Karen's Kittens

  All of a sudden everyone was quiet.

  “I guess we have to ask our parents first,” said Jannie Gilbert.

  “I can have a kitten!” said Natalie Springer. She had just walked into the room and was studying the pictures. “I want that one.”

  Natalie pointed to the picture of Ruby. But then Ms. Colman entered the room.

  “Good morning, class. Please take your seats now,” she said.

  Ricky, Natalie, and I sit in the front row. That is because we wear glasses. We can see better up front. I used to sit at the back with Hannie and Nancy. That was fun. But it was a good thing I was up front today. Natalie and I had to make a plan.

  “I will bring Ruby over to your house tomorrow at five-thirty, okay?” I whispered.

  “Okay,” said Natalie. “I can’t wait.”

  The bell rang and Ms. Colman clapped her hands.

  “It is time for attendance,” she announced.

  I sat up tall. What a great morning! I had already found a home for a kitten. One down, four to go.

  Good-bye, Ruby

  I hung up the phone at the little house.

  “Charlie says he will drive me, Mommy!” I said. “He will take me and Ruby to Natalie’s house, then bring me back here.”

  “All right,” said Mommy. “I will drive you to Daddy’s now.”

  Hurray! I was going to the big house on a school day. I was going on an important mission.

  When I got there, Kristy and everyone were super glad to see me.

  “I would like to visit,” I said to them, “but I have work to do. I have found a home for Ruby.”

  “Yes, we know,” said Kristy. “You are doing a very good job.”

  “Thanks!” I said.

  I ran out to the toolshed. I felt happy when I saw Growly and the kittens. But I felt a little sad, too. Saying good-bye to Ruby was not going to be easy.

  “You are going to leave your mommy now, Ruby,” I said. “And your brothers and sisters, too. But don’t worry. I found you a good home with Natalie Springer.”

  I picked Ruby up and took her over to Growly.

  “Say good-bye to your mommy,” I said. “And say good-bye to Tippy and Pokey and Rosie and Bob.”

  When Ruby finished saying good-bye, I carried her over to the box I had brought from Mommy’s house. I had put a soft towel and three cat toys in it. I brought a bag of kitten chow, and a bag of cat litter, too.

  “Are you ready, Karen?” called Charlie. “It is almost five-thirty. We have to go.”

  “Ready, Ruby?” I said. Ruby looked as ready as she would ever be. I carried her out to Charlie. He was already in the Junk Bucket (that is the name of his car) with the motor running.

  Usually I had to sit in the back. But this time I got to ride up front with Charlie.

  “Buckle up,” said Charlie.

  Before I buckled up, I put Ruby’s box and the bags on the floor in front of me. I thought they would be safe there.

  Charlie pulled out of the driveway. We were on our way to Natalie’s house.

  “Did you say good-bye to Ruby yet?” I asked.

  “Um, no, I didn’t,” said Charlie.

  “Don’t you want to?” I asked.

  “Sure. But I thought I could wait till we got to your friend’s house,” he said.

  “You may not have a chance, then. You had better say your good-byes now,” I said.

  “Good-bye, Ruby. It’s been great knowing you,” said Charlie.

  I thought that was pretty nice. It was my turn.

  “Okay, Ruby. You are starting a new life. You will be on your own. Remember everything your mommy taught you. Think of your brothers and sisters often. And be really nice to Natalie. She is going to be your mommy now,” I said.

  The next thing I knew, Charlie was slowing down the car and pulling into Natalie’s driveway.

  Oh, boy. Giving a kitten away was hard. Was I really going to have to do it four more times? I hoped it would get easier.

  “Good-bye, Ruby. I might never see you again. Good-bye forever,” I said.

  Welcome Back, Ruby

  Sniff. Sniff. I was standing on Natalie Springer’s front steps trying not to cry. Charlie was ringing the bell.

  For a minute I thought no one was home. Then I heard footsteps and the door opened.

  “Hi, Karen!” said Natalie. “Is that Ruby? Oh, she is so cute! Are you sure she is a she? Can I change her name even if she is a she? I like the name Ruby. I do, I really do, but …”

  “Who’s there, Natalie?” called Mrs. Springer.

