Cat Lady, page 25
‘We’re off for a pint, if you want to come?’ Alec asks.
‘No, but thank you,’ I say, excited for their budding friendship. ‘But have fun.’
The two of them leave, Lee and I smiling emphatically like proud parents.
‘Sorry I made you dig that huge hole. It was such a waste of your time,’ I say, staring at the ground.
‘Don’t be sorry,’ he says, taking my hand in his. ‘Nothing is a waste of time if it gets you to where you’re supposed to be.’
I rest my head on his shoulder. My life feels like a series of complicated events getting me to this moment. Exactly where I am supposed to be; right here, with him.
The doorbell rings. ‘Are you expecting someone?’ he asks.
‘No.’
Whoever wants to come in is ringing the doorbell repeatedly. It’s urgent and frightening. I walk towards the door nervously.
‘Do you want me to open it?’ Lee offers.
‘No, just be close.’ I open it slowly, but whoever is behind the door pushes it. Before I have a chance to realise what’s going on, Oliver is clinging to my waist.
‘Mia!’ he says, with total joy.
‘Oliver!’ I bend down so his arms can reach around my neck and breathe him in as he gives me the biggest cuddle he has ever given me in his life. I realise Belinda is standing behind him. I don’t let it distract me.
‘He misses you,’ she says, with an air of defeat. ‘He’s been begging to come and see you for weeks.’
‘Oliver,’ I say, looking him right in the eye. ‘You can come and see me whenever you want, OK? I am always here for you, and I’ve missed you so, so much. Do you want to come in? I’ve got a new kitten?’
‘YES,’ he beams.
‘You can come too, Belinda. If you want?’ She closes the door and looks warily at Lee.
‘Oh, this is my boyfriend, Lee. Lee, this is Belinda.’
‘Hello Lee,’ she says, shaking his hand when he offers it to her.
‘Hello Belinda, I’ve heard a lot about you.’
‘Oh God, I can only imagine.’
‘Well, she let you in, didn’t she?’ Lee jokes.
She follows us into the kitchen.
My kitchen.
In my house.
Where I live alone, with my cat.
Acknowledgements
Thanks to my entire team at HarperCollins for getting me to the point of loving this book like it’s another pet. Kimberley and Charlotte for the edits. Liz for making sure everyone knew about it. Claire for the cover and everyone in marketing and beyond who have done such a brilliant job.
Thank you to my agent, Adrian Sington. We’ve now worked together for almost twenty years, isn’t that wild? I love our phone calls and long lunches. I love how much you encourage me and how honest you are whilst also making me want to write more and more. I’m so very lucky to have you.
Thanks to ALL my friends. I am not listing you this time because you know who you are, and I always miss someone out and feel awful. But I love you and I know I’m a terrible bore and extremely dramatic when I’m on a deadline so please know I appreciate your encouragement. When I said, ‘No, this time it’s bad. Like, really bad. I’ve totally fucked it. I hate it and I hate myself,’ thank you for reminding me I always say that and to keep going.
Saying that, I am going to call out one person, my darling Shawnta. You’ve become integral to my life in so many ways. I simply have no idea how I functioned before we met. I love you endlessly and beyond. Tuesdays forever!
Thanks to Rachel Jackson for helping me set the scene at Isabella May.
Thanks to my Patreon subscribers for supporting me. I love writing for you and am so grateful you’ve allowed me to create a space where I can work hard, get paid and therefore buy kaftans.
Thanks to Aunty Jane and Uncle Tony for introducing me to having pets when I was a kid. Looking after animals is truly one of the greatest joys of my life and it started at home.
Thank you to the great furry loves of my life. Sniff, Acre, Fluke, Nin, Tiku, Minu, Lilu, Potato, Twiglet, Suska, Myrtle and Boo. My pets over the years.
I had a hard time when I was a kid. My mum died. It was absolutely awful and I struggled in ways I’m still not really honest about. Animals saved me. It’s as simple as that. Whether it was Nin, the Siamese cat we had when I was a kid, pawing at my cheeks, or the hours and hours I spent at Fermain Bay with my beloved bearded collie, Acre, the joy I got from animals was unparalleled. And even as a forty-three-year-old happily married mother of two, my moments alone with my cats are still so very, very precious, therapeutic and essential to my wellbeing.
In the last two years we lost our cat Lilu and our dog Potato. It felt like life would always have them in it. Lilu defined my adult life, Potato was really our first baby. He needed so much from us and every morning we’d wake up willing to give him whatever it took to make him feel like the happiest, most loved little guy in the world. I can hardly mention his name without crying and I honestly wonder if it will always feel this way. There is no such thing as ‘just’ a pet. They are family, our heart and soul. It’s not fair that their lives are so short, and even worse when their lives are cut shorter than they should be.
I wrote this book because pet grief is real, and it deserves to be written about. Be there for your friends when this happens, they really need you. Thank you to all of ours who hurt with us, sent things, showed up and held us tight. It meant more than you know.
To my family, Chris, Art and Valentine. The home we have created makes doing this much easier. I feel very lucky to have you all. We will always have each other.
And thank you to myself for not giving up, because I know you wanted to. You often don’t take the easiest route, but you always get there in the end. So well done, from me. x
A Note from Dawn
Thanks to my Patreon community for giving me a place where I can happily overshare. I absolutely love writing for you all. Here is a special page mentioning the names of everyone who signed up to the tier to get a shout-out in this book. I appreciate you all so much.
Melodie Rae Storey
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Gill
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Hillary
Sharne
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Claire
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Iciar Arostegui
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Amberley
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Christine M
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Mig
Ann-Marie
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Cheryl
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Hayley Walsh
Jo
Roisin
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Jo Lee
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Belinda B
Donna
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Negar Ghadiri-Zare
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Anne McGuire
Kate
Darcey Lily O’Shea
Kaz
Lauren Bennett
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Angharad
Dee
Tracy
Alex
Tara Stewart
Emma Bahl
Laura Sullivan
Ellen Bowden
Sarah Haddon
Sam Tannahill
Emma Hegarty
Jane Hamilton
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About the Author
DAWN O’PORTER lives in Los Angeles with her husband Chris, her two boys Art and Valentine, and cats Myrtle and Boo. Dawn is the bestselling author of The Cows and the Richard and Judy Book Club pick So Lucky, and her non-fiction title Life in Pieces was also a Sunday Times bestseller.
Dawn started out in TV production but quickly landed in front of the camera, making numerous documentaries that included immersive investigations of Polygamy, Size Zero, Childbirth, Free Love, Breast Cancer and the movie Dirty Dancing. Dawn’s journalism has appeared in multiple publications and she was the monthly columnist for Glamour magazine. She is now a full-time writer of eight books, Co-Founder and Director of Choose Love Inc., designs dresses for Joanie Clothing, LOVES Instagram, and has a large following on her Patreon blog.
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Also by Dawn O’Porter
FICTION
The Cows
So Lucky
NON-FICTION
Life in Pieces
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Dawn O’Porter, Cat Lady
