Cat's Paw

Life can only be understood backwards, but it must be lived forwards.

-Soren

Chapter-1- Definition of Normal

..--..

It was that day at the end of summer, when Dory and I sat in a coffee house. Sunk in the comfort of our cushion chairs, neither of us had a single penny in our pockets. Not that it bothered us, of course. Times of financial drought came and passed like the seasons of the world. To put in simple words, we were broke.

The coffee house was quiet save the occasional snapping sound of a newspaper as we scanned the rental ads for the tenth day in a row. Every few moments, one of us would find something interesting but the other would always pull up a point of argument. After spending another worthless hour scanning the pages, I threw The Downtown Chronicle aside and scratched my head in frustration. Dory didn't bat an eye and remained engrossed in her job.

I was suspicious by nature. My friend had the attention span of a bumble bee and she could never get too absorbed in any job. Heck, she was yet to finish a novel she'd bought two months ago. No one would believe that she was trying to do a Major in English Literature.

I stared at her sternly and said, "I hope you're not checking out the dating section again."

She didn't answer me.

Meanwhile, I took a long sip of my cappuccino and settled into my soft chair. Turning my head to look at the people walking past the cafe, I wondered whether they had the same troubles as I did. Well, I bet they weren't as foolish as the buffoon sitting on my seat. Who in her right mind, would want to sacrifice the comforts of being the daughter of a rich and successful entrepreneur?

It seemed as if it had been just yesterday... when I had stormed out of the house, leaving everything that spelled 'Evans' behind. The quarrel with my father hadn't been pleasant but it was something that needed to be done. Walking in the rain, without money, clothes, I had found myself before the run-down home of Dory. Despite her shortcomings, Dory was the most cheerful and sympathetic friend one could ask for. So much had happened one year ago... but still seemed like a movie I'd just seen yesterday.

Perhaps, I was out of my mind. Trying to rent an apartment in a city was an arduous task..., which we found out the hard way. Having been stranded here, with just a few weeks left for the beginning of the semester, Dory and I were at our nail's end trying to piece together a small fortune. But even that 'fortune' seemed meager and insignificant when it came to renting an apartment in a city where the property rates went up every six months.

Stretching my legs under the table, I brought my attention to the bill tucked under the saucer. Inwardly, I cringed at the amount marked on it. A battle would soon arise among the two of us. The question being 'Who foots the bill this time?'. But when it came to situations such as these, I had a slight advantage over Dory. She was gullible and could be easily cheated.

Straightening up again, I watched my friend's hazel eyes move in a line. They came to an abrupt stop and stared at the space on the right-hand corner of the now-crumpled paper.

"Did you find something?" I asked her but only with a glimmer of hope.

"Sort of," she replied, puffing up her cheeks. She picked up her pen and circled the spot in red ink. Tossing it to me, she remarked, "We hit the pot this time."

My eyes gazed at the ad she had marked. Enclosed in the red ellipse, was a small, indistinguishable box written in small font.

--

To Let

Medium sized, two-bedroom apartment available for rent at a negotiable price. Located near the city square with 24-hr water facilities. Suited for beautiful women, unmarried and without a pet. Call the number below for more details.

--

When I had finished reading, Dory flashed me one of her triumphant smiles. It was one of those rare moments, when she didn't like to pass up an opportunity to spread her joie de vivre. Having known her for more than three years, I knew her better than she herself did.

"So... it's just what we need, right?" she questioned, trying little to hide her excitement.

My eyebrows creased into a thin line. It was an excellent prospect but there was something not quite right about it. Whoever had written the ad, had gone to great lengths in mentioning that they were ready to rent the apartment only to women... or to be more precise 'beautiful women'.

When I voiced my concerns to Dory, she ignored them. "Oh come on. It's nothing to be worried about..." she said, waving her hand to shrug the matter off lightly. "Maybe the landlord had a tough time with bachelors before. I mean, what part of the ad you don't understand. We are unmarried... "

"Yes. But-" I tried to challenge.

"... neither of us has a pet."

"I know. But-"

She interrupted me again. "... and we are both beautiful girls. So, like I said. This is the apartment we need. Someone is serving our need on a silver platter. Come on, brighten up and accept this opportunity. Don't let the world dog you down," Dory ended her speech by throwing me into fits of laughter.

Recovering my wits, I sighed and contemplated on her words. As much as I wanted to believe her, my concerns remained reasonable. When I looked at her again, I couldn't bring myself to squash her exuberance. I put up my hands in defeat and resigned to her idea.

"Alright. But you will be the one dialing that number. If there is a perverted creep on the other end, don't blame me."

"Ha. I don't think so," she said with a frown and picked up the paper.

Looking around, she whistled at a waiter passing us. Knowing Dory, her roguishness wasn't new to me. She had a quirky personality whose traits she seemed to have picked up from her displaced childhood. Having grown as the youngest of four brothers, she had many unrefined habits. Some were harmless... while others would get on my nerves. It was a wonder how the two of us ever got along with each other.

