by Tracy Kisgen
Prompt: Fragile
Word count: 750
Deadline: April 21, 2021
SAMMY
Sammy has been with me since I was twelve years old. The only kitten to survive his litter, I found him after hunting down the soft mewing noises coming from beneath the back porch. It appeared there had been some kind of attack, yet he was unscathed. I brought the grey kitten home.
I took for granted just how great Mom was. Dad left that morning, telling her she was “old and fat”. He told her about “Melissa” who he’d met at the gym. Mom wouldn’t tell me everything he’d said, likely because it wasn’t positive about his feelings towards me. Dad was never around anyway. That afternoon, Mom took me and Sammy to the vet, letting me become her priority rather than drowning in her own sorrows. I learned how to bottle feed Sammy and he thrived in my care.
I caught Mom crying once, only because she couldn’t control her dreams. She woke up sobbing like someone had died. In truth, her marriage had died. She didn’t want me to be sad, or worry about money and food, so she seemed upbeat, and kept a smile while working two jobs. Maybe she was happier without Dad. I was.
Eventually we moved out of our rental house and Mom bought a double wide trailer. It had two bedrooms so I had plenty of privacy as I grew up. She worked a lot, so as a gal without supervision, I made some poor decisions.
This rainy evening was a great example of bad planning. Trying to capture the attention of my older classmate Mike, from the bus, I invited him, and his best friend, over to study for finals. They agreed, but surprise, surprise, they brought beer instead of books. Right away Sammy sidled up to Mike. Sammy typically was standoffish and was not affectionate with my friends, no matter how sweet or gentle they were. This guy banged him on the head in greeting, yet my aloof cat stayed.
“Hey, be careful, he’s trying to be friends.”
“I don’t like cats.”
When Mike said this, it made me not like him so much. His sidekick, Brian, took this opportunity to push Sammy off the couch.
“Hey, if you guys can’t be nice, you need to go.”
Both boys laughed at me and suddenly I was aware of their size compared to mine. At fifteen, I was barely one hundred pounds and both of these guys were a foot taller with broad muscles. As if sensing my apprehension, they nodded to each other and stood.
“We know why you asked us to come over. Don’t play innocent.”
“Innocent? I don’t know what you mean.”
Mike was on me fast, pinning me against his body, while Brian reached for my small chest.
Suddenly, Sammy was climbing my leg, claws out, hissing, then jumped on Mike’s head, swiping at his face. Immediately, Mike let go of me to grab at the tornado of knives. Then Sammy dove to the floor, with Brian running after him.
Soon both guys were on the rampage, determined to punish the “mean cat”. As he hid under my mom’s bed, I made a desperate phone call, explaining what happened.
“Hey, what are you doing? You call the cops?”
“Come on, man. She’s lame – let’s get out of here.”
Before they could grab their six pack of beer and leave, my neighbor was at the door and didn’t knock. His name was Max and he was an older gentleman, who looked like a rough biker dude with his leather vest, tattooed biceps, and long gray beard.
“What seems to be the problem here? Are you okay? Did they hurt you?” Max stepped inside.
Both boys tried to walk past him, but Max stuck his arm out, blocking their exit. Sammy strolled into the room and sat at my feet. Mike kicked Sammy with his boot, sending him flying into the wall. I ran over to Sammy, who seemed dazed but otherwise fine.
Max grabbed Mike by the wrist, pulling him outside.
“Cops are on their way. Both of you, come out while we wait.”
“What did you call the police for? We didn’t do anything.”
“Let’s talk about alcohol possession, attempted rape of a minor, and animal cruelty…”
In time I knew just how differently things could have gone that day and remain grateful to Max and to my protective cat. I was always looking out for Sammy but in truth it was me who was more fragile.