“The cold killed old man Holiday, didn’t it? So, it was enough to make him come to you. The cold, not love,” as Ma liked to insist, to try and spoil the total, utter affection between Anna and the huge black cat with the thick neck and ropes of muscles across his shoulders. True, Anna still loved her other cat, but somehow, with Bruiser, it was different. And it didn’t bother Anna to admit that she loved the cat more than her own family. Bruiser never yelled at her or made her feel as if she was somehow less than human.
“Oh, no, no water. Oh, Brupie, Mama’s sorry,” Anna crooned, after glancing at the empty blue water dish on the floor. Bruiser rubbed his big head against her palm, snorting softly, as if to say, “I forgive you.”
Anna gently nudged the cat back into the room as she backed
