Harry was utterly miserable. His dads funeral was attended by many members of the community including Mr. Sable, an astute businessman of the doll hair breed who owned several rock quarry's and honestly had a bit of an obsession with rocks in General. He was a loyal patron of the Lackadaisy speakeasy.
Uncle Mordecai had betrayed the Lackadaisy crew. One evening he stole a truck full of supplies after shooting Uncle Victor in the knee. No one knew where he was now. Uncle Mordecai had completely abandoned Harry in his darkest hour. The preteen black cat felt utterly and completely alone.
If it weren't for the Church, Harry would have spiraled into despair. Freckle was usually the one who took him to Sunday Mass when his mum couldn't which was more often now that she was busy as a businesswoman. Freckle helped get Harry baptized and was his sponsor. He had a lovely confirmation dinner at the church with his mum and friends. Fried chicken, all the fixings, sweet desserts, soda pop, ice tea, it was a regular feast. Minus the alcohol of course in compliance with Dry Law.
His mum was doing okay though. Or at the very least she put on a brave face for her only son. Mitzy May went into a routine, she got Harry up, fed him breakfast, sent him off to school with Viktor. During her day she managed the Little Daisy Cafe' and Lackadaisy Speakeasy's affairs behind closed office doors. He husbands case went cold very quickly. When Harry came home and did his homework she set him about various tasks for the speakeasy. Sending payments to various suppliers and the like inconspicuously.
Today, Freckle was taking Harry to his moms for a early Sunday dinner in the afternoon.
"Mom I hope you made plenty of food, I have a guest!" Freckle said eagerly as he walked with Harry into the lovely home. For a strange reason Harry felt immediately at home here.
"In the kitchen." Came a feminine voice from the kitchen. "Next time call ahead!"
"Mom, this is my bosses son Harry James, he just got confirmed last week."
His mom dropped the plate she was holding as soon as she heard Harry James. She turned slowly and gasped with an "Oh." Putting her hands to her mouth in shock.
He looked just like him. Her James. Her wee little nephew.
"Mom are you all right?!" Freckle rushed to get the dust buster after checking her ankles.
"You look just like him." She said.
Harry looked nervous. This strange woman was acting weird and he was looking for an emergency exit. He supposed the window would do in a pinch."
"Like my sweet nephew James."
Harry's ears twitched. The name James clicked in his head.
"They sent this and I had it frame." Nina said as she brought in a picture.
"Uncle James, Aunt Lily and my baby cousin who drowned on Titanic." Freckle said. He'd seen the picture for many years now.
"They hadn't named you yet." Nina said. Handing the teenager the picture frame.
Harry's heart skipped a beat. An older black cat who looked just like him but with Hazel eyes and a beautiful English Calico cat female holding a black kitten days old in a hospital bed, the kittens eyes still closed. His emerald leather collar with the silver bell clearly on his neck though it was colorless. He put his hand to his neck.
"Oh." Nina embraced the teen who embraced her back
"I'm Harry, Harry James." Harry introduced himself to Nina.
"They kept the name James?"
"It was all they could read from my collar."
"Whose they?" The older woman asked as they sat at the kitchen table. A plate of sausage, buttery, salted cob corn, fried potatoes in front of Harry and a shocked Freckle.
"My parents, Mitzy and Atlas May." Harry said. "I have a picture!" He took out his wallet and showed Nina a small family photo Atlas had printed for him.
"So then, Harry is Rocky's and my cousin?"
"A couple times removed but yes, the boy is family." Nina nodded.
Harry swung on Freckles neck excitedly "Cousin!" He said eagerly. Freckle had Hazel eyes like his dad.
"Yea Rocky's gonna be happy to hear this too." Freckle said as he knelt down so Harry could get off safely. "I'll take him home." The orange tabby said to his mom.
"So Harry's actually our cousin like for real?" Rocky asked.
