Episode Twenty-Nine

Episode Twenty-Nine   Charley, the Cat

    “It wasn’t personal, My Princess, it was just part of my ongoing investigation.  I was looking for a reason to dislike you, to find in you this nasty, vicious person they said you were.  I was looking for…”

    “A whip and handcuffs in my underwear drawer?”

    “Oh, really?  I never found those.  Never found even the smallest…”

    “This all sounds very personal to me, but.  Go on.”   

    “The cat.”

    “The cat?  You know about the cat?  Charley?”

    “Did you know that old gray cat never had a home, or any attention?  Did you know you were the only person to ever feed him, or pet him, or love him?”

    “My landlord told me I couldn’t keep him or even let him inside the apartment.  But I fed him on the back porch.  I brought a big box home from work to use as a bed with some of my old clothes.  I scratched his head and his ears, and told him… things.”

    “I know.  I watched.  You told him he was very special and smart and handsome.  You told him he was a good boy.  And that you would find a safe place for him before the heavy snows came, even if it meant hiding him at the trucking company.  And he believed you.”

    “That cat was my only friend.”  She blinked back tears when she thought of sweet Charley.

    “He loved you, too.  You made a big difference in his life, Sam, I mean, My Princess.  You made him happy.  You made him feel like he mattered to someone.”

    “And that’s why you didn’t kill me?  Because of the cat?  Because I gave the stray cat a purpose in life?”

    “No.  I knew if I found you that easily, someone else might find you, too.  The Galtari National High Council would certainly send someone else to finish the job.  That’s when I started looking for another doorway, a portal to a place where we could go and live safely and happily together.”

    “Ah, Jaks!  But how did you know I would agree to that?”

    “The cat told me,” he grinned.  “He told me… you were a truly wonderful woman, and that if you could find something worth loving in him, you could love me.”  She shook her head and laughed some more.  “Well?  Do you?” he smiled shyly, already knowing the answer.

    “Yes, Jaks, I do.”

    “See?  Always trust the cat.”

    “Oh!  Good Lord!  How long am I to sit here listening to this gooey, Galt insanity-induced drivel, Daughter?  A talking cat?  Nonsense!  And what does all this mean?  Apartment?  Glitsy?  Magazine?  What code talk is this?  Let me at this bag of bones and I’ll get him to talk sense.”

    “Don’t worry, Jaks.  I won’t let him hurt you.  I’m getting you out of here.  Right now.”  She turned to the king.  “Father, this man is my husband, Jakson Blake.  I ask that you respect that.”

    “Daughter, what the hell is the matter with you?  This is the Galt tracker, Tarek Ikari, and I intend to kill him and mount his head on a pole outside the castle to strike fear in the hearts of the rest of those damn crazy Galtari Nationals.  Do you realize how valuable this is?  We captured their best tracker!  We need to use this lucky break to its fullest tactical advantage!”

    “No.  Father, this man may have followed me to Demby, but he didn’t kill me or attack me or hurt me.  He took care of me.  He protected me.  And now, I will protect him.”  She stood in front of Jakson and looked at her father.  “I invoke the right to request asylum for this man.  And I stand as his sponsor.”