Sunlight from a tiny window streamed in, causing her to perspire, even though she’d positioned a fan to blow air right at her. Did it ever cool down in Texas, or was she destined to wear a wet blob of red curls for the rest of her life? At her previous job, she had lots of help, so every single task wasn’t up to her to complete. Not here. If she or her part-time helper didn’t do it, it didn’t get done and that wouldn’t make her new boss happy.
Thank goodness it was Saturday. Noon hadn’t come fast enough. Any other day of the week, she’d be working until five o’clock. Except Sunday, which was her one day off. Darren, her part-time helper, at least took some of her load when she had to be out of the office for rural deliveries. She really liked him but wished he’d bring something other than tuna for his lunch. The entire post office smelled like a marina. Gordon, though, didn’t seem to mind. She’d saved Darren’s sandwich from her cat more than once when the tuna was left out. Putting away the paperwork she’d had on the counter, Lanna locked the storeroom.
She started up the cracked, wooden steps to her apartment, wincing when she heard a creak or groan. Would these steps hold her weight until she reached the top? One of her job "perks" was that she got to live in the old, cramped rooms above the post office. But it worked out okay. Lanna didn’t have to hunt for a place to live, and the commute to work was easy. Having priced the few apartments in the tiny, rural town, it had been a no-brainer to accept the low-cost apartment upstairs.
Her knees and shoulders ached from lifting heavy packages in the storeroom. A nice soak in a warm bath would help. Halfway up, something soft brushed against her ankle. She glanced down.
“Gordon, there you are. I haven’t seen you since early this morning.”
Her orange tiger cat rubbed his face against her outstretched fingers. He curled up his lip, rubbing her skin with his gums. She giggled.
“That tickles, little man. You could have stayed down here with me, you know. The mayor said it was okay as long as you didn’t cause any trouble. You’re just lucky he likes cats.”
Gordon flipped his plumed tail and rubbed against her leg. His fur swished against the denim on her jeans. She picked him up and hoisted him over her shoulder. A loud rumble boomed from his chest.
“Goodness, you are getting to be a big boy, aren’t you? We may have to cut down on your food.”
The cat smacked her ear with his paw.
“All right. Just kidding. No diet for you. Maybe just more exercise.”
He smacked Lanna’s shoulder. At least his claws weren’t engaged.
“Fine. No exercise, either, Pudge. Just be your happy, roly-poly self.”
Another purr erupted next to her ear.
“That’s pretty much what I thought, Gordon.” Lanna laughed, lugging her cat up the steps to her apartment. She took her time, though. The steps were steeper than the inside of a lighthouse. Who in the world thought steep, shallow, rickety wooden steps were ever a good idea, especially for someone as accident prone as she was? Bending to poke her key in the door lock, she kept a tight hold on Gordon. He squirmed to get down.
“Hang on there, Tubs. Let me open the door first.” She grabbed the knob. Nothing. She pushed on the middle of the door. Still nothing. Lanna sighed. Stupid door must have swelled again in the heat. Holding Gordon tight against her chest, she leaned sideways and whacked her hip against the door.
Pop!
Lanna nodded. There. Who said wide hips were only good for birthing babies? Setting her keys on her grandmother’s hand-me-down table she’d had since high school, she closed the door.
Once inside, Gordon jumped down. The fur on his back rippled. Did he have an itch? He reached his head around to lick the offending spot but couldn’t quite reach it. Straining his neck, he stuck out his pink tongue but never made contact. He spun in a circle. When that didn’t work, he sat on her garage-sale-find throw rug and harrumphed.
Lanna raised her eyebrows. “Need some assistance there, sir?”
Gordon glared at her. His green eyes narrowed.
She held up her hands. “Okay, just trying to help. Kind of a ‘you scratch
my back, I’ll….’”
Gordon stared at her, unblinking.
Lanna frowned. “Never mind. Why did I think you’d ever be anything less than selfish? The world doesn’t necessarily revolve around you, you know.” Being an only child and having lost her parents the previous year, Lanna was glad to have Gordon, even if he was moody.
The cat angled his backside in her direction, flipping his fat orange tail. He stomped off to Lanna’s favorite recliner in the living room, jumped onto the worn rust-colored cushion, and turned in a circle for a nap. Gordon closed his eyes, burrowing his nose under a front paw.
Lanna muttered, “Well if that isn’t the feline version of flipping someone off, I don’t know what would be.” Once she made it to the bathroom, she stripped off her clothes and flung them toward the open wicker hamper. Some made it in, some didn’t. She shrugged.
Oh well, who cared, since she lived alone? Gordon wasn’t going to tattle on her. Lanna frowned. But if he could, he certainly would. That cat sure could hold a grudge. It wouldn’t surprise her if this one lasted several hours. He wouldn’t show his face for the rest of the day.