Authors note: While Fifi and Pierre say they are both around 40 years old, that means in human equivalent years. In Penelope's eyes, they are 16 years old in human years. Which means Penelope's age in human equivalent to her would be around 16, even though she has only lived for 8 human years. (Human equivalent in this story means the age they would be if they were to be humans)
Chapter 12: Forgiveness.
I stared into the eyes of my mother, who looked very similar to me, as she was carefully looking at me to make sure it was me.
"Penelope... I can see the white stripe on your back... But I can feel your love either way. You are my daughter." I turned away from her, trying to pretend that she wasn't there as I got into my bed. My mother frowned.
"Listen. I know that you didn't want to be friends with those boys and girls I tried to let you befriend. And I am sorry about that... If only I didn't make it seem like love, maybe you would have been their friends." She got closer to me as I buried my head into the pillow. I couldn't take it. I didn't want any reminders, just rest.
"I can understand your feelings... You have been through a lot lately, I can tell based on your hard fur. But I really want you to know, I am sorry for acting so desperate for you to make friends!" I just wanted her to stop talking, so I decided to speak.
"I didn't need friends... I just wanted to live a peaceful life..." Looking at my mother, she seemed to be happier.
"And I now understand. After you ran away, your father was so worried, he thought you had died, but I kept telling him that a choice like that would not be done by you. He never listened, and he just sits in bed all day long." I was shocked. Did my father really worry about me that much? I only had one thing to do before I rested in the house.
"Thank you for your apology. Now, I have one thing to do." I got out of bed and walked out of the room, entering my parents' bedroom across the hall. On the white bed, was my father Pierre. He seemed to just be sleeping.
"Wake up. I am home." After saying those words, he woke up, and looked at me in shock.
"Penelope! You really did came home!" He then stood up and hugged me, which I then returned the favor by kissing him.
"Yes. Now I can tell you what has happened when I left..." I led my father down the stairs to the living room, where the blankets were. My mother then followed me.
"Since it's your first day home, I will get out your favorite blanket!" My mother eagerly went to the closet, and got out a blanket that had a pattern of a cat chasing a large amount of fish. It was the blanket I rested on the couch with when I felt tired...
"Thank you. Now sit down beside me, as it's important for me to tell you everything that has happened..." Sitting down on the couch were the three of us, the united Pussycat family, as I began to tell my story. But before I could start, my parents were laughing as they pointed to my belly.
"What? What is wrong with my belly?" I was confused, as I had forgotten that I still had some gained weight.
"Oh Penelope... You are so funny! You don't realize that you apparently ate too much? You are as silly as you were before you left!" My mother said to me, while my father was laughing like crazy, probably because he hadn't done so in a while. Looking at my belly and noticing it was still sticking out a little, I laughed a little too.
"But enough now. We need to begin." We all stopped laughing as my parents waited for me to explain where I went.
"You see... I will sum it up quickly for you. I am being chased by a lovebird." My mother got a expression of happiness for a moment, before my father glared at her.
"This all started when I ran to the central city... The nearby american city you told me about every night. In it, was a huge amount of buildings, with shops, restaurants, all of the things you told me about in the cities. But it was there that I found out my special trait..." My parents looked at me in amazement, as they too wanted to know what made the family unique.
"It was to stand up straight. We all do that, all of the friends you showed me could somehow do that, but when I met some alley cats in the city, they were always on their fours, only to fall down when they attempted to walk straight. It was then that I realized that I was not an ordinary cat in that area. I felt so proud! But none of the humans seemed to notice, so I spend many months enjoying the strolls around the city, until I was able to enter an antique shop..." I almost got a headache at the thought of explaining what was in it.
"And in that shop... Was a mirror. A mirror that was apparently a source of bad luck... And I broke it. Due to that, I now have white paint stuck on me, unable to wash off completely. I thought it was no issue, until I met him. Pepe Le Pew. He was a skunk that came from an area called France, and thought I was a skunk, no matter how many times I said no, he never stopped hugging me to death... Then I met a human named Marisa, and-" My mother gasped as I mentioned the word "Marisa", which caused me to stop speaking as my mother started to freak out.
