Risa smiled down at the purring creature in her lap. Though she’d brought little Misha home from the shelter just a week before, it amazed her how thoroughly the senior cat had become a part of her life.  What she didn’t suspect, however, was how it might bring about the end of her life as well.

***

She had reeled from the loss of her previous cat to a sudden unknown illness. The anguish and depression that followed seemed to have an air of finality. Risa thought she might never leave the house or see the sun rise or talk to another human being until she died.  Which would not be long. A friend from school saved her by stopping by, cleaning her up and convincing her to visit the shelter.

Misha’s former owners had passed away within days of each other, with no relatives who could claim her.  Risa was drawn to her cage because the ashen short hair seemed so at peace. All of the other cats were wailing, trying to get her attention, rubbing against the cages, hoping for a little contact. Misha just watched her with dropping lids over her dark brown eyes.

Risa pulled her out of the cage and the cat snuggled into her arms as though she belonged there.  And maybe she did.

***

She hated to move her when she was so content, but Risa needed to get started on dinner. Misha made a few complaints, but then settled back into the warm spot on the couch.  In the kitchen, she pulled out ingredients for a hearty stew. Her friend Allen was going to bring a tossed salad and French bread to complete the meal.

Risa sang a wordless tune while she chopped vegetables and fed them into the large stainless steel pot. She could not remember the last time she’d had a… well, it was sort of a date.  They had flirted a little after being paired up as critique partners in a creative writing class, but it hadn’t really gone anywhere. She was so pleased when he suggested doing something together. Dinner at her place.

It gave her a good excuse to really clean the apartment. She had really let it go while mourning for Ashram. She was surprised at how much stronger she felt now, thinking about the little guy. After all, he had lived a good life with ample attention from her. Now, she could take care of Misha and Misha could take care of her.

Allen was only a little late – line at the grocery store – and he had thoughtfully brought her a nice little flower arrangement. No roses, but still a very nice gesture. Kind of a “I wanted to do something nice, but not too nice, in case we’re still just friends” thing. She looked for something suitable to house them in while Allen introduced himself to her new housemate kitty.

He started to scratch her back when she rolled over playfully and bit him on the thumb. It wasn’t meant to hurt, but drew blood anyway. It didn’t bother Allen – he had grown up with half a dozen cats – but he called over to Risa in the kitchen.

“The way this cat’s eye rolls around independently of the other one is kind of creepy.” He sucked at his bleeding thumb.

Risa squinted at him. What was he talking about? “Excuse me?” She came around the kitchen bar to peer over his shoulder, maybe a little closer than was wise. She couldn’t see anything wrong with Misha’s eyes. Or the smell of Allen’s cologne.

He turned and smiled at her, cat forgotten for the moment. “Your hair looks great curled like that.” He ran one hand through the locks beside her face. She pulled his hand to her face with own damp one. Then she noticed the blood.

She backed off quickly. The sight of someone else’s blood always made her queasy. She put her hand over her mouth and retreated back a ways. Wordlessly, she pointed towards the bathroom, hoping he would get the hint and put a bandage on it.

Allen said, “It’s ok, she barely broke the surface.” He smiled to show he wasn’t hurt or anything. “It will probably stop bleeding any second now. Really, I’m ok.”

He wasn’t getting it. She turned away and tried to be firm and calm and rational. “Please go put a bandage on it. There’s some disinfectant you can use, too.”  She paused, trying to quell the tremors. “Please?”

Instead of complying, he came up behind her and wrapped his arm around and held the offending thumb in front of her. He made one of those theatrical villain laughs.

She wrenched out of his grip, tears flowing. “This is not funny!”

Allen suddenly started swearing. He ran into the bathroom and started running water in the sink. Risa was still mad, but intrigued at his random behavior.  Then she saw the line of blood from next to her all the way to the bathroom. It was way more than a little puncture should produce. She felt her stomach lurch, glad she hadn’t had much to eat today.

Allen was getting frantic. He grabbed a hand towel and bunched it around his hand.  On his way past her, she could see that it was already dark with wetness. He glared at Misha and tore off out of the apartment, probably on his way to the emergency room.

Risa was a little sad to see him go, but kind of glad, too. He hadn’t been very respectful of her wishes. She settled into her plush sofa with a stoneware bowl of warm stew, feeding little bits of meat to Misha. “I guess it’s just the two of us tonight.”

Misha purred and rubbed her head on Risa’s arm. As she settled in, her lolling eye rolled around a bit before she closed them, drifting off to sleep.