The Woman Who Loved Cats

The rain pounded the street. The sound of the sheets of water splashing outside was disconcerting. She hadn't seen something as devastating as this in a long time. No, never. And she was dressed in a slinky white dress accompanied by a white clutch bag. Where was he? Was he coming or not? Didn't he have a phone? She would give him another ten minutes. Then if he hadn't arrived, she would cancel. She strode into the bathroom. She inspected herself again. Blemish free ivory coloured skin. No wrinkles despite being nearly thirty-five years on the planet. Neat short hair, thick and blonde. She smiled at the large rectangular mirror, revealing strong white teeth. Her phone buzzed. Lily Cameron walked out and collected her iPhone from the living room table. 'Yes?' 'It's George. I'm running late. The weather. Is it worthwhile going out? The rain is unbelievable.' 'You want to cancel?' 'No, maybe we can get some food delivered at yours and watch Netflix or something.' 'I'm all dressed up. Why didn't you call earlier? The rain might lessen in thirty or forty minutes.' Lily wandered around the modern living room, wondering why George always left things too late. 'We can wait it out if you like. Christ...sorry, I nearly hit another car which stopped suddenly. Why don't people learn to drive?' Lily was annoyed but didn't know why. 'How far away are you?' 'Twenty minutes, give or take.' 'Twenty minutes. I booked the restaurant for eight o'clock and it's a quarter to now.' 'So we'll be late. I'm sure it's no big deal.' 'Okay. See you.' George was unreliable. Always had been. What was she doing with him? She was an attractive woman if she believed all the male attention she had received over the years. Naturally, she was older now and still unmarried, a situation she was getting used to. Two men had proposed to her when she was still in her twenties but both were unsuitable. It was ten minutes after eight when George knocked on the door. When she opened the door, she saw a wet man standing in front of her. She asked, 'Didn't you bring an umbrella?' 'I left when it wasn't pouring,' George said. 'And you didn't think to bring one. You knew the weather forecast, surely.' George, at five-foot nine inches, looked at Lily who, with high heels, was almost eye-level with him. "Don't give me a hard time, Lil. Now are we staying here or going out into this dreadful weather?' Lily peered out of the window of the Manly Pantry restaurant which was adjacent to the beach. In summertime, one could watch surfers and swimmers in the water as well as people sunbaking and walking on the sand. It was glorious but, tonight, in darkness and heavy rain, in the middle of winter, the sightseeing was negligible. Lily was unhappy. She had booked the restaurant last week when the conditions were entirely different. 'Lousy night. We should have stayed in,' George said. 'You're unhappy,' Lily uttered, sizing up George's scowl. He had a worn face as though he'd been working out doors for years. 'I'm drenched from the short walk from the car to here and I noticed you had a fancy umbrella which you couldn't share.' To signify his displeasure, George brushed water off his head. 'Should we leave? If you're going to whine all night, this won't be an enjoyable experience, will it?' Lily accepted the menu the waitress provided but didn't scan it. 'Let's eat. I'm hungry,' George said, looking at his menu. The pair sat in silence whilst reviewing the selection of items displayed. When the waitress returned, Lily ordered the Caprese salad as an entree and Black truffle and mushroom risotto. The young slim waitress looked at George. 'A beer for starters then Fried Calamari and for mains I'll have the Fresh Humpty Doo Barramundi fillet. Want some wine Lil?' Lily shook her head. 'Just a Gin and tonic for me,' she said. When the waitress left, George peered at Lily. 'Have you been here before? Fancy place.' 'I have but in the summer. The food is great and the views are usually spectacular.' Drinks arrived and George downed a quarter of the glass of amber liquid before Lily had touched her glass of spirits. 'Thirsty?' 'I've had a beast of a day and I needed a drink to settle myself.' They ate in silence for ten minutes then George looked outside. 'It's still raining cats and dogs.' 'I can't help the weather,' Lily said. George downed the rest of his glass of beer and immediately stuck his hand up for the waitress. She almost ran over. 'Is something wrong?' she asked. 'No, everything's fine. I'd like a glass of red wine, that's all.' 'Do you want to look at the wine menu?' 'No. Just bring me a Merlot,' George said, looking at Lily to see if she wanted another drink. She ignored him. 