wondered if I would ever find someone like my mother and father, they loved each other and didn't even argue. They finished each other's thoughts and sentences. It was like they were on the same page all the time. No, there was no one like that for me.

Just a stupid black cat that showed up whenever I came to the park to get away from my boyfriend and our fights. I began bringing cat food with me to feed the scrawny thing. It was a small male cat, not a kitten, definitely a full-grown cat, but it was small, compact. I would talk to the cat for hours after a fight. I told him my dreams and my hopes, I told him about my boyfriend and the fights we had. The cat always seemed to get upset at the world when I told him these things, but he was always sweet to me. I never had a cat, I always wanted one, and I would have taken my little friend home with me if I could have, but my boyfriend was allergic to cats.

So, here we were. I was petting him and wiping the tears from my eyes as he patiently sat in my lap. Finally, I stopped crying and scooped the cat up against his very vocal protest and hugged him to me. He purred. When he was tired of the attention he jumped down and wound around my feet for a couple of minutes. He darted off into the shadows of the trees nearby, then darted back and wound around my feet again. He then darted off to the trees again. I stood and looked at the cat perplexed as he again darted back, wound around my feet and then darted back to the trees. I followed him, I think that was what I was supposed to do. When I reached the shadows of the trees, he wound around my feet again. Then darted off down the old worn foot path back the way I had come when I came to the park.

I followed the path to the edge of the park and found I was directly in front of the little café near my house. Warm lights glowed from the windows, but what froze me was what I saw within those cozy little windows.

My boyfriend was sitting in a booth with a pretty girl, and they were smooching. I knelt next to the cat and stroked his soft fur as I watched him cheat on me for a moment more. I scooped up the cat to instant protest to the sudden handling. I grinned as I cuddled him. I turned and walked home. I went inside and placed the cat on the sofa. I was keeping him. I grabbed some tools and changed the doorknobs. I had an old doorknob with only one key, on my keychain on a bedroom door. I switched it for the front door and locked it tight.

I gathered a couple of trash bags and began stuffing all my boyfriend’s… No, my ex-boyfriend’s stuff went into the garbage bags and out the front door onto the curb it went. I locked up the door and turned off all the lights and hid in a closet in the laundry room. I took the cat and my phone with me. I made a little pallet on the floor and snuggled down with the cat to sleep. Tomorrow I would get better locks and new keys but for now I was free.

I cried then. The cat purred gently and licked the tears from my cheeks.  My ex-boyfriend had been cheating on me. We had fought over money like always. Money that was always missing from my bank account. Now I knew where it was going. He was spending it on her. I don’t know when I fell asleep, but it was really dark and very quiet when I woke up.

I heard a creak of floorboards as weight shifted across them. I waited silently as the movement got closer. I fumbled quickly but quietly for my phone. I turned it on and dialed 9-1-1.

A staticky voice on the line asked, “What is the nature of the call?”

“Someone is in my house!” I hissed into the line.

Softer the voice answered, “Where are you located?”

I gave the address softly as I heard the woman typing on the other end of the line.

“Alright, are you safe?” The voice asked softly.

“Yes,” I whispered. “I think so.”

“Good, stay there, officers are on their way to you.” The voice told me. “Do not talk. Just stay put and on the line. I will be here to help you. Just stay on the line. Can you press buttons on the phone to indicate yes or no questions? Tap a button once for ‘yes’ and twice for ‘no.’”

I hit a button once.

“Okay then, hit the button once for ‘yes,’ twice for ‘no’ and three times for not ‘sure’. Alright, do you know the person in your house?” The woman on the other line asked. I did not know who it might be, but I suspected my ex-boyfriend. I hit the button three times. “Are you in your bedroom?” I hit the button twice. The floorboards creaked closer to me now. I held my breath afraid it would give me away. My whole body trembled in fear and my mouth grew dry in fear. The air became static and heavy with anticipation of discovery. “Are you in a bathroom?” I again hit the button twice. “A closet?” I hit the button once. After all I had wanted to make my ex-boyfriend think I was not home and that I had left after changing the locks. I just was not ready to face him.