  “It’s Karen Brewer, Mommy,” said Natalie.

  “Hello, Karen. Oh, I see you have brought your kitten. It looks very sweet,” said Mrs. Springer.

  “Well, she is not really my kitten,” I said. “My parents will not let me have one. She is Natalie’s kitten now.”

  I was about to hand Ruby’s box to Natalie. But Mrs. Springer had a funny look on her face.

  “Natalie? Please explain,” she said. She did not sound too happy.

  “You said I could get a pet, Mommy,” wailed Natalie. “And Karen brought these pictures of kittens to school and I fell in love with Ruby and you said I could get a pet!”

  Uh-oh, I thought. Somebody got things mixed up.

  “Yes, I did say you could get a pet, Natalie. But I meant something small and easy to care for, like a turtle or a guinea pig. Not a cat or a dog,” said Mrs. Springer. “You should have talked to me first.”

  “Oh, Mommy, please!” said Natalie. “Please let me keep her.”

  “I am sorry, Natalie. And I am sorry, Karen. But we are not going to keep the kitten,” said Mrs. Springer.

  “I understand, Mrs. Springer,” I said. “My mommy and daddy said no, too.”

  Sniff, sniff. This time it was Natalie who was trying not to cry. But she was not doing a very good job. Two big tears plopped down her cheeks.

  “I’m sorry you can’t keep Ruby,” I said. “Maybe someone we like will take her. Then we can visit her sometimes.”

  Sniff, sniff. “Thanks for bringing her over, Karen,” said Natalie.

  I thought she was being very brave.

  “Good-bye, Mrs. Springer. Good-bye, Natalie,” said Charlie.

  I carried Ruby’s box back to the car. I put the box on the floor and buckled my seat belt. Charlie pulled out of Natalie’s driveway.

  I thought I should be feeling kind of bad. After all, Natalie was disappointed. And Ruby did not have a new home. But I did not feel bad. Not one bit. In fact, I felt happy! I bent down close to the box.

  “Welcome back, Ruby,” I whispered.

  Karen’s Kitten Party

  “We’re home! All three of us!” I called when we returned to the big house.

  Charlie was being really nice. He agreed to let me take Ruby back to Daddy’s house and then drive me over to Mommy’s.

  “What happened, Karen? Did Natalie change her mind?” asked Elizabeth.

  “Nope. Her mommy said she could have a pet. Only she could not have a kitten,” I explained. “It was too, too sad.”

  “What are you going to do now?” asked Kristy. “You are back to five kittens who need homes.”

  “Maybe I should take the kittens to the office,” said Daddy. “I bet they would be gone by the end of the day.”

  “No, Daddy! Please don’t do that!” I said. “Finding homes for Growly’s kittens is my job.”

  “Okay,” said Daddy. “I promise you I will not bring them to the office without talking to you first. Now it’s getting late, Karen. And tomorrow is a school day.”

  Charlie drove me back to Mommy’s. I had been so happy to have Ruby back. But maybe it was not such a good thing after all.

  I could hardly think of anything but the kittens for the rest of the week. I had to find homes for them. And I had to do it myself. It was my important job.

  On Saturday (it was a little-house weekend), I called Daddy.

  “Hi, honey,” he said. “The kit
tens are all safe and sound here. Have you found homes for any of them yet?”

  “Not yet,” I replied. “But I have a new plan.”

  “The kittens are growing up, Karen. We cannot keep them here forever,” said Daddy.

  “I just need one more week, Daddy. I promise I will find a home for every one of them by next Saturday,” I said. “If I don’t, then you and Elizabeth can have my job.”

  “That sounds fair,” said Daddy. “I will see you and Andrew on Friday.”

  All right! I had one more week to try out my latest home-finding plan. It was a good one. I went up to my room to tell Goosie about it.

  “Remember when we had a blue couch and Mommy and Seth wanted to sell it and get a green one? Remember what they did, Goosie?” I said. I could see Goosie did not remember.

