Ghost Cat - Thelma's Dilemma (10 page)

He
has the map, but can’t know what it is for.
Gertie was trying to figure things out.

Cooper started to
bark and in a moment, Sarah, Mrs. Johnson, Riley and Suzanne walked
into the house. “Look mom,” Riley said pointing to the beer can on
the table, “Thelma is drinking beer again.” She said, laughing. “I
think your father is home, at least his car is.” Sarah said.

“
He is too.
What is this about Gertie drinking my beer?” Jim walked into the
kitchen laughing.

“Riley was saying
that Gertie was drinking all of your beer the night she kept
farting, because that is when you do.” Suzanne laughed.

“I did not!” Riley
said, pushing her sister.

Jim looked
uncomfortable and Sarah tried to suppress a smile.

“
Hello, Mrs.
Johnson, I understand we are going on a road trip together, are you
packed and ready?” Jim said, trying to quickly change the
subject.

“
I was born
ready!” Mrs. Johnson said. Sarah gave her husband a full on stare.
“Just how many cans of beer have you had today, Jim? You can’t mean
ready to go, like now.”

“Actually, I do mean
right now. Girls, just go change out of your school uniforms and
grab one change of clothes and pack them in the same duffle bag, No
dresses or fancier clothes this trip, not like last time. Mrs.
Johnson – Adela – if you are packed, I will come over and carry
your suitcase for you.”

Adela said “It
will just take me one moment to put these new things in the case
and then I am all set to go.” She said happily. Jim then noticed
the several bags she had in her hands with the names of various
departments’ stores in the mall on them.

“You go ahead,
Adela, I will send Jim over in just a minute or two, I need to
speak with him.” Sarah said.

As soon as Mrs.
Johnson cleared the driveway on her way to her own house, Sarah
turned to her husband. “Jim, are you serious? We are leaving right
this minute? What about the animals, who is going to watch
them?”

“Well, here is the
thing, I called Bob and he and Barbara are going away for the
weekend with John and Jennifer. So, it looks like if you want to
go, we have to take Cooper with us.”

Cooper’s ears perked
up, Thelma’s and Ophelia’s ears pointed downwards.

“What about the
cats? And how do we know if Cooper will get car sick or not? He
hasn’t been in the car for a long drive since we got him, don’t you
think that is taking a chance?” Sarah said.

“
The cats will
be just fine. We will leave them both in our house so they will
have each other as company. As long as we leave them plenty of food
and water – maybe fill the sink or tub with cold water, they should
be fine. We won’t’ be gone for a week or anything. As far as Cooper
going with us, that might be dicey, but I called Don today and had
him read me what Gertie left for him, as far as where the ashes are
supposed to go, and apparently, it is right on the border line of
Kentucky and Tennessee, so we won’t have to go a long ways out of
our way to accomplish this mission!”

“Sounds like you
have it all figured out.” Sarah said.

“
I got the van
oiled and gassed up already today, told them I would be taking a
few days off work, and I really would like to get on the road –
like now, Sarah. Just throw a couple of things in the duffle that
the girls are using, no need for a lot of clothes, no one will see
us besides Don anyway.” Jim said.

“Yes, but you forget
that we are apparently traveling with Cooper, how will we smell
after an hour in the car with him?” Sarah asked.

“
Bring air
freshener and a bottle of wine and let’s book!” Jim said, smiling
and walking out the back door to get Mrs. Johnson and her
suitcase.

Sarah threw up her
hands in mock frustration. She could see the humor in the situation
and although she knew it would be hard traveling with the girls and
Cooper and Mrs. Johnson, she was glad that she did not have to
leave her daughters with someone and also glad that Cooper would
not be left to wonder where they were so soon after the last
time.

Snowball ran
and got the journal off of the computer table and tried to jump
onto the kitchen table with it, but it was too heavy for her cat
form to carry. Cooper tried to help her, but just ended up growling
“momma
.” Sarah walked into the
kitchen and saw what they were doing, or trying to do.