'You're driving so you might want to cool it on the alcohol.' Lily forked a piece of salad into her mouth. 'I haven't had that much. Besides, stop telling me what to do. I'm sick of it.' George had raised his voice, attracting stares from nearby patrons. Lily stood. 'I'm leaving. You can take your bad mood with you.' She went to the reception and asked for a cab. George watched, but after a moment, he continued with his meal. Ten minutes went by and Lily sat in a seat near the door. Her evening was ruined. George didn't want to go out and his temper got the better of him. She should have broken up with him ages ago. She would tell him that they were over the next time he called. 'Your taxi is here,' the woman at reception said. 'Thanks,' said Lily, smiling. The nightmare would soon be over. She got up. A man passed by, excusing himself as he almost bumped into her. He seemed to be by himself. As she walked out the door, Lily looked around to see the taxi leaving. The distraction caused her to slip and she landed on her bottom and then slid down a few sodden steps. Lily felt a fool, sitting on the wet step. Her umbrella had fallen over the railing and was now parked on the ground below. Lily felt foolish for another reason. Her dress was ruined. She was bruised from the fall, but it was secondary to the humiliation she felt, particularly as the man who had passed her inside the restaurant now came back up the steps. 'Steady now. Let me help you up,' he said, extending his hand. 'Are you hurt?' Lily took his hand and allowed him to help her to her feet. 'I'll live. A little bump on my behind, that's all.' The man assisted Lily down to the ground level. 'Should I take you to the hospital?' he asked. 'No thanks, I'll call another taxi. The one I'd ordered went away.' 'Where do you live?' 'Dee Why, near the beach.' 'Sounds lovely. Let me run you home.' 'No, no.' Lily straightened up and looked at the man. He was tall and he wore a dark pin-striped suit. The darkness prevented her from seeing his facial features. 'No problem, I live further up. In Collaroy.' 'I see. Ok then.' She walked with him to his car, an Audi, parked in a side street. He opened the door for her which she found charming after George simply letting her climb into his run-down Toyota Camry by herself. Before driving off, he turned to her. 'I'm Ryan Mitchell.' 'Lily Thompson.' 'Nice to meet you Lily, despite the miserable conditions. Lucky it stopped raining as we were leaving the restaurant. I see it's starting up again.' Ryan pressed the ignition and he guided the vehicle smoothly onto the street. 'Nice to meet you too,' Lily said. 'Were you by yourself at Manly Pantry? No wife or lover? It's too fine a place to dine there by yourself.' 'That it is. I was with a party of seven. Work colleagues.' Lily felt comfortable. The car was clean, the seats were cosy and the engine was so quiet, she couldn't tell whether it was running. She glanced at Ryan. She liked his profile. Then, for a moment, she wondered whether he was a murderer. He looked so clean-cut and he dressed so elegantly, but one could never tell. She waited. Ten minutes later, they drove into Dee Why. Lily guided Ryan to her place in Griffith Road. 'Thank you very much,' Lily said. Ryan passed her a business card. 'If you'd like to join me for dinner next week, give me a call. Two single people eating alone, as you said, is not a good look.' Lily didn't elaborate to inform Ryan about George. She exited the vehicle and with her bedraggled umbrella, stepped inside her home. What a night. Except for Ryan, it had been a s**t of a night. Also, as she had not eaten at the restaurant, she cleaned up, thinking about what she had in the fridge. With fresh clothes on, she made eggs on toast, thinking about the stranger. It was early, and the rain had been light. Lily had arrived at the local pub by taxi ten minutes before they had agreed to meet. As it was a Friday night, she'd bought a Gin and Tonic and sat on a stool, waiting. The place was empty, almost. There were a few couples and a bunch of men watching football on the television on the far side of the establishment. Lily was facing the entrance from Pittwater Road, expecting Ann at any moment. Her friend was usually punctual. 'Excuse me,' said a man in a brown T-shirt, 'I see you're by yourself. Would you like to join me and my friend, that dude over there.' He pointed a bitten finger behind Lily, but she didn't turn around. 'No thanks. I'm waiting for a friend.' 'Wait with me and my mate and she can join us when she comes,' he said, peering intently at Lily. 