"We'll we haven't done a blood test or anything official, but Harry's life story matches up with Uncle James and Aunt Lily dying on the Titanic."Freckle said as Harry ate a BLT made by Ivy at the Little Daisy cafe. "Plus he had the collar with the little silver bell Mom gave them when he was born."
"That's Good enough for me." Rocky said eagerly as Harry finished his sandwich and the older feline picked him up. "Welcome to the family sport!"
"Rocky you may be my Cousin now but I can still punch you right in the stomach." Harry warned the older male with a familiar glare as Rocky set him down.
"And he's definitely family holy crap he has your moms glare." Rocky said in amazement.
"Gosh the odds of a kitten surviving a disaster like that without his parents must be like a bajillion to one!" Ivy said as she read from a book on the counter.
"Well Mama gave me to a woman who I'm pretty sure was a prostitute from what I remember of her." Harry said. "We lived together in New York for about two years after Titanic before she threw me out at I think 4? And I somehow made my way to the 9:10 to St Louis with the help of an old Cajun Main Coon. I'll never forget him. He taught me survive in the streets. The one day a pretty woman walking down the street brought me home with her and then mom and dad adopted me."
"Mr. May sounds like he was a good man." Freckle said.
"He was the best." Harry said. Smiling in fond memory of his dad. "But then Uncle Mordecai..." He remembered hearing a gunshot and rubbed burning as he rushed outside to see Uncle Mordecai looking back at him as he drove away with a truck full of product. Harry helped Viktor inside and called a doctor friend.
"There's bad blood between Lackadaisy and Mordecai Heller." Ivy said as she refilled Harry's pop glass. "He was Harry's Godfather." She told the two. "He was a good influence on Harry, up until he shot out Viktors knee of course."
"Ouch." Rocky winced. "Betrayals tough. Still, nice to know I'm not the only rail rider in the family." He patted Harry's shoulder.
Harry turned and punched Rocky hard in the stomach and he went back to his sandwich and fries. Rocky grabbed his stomach and fell over.
"Yeah, don't touch Harry while he's eating." Ivy suggested to Rocky. "We think it's a reflex from having an unstable relationship with food during his formative years."
"Noted." Rocky coughed on the floor. "Hooooo He even punches like your mom." The older cat groaned in pain.
"Take a salt tablet." Ivy suggested handing Rocky a tablet.
Rocky chewed the tablet and continued groaning.
The door opened and Rocky opened his eyes to see Miss M staring down at him.
"Ya touched Harry while he was eating didn't ya honey?"
"Yes." More groaning.
"Mama." Harry got up and took her coat putting it on the rack carefully with her hat. Giving her a big hug. "I have amazing news! I found family!"
"Family? What family?" Mitzy asked. If someone was trying to take her baby she'd claw their fucking eyes out.
"Freckle and Rocky are my cousins!" Harry said excitedly.
"Your joking?" Mitzy said. Then she got a good look at all 3 together in her sights. "Oh my god I see it now. It's faint but all 3 of ya share similar facial structure."
Freckle brought her a photograph. She gasped. It was an older looking version of her son holding a beautiful English calico woman who was holding a black kitten with his eyes closed.
"Oh my God." She said again in shock.
"Uncle James, Aunt Lily and our baby cousin. This was taken in Dublin in 1912 a few months before Titanic sank." Freckle explained. "My moms nephew.
"Oh my God." Mitzy said again after seeing where this was going. Her Harry James was a Titanic survivor. His fear of water made sense now. He had nightmares about a ship sinking for years. "I need a drink." She said holding her forehead.
Ivy brought her some iced sweet tea.
"Aunt Nina, Freckles mom, said she'd like to invite us for Dinner Friday night." Harry James said as he sat next to his mother. "Can we go?"
"Of course we can." Mitzy said hugging her very lucky son.
To be continued...
Ace of Cups is a very positive card signifying emotional fulfillment. Help in any positive form is coming and soon. Fresh opportunities are coming to your life and you may receive and unexpected kindness from anyone.