“What is that?” She
said. “Oh, good, I need to finish looking through this.” She said
and then tossed it into her purse and walked downstairs to the
basement. Thelma lost no time in rushing to Sarah and Jim’s bedroom
and jumping on the dresser and taking the red ring into her mouth.
She almost swallowed it by accident when she made a very long jump
down and back into the hallway. She did not know if she could get
her and Ophelia into the car fast enough, but she would not let
them take that ring, she and Ophelia needed that ring to get
home.

Sarah came upstairs
carrying a medium sized duffle bag. Suzanne and Riley came into the
kitchen holding their clothes in their arms and Suzanne also had
Mr. Pickles under her arm. “We are ready, mom!” Riley said.

“Put the clothes in
this. Which one of you were using my Summer Spring bath gel?”
Cooper tilted his head to look at her, Thelma put her head down,
and Ophelia walked into the living room and started rolling around
on the carpet.

“Not me.” Riley
said. “Me neither, you know I don’t like going into the basement,
might be another ghost down there.” Suzanne said, referring to
their last house, which had an extra occupant in the basement.

“
I don’t mind
you using it, but someone spilled it all over the downstairs
bathroom.” Sarah said.
“I had
to take time to clean it up so Snowball and Gertie don’t lick it
and get sick from it. I can’t believe someone just left it all over
the floor.”

Jim called out
to Sarah from their drive way.
Sarah felt annoyed at being so rushed. “Riley, go fill the
bathtub half way full with water, same with the kitchen sink, the
cats have to have enough water to drink. I know that might be
overdoing it, but I worry about them.”

Jim yelled out for
Sarah again. “I’m coming, Jim hold your horses!” She said, walking
into the driveway and seeing Jim standing there with a very big
suitcase. “Oh my.”

“Yeah, Adela here
has everything she needs packed in her suitcase. Are you ready to
go yet?”

“Not really, where
exactly are we supposed to put that suitcase with all of us, plus
Cooper, already in the van?” Sarah asked.

“
Same place as
the trunk went, I guess. Help me get it secured and the tarp over
it.” Jim and Sarah struggled with the tarp until it was on. “If we
had had this the first trip, the trunk wouldn’t have fallen
off.”

Ophelia and Thelma
exchanged a look.

Ophelia ran over to
Mrs. Johnson and nuzzled her ankle until the old woman picked her
up and hugged her goodbye, then Ophelia meowed and ran into the
house. Gertie tried the same thing with Jim, but he just said
“Suzanne. Come get this cat!”

Sarah had Jim
drag in a thirty pound bag of kitty litter and make an extra box
while cleaning out the one Gertie used. She put food out and hid
treats in all the places she knew that Gertie liked to explore,
hoping that the cats would find them after the
y left and would not be hungry. She left the
television on for them so that they would not be afraid. She then
shut the shades and the bedroom doors, and turned on the
nightlights. By this time Jim was yelling.

“Are you ready yet,
Sarah?”

Sarah said a
few choice words
under her
breath and then grabbed a shopping bag and threw two pairs of jeans
and sweaters in it, plus a change of underwear and pajamas. Then
she grabbed another bag and threw some of Jim’s belongings in that
bag. “Yes, Jim, I am ready.”

None of them
noticed the two white ta
ils
sticking out of the tarp on top of the van. “Thelma, your tail!”
Ophelia whispered. Both cats positioned themselves to where they
thought would be the least bumpy ride. Neither of them had a clue
what to do next, but they figured they had several hours to figure
it out.

Thelma spit out the
red ring. “I hope Sarah took the same purse she put the journal
in.”

Sarah couldn’t
help thinking that they forgot something. She mentally went over
the important
items in her
mind
. Locked the
doors, made extra kitty litter box for Snowball, put out enough
snacks and food in various places the cats could find them, they
have enough water, left TV on low for them, shut bedroom doors so
they can’t get into my stuff, I have my purse, I have the journal,
we have Cooper, we have his leash, what am I missing?

