"Can I help you with something, sir?"
"Huh?"
"Do you require any assistance, sir? I notice you've been standing here for twenty minutes."
Newkirk heaved a sigh - he understood why the sales lady probably considered him insane. This was the third store he'd been in today, and by now he'd looked at so many toys and frilly pink things whilst shopping for Lizzy's 4th birthday that if he saw another baby doll in the next fifty years, it would be too soon.
"Oh, no, just...yeah, maybe I do need help."
"Are you shopping for yourself or for someone else?" the helpful sales lady asked, which Newkirk probably could have taken as an insult, considering he was currently looking at ballerina costumes.
"Someone else," he supplied helpfully.
"Boy or girl?"
"Girl."
"How old?"
"Turning four."
"Are you looking for a birthday present, sir?"
"Yes."
"Is she your niece?"
"No."
"Cousin?"
"No."
"...Granddaughter?"
"Do I look that bloody old to you? It's for my daughter."
"Oh," replied the helpful sales lady, "Sorry. We don't get many fathers in here shopping for their daughters. Usually their mothers do that."
"Well, what do the mothers usually buy?"
"This year Perky the Pup and his Squeezable Pals are popular," said the helpful sales lady, turning his attention to a display of soft plastic animals.
"Nah, she's got loads of toy animals."
"Perhaps a Tootsie Toy dollhouse?"
"I...I don't know. Maybe?"
"We also offer a large selection of baby dolls."
"..."
"A play kitchen, perhaps?"
Ugh, what kind of a parent was he that he couldn't pick one miserable gift for his kid? Did other parents have this problem? His mind flashed back to the helpful sales lady's comment about mothers doing the shopping for their daughters, and, not for the first time, he wondered if Lizzy's mother would have instinctively known what to do; know what to get that would show how much Lizzy meant and how special she was, something that truly fit her personality.
He tried to think of all the things Lizzy liked - birds, bunnies, tea parties, not taking naps…
"I can see you need more time to decide. Let me or another associate know if we can assist you," said the helpful sales lady, slinking back to the register and leaving him alone with his thoughts.
He knew Lizzy better than anyone; out of all people he should find it easiest to get her a present, right? Though, Newkirk had been questioning how well he knew her lately; the other day Hogan informed him that she had a habit of waking up around midnight and sitting by the kitchen door as though she was waiting for something.
It was only after a conversation with one of the neighbors did they learn that Lizzy's father had often come home from a late shift at the factory at 12:30 at night.
To him, that had almost been as sad as the time she had come into his bedroom in the middle of the night to make sure he "hadn't left her like mommy did" before wordlessly shuffling back to her room.
Hogan later informed him that she had done this to him a few times as well; it had tapered off and stopped after a little while.
Newkirk tried to steer his thoughts away from the increasingly sad topic his brain had suddenly chosen to dwell on, and tried to think of what Lizzy had been up to lately. He'd seen her reading the telephone directory the other day (albeit upside-down) and wondered if he should get her a book that would help her start learning to read, but none of the kid's books he looked at seemed like anything she would like. Plus, it really didn't seem special enough.
He considered the baby dolls for a little while; Lizzy loved taking care of things. All her stuffed toys were always tucked in their toy bed at bedtime, and whenever Bruno wasn't on duty with Hogan, the little girl lavished attention on the large, impassive shepard.
Suddenly, he had the perfect idea for what to get Lizzy, and it wasn't something he was going to find in a department store.
x
x
x
"No way. I draw the line at cats."
"Aw, you're not sayin' no to a tiny little kitten now, are you?"
"Yes, I am saying no. Don't make me make that an order."
"Why not?"
"Well...I might be allergic."
"Are you?"
"No, but I could be."
"You're not allergic to Bruno," Newkirk pointed out helpfully.
"That brings up another point; Bruno probably wouldn't like having a kitten around here," said Hogan.
"Bruno gets along with the Stephensons' two cats," Newkirk added.
"Lizzy's too young to take care of a kitten," Hogan countered.
"I'd 'elp, you know that. Be a good learnin' experience for her, taking care of 'er own animal."
Hogan appeared to consider this for a moment before speaking.
"Alright. On one condition."
"What?"
"I never have to clean the cat box. Ever."
x
x
x
"That is not a kitten," Hogan exclaimed as Newkirk brought the newest edition of their household in from his car.
"It used to be one, sir," he said cheekily, sitting down on one of the kitchen chairs.
What Newkirk had, in fact, was the largest, hairiest, monstrosity of a cat he had ever seen in his entire life. If he had seen that thing back during the war, he would have mistaken it for a poorly camouflaged panzer.
"Where on earth did you find that thing? Behind a nuclear waste dump?"
"No. At the pound."
"What, were they out of kittens? Or did this thing eat all the kittens they had there?"
"They had lots of kittens there, but they were goin' like hotcakes. They were goin' to destroy this fella, an' I just felt bad for 'im. He's a real sweet cat. I think Lizzy'll love 'im."
"If he doesn't eat her first. It's practically as big as she is," Hogan observed. This whole time, the large cat had been complacently lounging in Newkirk's arms, its long, thick tail flicking back and forth like a pendulum.
