Elle and I sat at the chairs by the entrance of the apartments, where I'd followed Elle outside without much thought. After all, I didn't have to think if Elle was going anywhere. She was much smaller than Ludger and everybody else. I often worried about her, so I couldn't leave her alone. Thus, it was only natural I would follow her. Ludger had left Elle and I at the apartment to go do some shopping for dinner, he said. She had insisted to go with him, but he said she would be better off resting at home. I assumed it must be because he wanted to buy tomatoes so he could put it in her dinner, and if Elle saw him buy it, he would never manage to put it in her meal. Elle may have not understood why she wasn't allowed to go, but I managed to get the gist of it.
The sun was setting and the children who were playing in the park slowly started to leave. To Elle, the sunset meant nothing, unlike the other humans. Some humans enjoyed the sight- I knew Julius did, but it didn't seem so for her.
Elle was gazing at the end of the path, it was as if she was waiting for someone. I assumed it must be Ludger and dinner, and I was impatient for dinner as well. Children started to leave the park, and it became somewhat quiet. The only sound remaining was the creaks of the swing set. A kid was sitting there- he was playing on the swings.
Not long after, from a distance I could smell and see an older human walking towards us. It was an unusual smell, so I must have not known this person. But Elle's emerald eyes glowed for a moment. It seemed as though Elle saw something that excited her. As the man became visible, it quickly faded. He looked quite ordinary. He had black hair and wore a suit matching his hair color. His gloves also matched his suit, but his eyes were a beautiful shade of green.
The kid who sat on the swing set gasped as he saw the unfamiliar man, he rushed towards him and lunged forward giving him a hug, "Daddy! What are we going to have for dinner?"
The man laughed, "Asking about dinner already? What do we say we have some meat sauce pasta tonight?"
The kid giggled, "That's my favorite!"
He walked away hand-in-hand with this human he called 'Daddy' . Endless chatter and giggles were shared between them which I never understood. The silence started to set in as they faded from our sight. I wondered if one day Ludger and Julius were like that. I knew Julius told me stories of him and Ludger when Ludger wasn't home. It was simple stories, sometimes I didn't understand the words or what he meant by them. But somehow what I saw in front of me seemed to remind of the both of them.
Next to me, Elle watched with a dull look on her face and as the two fade out of sight she let out a sigh, "You know… Rollo, I want to tell you something."
"Go ahead." I said, though I learnt that humans never actually understood what I said but that didn't matter to me.
"You know that guy that passed by? He almost looked my daddy, except Daddy wears a mask all the time." She smiled and gazed at the sky. "So when I saw he wasn't wearing a mask, I realized he wasn't my Daddy."
I didn't really understand what he said so I didn't respond, but she continued, " You know, Daddy is so kind and really cool! He is good at cooking- even better than Ludger! And—"
I listened to her as she spoke of this person she also called 'Daddy.' I didn't understand as much but she seemed to enjoy what she spoke about. Her eyes glimmered as she spoke about him and she had an expression I haven't seen before. To what I understood, everyone had a different person called 'Daddy'. It was an unusual word- I never heard Julius or Ludger mention it, I wondered if they had a 'Daddy' like Elle did?
"And he…Knew how to act like…All the beach brigade sunscreen rangers…" She ended, her expression darkened, the shimmer in her eyes and smile faded.
"Something wrong?" I tilted my head.
She took a deep breath, "I am worried, I don't know if Daddy is okay- I think he is… And… Maybe one day I might leave you, Ludger, Milla and everyone…"
Elle voice has become a whisper, "And I… don't want to leave you all… I love everyone."
It was painful. She was so happy just moments ago and now she sounded weak, lonely and afraid.
I moved closer towards and curled up on her legs, "Elle… Please don't be sad."
How I wished she heard me.
"I will be fine, won't I?" She smiled a crooked smile, it wasn't the same smile I knew and loved, "I will be happy, right? I will be with daddy, yeah?"
Her voice cracked, and I wished I could tell her I was not going anywhere away from her, but it was too late. I felt something like water touching my fur. I looked up and I saw Elle frantically wiping her cheeks.
"Huh? That's weird." She murmured, "I didn't mean to cry, I am sorry."
"Elle… no… Don't cry…" I spoke, though the words would never reach her, "I am right here with you… I promise you I won't go anywhere."
She didn't hear my cries, and I felt helpless. The fact I couldn't help her, it killed me. All I could do was lay there. I cursed the fact that I was a cat. Why can't I speak? It was unfair. I wanted to tell her- I am here for her. If only she heard me. It hurt. It ripped me apart. I stayed there and waited as her cries died. Not long after, like all cries. It did.
"You know," she sniffed, " I decided I am going to make the most of it. I am going to have so much fun that I won't regret it when I go back home."
I didn't know what to say. The glow that faded from her expression I saw it come back. I was glad.
"But I have one question." She was twiddling with her thumbs. "Could I come visit if I miss you?"
"Of course!" I instantly replied, she seemed surprised at my reply.
Elle giggled, "Thank you Rollo… You know- if you miss me you can visit me and daddy too!"
I didn't need to tell her anything, of course I would visit her. We both knew that. And we didn't require words to confirm it. She scratched me underneath my chin, it was a sweet and light touch. It felt like Ludger's strokes, soft and delicate. Unlike Julius's strokes- they had a lot of hugs in between. Her fingers shifted positions and I felt her fingers going down my back. The sensation of her slowly touch my fur was quite relaxing.
After a little bit, she leaned close to my ears and whispered, "Don't tell anyone I cried alright? Everything I told you tonight is going to be our little secret."
"It's a secret!" I said, she seemed happy with my response. Even if just moments ago I felt it was unfair she can't hear me- I am still glad my emotions were able to reach her. Maybe it isn't too bad.
From a distance, we heard a familiar voice, "Isn't that Elle and Rollo? Hey!"
We turned to see Milla, Jude and Ludger walking towards us. They were all carrying paper bags full of ingredients. Jude was waving and Elle stood from her seat and waved back. She then quickly turned to me and put a finger to her lips.
She mouthed me, "It's our little secret."
"We are going to have a feast tonight!" Milla's voice was loud and clear. "You will all see that I am the true number one chef!"
Elle giggled at Milla's exclaim, she hurried towards them, "Will there be some meat sauce pasta tonight?"
Ludger raised a brow, "Where did that come from?"
Elle had a skip in her step as she walked with them. She seemed so happy and excited. (I would have been lying if I said I wasn't excited as well, I was able to smell the catnip in one of those bag— and not any catnip but the premium type.) Though, I thought it was unusual and weird how humans acted. Just a moment ago, she appeared weak and vulnerable but the next moment, she seemed as if she grew into a stronger person. Humans never failed to impress me. Especially this little girl.