“How many times are you going to walk by and not stop in to say hi?”
The voice came from Abby’s left side. She turned her head to see the sign that said Cat’s Meow, with a formative black woman standing underneath, dressed in a long caftan in varying shades of yellow and orange.
“Oh, why hello. I didn’t notice you there.”
“Are you blind, honey? I’m big and brightly dressed. Even that blind homeless man across the street can see me standing here,” she said with a smirk, then a laugh.
“I, well, I was in a daze, I guess. Just thinking,” Abby said and smiled at the woman.
“Come on in here,” she invited. Abby walked through her door.
“Oh, my, look at you,” Abby said, glancing down to see a cat rubbing against her legs. He was a tabby with a loud purr. “Can I pet you?”
“If you don’t, he’l
