You Will Be Found

Chapter Twelve

The new apartment was really lovely, just as I'd imagined it from the photos. It wasn't as busy feeling as I thought it would be and I think Joan had packed away some of the nik-naks that were shown in the photos. I closed the entrance door behind me and took it all in. From the entrance I could see the lounge, dining and kitchen, the door to the empty balcony and a short hallway leading further into the house. White walls, sheer curtains, light coloured sen hardwood floors and soft, light airy colours throughout.

The lounge suite chairs and couches were in a medium grey with flared roll arms and bulging cushion padding. Standing on a light cream rug, it was bare of pillows or throws, but already I was envisioning what to buy to make it my own. I think peachy pinks and darker grey accents would work really well. There was a matching side table behind it against the wall and coffee table in bamboo framed glass in front. These were painted white and fitted really well. The bamboo set looked like it should be really cheap but somehow I knew they weren't. Like the understated couches, there was a distinct feel of high quality about them all.

In the corner of the space, I thought there was another lounge chair framed in the same white bamboo as the small tables, but with a furry rug placed on it. When the furry rug moved and a head popped up, followed by another, I realised I had found my new kitty cats. Small fluffy white bodies with light brown ears, nose and tail; four little ears, four brilliant blue eyes, two little pink noses, oh my goodness, cuteness overload. I had to sit down for a bit.

They watched me silently for a moment, until the more adventurous brother dropped off the chair and walked over to me for a meet and greet. His tail swung high in the air as he came closer and his little "mewl" captured my heart.

"Oh my goodness, you are a brave soul." I patted his head and brushed his lovely soft coat. He bunted the side of his face on my shins and shook his tail at me, happy to make new friends. "I heard that Great Aunt hasn't actually named you two yet. Already two months old and still no name. That must have been tough." I carefully picked the little male cat up and placed him on my lap. He seemed happy to be held and petted and carried. I gave him lots of pats and cuddles as he pawed and kneaded my legs and tummy, content to be in my arms.

When I looked up at his twin sister, I found her curled up, pretending to sleep while her ears peaked as she secretly watched me and my interactions with her brother. She was a shy little girl, just like me. She'd need extra special care. I dropped my school bag off my back, quietly went over to sit near her chair and calmly played with her brother next to her while giving her a gentle finger pat every now and then. When she delicately turned over slowly to present her tummy for finger pats and wiggles, I knew I'd made my second friend for the day. She gave a soft purr and fell back to sleep, content.

They didn't talk much after the initial mewls to welcomed me. I didn't know much about Ragdoll kittens or cats so, before I moved through to inspect the rest of the apartment that I hadn't seen yet, I pulled my phone out and did a quick search on care and habits of Ragdoll kittens. What I found gave me a bit of a fright. They needed loads of attention and love, regular feeding times, less grains more protein in their meals, plenty of toys to engage with in play, keep safe indoors and regular grooming.

Toys and grooming brushes, protein based foods? Where was I going to get all of that. I placed Bura next to his sister Rubee, and made my way through to the kitchen or laundry on the hunt for the kitty cats' litter boxes, food, grooming gear and toys. I found most things, like litter box and food bowls, but failed to find any grooming gear, toys or even a scratching frame. There was no bed either. I turned back to the lounge and found that the poor little kittens slept on that chair because they didn't have their own little beds.

I was sad. I now had a lovely new home, but my poor little kitty cats didn't. I think I needed to go shopping. Taking note of the brand of food in the kitchen cupboard, I emptied my school bag, check for my phone and keys and left the apartment.

There was no pet store, not even a veterinarian clinic in the neighbourhood. This surprised me a little as many retired folks would normally take on a new furry family member. I had to take a bus to the next neighbourhood where there was a larger shopping complex and a pet store was located. I also found the vet clinic too.

I ended up spending quite a bit on cat toys, climbing frame, large sized bed (they can share) and grooming brushes. I didn't know which type of grooming brush would work better, and when I asked the sales assistant, they didn't know either. I ended up buying one of each. Good thing too, as Rubee liked the soft rubber brush and Bura preferred the metal brush. Picky animals.

I had everything delivered for free, including a month's supply of their food and kitty kibble (dry foods). Yay! Back home on the bus, more kitty kisses to apologise for leaving so soon after arriving in my new place, and we finally curled up on the large king sized bed in the master bedroom. King sized bed. It felt so surreal.

My new apartment had two smaller double bedrooms and a master bedroom with its own bathroom. An ensuite I think they call it. Why it has three huge bedrooms for an elderly lady who lived by herself, I'm not sure. As my new kittens curled up on each side of my, I thought about all these new changes. A luxury three bedroom apartment with large balcony and full sized kitchen on the top floor of a brand new low rise condo complex, all for two hundred dollars a week. The utilities are paid for as well. I'm not sure how this happened. It wasn't that long ago that I was locked up in a corner cupboard of an apartment about this size before I passed away.

Now I was the proud new owner (tenant) of such a place. I took a deep breath and let it out again, then pulled out my phone and opened my 'List of things to do' that I put together while I was in the children's hospital. I crossed off the list, 'Find a new home', 'Publish web novels' and noted the music composing was still there. I remembered that I han't heard anything from that eccentric music producer and realised that I probably never would.

'Find a job' was still on there, 'Enrol into university' and 'Pastry chef training' was also there, but I wasn't sure how to do all of that. Grant and Joan had suggested that I work with their new puppies when they 'arrive', so I added to the list 'Puppy Training' and then tentatively realised that I needed an important piece of technology if I was going to most of the 'To Do' list. 'Buy Computer' went onto the list, then 'Buy Clothes'. I sighed, it all still needed a lot more money that I had at the moment, but worrying could come later.

Now it was time for Kitty Lovin' time, and I pulled Bura up onto my tummy, turned over and curled around my two new kittens and went to sleep. Afternoon naps were the best.