  “Well, I will tell you what they did. They invited all the people who wanted to buy a couch to come and see it. And you know what? They sold it in one day! So here is what I am going to do, Goosie. I am going to have a kitten party next Saturday. It will be at the big house. (Sorry you will not be there, Goosie.) And it will be inside so the kittens cannot get lost. I will invite lots of kids to come see the kittens. But here is the best part. Only kids whose parents say they can have a kitten are invited. And their parents have to come, too,” I said.

  I was very proud of my idea. I made Goosie clap his paws.

  “Thank you, thank you,” I said. I took a bow. Then I wrote out my first invitation. Here is what it said:

  I wrote the address of the big house and the time — noon next Saturday. I wrote out lots and lots of invitations. I was going to invite everyone I could think of to my kitten party!

  Surprise!

  POP! There goes a red one. I was so excited. I burst every other balloon I tried to blow up. Once I started blowing, I could not stop.

  It was Saturday morning at the big house. My party was just two hours away.

  “I will help you hang the streamers,” said Kristy.

  “Thanks,” I replied.

  Nannie and Elizabeth got the snacks ready — popcorn, pretzels, raisins, and carrot sticks. I put the bowls all around the living room. Then I set out napkins, and paper cups for juice and soda.

  There was one job I wanted to do by myself. I wanted to get the kittens ready.

  I carried a box out to the toolshed. Growly was awfully quiet. She must have known this was a big day for her kittens.

  “Good morning, Pokey, Tippy, Rosie, Ruby, and Bob. A lot of people are coming to see you. I want you to look extra nice,” I explained.

  I carefully brushed each kitten’s coat. I would have washed their faces for them, but they had already done that themselves.

  When I finished brushing the last kitten, I put them in the box. I carefully carried it into the house. The clock said ten minutes to twelve. It seemed like ten hours before the doorbell rang. But once it started ringing, it hardly stopped. My kitten party was off to a great start.

  “Oh, my! One kitten is just cuter than the next,” said Terri and Tammy’s mommy. Terri and Tammy are twins who are in my class. I hoped they would take two kittens.

  “And this is Ruby. And this is Tippy. And this is Bob,” I heard Melody saying. I was glad to see Melody’s family. Her parents had decided they would get a kitten after all — if they saw one they really liked.

  The phone was ringing in the other room. The next thing I knew, Daddy was calling me. “It’s for you, Karen,” he said. “It’s Mrs. Dawes.”

  I picked up the phone. “Hi!” I said.

  Nancy’s mommy had read my invitation. She said that Nancy had never had a pet and she wanted to surprise her with a kitten.

  “Nancy has been talking quite a bit about a kitten named Pokey. Is Pokey still available?” asked Mrs. Dawes.

  “Yes,” I replied.

  “Good,” said Mrs. Dawes. “Will you hold him for Nancy? Her father and I will give her the kitten as a surprise.”

  “I sure will!” I said. “I can bring Pokey over tomorrow afternoon when Mommy drives me home.”

  “Perfect,” said Mrs. Dawes.

  I returned to the living room. Now only four kittens needed homes. But so many people were at the party. I hoped there would be enough kittens to go around.

  Well, some people decided they did not want a kitten after all. But Melody’s family was taking Bob. And three more families, besides the Dawes, were taking kittens.

  Wow! I did it! I found five homes for five kittens. You can relax, Growly, I thought. They are very good homes. I promise.

  Bob

  That afternoon Hannie and I went to Melody’s house. We wanted to see how Bob was doing with his new family.

  “Hi!” said Melody. She was holding Bob in her arms. Bob looked very happy. “Come, on. We can go up to the playroom.”

  We ran upstairs. We closed the door. Bob jumped into a basket with a quilt inside.

  “That is Bob’s bed,” said Melody. “We went to the pet store and got lots of things for him.”

  Melody showed us Bob’s litter box, a big basket of toys, a scratching post, and two bowls for food and water. On the bowls were the words, “Here, Kitty.”

  I picked up a ball with a bell inside. I rolled it across the floor. Bob ran after the ball. He played with it for a while, then stopped.

  “Look what he is doing now! He is trying to catch his tail,” said Hannie.

  Round and round he went. Bob was fast. But his tail was always just out of reach.

