The Delivery
On a window ledge two stories above the ground, a little black and white tomcat named Frank was sitting at his favorite spot, licking his white paws intensively. Just a few feet away, a blue ceramic cat dish could be seen with only a few specs of ground tuna, remnants of a good breakfast. Frank enjoyed it as a treat since it was rare that his owner, Ms. Rose, gave him tuna for breakfast. Frank was expecting his normal chicken-flavored cat food on this beautiful Monday morning, but Ms. Rose ran out of canned cat food and had nothing else to give Frank but a can of Bumblebee tuna. Frank didn’t complain much. In fact, he devoured his breakfast at twice the normal speed for fear that she would find a hidden can of cat food and take his tuna away from him. Luckily for Frank, they were fresh out.
After his bath by the window sill, Frank got up and went into the kitchen to find that Ms. Rose was dressed in her usual light blue cotton pants, a floral print button-up blouse and dark blue slip on shoes. “Come on, handsome,” she said to Frank, “we need to go to the store and buy you some more food.” She grabbed a set of keys out of the brown wicker basket in the kitchen and collected her collapsible metal shopping cart next to the front door. “Can’t keep feeding you tuna,” she said with a wink. All Frank heard were the words “buy” and “tuna” so he gladly trotted out of the apartment and down the stairs after his owner. Mr. Catch, the lobby supervisor, greeted them as they walked out.
Frank quietly trotted after Ms. Rose as they casually walked down Main Street the two and a half blocks to the grocery store. David’s Groceries is a fairly large supermarket for such a small town and includes the main butcher shop, fish market and pet food supply. Everyone in Lakeside shops at David’s. Frank is always thrilled to go shopping since Mr. Seed always throws him a piece of meat over the butcher counter, and occasionally a small shrimp if Ms. Rose buys seafood. He’s also the only cat in town that rides in the shopping cart like a child. Frank is the self-proclaimed protector of Ms. Rose’s purse.
After securing a shopping cart for Frank to ride in they entered the store and went directly to the pet aisle. Frank smiled as he watched Ms. Rose put can after can of Friskies cat food in various flavors into the shopping cart. He was particularly excited when she grabbed a toy mouse off the toy rack and put it in the cart as well. However, Frank acted as if he didn’t see anything since it was more fun to act surprised when he gets new toys after dinner time. Frank was thinking of how he was going to react to the mouse at home as Ms. Rose wheeled him over to the butcher counter.
Frank stared at the display case as they walked by. Despite having eaten an entire can of tuna that morning, Frank’s stomach still rumbled at the sight of the various hams, turkeys and beef within paw’s reach. Mr. Seed greeted them as they walked up to the counter. David Seed is the owner of David’s Groceries. It started as a small butcher shop and specialty supply store before expanding into the town’s main grocery store. He’s an older man with white hair and a large smile on his face. Frank has never seen him without his apron on over a blue plaid shirt and khaki pants.
“Oh hello, David,” said Ms. Rose, “How’s business?”
“It’s going very well, thank you,” replied Mr. Seed. “What can I get for you today?”
“A half a pound of ground chuck and a half pound of Virginia ham will be all.”
Frank waited patiently as Mr. Seed weighed and wrapped up the meat. When he was finished he threw a small piece of turkey over the display case. Frank caught it in mid-air and gladly devoured it in one piece. As Frank licked his lips and washed his paw, Mr. Salt walked up to the counter. Mr. Salt was their neighbor at the apartments who lived down the hall from them.
“Hello, Paul,” greeted Mr. Seed. “Your usual?”
“Yes, sir,” Mr. Salt replied. “And can you have them delivered around nine a.m. tomorrow?” “Sure thing Paul, just give me a second and I’ll ring that up for you.”
Meanwhile, Frank and Ms. Rose paid for their food and walked out of the store, without saying anything to Paul. They haven’t been on good terms since his bulldog Charlie almost knocked Ms. Rose over as she was walking down the hallway with a pile of groceries in hand. It wasn’t Charlie’s fault, he was just chasing after a mouse and had paid no attention to Ms. Rose as he went bounding down the hall trying to get that mouse. Frank didn’t really care for the Salts either since that was supposed to be his mouse.
