“This is my gran,” Grace said, pulling him forward. Her mum was hovering around anxiously, making tea, but really watching Mrs Barratt with worried eyes. “Gran, this is Alfie, you know, from next door?”
“Alfie…” Mrs Barratt frowned. “Oh dear. I’m sure your mother did tell me that, but I could never remember. But your beautiful cat is called Penguin, isn’t he?”
Alfie nodded shyly.
“Such a good name – I don’t forget that one. It suits him perfectly.”
“It does!” Alfie looked delighted. Most people frowned when he told them Penguin’s name, or at least laughed as if they thought it was stupid. He smiled at Mrs Barratt. “I’ve brought you a present. You can open it, but then I have to take it back to mine… You’ll see when you open it.” He thrust the tiny parcel at her, feeling embarrassed.
Mrs Barratt peered down at it, smiling.“Open it for me, dear. Useless old fingers.”
Carefully, Alfie undid the tape, and slid off the ribbon Mum had found for him. Then he put the open parcel on the arm of the chair for her to see.“Dad said just one, but I thought three would be better. Penguin’s a big cat.”
The bells shone and glittered as Mrs Barratt stared down at them, and laughed.“Poor Penguin. Well, with three bells, there’ll be no keeping his whereabouts a secret.”
Grace crouched down next to her.“You knew I’d brought him in? I thought no one saw him!”
Mrs Barratt laughed.“There’s a lot of him to hide, Lucy. Oh dear – Grace, I mean. I don’t mind if Alfie doesn’t.”
“I’ve given her half of him,” Alfie muttered. “Penguin likes her, even though it’s mostly because she buys him those expensive fishy cat treats. And she helped me rescue him out of a shed on the allotments last week.”
“Clever girl…” Mrs Barratt sounded weary, and Alfie stepped back, looking anxiously up at Grace’s mother. But the old lady went on. “You’ll have to stay then, Lucy, won’t you, if you have a cat…”
Alfie glanced between Grace and her mother. Which of them was Mrs Barratt talking to? Or perhaps she meant to say it to both of them.
Grace’s mother sighed, but she was smiling. She put a cup of tea on the little table next to Mrs Barratt’s chair. “We talked about it, Grace, in the hospital. While Gran was getting better. She needs us to stay. I know you want to go back home, but she needs us here. We can visit your friends…”
“But Iwant to stay here!” Grace nearly tipped the tea over, leaping up to grab her mother. “I thought we’d have to go. Alfie was going to put Penguin on the train for me!”
There was a sudden scuffling from outside the window, and they all jumped. A moon-shaped black and white face was peering curiously through the glass, bird feeders swinging above him.
“If you’re going to share him,” Mrs Barratt said faintly, “you’d better make sure you know who’s feeding him when. If that cat gets any bigger, he won’t be able to move, let alone chase birds.”
Alfie nodded.“We will. We can shout over the fence.”
Grace’s mother opened the kitchen window, and Penguin stepped delicately over the sill and sat down on the counter, staring smugly round at them all.
Alfie scratched him under the chin, and Grace tickled behind his neat ears. Penguin’s whiskers twitched happily. He was quite convinced he could find a way to get at least three breakfasts.