Sarah was sitting in
the way back with Cooper, Riley, Suzanne and Mr. Pickles were in
the second seat, and Mrs. Johnson was in front sitting next to Jim.
Cooper seemed happy. He was looking out of the window and had his
tongue hanging out. The big duffle bag was behind the way back
seat. They did not bring a cooler this time. No room for it and Jim
had not given Sarah any notice to get one ready anyway.

“Jim, does Don know
that we are coming?” Sarah asked, having to speak loudly from the
way back.

“
Yeah, I
called him and got direction to Gertie’s ashes final resting place
and told him
that we were
coming. I made it a point of telling him that we needed this to be
a fairly quick trip.” Jim said, adding that last part somewhat for
Mrs. Johnson’s benefit.

“Not really final
resting place with ashes, they will just blow all over the place.”
Riley said.

“
Did you tell
him that I am coming with you?” Mrs. Johnson asked Jim.

“Well, no, wouldn’t
you rather it be a surprise?”

“Yes, I would,
actually.” Mrs. Johnson smiled.

Jim hadn’t
mentioned it to Don because he didn’t know if that was a good idea.
Mrs. Johnson was all set to reunite with him and if Don had said
“who?” or said that he did not wish to see her, that would put Jim
in a position he did not wish to be in. Not that he liked the one
he found himself in now anyway. At least Mrs. Johnson seemed to
be
lost in her own thoughts
and not overly chatty.

They were not making
very good time because it was now the rush hour. The weather was
holding up. Jim hoped that they could get in another few hours
driving before having to stop for anything.

“
I have to go
bathroom, daddy!” Suzanne said.

Jim groaned.
“O.K. sweetie, I’ll find an exit.
”

“I have to go real
bad, daddy!”

Jim found an
exit and then looked for somewhere that had a bathroom. The area
did not look very safe. Jim and Suzanne ran into a party store to
see if they wouldn’t let Suzanne use their facilities.

Mrs. Johnson, still
in the front seat, said “Oh, look, here comes a man with one of
those squeeze things, I bet he is going to ask if he can clean our
windows.”

Sarah took a good
look at the approaching man. “Lock the doors, that is no squeeze
thing in his hands, it is a big knife!”

The man walked close
to the van and Cooper started to growl. The man continued walking
on his way.

Jim and Suzanne ran
back to the van. “All set, honey?” Sarah asked.

“
They wouldn’t
let Suzanne use their bathroom, we have to find somewhere else and
quickly!” Jim said.

They drove for
a couple of blocks, everyone in the van searching for somewhere,
anywhere that could accommodate Suzanne. They had gone almost three
miles before they noticed a fast food place. Jim pulled in and he
and Suzanne quickly jumped out.

The restaurant had
one of those unisex bathrooms and Jim was not about to let Suzanne
out of his sight, so he went in with his little daughter for her
safely.

“Sorry, daddy.”

“
It’s O.K.
Suzanne.” Jim waited patiently for the first couple of minutes,
then became a bit more jumpy. “Everything O.K. in there, Suzanne?”
Suzanne answered him by singing a song. “Suzanne, are you about
done in there?” Her father asked again. Jim finally heard the
toilet flush and Suzanne came out and washed her hands. Jim was
very anxious to get back on the road, they had spent a lot of time
finding a bathroom.

When Suzanne and Jim
walked out of the bathroom, they saw the rest of their group in
line or sitting down eating French fries. Jim could not believe his
eyes. When he walked over to Sarah she said “Well, you two were
taking so long that we got bored in the car. Besides, it gave me a
chance to let Cooper out he has been so good so far. Since we had
to stop anyway, it would be good for all of us to make sure we
don’t have to stop again too soon.”

“
I guess.” Jim
said. The females took turns using the bathroom and then they all
joined Cooper back in the van. Cooper happily gobbled up the French
fries the others brought him.

The entrance
back on the southbound expressway was blocked off for some
sort of construction, there were
three orange barrels blocking their way. That added yet more time
to their travels. They had gone a grand total of fifteen minutes
after they were back on track when Suzanne said “Daddy, I have to
go bathroom!”