Page 77 of Swept Away

“Can you? And do you?”

I notice the play of words there and freeze for a moment before I chuckle slightly inappropriately.

“What? What’s so funny?” she asks.

“Nothing.”

She continues.

“Of course, you can have both, but you should find a boyfriend first and then introduce your furry friend to him.”

“He likes the cat.”

That was an unnecessary slip of the tongue.

Ugh.

“He?”

“The man who helped me with the cat.”

“Oh. He did? Someone helped you with the cat. Is he still around?”

“He’s traveling. On business. He and his friend.”

I cringe.

The pause prolongs at the other end of the line.

“Who is this man?” my mother asks suspiciously.

“No one.”

“Is he a neighbor?”

“No. I don’t think so.”

“How come he helped you with the cat?”

“He happened to be outside when the cat was roaming around. And he’s an animal lover.”

“Uh-huh. I understand. Are you seeing this man?”

“Seeing him? What? Like a boyfriend or something?”

“Yes.”

A smile flickers through her voice.

I puff dismissively and laugh.

“No way. You know me. I don’t have time for boyfriends.”

I huff again, trying maybe too hard to convince her.

“Right,” she says, totally unconvinced. “You’re saying he’s no longer there.”

“Yes, that’s what I just said. He and his friend, who’s also his business partner, run some sort of enterprise, and they travel a lot.”