Kitten Love

Mia was very fearful of other people. On the rare occasions when someone would come in the house Mia always ran and hid under the bed. When Mitch took her out, she always attached herself to him when other people were around and never let go. It took a lot of visits and a lot of coaxing for Mia to at least be somewhat comfortable around Angie.

The only other person Mia took to immediately was Billy. A few times Angie brought him over and Mia never ran from him. When Billy quietly played with Mitch's fire engine collection, Mia would curl up in his lap and let the boy calmly stroke her.

All in all, life with Mia had been unexpected but most welcome. Mitch imagined he would have gone mad with loneliness if it hadn't been for her, and who knows what would have happened to Mia if he hadn't have found Jake in the garage. Mitch loved the little cat and he knew she loved him.

* * *

Mitch felt emotionally drained. He was driving home after visiting Billy in the hospital. He couldn't get the image out of his head of the small boy, so pale and withdrawn, lying in the hospital bed. He tried to be cheerful, optimistic, but it was incredibly difficult. Angie and her husband Jonathan both looked like they hadn't slept in weeks. The room smelled of death. Mitch sighed. It just wasn't fair that this had to happen to such a good kid with good parents like Angie and Jonathan.

Mitch was weary and beaten and thought he needed some sort of affirmation of life and nature. He decided a fishing trip was in order and planned on going the next day. He stopped at WalMart on the way home to pick up a few new lures and other supplies, maybe some Friskies cat snacks for Mia.

He noticed Lisa at the register when he walked into the store. As he shopped he worked up the courage to talk to her, maybe ask her out. It had been a long time since he'd been in a relationship, he used to do quite well talking with women, but since the injury his self-confidence had been shot and he knew he needed to regain it. It was time he got back into the dating scene, Mia was a Godsend after feeling so forlorn, but he just needed something more.

When he finished shopping he went deliberately to Lisa's register even though there were other registers with shorter lines. Mitch tightened his grip on his cart handle as she checked out customers and he got closer to her. She greeted him cordially when he pulled his car up beside her counter, he smiled and was about to initiate conversation when all of a sudden he heard a familiar voice.

"Hey babe, when you getting off?" Jake Tolby said. He came up behind Lisa and put his arms around her waist.

"Jaaaaaake, you know you aren't supposed to be behind a register. I could get in trouble." Lisa said. It looked as if Jake and Lisa were an item. Lisa and Jake Fucking Tolby. Isn't that nice?

When the police arrested Jake three years ago they searched his home and found a bag of marijuana. The charges of possession of an illegal substance in addition to animal cruelty had earned him a five year prison sentence but three months earlier he got out on parole. His family rented out his house while he was away but when he was released from jail he moved back.

There hadn't been much beyond dirty looks between him and Mitch since Jake returned to the house next door; for the most part Mitch tried to ignore him. A few times Mia caught a glimpse of him through a window and each time her fur rose, her back arched, and she started hissing, then she climbed into Mitch's lap uttering distressed mews. She calmed down when he stroked her but she wouldn't leave for hours.

"Ahhhh, your pussy manager won't do anything, he knows I'd kick his ass if he did." Jake said and Lisa giggled. "So when are you getting off?"

"Around nine," Lisa said.

"Try to get off earlier," Jake said. Just then he noticed Mitch. "Awww no, I know you ain't lettin' this fucker shop here!" Jake sneered.

"What do you mean?" Lisa asked.

"He's a butt ugly prick that likes to shove his gross face in other people's business."

"Watch it Tolby, I'm not taking shit from you," Mitch snapped.

"He's also a thief." Jake said and Mitch looked at him askance.

"I've seen that little fleabag around your house; don't think I don't know where it came from. I remember," Jake leaned over the counter and said in a menacing whisper, "and someday I'm gonna finish the job I started."

Mitch grabbed Jake by the collar and flung him onto the conveyor sending items everywhere. "If you lay one grimy hand on my cat I will fucking kill you!"

"Get your Freddy Krueger freak head out of my face!" Jake shouted.

"I mean it Jake, if I see you nosing around her I'll break your scrawny neck!" Mitch threatened as he banged Jakes head on the conveyor belt.

"What's going on here?" A man in a blue blazer with a nametag that said "Manager" and beneath that "Brian" on it had emerged to stand behind Lisa. Mitch looked around and saw he was the focus of attention among all the people at the registers.

"I wasn't doin' nothin' and this weirdo attacks me!" Jake said.

