Tuesday Tales: From the Word Anxious

Wow! Mid-September. Time really does go by faster when you get older. Welcome to this week’s Tuesday Tales. Our word prompt is ANXIOUS.

“He is, not quite eight months old, but he’s big, beautiful, and even-tempered, although he’s taken a definite dislike to our guests.” She looked up at the cat. “Come down here and meet Anca. You’ve been waiting for her for months.”

Peanut turned to the parrot, and I swear the bird nodded her head. He stood and descended the stairs with all the grace and majesty of a runway model, stopping at my feet to sniff me, before looking up at me with large, wide-set, slanted, gold eyes, I swear were filled with awe and admiration—or were those my eyes reflected in his? The tips of his ears were tufted, and his hair was thick and lush. He was truly a magnificent—if larger than expected—animal. He opened his mouth, but instead of the meow I expected, out came a chirp, or was it a trill? The cat spoke bird?

“What’s wrong with his voice?”

“Nothing. That’s how he talks, although he will meow if something is wrong, the way Roberta said he did when Selma fell, and he purrs when he’s happy. Go ahead; touch him. He won’t hurt you. The other animals are all quite taken with the handsome devil. If he likes you, he may even bring you a gift.”

Anxious not to offend him or impress him too much, I lowered my hand and scratched him between the ears the way I did Calliope, surprised by the sense of warmth that seeped into me. His purr was instantaneous, a heavy rumble that couldn’t hide his contentment.

I smiled. “Just so we’re straight,” I said, feeling foolish, but Elvira had spoken to him first, “if you decide to bring me a present, could you make it a flower? I’m partial to orange or yellow ones.”

A sudden noise at the top of the stairs sent Hester flying down them. Peanut gave me one last look and then bolted after her. Hopefully, he’d understood my heartfelt plea, and I didn’t have to look forward to finding some dead thing dropped at my feet. I looked up as half a dozen men came down the stairs. These were cameramen? They more closely resembled gangsters, the kind I would pick to be enforcers for loan sharks. You know, the Louis the Lip ones who broke kneecaps and other body parts for fun.

That’s it. Stay safe and don’t forget to check out the other Tuesday Tales