Bing.
Tom let out a soft, relieved sigh as he set the phone back down on the countertop. Gently – almost as if he were a ghost, wistfully sliding in oversized shoes -- he turned back to Addison and gave her a small, comforted smile. “She’s alright.” He declared in a tender voice.
His wife, sitting quietly upon the couch across from the kitchen, held a mug of tea in her frail hands. Gingerly, she took a sip. “I told you she’d be, didn’t I?” she scolded softly. “Gosh, you’ve gotta stop worrying so much, Tommy – you’re just gonna end up making yourself sick again.”
“Awwwh, Addison…” Still ghostly pale with features as soft as an angel with a humanly halo, Tom smiled and drifted across the kitchen until he was seated next to his wife. The wrinkles in his skin stretched with a genuine smile as he reached across to wrap an arm around his Addison. “I’m alright, dear. Worryin’ ain’t gonna make these strong bones ‘o mine any older.”
“But you’re not just any young ol’ daisy anymore, Tommy … not only that, but you an’ me both know you’re prone to lotsa sickness!” Addison sighed, and shifted her weight as she leaned into the other. “And – with all of the issues about all of the anxiety from when you were young, and the illness, a-and –”
Tom reached forwards, rubbing his wife’s shoulder with a warm, loving touch. Gradually, her own fears began to melt under the pressure of his hand and within a few seconds she had turned herself to meet his gaze, her elderly eyes basking in the light of a nearby lamp. “Tom … just promise me you’ll be careful, alright? I – you – the… y’know that your immune system isn’t the best, a-and if you push yourself way too far I’ll…”
“Shhh, darlin’, shhh – I’m right here, alright? Y’don’t gotta worry about a single thing in this world right now … I’ll be as safe as can be, I promise.” Tenderly, Tom held his wife closer and arched his neck to kiss her forehead, his bony hands moving to caress the empty spaces between her fingertips. “I promise, Addison.”
“… Thank you, Tom, thank you…” she whispered softly, her voice thin on the nighttime’s cold, dense air. She wiped her teary eyes with a spare sleeve and settled herself back up with a sigh. “I just… I dunno.” The elderly woman stiffened, her dark eyes brooding and teary.
“Now… you needn’t fret either, aight?” Tom said gently. He took one finger from its former place and instead traced it across his wife’s face, wiping a barely formed tear from the crest of her eyelid. “Even if I work, work, and work, I know how much you worry about me and everyone all of the time – and dear, that’s just no good at all!”
Addison’s brows furrowed. “That’s ‘cause I love you, and heaven knows you need somebody lookin’ after you.”
The old man chuckled warmly. “Jus’ settle down dear. A lil worry here and there won’t hurt me, alright?” Tom hummed, moving his hands to knead at the tense knots in Addison’s shoulders. “Besides, I’ll always be right beside you, no matter what in tarnation this Earth tries to throw at me.”
In response, Addison only sighed, her shoulders deflating as she knocked her head onto his shoulder. Her fingers intertwined into a dainty puzzle and sat gracefully around her cup. “I suppose,” she mused finally after a stray minute of silence.
“Now, that’s my girl.” Her husband encouraged sweetly, craning his neck to kiss her forehead.
Addison merely shook her head and playfully frowned as she pushed Tom away with one palm. “Hey now – you better not spill my tea, or I’ll really give you som’thing to worry about.”
Tom laughed in response, instead settling his hand atop the cup, steam rising through the cracks in his spread fingers. Then he sat back, relaxing and sinking into the old, frayed couch that had held itself solid in the house for many centuries, and his smile held steady as he stared up into the ceiling. He rocked back and forth idly, as if lulling himself into joyful relaxation.
“Jade told me she had Micheala with her,” He spoke suddenly, eyes still focused on the ceiling. “Which made sense, since that’s what you supposed, but I’m just glad our girl’s safe and sound. Funny how she treats those pets like her daughter and friends, huh?”
Addison gave a thoughtful sip of her tea. “I think she’s lonely,” The elderly woman said. “Those girls give her something to hold onto – it’s very sweet of her to take them in every once and a while, either way, so I really don’t mind.”
Tom smiled to himself. “Well, if I trust her with my Micheala, that sure does mean a whole lot.”
“I know, love,” Addison said softly, her eyes warm. “Jade’s very, very trustworthy anyway – that girl sure does work so hard to keep everyone and herself afloat. She cares about this world, and we need lil kids like that nowadays.”
“We sure do,” Tom nodded and retracted his hand to fold it on his lap. Wistfully, he pressed his fingers together as if he was trying to fiddle an answer out of his tired mind. “She’s been taken part in our veggies and buying from us rather than the grocery store for quite a while now, huh?”