  “We are going to take him to the vet for a check-up on Monday,” said Melody.

  “Let’s practice taking him now. That way he will not be scared,” I said. “Can I be the doctor?”

  Melody and Hannie said yes. We made a doctor’s office out of two tables and some chairs.

  Melody picked up Bob and stepped up to one of the tables. “Hello,” she said to Hannie. (Hannie was the office secretary.) “I have a two o’clock appointment for my kitten, Bob.”

  “You’re right on time,” said Hannie. “The doctor will see you now.”

  “Oooh! What an adorable kitten,” I said.

  “Thank you,” Melody replied.

  I looked at Bob’s ears. “Clean and pink,” I said.

  He yawned, and I checked his teeth. “Very white and pointy,” I said.

  I petted Bob’s fur. “Nice and soft.”

  Melody put Bob down. He started running all around our “office.”

  “Watch out for the big bulldog in the waiting room!” I called.

  “I’ve got him,” said Hannie. She scooped Bob up before the bull dog could frighten him.

  We heard a knock on the door. It was Melody’s mommy. “Hannie, your mother just called. She would like you to come home now.”

  “I guess I better go, too,” I said. But I did not want to leave. I did not want to leave so badly that I started to cry.

  “What’s the matter, Karen?” asked Hannie.

  “I do not want to leave Bob. And tomorrow I am going to have to leave Pokey with Nancy. And then I will not have any kittens at all,” I sobbed.

  “Bob can be your cat, too, Karen,” said Melody. “Really.”

  “That is right,” said Melody’s mommy. “Bob will live here. But whenever you are at your dad’s house, you can visit him.”

  That was not the same as having a kitten of my own. But I knew that Melody and her mommy were trying to be nice. And I really would visit Bob.

  “Thank you,” I said.

  Then Hannie and I went home. I felt pretty bad. But I knew I would feel better soon. I always do.

  Pokey

  By Sunday afternoon, I was my old (well, not too old), happy self. How could I help it? I had another important job to do. In a few hours I was going to take Pokey to Nancy’s house. What a surprise that would be!

  I went into the shed one more time.

  “Hi, Growly,” I said. “I have come to get Pokey, your last kitten. Guess who is going to take her? My best friend, Na
ncy Dawes. She lives right next door to Mommy’s house.”

  Growly flicked her furry, gray tail. Growly and I had come a long way since the day I saw her tail disappearing in the doorway. I felt like we were good friends now.

  I waited a minute while Pokey said good-bye to his mommy. Then I gently lifted him up. I took him inside the house and carried him to my room.

  Pokey, Moosie, and I played together for a while. At first I thought Pokey might try to eat Moosie. But he didn’t. They got along very well.

  I was reading Churchkitten Stories to Pokey and Moosie when Elizabeth poked her head in the door. “Your mommy and Seth will be here soon. Would you like a snack before you go?” she asked.

  “No, thanks. I want to get Pokey ready for Nancy,” I replied.

  I wanted Nancy’s first pet to look very beautiful. I brushed Pokey and even tied a blue ribbon around his neck. (I made sure it was not too tight.)

  I had just finished tying the bow when I heard the back door slam downstairs.

  “Hey, Mom! I went to take Growly her food, but the shed is empty. I did not see her anywhere,” called David Michael.

  Empty? How could the shed be empty? I had just seen Growly a little while ago. I jumped up and closed the door to my room behind me so Pokey could not get out. Then I raced to the shed to see for myself. If Growly was hiding anywhere, I knew she would come out for me.

  I searched every corner of the shed. But David Michael was right. Growly was gone. I ran back inside the house. Everyone was standing around the kitchen. They were all talking about Growly.

  “Oh, Daddy, why did she leave?” I asked. “Didn’t she like her home here?”

  “She is a wild cat, Karen. Wild cats do not have homes. They wander from place to place. She only stopped here to have her kittens,” Daddy explained.

  “But being wild is dangerous,” I said. “We could have kept her in the shed where she would be safe.”

  “The only way we could have kept her would have been to lock her inside. And that would not have been fair. A wild cat needs to be free,” said Daddy.