**A Lucky Gift**
“Oh, no, no, no!” Lana glanced at her watch and quickened her pace, though she was already nearly running. “If I’m late, Ill never hear the end of it.”
The chilly November afternoon was anything but inviting. Slush covered the pavement, the sky hung dull and grey overhead, and a miserable mix of rain and sleet fell relentlessly. To make matters worse, an overnight frost had left the puddles glazed with thin ice. Lana, her nose buried in a scarf, winced as her feet slipped on yet another patch. Near the bus stop, she finally lost her balance and tumbled into a shallow puddle. She couldnt help but curse under her breath.
“Blimey! My mum always says swearing in publics not on,” a boyabout tengrinned down at her. “Need a hand?”
Lana shook her head. What help would it be now? Her cream-coloured coat, bought for style rather than practicality, was ruined. The puddle had been shallow, but it had done its damage. Todays plans were well and truly scuppered. Liam would be furious.
“Not in a hurry anymore, then?” The boy, it seemed, wasnt about to leave her be. She clambered up, trying in vain to brush off her coat, already feeling the damp seep through her trousers. Glaring at him, she huffed.
“Oi, dont get cross! Didnt mean to offend.” He hesitated, then dug into his jacket. “Heretake him, yeah? Ive got school, and hell freeze out here. Cant keep him at homeweve got dogs. Already missed first lesson. Mums clever, but if I skip the rest, she wont be happy.”
A tiny kitten shivered as he pulled it from under his coat.
“A money cat!” Lana reached out automatically, stroking the tiny creature.
“A what?” The boy blinked.
“Money cat. See his coat? All mixed colours. They say they bring luck, happinesseven wealth.”
“Well then! Hes yours! For luckgo on, take him!”
Lana shook her head. “Cant. I wont have time for him.”
But the boy wasnt listening. He thrust the kitten into her hands, waved, and dashed onto the arriving bus.
“Hell bring you happiness! Promise!” His words were swallowed by the street noise as Lana stood theresoaked, filthy, and now holding a kitten. She was already late, and suddenly, there was no reason to rush.
“Well,” she muttered, recalling his earlier remark about swearing. “Suppose the day just got interesting. What am I supposed to do with you now, eh, Lucky?”
She cradled the shivering kitten, sighing. “Never had a cat before. What do you even eat?”
The kitten mewed pitifully. Lana sighed again. Couldnt just abandon the poor thing. For some reason, she felt sorry for himand for herself. They were alike, really. Unmoored. Not quite needed by anyone, not since Mum had gone.
Her phone buzzed in her pocket. She tucked the kitten under her coat. “Warmer now? Thats better.”
A glance at the screen made her wince. Liam.
“Where are you?” His voice was ice.
“At the bus stop near home. I fell.”
“You what?”
“Slipped. Fell in a puddle.”
“Right. Cant even stay on your feet? How longs this going to take?”
Lana exhaled, calculating how long shed need to clean up.
“I asked you a question! Mumll be furious if were late.”
“I” She started to reply when a tiny pink nose poked out from her coat. The kitten sneezed. Lana startled, nearly dropping the phone. “Liam, I dont think were going today. Im soaked, dirty”
“Are you hearing yourself? Do you even care? Or is this just a joke to you?” Liam exploded. Lana held the phone away from her ear. “We planned this for ages! Mums gone to all this troublemeeting my fiancée! And you?”
“But shes already met me. And she knows were engaged.”
“And you think thats enough?” His voice trembled with fury.
Lana stayed silent, staring into the kittens oddly intent eyes.
“Are you listening? Why arent you saying anything?” Liams tirade petered out, his usual patternfirst rage, then calm. At first, she hadnt understood how to handle it. He was her first serious boyfriend, and shed had no frame of reference.
Lana had grown up in quiet gentleness. Mum, Nan, Grandadnone had ever raised their voices. Her father had died when she was small, and Mum had sworn off love, devoting herself to Lana, her ageing parents, and her work. Lana, like her mother, had been a late arrival.
“Why so late, Mum?”
“Because I was daft. Chose my career. Loved surgerybut its relentless. Always on call. Couldnt step back without falling behind. Shouldve had you sooner, love. Maybe more than one. When Im gone, wholl you have?”
Lana would press a hand to her mothers lips, refusing to hear it. Yet Mums fear of not seeing her grow up had been palpable, as if shed known something. Every milestoneprimary to secondary school, GCSEs, A-levels, uniMum had exhaled in relief.
“Good.”
Lana hadnt known about her mothers failing health until it was too late. The day Mum sat her down, shed said,
“Darling, Ive done all I can for you. Now its your turn.” Shed hugged Lana as she wept. “Dont crywell do that later. Listen carefully. These documentsflat, car. Youre quite the catch now. So choose carefully. Dont rush. And keep your cards close. The less he knows early on, the better. Watch him. If his concern is for you, not himselfthats your man.”
“How will I know?”
“Let me tell you how I knew your dad was the one.”
Lana had nodded.
“We were at uni together. Barely knew each otherjust hello in the halls. Both broke students, scraping by. My parents helpedthey were in the countryside, sent food every month. Your dad had no one. Parents gone, an aunt too far. Then my mum fell ill. Badly. Hospital for two months. Dad nursed her while I sat examswouldnt let me visit. First time Id been without their help. First month I managed. Secondworse. Then I caught a cold. Turned to pneumonia.” Mum had chuckled. “Doctors make the worst patients. Flatmate had gone home. I was alone. Feverish, delirious. Three days without food. Woke up in a strange roomtea, soup, meds by the bed. Arms sore. Andwhyre you laughing? Youve guessed, havent you? He never did learn to give injections properly. But he tried. Later, I found out hed pawned Mums wedding ringhis only keepsaketo buy chicken and medicine for me.”
“This one?” Lana had touched her mothers ring.
“Yes. He got it back, gave it to me when we married. And wed barely known each other, love. A man like thatyou hold onto. Doesnt take illness to see itjust watch. Hell show you, sooner or later.”
Now, staring at the kitten, Lana remembered. She lowered the phone. How had she forgotten? Was Liam anything like the man Mum described? Did love mean enduring this? A day, a yearno. Definitely no. This wasnt love. You didnt speak to someone you loved like this. Liam had proposedbut never said he loved her. Hadnt thought it necessary.
“But I need to hear it!” Lana said aloud, then caught herself. Lifting the phone, she cut off Liams rant. “Do you love me?”
Silence. Then
“Whats wrong with you? Ive been going on for an hour, and you ask that? Expect me to answer?”
“Yes,” Lana said simply, stroking the kitten nestled against her.
Liam said nothing. No answer existed.
“Be happy, Liam. Hope you find someone you can answer that for. Dont call me again.”
She hung up before he could reply. A hollow ache settled in her chest.
“Whyre you staring? Might as well scratch me. Isnt that what cats do when things go wrong?” She adjusted the kitten and trudged home.
Her coat hung like a wet rag, the cold biting through. Teeth chattering, she broke into a run, tears streaking her face. Fumbling with the key, she finally got inside, dropped her coat, and sank to