“She has, that dear. We’re lucky to have her supportin’ us every step of the way so far. She’s got a soul full o’ fire, and it’s gonna carry her far in this life.” With a yawn, Addison’s eyelids flickered open for mere seconds to stare fondly towards Tom. Then she smiled tenderly and wrapped one hand loosely around his arm, letting herself sink back into the ease of sleep. “It’s no wonder that Stanley hates her so much. She’s the most outspoken, sincere girl out there, and that man’s…”
“… Very, very conservative.” Tom finished with a hearty laugh. He leaned his head back, resting it against the comfort of Addison’s hair. “Not a bad man in the least, that Stanley. He’s jus’, err… troubled. And lonely, I’d say.”
“His house looks like an abandoned museum since – ah, you know.” Addison’s face twitched a bit in the dim light.
“Grief does that to people, it sure does.” Tom mused, his own eyes flickering shut. “It’sa good thing he has that good, sturdy dog keepin’ him company and helpin’ him out. Stella’s a smart dog, through and through.”
“She’s his lil miracle,” His wife responded, her words abrupted by the surface of a small yawn. “As is Micheala for us.”
“Dare I’d say – Micheala’s everyone’s miracle, in a way.”
Addison chuckled to herself. “Now, I think that’s wishful thinking, dear.”
But Tom’s smile twisted warmly, settling itself faintly and permanently between the wrinkles of time and age. “It may be for others, yes… but she’s my – our lil’ miracle, and it’s hard for me to see how anybody could hate that dumplin’ of light and love.” Sighing ardently, he shifted his hand to loosely grasp that of Addison’s, intertwining their fingers in the nighttime. “Goodnight, darlin’.”
“Goodnight, Tommy,” Addison whispered back, her eyelashes becoming still as she stirred off into sleep.
The two, laying there as one, laid themselves tenderly in their nest, and did not let time separate them for as long as they could, until sunrise decided to pull away the curtains and take them up into the arms of life, and age, and time.
---
The hum of the early morning lulled Micheala gently out of the security of sleep, an ode to peace and serenity that buzzed idly throughout her entire body. Unlike past nights that had haunted the tabby – dark shrouds pulled above her head – this awakening felt… peaceful. And warm, for that matter. Micheala actually didn’t feel that bad, for once!
The tabby stirred, rolling over on one side and pawing gently at her face. The subtle self-coaxing finally got her to open her eyes with a flicker, her nose twitching in the break of sunlight. Wow… I’m glad I didn’t have any weird dreams, or feelings of weird dreams, or whatever. That’s – good, I think.
She stumbled into a more comfortable seated position, drearily dragging her eyes along with her. Maybe whatever my brain thinks is so weird and bad is gone, huh? … Gosh, I sure hope so.
Flicking her ears idly and letting a tiny squeak of a yawn escape her jaws, Micheala watched her surroundings with a curious, tidy expression. She hadn’t really gotten time to observe the room last night, as she had gotten too caught up in Stella’s business and had somewhat forgotten to give her wandering mind something to feast on. That happened a lot, she noticed. I get all weird and – sucked in by what’s going on, I just kinda… forget to look at everything else.
Oh wait, Stella…! Is she doing better-better now? The tabby crouched over the edge of the couch, a tad alarmed when she found Stella had vanished.
For a few seconds the panic continued, causing the tabby to suddenly feel sick and weird and icky and oh god until she noticed the door had been cracked open a slight bit. Oh.
Duh, Micheala! Starting towards the door, the she-cat hopped off the couch and made a beeline towards and eventually out of the split entrance. Jeez… I really need to get a hold of myself. I’ve been so – nervous, lately! More than usual! – and gosh, it’s just…
She scrunched her eyes up. Blehg.
Well, nevermind that! I’ve got more to do rather than… well… worry, and be dumb.
The room Micheala walked into was warm, and the culmination of sweet scents sat tenderly atop her nose, hints of vanilla and caramelized sugar wafting down from the counter and into her mouth. It smells like Addison and what she cooks when there’s frost and snow outside... but it’s just lukewarm, right now, I think? Gingerly the tabby moved from her position between two worlds and hoisted herself fully into the kitchen with round, searching blue eyes.
She graced merrily over Jade, who stood just as energetically as the day past with a warm, loving grin squeezing her face. Stooped over the hot oven, she watched with eager eyes as -- Stella! -- lapped at the remnants of a meal.
Jade's eyes darted then to Micheala, but any even vague semblance of a word was rudely interrupted by the series of beeps emitting behind her. "Oh -- one second, cutie...!" she squawked as she flipped back around, wedging the oven door open with a tight grip. In one quick motion she dragged out a pan -- clutched (luckily) between the clasps of her thick mittens -- and set it with an overexaggerated heave on the counter.
Stella's eyes meagerly dragged up and rested on the tabby across the room, her simple, soft tail wag enough indication of friendship. Micheala responded with a small, cheerful mew and a waver of her own tail, the display of distant affection only disrupted by the pair of hands suddenly yanking her up into the sky.
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