"I was provoked," Mitch said calmly still grasping Jake's shirt.

"Sir, if you don't release him I will call the police," Brian said.

Mitch smiled darkly. "Go ahead. I've got friends on the force, and no doubt they remember you," Mitch said looking at Jake.

"You're a monster!" Lisa screamed. Mitch was taken aback by the loathing in her voice. He looked at her face and saw nothing but revulsion, looking around at the other people he saw the same, all directed at him.

"Fine. I'm leaving," Mitch said letting go of Jake.

"We don't appreciate you're business here any longer as well," Brian said.

"Have you ever?" Mitch shot back then stormed out of the store.

As he walked through the parking lot he saw a woman holding the hand of a young boy walking towards the store. "Mommy, look at that man!" the boy said pointing his finger at Mitch. His mother yanked so hard on the boy's arm Mitch wouldn't have been surprised if it came out of its socket as she rushed her and her child away from him as if he had some contagious disease. That's right. Don't calmly explain to him that all people are different and it's not nice to point. Just violently jerk him away from the freakshow so it memorably imprints on him that there is something wrong with people like me!

Mitch had never been so thankful for the relative privacy of his car.

* * *

Mitch came home and changed out of his clothes and into a pair of gym shorts. He then went to his workout room and proceeded to punch the heavy bag to work off some of his anger. So, Jake beats up women and tortures helpless animals, I've saved people's lives and I'm the monster? Mitch thought as he slammed his fists into the bag. I'm Freddy Krueger? I'm the one mothers whisk their children away from? He hit the bag even harder. Jake's the one who gets the girl?

"IT'S NOT FAIR!" Mitch screamed and hit the bag so hard it swung a good way up to the ceiling. "It's not fair!" Mitch hit the bag again.

He felt the mother of all pity parties brewing inside him and realized it wasn't right. It wasn't right to feel sorry for himself. He still had his health, his independence, his life...such as it was. What was that compared to people like Billy? What about Angie and Jonathan? He had no right to feel sorry for himself with what that family was going through right now! It was selfish and self-centered to feel that way.

"I will not feel sorry for myself!" Mitch said and hit the bag. "I will not feel sorry for myself!" He hit the bag. "I" Hit! "Refuse" Hit! "To" Hit! "Feel" Hit! "Fucking" Hit! "Sorry..." Mitch collapsed to the floor. Tears started to stream from his eyes and mix with the sweat on his face. He couldn't help it.

"I'm fucking pathetic!" He said angrily and placed his head in his hands.

Mitch felt something bump his leg and he looked to see Mia standing beside him. She ducked her head and bumped his leg again. She looked at him and cocked her head then voiced a soft inquiring mew.

Mitch picked her up and held her in front of his face. Mia's sandpaper tongue came out and lapped some of his tears. Mitch smiled. "You trying to tell me something girl?" he asked. Mia stared at him and her golden cat eyes seemed to peer into his soul. Her tongue came out again and licked his nose. "Yeah I love you too." Mitch placed her in his lap and stroked her. "You're the only girl for me." Mia immediately began purring deeply and contentedly.

* * *

The Oberon River was a long meandering watercourse that ran from high up in the mountains to the ocean a couple hundred miles away. It was fed by a half dozen sizable tributaries and there were nice secluded pools where the water was deep and the fishing good.

Mitch had finished work around three in the morning and he couldn't get out to the river soon enough. He needed to recharge his batteries with some tranquility. When Mia saw him grab his fishing gear she pounced on him and promptly settled herself on his shoulders. Mia always sulked whenever Mitch had to leave her, but fishing was something they could do together -- of course he did all the fishing as she lazed on the boat occasionally trying to sneak away one or two of the fish he caught -- so he took her with him and she expected to be taken.

They got out on the water just as light began to touch the sky. Mitch guided his small rowboat to one of his favorite private spots; a little cove midway up the mountains surrounded by forested land. The entire area was cloaked in morning mist slowly burning away as the sun rose higher in the sky.

Mitch had been fishing for about an hour without even a hint of a bite, but he was enjoying the morning and the solitude. The air was a bit chilly but the day promised to grow warm. Mia was curled up in a ball at the boat's bow. Mitch was feeling a little drowsy himself and the serenity of the setting was adding to the effect.

All of a sudden Mia jumped up onto her feet, her fur on end, and started hissing.