'Thanks for the offer but I need to talk to her about something private.' A small white lie, but Lily had no intention of going along with a bloke who looked in need of a shave and decent clothes. He may have been young but he also sported a small beer belly. The man walked off just as Ann entered. Smiling, Ann strode towards Lily in a black buttoned shirt, open to show a little cleavage and black skin-tight jeans. 'Hi,' she said after kissing Lily on the cheek. "Am I late?' 'No. I like your hair. It suits you.' 'Thanks. Thought a short style coloured black would suit me. Got sick of the shoulder-length hair.' 'It looks great. Out to catch a man?' 'Last thing on my mind.' Ann went to the bar and bought a Vodka spritz and a gin and tonic for Lily. The women chatted about their day and Lily mentioned the night with George the previous Saturday, Ann giggled. 'Did you break up with him?' 'I left and he hasn't called me since, so I guess we are no longer.' 'Do you want to break up with him? You could call him too.' Ann sipped her cocktail. Lily pulled her white blouse down. 'Yeah, I think so. A guy called Ryan drove me home after the scene with George. He also gave me a card so I could call him. What an ego.' 'Wow, tell all,' Ann said, unable to stop smiling. 'Was he handsome?' 'It was dark so I didn't get a good look at him, but he was tall and dressed in a suit.' 'Are you going to call him?' Two men interrupted the discussion. Both were lean and dressed in jeans and collared shirts. The taller one with a close-cropped dark beard spoke. 'Ladies, may we buy you a drink?' Ann looked at Lily. Lily peered at the two young men, neither more than thirty years old. 'Sure,' she said. Although she didn't fancy either of the two men, there was no harm in being sociable. Besides, Ann would probably enjoy some male company. She knew her friend had not dated for some time. The night progressed easily and at 11:30 p.m., Lily said she was leaving. 'Want some company?' asked Gary, the shorter man. 'No thanks. I have a headache and all I want is sleep.' Ann said, 'I'll go with you.' 'Stay if you like and have a good time.' Lily said. 'Maybe just a few more drinks,' Ann said. Lily walked out onto Pittwater Road and across the road to Osprey Apartments. She reached the door and had to press the intercom for the apartment she wanted. A minute later she was buzzed in. She took the elevator to level six, the last floor in the building. She knocked on the door to B607. She was admitted by a smiling woman who looked like she was in her dressing gown. 'Ready for bed, sis? A bit early for Friday night.' 'I'm not as young as you,' Lily's older sister by three years, Victoria, laughed. 'You're a party girl, aren't you?' 'Me, you're joking. But I do like to go out occasionally. It's Friday and I've had a hard week at work.' 'Fair enough. Adam's away on business. Gets in tomorrow morning. You can stay in the spare bed tonight if you like.' 'Maybe I will. I don't fancy walking home.' 'Not at this time of night you won't,' Victoria said, sternly. Lily could see she was serious and she realized that it was foolish to walk to her place, only twenty minutes towards the beach, by herself, although Dee Why was a safe suburb. 'I'll have a new boss on Monday. I got on well with Bernadette so I hope the new boss and I hit it off.' 'I'm sure you will. Everybody likes you.' 'George doesn't. We broke up last Saturday, but I met a new fellow.' 'What! You've been going out with George for a while, haven't you? I'm about to make some tea. You'll have a cup?' 'Of course,' said Lily. She watched her sister in her pink dressing gown go to the kitchen and boil the water. Lily liked the neat apartment, compact but cosy. White walls, gray carpet, high ceiling. Victoria set a cup in front of Lily on the round table in the dining/living room. 'Tell me about the new man.' 'I only just met him when he rescued me from slipping on steps. He gave me card and asked me to call him. What a nerve.' 'Sounds exciting. At least you know he's not going to harass you with constant phone calls.' Lily took a sip of tea. 'I guess there's no harm in going out once.' 'Right. Do you have his card with you?' Lily opened her small black handbag and rummaged inside, coming out with a business card.' 'What does it say? You'll know where he works, if nothing else.' Victoria seemed more excited than Lily. Lily peered at the card and turned it over. 'It says Ryan King, Consultant and a number. Nothing else. No company name. No occupation. Strange.' 'It is. Are you going to call?' 'I'll sleep on it. If I call tomorrow morning, he will probably have a date for tomorrow night.' 'Ok. I'll make up the bed in the spare room.' 'Thanks.'