“Is the intruder close to you?” The woman asked again. I dared not breath or answer the woman, the intruder was in front of the closet. “Just stay quiet, don’t move.” The voice ordered in a whisper. I quietly pushed myself back into the closet, despite what the women said, trying desperately to get away from the intruder without him hearing me. But he must have heard me after all. I heard a hand slap onto the nob and it slowly turned.

As the door opened, before the shadow could see me the cat saved me. He launched himself up at the intruder hissing and howling like some creature strait out of a horror flick. I scrambled as the cat laid waste to the shadow’s face and ran for the front door.

“I ran, he opened the closet door, my cat saved me!” I panted into the phone as I ran.

“Good kitty! I hope he will be alright?” The woman said. “The police are outside, run!”

I ran and skidded to the door as something slammed into the wall next to my head. It was my cat! He lay limp on the floor.

“I TOLD YOU I WAS ALLERGIC TO CATS!” Shouted a familiar voice right before his left fist caught my hair and his right fist landed a sounding blow to my face.

The cops swarmed through the door and knock my boyfriend from his feet, but his grip on my hair pulled me down with him. A quick scuffle and the police had my ex-boyfriend in cuffs and since the police saw him hit me they were charging the man with assault and battery. I didn’t pay attention, I was crying over the limp body of my cat, my only friend. He was gone.

The 9-1-1 operator took a bit of information and hung up. I was left in an empty house with a broken door, a promise the police would keep a car there until morning and a limp cat that was not breathing. I cried. First, I had a fight, then this sweet little cat took me to see my boyfriend cheating on me, then now ex-boyfriend broke into my house and tried to hurt me, killed my cat and here I was all alone, the one thing that kept me with my boyfriend for so long even after the fights had gotten to a point where I was beginning to become scared of the man. I hated being alone. I had been that way most of my life, he was someone to hold, but I found my cat, he became in the space of a moment just what I needed. Not human companionship, at least not the kind I thought I needed.

No, it was simpler, a pet, a friend, a confidant. Although now he was dead. I wept bitterly into my hands and wished my cat were alive and that he would tell me he was going to be alright.

I realized how silly it sounded and wiped my face, when I looked up, against the wall where my cat once was, leaned a man. He was unconscious and naked. His hair was as black as the cat’s fur. He was breathing evenly and softly.

I gasped and the man stirred. He opened drowsy eyes and blinked a few times at me, cat-like. I starred at the most beautiful emerald, green eyes, eyes that reminded me of my cat.

“Who are you?” I whispered, my voice trembling.

“A cat, what does it look like?” The man answered, his eyes widened at the sound of his voice. “Did I say that?” He asked. “Am I speaking Human?”

“Uh, you are speaking English,” I told him. “And you are not a cat.” I pointed at the full-length mirror on my bedroom door.

He looked over and saw the mirror. His eyes widened and he looked down at himself.

“When did this happen?” He asked.

“I wished you were still alive after my ex-boyfriend threw you against the wall.” I answered.

“I love you.” He said softly. “I wished you had a better mate than that man. I asked daily for someone to help you. I finally decided to help you myself.”

“Thank you!” I cried and threw my arms around him and hugged him tightly. “I love you too!” I cried again and he just sat there holding me, a first for me, my cat was holding me! When I pulled away, he smiled and pressed his lips to mine.

“I think I am going to like this new body.” He whispered and kissed me again. “No more crying.” He purred.

I realized I now had a new boyfriend and I had only been a single woman a couple of hours since I decided my ex-boyfriend needed to hit the curb. But the most bizarre part was my boyfriend was a cat who had somehow, through some magic from a hopeless wish, become a human man. I laughed as my cat pulled me into his arms. I was finally getting my cat, and no one could stop me!