A Little Talk

Knock, knock. It was Kristy.

“Um, Karen, may I talk to you for a minute?” she asked.

I was in my room getting ready for bed.

“Sure,” I replied. “What do you want to talk about?”

“I was listening to all the plans you have made for the kitten. They are very good ones,” said Kristy. “But I want to make sure you heard what Charlie said. You need to leave things for the rest of us to do. The kitten will not belong only to you. The kitten will belong to the whole family.”

“I know that,” I said. “But someone has to take special care of it.”

“We will all want to take care of the kitten,” said Kristy. “It will make us feel better now, during the sad time.”

“What sad time?” I asked.

“Don’t you know, Karen? You went to the vet with my mom and Boo-Boo. You should know how sick he is,” said Kristy.

“He is old,” I replied. “It is not that sad. He is just a little slower than he used to be. He was never much fun to play with anyway.”

“Well, I am sad even if you are not,” said Kristy. “You should take some time to think about Boo-Boo. And please remember that any kitten who comes to live here will belong to all of us. You cannot be too bossy about taking care of him.”

“I promise I will not be bossy,” I said.

“And will you remember to think about Boo-Boo?” asked Kristy.

“I will remember.”

“Good night,” said Kristy.

“Good night,” I replied.

As soon as Kristy left, I thought about my plans for the kitten again. I thought about putting the kitten bed on the floor. But maybe the kitten would be happier on my pillow. That would be so cozy. I would have three cats to sleep with. Goosie and Moosie, who are my stuffed cats, and Pumpkin.

Pumpkin. That is the name I picked. I was very happy with it. It was a good name for a boy kitten or a girl kitten. And it would be just right for a kitten who came to live with us around Halloween.

Of course, the kitten would be an orange tiger-striped one. It would have to be, with a name like Pumpkin. I just loved saying that name.

I was saying it to myself when I saw Boo-Boo pass by my room. I stopped and thought a minute about Boo-Boo, just like I had promised. At least I tried. But what was there to think about? Boo-Boo already had a name. He did not need a new bed or a new dish. I could not teach him any tricks. He was too old to learn them. And anyway, he was too cranky.

There. That did it. I had thought about Boo-Boo. Now I could think about Pumpkin — my little orange tiger-striped kitten.