They walked back to the apartment, stopping only once so Ms. Rose could give Frank a piece of ham for “being such a good cat.” Frank was in high spirits when they got home, it had been a successful trip to the grocery store. Frank spent the remainder of the day lying in the sun by the living room window. After dinner, Frank was “surprised” to see the new, white furry toy mouse in the middle of the living room floor. He spent the next ten minutes amusing Ms. Rose by running around and flipping his new toy into the air and catching it with feline finesse. They both had a great time and went to bed very content. Frank closed his eyes and dreamt of ham and mice all night long.
***
The next morning, Frank finished his breakfast in a hurry because he couldn’t wait to show Sam and Fluffy his new toy. At eight o’clock in the morning Frank scratched at the front door to be let out, the toy mouse secured in his mouth. Ms. Rose scratched him gently behind the ears and told him to “not lose that mouse” as Frank walked down the hallway and downstairs. He passed through the lobby and headed out the glass doors and around the side of the building to the meeting place. The gray and white tabby, Sam, and the fluffy white Persian, Fluffy, were already there waiting for him. Frank walked up to his friends and laid the mouse out in front of them.
“Wow, Frank!” said Sam, “is that new?”
“It sure is. I just got it yesterday,” preened Frank.
“It’s really soft,” said Fluffy, pawing it a little.
“Oh, I want one,” groaned Sam. “You always get the best toys Frank.”
Sam snatched the mouse away from Fluffy and started batting it around.
“Just don’t lose it Sam,” said Frank.
“If you really didn’t want to lose it then you shouldn’t have brought it,” chimed in Fluffy, “You know that one,” she said pointing to Sam. “He can lose a cruise ship in a shallow lake if you leave him alone with it long enough.”
Sam trotted back, mouse in mouth, looking very pleased with himself. “Great toy, Frank.”
“Are you sure you’ve had enough? asked Fluffy with a grin.
“What about you Fluffster?” asked Frank, “do you want to play with it awhile?”
“Oh no,” said Fluffy, “I’m biting from tongue until the meat truck comes. Does anybody know when it’s coming?
“Nine” replied Frank, licking his paws.
“Good, I’m in the mood for some smoked turkey today. Old Mr. Salt orders the best turkey there is in the entire world!” said Fluffy, her stomach grumbling a little.
“Yeah he does,” said Sam.
“Well,” said Frank, “it should be here soon. We should go out front and wait till it comes.”
Frank scooped up the mouse toy in his mouth and walked to the front of the building with Sam and Fluffy. They found a spot by the front door in the shade. There were a few people outside the apartments so, as to not look so suspicious, the cats decided to split up. Frank stayed by the front door while Fluffy ran to the other side of the doorway and Sam went underneath the gold sedan parked in front of the complex. They only had to wait a few more minutes before the blue and white delivery truck pulled up.
Frank tucked the mouse behind an empty soda can and ran out to meet Mr. Salt as he came down the stairs to get his food. Sam and fluffy came running when they saw the bags of premium smoked turkey and various hams leave the truck and placed into the hands of Mr. Salt. He didn’t seem too surprised to see the cats and was glad to open the bag of turkey and give them a slice each. Mr. Salt signed for his food and went back up to his apartment. The delivery man hurriedly packed up his truck and proceeded to drive away. Frank walked to the spot where the truck was and found a set of keys laying in the street. He grabbed them and carried them over to Sam. “Here, carry these to the back.” Sam picked up the keys as Frank grabbed his mouse and the three of them walked to their secret spot.
Behind the apartment, nestled within the pine trees and sage bushes, is a clearing where the cats meet for planning adventures and talking without outside distractions. Sam dropped the found keys on the ground as Frank dropped his mouse in a pile of pine needles.
“What do we do with them?” asked Fluffy.
“Did anybody see who dropped them?” Frank asked.
“I swear I was watching the truck like you said to,” chimed in Sam. “I didn’t see any keys until the truck left.”
“Well,” said Frank, “we’ll just have to find out who they belong to the old fashioned way.”
“Oh!” Sam was excited. “I like mysteries.”