Like they say, opposites attract.

The waiter had a stack of plates in his hand with some glasses standing on their top very delicately.. He stopped abruptly in his tracks and glared at Dory.

"What it is this time?" he asked her, not as politely as one would usually do. The poor guy couldn't be blamed for his acerbic attitude. Dory had been making him run around in circles. He had to fetch drinks for her on the double or bring her the paper every time she called. How she managed to string him like a puppy was beyond my reasoning.

Having seen us loitering around his workplace every single day, it wasn't surprising that Paul knew us by name.

Dory smiled cheekily, "Hi. Can you do us a favor, please?"

Paul's gaze moved from her to me and shifted back to my friend again. "I am kind of busy here. It's the weekend and I can't fool around with so much to do..." Even as his last words trailed off, I could see him become shifty. He ran a nervous hand through his brown hair and he was fidgeting a little too much. The plates stacked on his tray began vibrating with him in resonance.

Dory's smile grew wider and her eyes sparkled. "Well, that's too bad. I guess I will have to ask the manager then."

A long silence pursued.

The cutlery almost slipped his hold but Paul was a man with quick reflexes and caught them in no time. Converted in a matter of few seconds, he smiled meekly and accepted to do whatever Dory had in mind. It was then that it occurred to me. Something wasn't quite right about the two of them.

..--..

We were cruising through the city in Paul's sedan. The wind hit me in the face when I rolled down the tinted windows. As I scrutinized the new paw print cover of the seats, I wondered how a waiter at a mediocre café could own such an expensive car. He could be a thrifty one but I had serious doubts that he could save enough to buy this. The reason didn't quite meet the eye and I was pretty sure that Dory had the dirt on his secret.

One week had passed since we had last spoken to the owner. We never met him but on the phone. A coarse, husky voice is what I could remember from our brief conversation... An invalid perhaps? We paid for the annual rental via the bank wire and signed the papers he'd sent by courier. Paul had ever so gracefully accepted to help us in moving. As he drove us through the city lanes, he kept his eyes on the road and kept sending wrathful glares towards my friend. Whatever deal had come to take place between them, was unknown to me. I enjoyed the bliss of ignorance.

About the apartment... oh yes. I think it came off at a very cheap price. The only thing that kept pricking away at me was why we were never asked to meet the owner. Did he trust us enough to not blow up his property? That was a bold presumption to make of complete strangers.

I looked at Paul through the rear-view mirror and caught his attention. "You checked out the apartment, right?"

He nodded grumpily while taking a hard right turn. "Yeah and take my word. It's worth more than the price he is willing to rent out."

I frowned. "But why?"

"What do you mean 'why'?"

"Did you actually meet him?"

"Err-no. There was a note on the ground with the key underneath it..."

Dory and I exchanged wary glances.

..--..

Paul had been right. It was worth more than the rent we were paying. The apartment wasn't a luxurious penthouse of any kind but it was... serene and beautiful. The windows opened to the east, giving a bright view of the sun. It was spacious enough to have a family of three. As I sat on the bench near the window, I looked around. At every spot I could imagine it having the furnishings of my choice.

The bedroom floor could be given a mosaic polish in purple that would accentuate my rug. On the extreme corner, I could place the bookshelf and fill it with all the masterpieces I had read this summer. My possessions at the moment were scanty and wouldn't amount to much. But I could always go back to my father's house and smuggle out the rest of my belongings including the soft double bed with the mahogany finish. Oh, how I missed those smooth, back-soothing mattresses.

In a matter of a few seconds, I had built the perfect home in my mind.

Yet uncannily, the house had the aura of bringing back old memories of mine... those that I wasn't proud of. My feud with my dad and my late aunt. I had been quite a troublemaker for Aunt Valencia.

It was a pity that I couldn't turn back time. If given a second chance, I would probably have made amends to our relationship.

Perhaps, I should have learnt to be a better cook. I remembered the time when I had accidentally added salt instead of sugar in the woman's dessert. My aunt's shrieks still echoed in my ears. Also, I shouldn't have accidentally set fire to my aunt's precious curtains. And maybe, I shouldn't have called the woman an 'old hag' during all those terrible fights. She used to call me in her heavy Danish accent, 'a revolting teen'.

But it was all over. The old woman was now resting in peace under a marble tombstone that proclaimed 'Valencia Evans- A generous soul in heaven'.

I used to wish that I hadn't wasted my ten dollars in buying the expensive bouquet of roses for my aunt's funeral. Back then, my bitterness had many reasons.

My thoughts were interrupted by Dory's voice from the living room.

"Lois! Do you plan to sit around whole day and expect me to do all the unpacking?"

I bit my lip in remorse and followed her voice. Even as I helped her carry the cardboard boxes around, thoughts of my family were playing a tug of war in my heart.

Only days later, would I realize that karma had a vicious way of coming around.

..--..