Sisters and Friends

Chapter 13

A Little Life Lesson

"I was talking to my mom last night about this stuff. I hadn't realized how much I never understood when I was a kid."Annie looked up from her laptop. "I guess they never told me some of these things because they figured I was too young to know this, and maybe because they wanted to keep it in the past."

"It's kind of odd to me that your Grandfather never talked much about what he had done in the war. I mean, he should have been proud of it."

"That's what we were talking about last night. You know, he used to keep his medals in a dresser drawer. Mom said that it was such a bad time he didn't like talking about it; those medals only reminded him of terrible things.

"She asked him about it when she was younger, and the gist of it was that he felt that she didn't need the details. He would tell her that he and his generation did what they felt they had to do so that their families and children would have better lives…Kodomo No Tame Ni, for the sake of the children."

"So your mom and the generations that followed would be seen as Americans, not different."

"Yeah, that was the idea; we're still working on that. But other things happened that I kind of knew about but never understood. Like my Grandfather had a cousin who shot himself a few years after the war. He was part of the 552nd Artillery Battalion. They were among the first of the Allied forces to liberate the Nazi Death Camps. What he saw…kind of broke him. He never married and kept to himself after that. A few years later, he was dead."

"Why is it that some people come to a fatal despair while others can go on after such trauma?"

Annie smiled at the sight of her friend flat out on the floor with a book tented over her face. "I guess those people are able to achieve a kind of equilibrium; they relearn to look around and still see the good and beauty all around them."

She saved her file and closed her laptop. "I know you're tired of me saying thanks, but I have to say this. I had begun to stop believing in humanity, and then you showed up."

What's with Annie? Something was different, judging from the way she was sitting on the ground, head down and hunched slightly over.

Quinn dropped her backpack near the bench in front of the Art and Design building and walked over to her friend. "Something wrong?" she asked, worried.

Annie shook her head, and looked up at Quinn with a smile. Opening her arms slightly, she revealed a very small kitten that was asleep against the fuzzy sweater she was wearing. It looked like it was too young to be out and about on its own.

"I was waiting to see if her mother would come for her, but so far nothing. There's usually at least one stray cat around here looking for handouts, but facilities may have rounded them up. This little one might be on her own."

Quinn smiled. "I don't know about that; she's pretty cute and it looks like she's found a sucker."

"Damn. I'd love to have her, but my mom won't be happy if I bring her home; she's kind of allergic to cats."

Quinn leaned in, smiling at the way the little gray and white kitten was kneading Annie's sweater as she slept. "I'm afraid to ask. What are you going to do with her?"

"I'm not sure. I was thinking that I could check with the Sorority houses and see if I could get them to take her, but I should check to make sure she's weaned first."

"You mean if she's ready for solid food?"

"Yeah. If she's not, she'll need to be fed a kitten milk substitute."

"Like from a bottle?"

"That's cute but not really necessary; you can teach them to take it from a shallow bowl. You can add dry kitten food to it a little at a time, and reduce the liquid slowly."

Annie gently stroked the tips of the kitten's ears. She sat with her for a long time. "She's just a baby now, and in twenty years she'll be just a memory. Whoever takes her will fall in love with her, watch her grow up and grow old. Remember how beautiful she is today, Quinn."

"Ladies?" Helen knocked on the doorframe of the bedroom.

"Mhhhggh." Quinn stirred, yawning. "Hi Mom, sorry, we must have dozed off. What time is it?"

"About nine. Both of you were asleep, so I didn't want to wake you when I came home. There's some pizza downstairs, but I was wondering if you aren't missing something."

"Ooops…"Quinn looked around. Annie was on her side on the bathroom rug that had been laid out in the middle of the room. A cardboard box, some old towels and a small dish were arrayed in front of Annie, along with her now dormant laptop. She rolled over and opened her eyes.

"Uh oh," mumbled Annie.

"You have to see this," Helen smiled.

She led them down the stairs, motioning them to be quiet as they approached the living room.

Jake was laying on the floor, laughing as the kitten climbed all over him.

"You may have to fight it out with Jake for the cat, Annie," Helen smiled. "I've been thinking that a pet would be good for him. It's supposed to lower your blood pressure, and he's always wanted a cat." Daria's gone, and Quinn's not going to be around forever. It'll do him good to have a little one to take care of.

Annie smiled broadly. "I claim visitation rights."