Fluffy rolled her eyes. “Come on guys, let’s think about this. We just had lunch, and it’s hot outside, and maybe we should just put the keys back where we found them. Someone has to be looking for them, right?”
Frank nodded. “Well, we know it wasn’t Mr. Salt because he went right back up the stairs with his delivery.”
“And the keys don’t belong to the delivery driver because he drove off,” added Fluffy.
“So, the keys were there before the meat truck came?” asked Sam in clarification.
“Guess so,” said Frank. “Which means, whoever needs these keys is probably still around.”
“Well then let’s look around the park, in the shade,” suggested Fluffy.
“And the front of the apartments,” added Sam, his stomach growling.
“You just want to see if there is more turkey there!” laughed Fluffy.
Frank also chuckled. “But that is a good idea,” added Frank with a smile. “Let’s split up and see what we can find.”
“Sam should watch the keys, or else we’ll never finish this quest,” teased Fluffy.
Sam stuck his tongue out in response.
“I’ll watch the keys,” said Frank, breaking up the cat fight before it could start. “Sam, you go up front. Fluffy you go around the park. Meet back here in five.” Sam and Fluffy nodded and went their separate directions.
***
Frank was alternating between batting the keys around the pine needles and sending the toy mouse flying off into the bushes, which he would then trot off to retrieve. He set the mouse in the clearing once more and looked around, his friends were nowhere to be seen and it felt like five minutes had come and gone. Frank heard something rustling in the bushes nearby and was relieved to see Fluffy sauntering back in to the clearing.
“Any luck?” Frank asked as Fluffy sat down.
“Not many people in the park today,” panted Fluffy. “I went around the entire park and I couldn’t find anyone who looked like they needed keys.”
“Why are you panting?” asked Frank, a little concerned.
“Chased a butterfly,” breathed Fluffy. “Sorry if I’m late…” she looked around the clearing, “where’s Sam?”
Just then the gray and white blur that was the tabby cat Sam came barreling into the clearing from the front of the apartments. He was even more out of breath than Fluffy was.
“Frank,” Sam said between breaths, “come…quick. Ms. Rose…is…crying…in the…lobby.” Sam sighed, took a deep breath and continued. “I think she lost something. Mr. Catch is looking all over outside.”
“So those are your keys Frank!” shouted Fluffy in excitement.
“You guys watch the mouse, I’ll take the keys back,” Frank said before scooping up the keys in his mouth. He ran through the park and around the side of the apartments to the sidewalk. He saw Mr. Catch walking away from the apartment doors towards the light to cross Main Street. Frank hurriedly placed the keys where he had stashed the toy mouse earlier for the delivery and started meowing loudly. Ms. Rose appeared from the lobby as the doors slide open and Mr. Catch turned around to see where the noise was coming from.
“Frank?” asked Ms. Rose, wiping tears from her eyes as she walked down the steps and picked him up. “What are you doing here?” She looked down and let out of a cry of relief when she saw her keys. Mr. Catch was just coming up behind them when she pointed to the spot where to the keys were and said “look!”
“That’a boy, Frank!” Mr. Catch said as he picked up the keys and handed them to Ms. Rose. After a few pats on the head and endless thanks, they all went inside to the lobby. Frank meowed once more and Ms. Rose turned around to see Sam and Fluffy at the door, with the toy mouse secured in Sam’s mouth. She motioned for them to join Frank and her as they made their way up the stairs to their second-story apartment.
Frank, Sam, and Fluffy were fed a feast of tuna and salmon, as Ms. Rose was entirely grateful and happy to have found her keys safe and sound. After some down time playing with the mouse and various feather toys, and making Ms. Rose laugh and giggle in the process, Frank quietly scratched at the front door. Ms. Rose opened it and left it open as she bid the cats good night and Frank walked Sam and Fluffy out through the lobby.
“That was quite a day, Frank,” said Fluffy.
“Thanks for the tuna,” added Sam, smiling.