"What's the matter girl? Have a bad dream?" Mitch said as he reached for her. He tried to settle her in his lap but she kept squirming and finally escaped from his hold. She leapt back to the prow and then jumped over the side with a splash.

"Mia!" Mitch shouted. The cat was making a beeline for shore and Mitch had no choice but to row after her.

He brought the boat up on shore then hopped out of it in an effort to keep Mia in sight as she was just disappearing into the misty woods. Her tail was sticking up out of the fog like a periscope as he followed her continually shouting her name. She finally came to a stop at the base of large elm tree with moss growing up it.

"What's got into you girl? You finally decide to ditch me?" Mitch asked. Mia looked up at Mitch with an expression that almost looked apologetic but then turned back to the tree and hissed. Mitch looked down and saw a gray and black animal sitting between tree roots scratching at something in a hollow of the tree.

"That's all that's got you riled? A raccoon?" Mitch asked perplexed.

Then he heard a tiny voice. "Help! Help!"

"What the hell?" Mitch said. He bent closer to the raccoon and saw it was trying to grab a tiny little man, maybe eight inches tall, backed all the way up against the tree. Mitch blinked his eyes to make sure he wasn't seeing things.

"Are ye just gonnae stand there or are ye going to help get this mother loving rat from hell away from me?" the tiny man said.

"Shoo! Shoo!" Mitch yelled waving his arms at the raccoon. The animal made a clicking noise then scampered off.

"Ye sure took your sweet time!" The little man said. Mitch studied him, he had a mane of shaggy brown hair, a long beard and moustache, and a dirt smeared wiry body which was completely naked. When he spoke it was with an accent, Mitch thought it was Scottish.

"What are you?" Mitch asked. Mia had come up beside Mitch and was continuing to hiss at the man.

"Would ye kindly call off your beast?"

"Mia, settle down." Mitch said.

Mia looked up at him and let out a soft "Meow?"

"It's all right." Mitch said and Mia pasted herself up against Mitch's leg calming down but never taking a wary eye off the little man. He stretched, scratched his ass, then hawked up a glob of phlegm and spat it on the ground.

"What?" The little man asked. "Ye never seen a brownie before?"

"A brownie?" replied Mitch.

"Ye know, a sprite, fey folk." The man turned his backside to Mitch and pointed at a pair of dragonfly-like wings growing out of his back.

"A fairy?" Mitch asked in disbelief.

The man scowled. "Well, if ye want to be all pansy about it, then aye a fairy."

"N..no, I've never seen one." Mitch said.

The fairy held up his hands, "Then take a good look, chances are ye never will again." A low rumble came from Mia. "Just keep that familiar of yours away from me! I've ha' enough unpleasantness this morning along with a hangover stronger than the stink of troll shite."

"Mia won't harm you. I think she just sensed something...different out here which made her want to check things out."

"Different? I'll show ye different!" The fairy said as he cupped his cock and balls.

"I have to be dreaming!" Mitch said.

"You're no' dreaming, and if ye were I'd be worried that ye were dreaming of little naked men." The sprite said as he climbed over a root and began walking around the tree. "Elma! Elma!" he shouted.

"Uh, fairy? Fairy?" Mitch called following the brownie and Mia staying close to Mitch.

"Dave."

"Huh?"

"My name is Dave," the fairy said.

"Dave?"

"Are ye deaf as well as stupid? Aye, Dave! Elma!"

"What are you doing?"

"Looking for Elma, the wood nymph that lives in this tree, she's the one who lured me away from the Hill last night and I was too much in my cups to have much fucking sense about it. That's why I was in the predicament ye found me in this morning. Never mess with wood nymphs, they're all a bunch of FUCKING TEASES!" He shouted the last at the tree.

"Aye, she's in there, just being stuck up!" Dave said looking back to Mitch.

"Dave's an unusual name for a fairy isn't it?" Mitch asked.

"What would ye have me be named?"

"I don't know, I mean the fairies I've heard of had names like Tinkerbelle or Puck."

"Tinkerbelle is a whore and a slut! And that fucking pixie dust gets everywhere!" Dave grumbled scratching his balls. "Puck is an arse! Never loan that guy money! Why should I have a name like those?"

"I don't know, but I mean, we're on the River Oberon for crying out loud!"

"I dinnae name it!"

"All right, all right!" Mitch capitulated.

"Ye gonnae make your wish any time today?" Dave asked.

"Wish?"

Dave rolled his eyes. "Aye a wish! Anyone who saves a fey is granted one wish."

