Free Ghost Cat - Thelma's Dilemma by Carol Colbert Page B

would not be an
option.”
    Jim paused and looked at Sarah. She had her
head down. “I know you meant well, Sarah, and since you already
asked her, I guess we will have to take her, but you can’t expect
me to be happy about this. It just puts more of a strain on all of
us. Someone will have to watch Suzanne and Riley longer now and get
them back and forth to school, and what are we supposed to do with
the animals? I was thinking Mrs. Johnson could let Cooper out for
us, but what now?”
    “I realize now how much I am asking of you,
Jim. I’m sorry, but I do still feel it is the right thing to do. I
don’t know what to do about the girls. Jennifer is still managing
her friend’s clothing store and we can’t expect Bob and Barbara to
watch them, even though Bob is retired now. I’m sorry I got us into
this mess, Jim. I just don’t see any way out of it now.
Unless……”
    “Unless what?”
    “Unless you would be willing to go by
yourself to pick up and spread the ashes while I stay here with the
girls and the pets.”
    Jim did not answer. He walked into the
kitchen and poured himself another glass of wine, turned on the
television, and did not speak to Sarah for the rest of the
evening.

Chapter 11
     
    Jim felt calmer when he woke up the next
morning. He had had such a bad day at work yesterday. Coming home
after that long day at work, looking forward to a nice, quiet
evening with nothing that needed his immediate attention only to
find himself set up for more troubles had really set him off.
    He would just have to take the time off of
work and make this trip happen. Sarah didn’t ask for much and this
seemed to mean a lot to her. Since he was always at work by six
a.m., Jim usually got breakfast through McDonald’s drive through
window. This morning he made a full pot of coffee for Sarah. It
would be almost two hours old by the time she woke up, but he hoped
she would see it as the peace offering it was.
    Jim let Cooper run around the back yard for
a while, gave him his breakfast and put fresh water into the bowls
before writing a note to Sarah and leaving for the day.
    He was not even to the end of their street
before Thelma was pouring herself a large mug of coffee with a lot
of cream in it and eating a piece of pumpkin bread, giving Cooper a
big chunk for himself.
    Thelma knew that it would be awhile before
Sarah and the girls would get out of bed, but she also knew that
she could not be one hundred percent sure about that either. She
took her coffee to the downstairs bathroom, took a quick shower,
went back upstairs to get another cup of coffee and the journal,
and went back downstairs to the basement.
    Thelma was deep into the reading of the
journal when she heard an alarm go off. She thought it was still
too early for Sarah and the girls to get up, but then she
remembered that Sarah had promised to take the girls out for
breakfast. Thelma quickly drank the rest of her coffee and turned
herself back into cat form.
    When Thelma got to the top of the basement
stairs, she saw Sarah in the kitchen, reading the note Jim had left
her. Thelma had seen Jim write it, but she didn’t care enough to
read what he had written, she had been too intent on getting to the
coffee as soon as she could.
    Sarah poured herself a cup of coffee and
then walked into the girl’s room to wake them up. She then sat down
at the kitchen table to wait for them to get dressed.
    “This sounded like a better idea last night
than it sounds like this morning.” Riley said, coming into the
kitchen still half asleep.
    Suzanne ran into the kitchen holding her
stuffed toy. “Me and Mr. Pickles are ready to go eat, mom!”
    Riley noticed the paper on the table. “Dad
left you a note?”
    “Yes, we had a discussion last night and I
guess this is his way of making up for it, although, I don’t know
why he only made enough coffee for one cup, not even.” Sarah
said.
    “We will make it work, don’t worry, enjoy
the coffee, love Jim.”