All three cats laughed at the weird ways things work out sometimes and said their good-byes. Frank waved as Sam trotted across the street to his apartment and Fluffy crossed the town square to make her way home to the lakeside community. Once he knew they were safe out of sight, he trotted back upstairs where Ms. Rose was waiting with the toy mouse in hand. As she closed the door to the apartment she beckoned Frank to bed. As he settled in for the night in his plush, round cat bed near his favorite window, he hugged his mouse close and began to dream of the next adventure him and his two best friends, Sam and Fluffy, could have. He fell a sleep with a big smile and a little grin on his face.
After his bath by the window sill, Frank got up and went into the kitchen to find that Ms. Rose was dressed in her usual light blue cotton pants, a floral print button-up blouse and dark blue slip on shoes. “Come on, handsome,” she said to Frank, “we need to go to the store and buy you some more food.” She grabbed a set of keys out of the brown wicker basket in the kitchen and collected her collapsible metal shopping cart next to the front door. “Can’t keep feeding you tuna,” she said with a wink. All Frank heard were the words “buy” and “tuna” so he gladly trotted out of the apartment and down the stairs after his owner. Mr. Catch, the lobby supervisor, greeted them as they walked out.
Frank quietly trotted after Ms. Rose as they casually walked down Main Street the two and a half blocks to the grocery store. David’s Groceries is a fairly large supermarket for such a small town and includes the main butcher shop, fish market and pet food supply. Everyone in Lakeside shops at David’s. Frank is always thrilled to go shopping since Mr. Seed always throws him a piece of meat over the butcher counter, and occasionally a small shrimp if Ms. Rose buys seafood. He’s also the only cat in town that rides in the shopping cart like a child. Frank is the self-proclaimed protector of Ms. Rose’s purse.
After securing a shopping cart for Frank to ride in they entered the store and went directly to the pet aisle. Frank smiled as he watched Ms. Rose put can after can of Friskies cat food in various flavors into the shopping cart. He was particularly excited when she grabbed a toy mouse off the toy rack and put it in the cart as well. However, Frank acted as if he didn’t see anything since it was more fun to act surprised when he gets new toys after dinner time. Frank was thinking of how he was going to react to the mouse at home as Ms. Rose wheeled him over to the butcher counter.
Frank stared at the display case as they walked by. Despite having eaten an entire can of tuna that morning, Frank’s stomach still rumbled at the sight of the various hams, turkeys and beef within paw’s reach. Mr. Seed greeted them as they walked up to the counter. David Seed is the owner of David’s Groceries. It started as a small butcher shop and specialty supply store before expanding into the town’s main grocery store. He’s an older man with white hair and a large smile on his face. Frank has never seen him without his apron on over a blue plaid shirt and khaki pants.
“Oh hello, David,” said Ms. Rose, “How’s business?”
“It’s going very well, thank you,” replied Mr. Seed. “What can I get for you today?”
“A half a pound of ground chuck and a half pound of Virginia ham will be all.”
Frank waited patiently as Mr. Seed weighed and wrapped up the meat. When he was finished he threw a small piece of turkey over the display case. Frank caught it in mid-air and gladly devoured it in one piece. As Frank licked his lips and washed his paw, Mr. Salt walked up to the counter. Mr. Salt was their neighbor at the apartments who lived down the hall from them.
“Hello, Paul,” greeted Mr. Seed. “Your usual?”
“Yes, sir,” Mr. Salt replied. “And can you have them delivered around nine a.m. tomorrow?” “Sure thing Paul, just give me a second and I’ll ring that up for you.”
Meanwhile, Frank and Ms. Rose paid for their food and walked out of the store, without saying anything to Paul. They haven’t been on good terms since his bulldog Charlie almost knocked Ms. Rose over as she was walking down the hallway with a pile of groceries in hand. It wasn’t Charlie’s fault, he was just chasing after a mouse and had paid no attention to Ms. Rose as he went bounding down the hall trying to get that mouse. Frank didn’t really care for the Salts either since that was supposed to be his mouse.
They walked back to the apartment, stopping only once so Ms. Rose could give Frank a piece of ham for “being such a good cat.” Frank was in high spirits when they got home, it had been a successful trip to the grocery store. Frank spent the remainder of the day lying in the sun by the living room window. After dinner, Frank was “surprised” to see the new, white furry toy mouse in the middle of the living room floor. He spent the next ten minutes amusing Ms. Rose by running around and flipping his new toy into the air and catching it with feline finesse. They both had a great time and went to bed very content. Frank closed his eyes and dreamt of ham and mice all night long.