"Wait a minute, a human? And you can speak to it?" She seemed to be more interested about the human than Pepe. I gave a nod, and she was shocked, but not my father.
"I knew that would happen... One of the traditions of the Pussycat family is to be able to speak and act like the humans... Meaning you can communicate with the humans now!" I was shocked. If what my father said was true, then I could speak to anyone, which explains why I could speak to the chef at the restaurant the other night. But I had to continue the story.
"So anyways, Pepe kept chasing me... No matter what I did. Marisa tried to help me in her cabin... But the stripe wouldn't wash off. And then she got enraged at me and threw me out of the house, into Pepe's stinky arms..." I began to cry as I remembered the scene. My parents seemed to not like her reaction either, as they both frowned.
"And then we were stuck in a river, leading to his mansion he owned in America. Inside, he showed his true nature, a nice guy with no evil intention... But he was too aggressive in love for me, as he wouldn't stop hugging me, kissing me, or stinking up the bedroom I rested in. So an hour ago, I found the address book, and got over here as fast as I could..." Relived to end the story, I sighed. My dad began to stare at me with a questioning sense.
"You say this Pepe is a skunk, right? And skunks are black with white stripes, correct? You have one, so that means you can be with him, correct?" After all of the "Corrects" and "rights" I realized what he was trying to say to me.
"No. Because I just can't stand his stench and his way of doing things. He is nice, and signs love songs to me all the time, but he just won't take no for an answer! What can I do to get rid of him?" If I could get rid of Pepe, then I could be able to live a normal life with this stripe, as long as I treated it like a birthmark.
My mother then sighed and pulled out a yellow book from behind the couch.
"This is what we will use to let him stop messing with you." I was confused as I looked at the yellow book, only to read the words "Phone Book". It was a list of phone numbers in the area, and Pepe's had to be on there!
"Great idea! Dad, get that phone and slide the number we find for him!" He nodded and ran to the phone, with his finger over the "1" slot.
"Let's see here... P for Le Pew, right? His number is..." My mother then told my father the number, which he then dialed by moving his fingers on his phone around in a circular motion, causing the phone to make a buzzing sound that I could hear from the couch.
"Yes, you have reached Pepe Le Pew, I have answered, no?" I heard his voice from the speaker, holding on to my mother's body, she kissed me to assure me he would be dealt with. I covered my head with the blanket regardless.
That was when my father began speaking to him.
"Yes, Pepe. This is Pierre Pussycat, father of Penelope Pussycat. I heard rumors that you have been dating my daughter, correct?" My father kept a normal tone, neither mad or happy.
"Oui. She is pretty, isn't she?" I blushed under the blanket, that weirdo wouldn't stop talking about love with me.
"Yes, anyways, about that. She is on an errand now, as she probably has told you, but when she gets back, tell her this. Her father wants her home now, and her father doesn't want her to spend the night again, OK?" I sighed in relief, removing the blanket from my head.
"Oui. I will tell her zee message. Au revoir!" The phone line then shut off, meaning he got off of the phone. My father put the phone down, and walked up to me.
"There Penelope. Now he won't bother you anymore." He gave me a kiss on my cheek as I hugged him tightly.
I was so happy, Pepe would no longer chase me, as he would believe that I was out on an errand, and he was told to send me home if I were to return. He could never guess that I was actually home!
But something bothered me... About what he wanted to do... And Marisa, and the curse! What do I do now? It just seems to be all over. But before I could start to think, my mother could see my confusion in my eyes.
"How about a bath? I still have lots of bubbles to put in the tub!" I liked that idea. A nice, warm bath that would erase my confusion. And I haven't had one in over a year, so that would be nice too.
But if Marisa said is true... Then does the curse do other bad side effects?
That is another chapter with a lot of dialogue... I am trying to find a cleaner way of doing these, but I don't think there is such a way. In the next chapter, Penelope will find out the details of the curse... And about Marisa.