"What can I wish for?"

"Anything."

"Anything? Wait, you were begging to be rescued from a raccoon a short while ago and yet you have the power to grant any wish I ask for?"

"First of all, I was caught at a severe disadvantage this morning, under normal circumstances the beastie wouldna ha' threatened me. Secondly, I dinnae say I would grant the wish, the wish is granted by the power of the fey folk as a whole to anyone who saves one of us. Ye hear about people winnin' millions in the lottery?"

"Yes,"

"That's usually because of us," Dave said.

"It could have been just luck," Mitch ventured.

"What about The Da Vinci Code?"

"What about it?"

"How do ye think a piece of shite book like that got to be a best seller?"

"Some people say they liked it," Mitch supplied.

"How about the Red Sox winning the World Series?"

"They were due," Mitch said.

"Ben Affleck winning an Oscar?"

"Okay, I believe you."

"So what's your wish?" Dave asked again.

"I played this game as a kid. What would happen if I wished for a million wishes?" Mitch asked.

"What would happen is ye'd get my foot up your arse and no wish at all! Wish for anything but more wishes, that's the rule. Now make a wish, I dinnae have all day!"

Mitch couldn't believe this was happening. It was so surreal! Would any wish of his really be granted? He could wish for fame, fortune, or women! He could wish his scars away! The possibilities were endless...and daunting. Who am I kidding? Mitch thought. If this was really happening, then there was only one thing he could wish for.

"I wish for Angie's son Billy to make a full recovery from his leukemia and lead a long happy life," Mitch said.

Dave blinked and became solemn. "Let it be done!" he said. For a split second the world seemed to stop. The birds stopped chirping, the insects stopped buzzing, the very air went still, then as quick as it started it was over and everything was back to normal.

"Now if ye will excuse me, I've got a hangover to sleep off!" Dave said.

"Will I ever see you again?" Mitch asked.

"Fuck, I hope not!" Dave said.

* * *

After the bizarre encounter with the feisty fairy, Mitch just had to know if the entire experience really happened or if he was suffering from delusions. He left the river and after making a quick stop at his home to drop Mia off, he headed to the hospital to check on Billy.

As soon as he got to the children's ward he knew something happened. There was a charge in the air, people were buzzing about chatting animatedly. The area around the doorway to Billy's room was surrounded by doctors and nurses but Mitch managed to squeeze by them and get inside. When he did he was rewarded by the sight of an energetic nine-year-old boy playing video games with another boy.

Billy's color looked so good, his eyes were alert and no longer sunken, and he seemed so healthy...so alive! Mitch felt a lump develop in his throat as he watched the boy.

"Mitch!" Angie sprang out of a chair when she saw him and wrapped him in a big hug. "It's a miracle Mitch!" She said. "The doctors still have more tests to run but it looks like the cancer is gone! Completely gone! He's eating now and talking and...and playing with the other children...They're talking about letting us bring him home tomorrow! My baby's coming home Mitch! He's coming home!" Tears were streaming from her eyes but there was no doubt that they were tears of joy.

Mitch hugged her hard. "I'm so happy for you!" He said.

"I...I just can't believe it! All my prayers, and Jonathan's, they've been answered!" Angie exclaimed. Mitch smiled.

Mitch was on his way home now. He was ecstatically happy for Billy and his parents. Seeing their family become whole again, become healed, it gave him the same kind of feeling as when he rescued people from fires only even more so since he was such good friends with them.

There was a touch of melancholy in Mitch's mood as well as he drove home. He envied the family that Angie had, especially now, and wished he could have that for himself, but didn't think it would ever be. It ran through his mind more than once that he could have wished for that, or a means to attain that. But he knew that if he wished for anything other than the recovery of little Billy, he wouldn't have been able to live with the shame and guilt. There could be no joy in knowing he sacrificed a young boy's life for his own selfishness.

It would be nice to come home to a wife, two point four kids, and the whole clichéd dream. But it wasn't going to happen. What he did have though was a small warm ball of fur that offered him unconditional love. That went a long way towards soothing his lonely ache.

Mitch knew something was amiss before he even opened his front door. He could hear the loud noises from inside like a party was going on. He opened up the door and was assaulted by Neil Diamond singing Girl, You'll be a Woman Soon blasting from his stereo. He turned the radio off only to be bombarded by sound from the television turned all the way up, a Tom and Jerry cartoon was playing. It seemed every single light in the house was on.