***
The next morning, Frank finished his breakfast in a hurry because he couldn’t wait to show Sam and Fluffy his new toy. At eight o’clock in the morning Frank scratched at the front door to be let out, the toy mouse secured in his mouth. Ms. Rose scratched him gently behind the ears and told him to “not lose that mouse” as Frank walked down the hallway and downstairs. He passed through the lobby and headed out the glass doors and around the side of the building to the meeting place. The gray and white tabby, Sam, and the fluffy white Persian, Fluffy, were already there waiting for him. Frank walked up to his friends and laid the mouse out in front of them.
“Wow, Frank!” said Sam, “is that new?”
“It sure is. I just got it yesterday,” preened Frank.
“It’s really soft,” said Fluffy, pawing it a little.
“Oh, I want one,” groaned Sam. “You always get the best toys Frank.”
Sam snatched the mouse away from Fluffy and started batting it around.
“Just don’t lose it Sam,” said Frank.
“If you really didn’t want to lose it then you shouldn’t have brought it,” chimed in Fluffy, “You know that one,” she said pointing to Sam. “He can lose a cruise ship in a shallow lake if you leave him alone with it long enough.”
Sam trotted back, mouse in mouth, looking very pleased with himself. “Great toy, Frank.”
“Are you sure you’ve had enough? asked Fluffy with a grin.
“What about you Fluffster?” asked Frank, “do you want to play with it awhile?”
“Oh no,” said Fluffy, “I’m biting from tongue until the meat truck comes. Does anybody know when it’s coming?
“Nine” replied Frank, licking his paws.
“Good, I’m in the mood for some smoked turkey today. Old Mr. Salt orders the best turkey there is in the entire world!” said Fluffy, her stomach grumbling a little.
“Yeah he does,” said Sam.
“Well,” said Frank, “it should be here soon. We should go out front and wait till it comes.”
Frank scooped up the mouse toy in his mouth and walked to the front of the building with Sam and Fluffy. They found a spot by the front door in the shade. There were a few people outside the apartments so, as to not look so suspicious, the cats decided to split up. Frank stayed by the front door while Fluffy ran to the other side of the doorway and Sam went underneath the gold sedan parked in front of the complex. They only had to wait a few more minutes before the blue and white delivery truck pulled up.
Frank tucked the mouse behind an empty soda can and ran out to meet Mr. Salt as he came down the stairs to get his food. Sam and fluffy came running when they saw the bags of premium smoked turkey and various hams leave the truck and placed into the hands of Mr. Salt. He didn’t seem too surprised to see the cats and was glad to open the bag of turkey and give them a slice each. Mr. Salt signed for his food and went back up to his apartment. The delivery man hurriedly packed up his truck and proceeded to drive away. Frank walked to the spot where the truck was and found a set of keys laying in the street. He grabbed them and carried them over to Sam. “Here, carry these to the back.” Sam picked up the keys as Frank grabbed his mouse and the three of them walked to their secret spot.
Behind the apartment, nestled within the pine trees and sage bushes, is a clearing where the cats meet for planning adventures and talking without outside distractions. Sam dropped the found keys on the ground as Frank dropped his mouse in a pile of pine needles.
“What do we do with them?” asked Fluffy.
“Did anybody see who dropped them?” Frank asked.
“I swear I was watching the truck like you said to,” chimed in Sam. “I didn’t see any keys until the truck left.”
“Well,” said Frank, “we’ll just have to find out who they belong to the old fashioned way.”
“Oh!” Sam was excited. “I like mysteries.”
Fluffy rolled her eyes. “Come on guys, let’s think about this. We just had lunch, and it’s hot outside, and maybe we should just put the keys back where we found them. Someone has to be looking for them, right?”
Frank nodded. “Well, we know it wasn’t Mr. Salt because he went right back up the stairs with his delivery.”
“And the keys don’t belong to the delivery driver because he drove off,” added Fluffy.
