Free Ava and Taco Cat by Carol Weston Page A

Maybelle and I took off our shoes and warmed our toes by the fire, and I decided to tell her that I’d been worrying.
    â€œAbout what?”
    â€œAbout what Zara said about Lost Cat signs and also”—my voice caught—“about Zara wanting to steal you away.” I looked into the fire, which was crackly and smoky-smelling and yellow-orange with a little blue and purple too. Then I looked at Maybelle and added softly, “I don’t want you to dump me.”
    â€œAva, I would never dump you,” Maybelle said. She sounded a teeny tiny bit annoyed. “And I didn’t get mad last fall when you started spending time with Bea.”
    â€œTrue,” I said, feeling embarrassed and bite-size.
    â€œBesides, didn’t you once tell me that Bea said people can’t steal friends, they can only make friends?”
    â€œYes,” I admitted, impressed that Maybelle remembered.
    â€œZara is new,” she continued, “and it seemed like she could use a friend. And you weren’t around much because you had just gotten Taco.”
    I nodded, trying to be understanding, but I still wished Zara hadn’t zeroed in on my BFF. “Doesn’t Zara ever get on your nerves?” I asked. “She says really random things.”
    â€œEveryone says random things,” Maybelle said, and it occurred to me that while Zara can be insensitive, maybe I can be over sensitive. “And you don’t have to like her just because I like her.”
    â€œI don’t hate her…” I said quietly. “But I like when it’s just us.”
    Taco Cat came padding over and I reached down to pet him. Instead of running away, he stayed still. I went to get his brush, and Maybelle and I took turns brushing him and brushing him.
    You are not going to believe what happened next!
    Brace yourself because this is BIG!
    Taco Cat was lying there, letting us brush him by the fire for like, three minutes, and then, out of the blue, I heard a rhythmic sound, a soft gentle rumble bumble rumble bumble . It was coming from him ! He was purring!
    And purring!!
    And purring!!!
    He remembered that he had a little purring motor inside him, and he turned it on!
    Maybelle and I kept brushing him, and we kept looking at each other and smiling.
    â€œIt’s the first time he’s ever purred!” I whispered. “I’m glad you’re here with me.”
    â€œMe too,” she whispered back. “You think purring is how cats say, ‘I feel happy’?”
    â€œOr ‘I feel safe’?” I said.
    â€œOr ‘Thank you’?” she said.
    â€œOr ‘I love you’?” We kept brushing and brushing, and Taco kept purring and purring. “My mom said cats also communicate by blinking. It’s their way of blowing a kiss.”
    â€œDon’t some cats communicate by killing mice and birds and leaving them on doorsteps as tokens of affection?”
    â€œDo they?” I asked, horrified.
    â€œMaybe not in winter,” Maybelle said.
    Taco kept purring away, and I hoped he would never bring me a dead mouse or chickadee valentine.
    â€œSome big cats purr too,” I said. “Lions and tigers roar, but cheetahs and pumas purr.”
    â€œZara’s pet guinea pig used to purr,” Maybelle said.
    We kept listening to Taco Cat’s rumble bumble rumble bumble , and I was glad that Maybelle was here to hear it (homonym alert), even if she did bring up Zara.
    It’s funny how some big events really are newsworthy. Like when rockets go into space, or athletes beat world records, or presidents get elected.
    But some big events are kind of small. Like when your cat comes out in the open or finally purrs. Or when a shy person opens up like a flower bud. Or when two best friends clear the air.
    Later, as Maybelle was putting on her winter coat to go home, she said, “Ava, Zara is my new friend, but you’re my old friend and my best