Paul gingerly pushed the front door open and inched inside on his tippy toes. He had come home late from choral practice at school, and he failed to text his uncle in advance. And right now, the last thing he wanted was to get caught on his way to his bedroom.

Unfortunately, his uncle was sitting on the living room couch, doing a round of sudoku on the Tuesday paper. Paul tried to close the door, praying his uncle would not look up from his game. But the door suddenly slammed, and the Persian cat's eyes immediately diverted away from the newspaper.

"Good evening, Paul. I see you forgot to inform me of your whereabouts," Howard folded his paper and stared at his nephew.

"Sorry," Paul mumbled. "My cellphone died."

"Have I not given you a phone to inform me of your whereabouts in a swift manner? It is irresponsible on your part to let your phone die when you know you could have been a perfect target for robbers, harassers, and kidnappers. A dead phone is as good as a bullet-less gun."

Paul's eyes traveled around the living room, studying the elephant statues behind a glass cabinet to looking at the coffee table books piled next to the sofa—anything to distract him from Uncle Howard's long-winded speech. The only thing the teenager desperately wanted right now was to go to his room.

"Tomorrow morning, I want to inspect your items before you go to school to ensure you are not leaving this house ill-equipped," Howard scolded. "For now, you are dismissed. Retire to your bedroom and think about what you have done. I have saved you dinner in the microwave in case you are famished. And do remember that tomorrow is our laundry day; your clothes already reek."

Paul sighed in relief. He grabbed his backpack and was about to walk past Uncle Howard when a small mewl emanated from his hoodie.

Howard glanced at Paul and looked at him from up and down. "Excuse me, boy? Are you ridiculing me?"

"T-that wasn't me, Uncle!" Paul retorted.

The mewl came again. Howard jumped onto the coffee table to be the same height as his nephew.

"There is no hiding from me, Paul. I have a strong sense of smell," Howard fumed. "Out with it!"

Paul closed his eyes and cautiously slipped a kitten out his hoodie pocket. The anger pumping within Howard dissipated when his eyes laid upon the tiny creature. Howard knew something was off when he smelled the scent of a foreign critter on Paul, but he did not expect to find a cat the size of his nephew's palm.

"Where did you get her?" Howard asked.

Paul shook his head, refusing to answer.

"Paul, I won't be mad if you answer my questions. Where did you get the kitten?"

The floodgates opened, and Paul started panicking. "She was by herself near a dumpster when I found her. She was in a box, all hungry and crying. I tried looking for her mother and maybe a sibling, but she was alone."

Howard took Paul's hand and gently examined the kitten on top of it. She was no older than two or three months. Her fur was a mix of creamy white with orange and black patches. The kitten let out a long cry. Howard took the little creature and cooed it, offering a paw to suckle on. In an instant, the little cat started suckling and kneading.

"I was planning to hide her in my room and give her your cat food," Paul confessed. "And then tomorrow, I will look for a new home for her. Maybe I could ask our neighbors to take her in, or- 

"Nonsense," Howard replied. "This kitten wouldn't survive in the hands of someone untrained, unlike I. She is our responsibility now."

Paul looked at his uncle. He could not read the emotion on his face, but something told the teen that this kitten meant something to the older feline. Why, though, was a mystery worth looking into for another day. For now, their attention was on their new family member.

Paul fidgeted his hands in his pockets and said, "So... I was thinking of a good name to call her while I was walking home. I was thinking maybe Luna."

"That is too common of a name. Her fur also does not invoke an image of a creature of the night."

"Well, what about Ramen? I did find her in a box for ramen noodles."

"Give your new sister some dignity! Are you this uncreative with names?"

Paul looked around their space until his eyes landed on the newspaper. He picked it up and skimmed through it until his eyes landed on one word.

"What about Tuesday. We adopted her on a Tuesday night."

Howard thoughtfully stroked his chin while cradling a sleeping kitten in his arms. He sighed and replied, "I guess we can stick to that. Tuesday is now a member of the Bachchan-Luciano family."

After some back and forth and a bit of bickering, Howard and Paul ended up building a small fort for Tuesday inside Paul's room, complete with a soft bed made out of old blankets, a water bowl, an old bookshelf to climb on, and a dreamcatcher to play with. Howard offered her half a can of adult cat food, which the kitten heartily chowed down on. Howard and Paul sat on the bedroom floor, watching the little kitten devour its chicken pate.

"Paul, my boy, I want you to buy age-appropriate cat food for your sister tomorrow," Howard instructed. "Brad and I will bring her to the vet while you are at school. Do you think you can manage?"

Paul nodded. "Yes, sir."

Howard purred. "You are a growing man, Paul. I expect you to be a role model for your new sister. And I expect you to be a role model to yourself. I am not around forever to check on you."

 Paul watched as Tuesday retired into her bed, cuddling up for the evening. Within him was an aching feeling of abandonment, yet he could not seem to pinpoint where it was coming from. And now he wondered if Tuesday felt the same way.

Gentle, he reached out to pet the sleeping kitten. It was a silly thought, but he noticed the kitten grow a little after eating. 

Howard noticed the sad smile on Paul's face while he stroked his sister's fur. Silently, the elderly cat wrapped himself around Paul. Paul looked down and petted his uncle behind the ear. While the two often butted heads, there was no shortage of affection in their house. And now they were ready to extend that to a new feline family member.

It was not too long until the evening caught up with them. And that night, the three of them slept in the same room, Tuesday on her bed and Paul and Howard on the floor.