Hogan took in the details of the enormous cat; it had a tabby pattern, and its tufted ears reminded him of a bobcat. He almost would have thought that's what the animal was if it hadn't been for its long, bushy raccoon-like tail.
"Well?" Newkirk prompted, after Hogan had had his fill of staring down the cat.
"Fine, but if you find it chewing on your leg one night, don't say I didn't warn you."
x
x
x
"Alright, Lizzy, blow out the candles and make a wish!" said LeBeau, placing a large, pink frosted cake in front of the little girl. He was glad that his friends had thought to have her birthday party at his restaurant - Lizzy was such a cute kid, even cuter when she was happy.
Lizzy closed her eyes and looked thoughtful for a few seconds before letting out a big breath, causing the flames to go out on all four candles that were arranged on the cake.
As LeBeau pulled the cake back towards himself to cut it and put on plates, he overheard his two friends whispering about the present he knew was awaiting Lizzy at home.
"Where did you put it?" he heard Hogan whisper.
"In 'er room. Door's closed," replied Newkirk, also in a whisper.
"What if it chews through the door, you know, like a beaver? It could be menacing the whole house."
"Don't be ridiculous. It didn't do anything like that when we stashed it at Kinch's place. Plus, I put a chair in front of the door just in case."
x
x
x
"I was going to wish for a boat made of licorice, but then it would get eaten by sharks so I thought of wishing for a big stick too, you know, to keep the shark away, but I wished that I could be able to lick my elbow instead. Dad, can you lick your elbow?"
"I've never tried," replied Hogan, thoroughly amused at Lizzy's lengthy explanation to his simple question of asked what she'd wished for when she blew out her candles.
"Why not?" she asked.
"Well...it never occurred to me. I'll try it tomorrow."
Lizzy seemed satisfied with his answer, and was quiet for the rest of their short trip, save for her humming. They had both noticed that she frequently hummed whenever she was content; it was always the same tune, but neither of them could identify it.
As soon as Hogan turned the station wagon into the driveway and shut off the motor, Lizzy had opened her door and hopped out, standing by the vehicle's trunk. They had stashed all her presents that she had received from their friends in there, and she was understandably eager to bring her new things up to her room and start playing with them.
Hogan's anxiety over whether or not Lizzy would like the miniature lion waiting in her room had been slightly mollified by how happy all of Lizzy's other presents had made her. At least he knew she wasn't a picky kid when it came to opening gifts. The thought crossed his mind that she might not be the same with gifts that pounced on her, but he quickly pushed it out of his mind.
He opened the trunk and handed Lizzy the lightest thing inside: the artfully crafted set of doll clothes that Kinch's wife had made for her. Newkirk took out the new tea set from Carter and Lucy, as well as the box of carved wooden play food that LeBeau and Violet had given her.
Lizzy bounded ahead of them and waited at the door for Hogan to unlock it before darting inside.
Newkirk came in a second after her and placed her other gifts on the kitchen table.
"Lizzy, wait here. There's one more gift," he said.
"In the car?" the little girl asked, expression a mix between confusion and excitement at the prospect of another present.
"No, love. In your room. From us. Why don't you go take a look?" Newkirk suggested.
Lizzy was off and up the stairs like a shot; as they followed her they heard the scraping of a chair across wooden floor, which indicated that she had not been deterred by the chair that had been put against her door, but also that the enormous feline in her room had likely not escaped.
Hogan and Newkirk made it to the top of the stairs as she was opening her door. As soon as it was open, the large cat strolled out, pleased to be allowed to roam again.
"A kitty!" she exclaimed, bending down to pet it.
The cat began to purr robustly, giving up its plan to wander the house in favor of having its head scratched by the little girl.
"He's yours, Lizzy," said Hogan with a smile.
"What's he called?" she asked, not taking her eyes of the cat, which had now flopped down to offer up its belly for scratching.
"Whatever you want to call him. He's yours to name," said Newkirk, thrilled that the cat had taken a liking to Lizzy, and she to it.
"What does he look like?" she asked, sitting down to get a better petting angle.
"He looks kind of like ol' Schultzie, weight wise," remarked Newkirk offhandedly.
The name sticks.
x
x
x
Lizzy immediately becomes Schultzie's favorite human, which makes Hogan happy because the feline mostly leaves him alone.
Newkirk, on the other hand, liked the cat's occasional company, and was satisfied with being Schultzie's second favorite. Mostly, he likes that Schultzie sleeps with Lizzy at night. They had a routine; as soon as she got into bed, the cat would sit near her pillow while a bedtime story was read. When it was time for lights out, Schultzie crept down to the foot of her bed and curled up.
Although they hadn't had an issue with Lizzy getting up in the middle of the night anymore, he was glad she had the cat there with her if she did happen to wake up. If she did, he knew she would see her gentle friend and not feel alone.
He thought it was a remarkable irony; Schultzie kept vigilant guard on Lizzy while she slept, much as the animal's namesake had done to them during the war.
And, as far as he knew, the cat had never once abandoned his post for strudel.