“So, the keys were there before the meat truck came?” asked Sam in clarification.
“Guess so,” said Frank. “Which means, whoever needs these keys is probably still around.”
“Well then let’s look around the park, in the shade,” suggested Fluffy.
“And the front of the apartments,” added Sam, his stomach growling.
“You just want to see if there is more turkey there!” laughed Fluffy.
Frank also chuckled. “But that is a good idea,” added Frank with a smile. “Let’s split up and see what we can find.”
“Sam should watch the keys, or else we’ll never finish this quest,” teased Fluffy.
Sam stuck his tongue out in response.
“I’ll watch the keys,” said Frank, breaking up the cat fight before it could start. “Sam, you go up front. Fluffy you go around the park. Meet back here in five.” Sam and Fluffy nodded and went their separate directions.
***
Frank was alternating between batting the keys around the pine needles and sending the toy mouse flying off into the bushes, which he would then trot off to retrieve. He set the mouse in the clearing once more and looked around, his friends were nowhere to be seen and it felt like five minutes had come and gone. Frank heard something rustling in the bushes nearby and was relieved to see Fluffy sauntering back in to the clearing.
“Any luck?” Frank asked as Fluffy sat down.
“Not many people in the park today,” panted Fluffy. “I went around the entire park and I couldn’t find anyone who looked like they needed keys.”
“Why are you panting?” asked Frank, a little concerned.
“Chased a butterfly,” breathed Fluffy. “Sorry if I’m late…” she looked around the clearing, “where’s Sam?”
Just then the gray and white blur that was the tabby cat Sam came barreling into the clearing from the front of the apartments. He was even more out of breath than Fluffy was.
“Frank,” Sam said between breaths, “come…quick. Ms. Rose…is…crying…in the…lobby.” Sam sighed, took a deep breath and continued. “I think she lost something. Mr. Catch is looking all over outside.”
“So those are your keys Frank!” shouted Fluffy in excitement.
“You guys watch the mouse, I’ll take the keys back,” Frank said before scooping up the keys in his mouth. He ran through the park and around the side of the apartments to the sidewalk. He saw Mr. Catch walking away from the apartment doors towards the light to cross Main Street. Frank hurriedly placed the keys where he had stashed the toy mouse earlier for the delivery and started meowing loudly. Ms. Rose appeared from the lobby as the doors slide open and Mr. Catch turned around to see where the noise was coming from.
“Frank?” asked Ms. Rose, wiping tears from her eyes as she walked down the steps and picked him up. “What are you doing here?” She looked down and let out of a cry of relief when she saw her keys. Mr. Catch was just coming up behind them when she pointed to the spot where to the keys were and said “look!”
“That’a boy, Frank!” Mr. Catch said as he picked up the keys and handed them to Ms. Rose. After a few pats on the head and endless thanks, they all went inside to the lobby. Frank meowed once more and Ms. Rose turned around to see Sam and Fluffy at the door, with the toy mouse secured in Sam’s mouth. She motioned for them to join Frank and her as they made their way up the stairs to their second-story apartment.
Frank, Sam, and Fluffy were fed a feast of tuna and salmon, as Ms. Rose was entirely grateful and happy to have found her keys safe and sound. After some down time playing with the mouse and various feather toys, and making Ms. Rose laugh and giggle in the process, Frank quietly scratched at the front door. Ms. Rose opened it and left it open as she bid the cats good night and Frank walked Sam and Fluffy out through the lobby.
“That was quite a day, Frank,” said Fluffy.
“Thanks for the tuna,” added Sam, smiling.
All three cats laughed at the weird ways things work out sometimes and said their good-byes. Frank waved as Sam trotted across the street to his apartment and Fluffy crossed the town square to make her way home to the lakeside community. Once he knew they were safe out of sight, he trotted back upstairs where Ms. Rose was waiting with the toy mouse in hand. As she closed the door to the apartment she beckoned Frank to bed. As he settled in for the night in his plush, round cat bed near his favorite window, he hugged his mouse close and began to dream of the next adventure him and his two best friends, Sam and Fluffy, could have. He fell a sleep with a big smile and a little grin on his face.
