**A Lucky Gift**
“Oh, no, no, no!” Laura glanced at her watch and quickened her pace, though she was already nearly running. “If I’m late, he’ll”
The damp, frigid November afternoon was hardly inviting for a stroll. Slush coated the pavements, the sky hung low and grey, and a miserable drizzlehalf-rain, half-sleetfell steadily. To make matters worse, the overnight frost had left treacherous patches of ice, and Laura, her nose buried in a thick scarf, winced every time her feet slipped on the slick puddles. Near the bus stop, she finally lost her balance and landed hard, unable to suppress a frustrated curse.
“Wow! My mum always said swearing in public isnt ladylike!”
A boy, about ten years old, smirked down at her.
“Need a hand?”
Laura shook her head. What help could there be now? Her cream-coloured coatbought for style, not practicalitywas now a soggy, mud-streaked mess. The puddle had been shallow, but it was enough to ruin her plans for the day. James would be furious.
“So, not in a hurry anymore?”
The boy showed no sign of leaving her alone. She stood, brushing uselessly at her coat and feeling the icy dampness seep through her trousers, then shot him an irritated look.
“Dont be cross! Didnt mean to offend you. Its justhere! Take him, yeah? Ive got school, and hell freeze out here. Cant keep himweve got dogs. Already missed first period. My mums sharp as a tack, but if I skip the rest, she wont be pleased.”
A tiny kitten shivered as the boy pulled it from under his jacket.
“A money cat,” Laura murmured absently, reaching out to stroke its tiny head.
“A what?” The boys eyebrows shot up.
“A money cat. See his coat? All mixed colours. They say cats like this bring luck, happiness, even money.”
“Perfect! Then you need himfor luck! Go on, take him!”
Laura shook her head. “Cant. I wont have time to look after him.”
But the boy wasnt listening. He thrust the kitten into her hands, waved, and leapt onto the approaching bus.
“Hell bring you happinesspromise!” His words dissolved into the street noise, and Laura suddenly realised she was standing there, soaked, filthy, and clutching a kitten. She was late for everything nowand had nowhere left to rush.
“Well,” Laura chuckled, remembering his earlier remark about swearing. “This day just got interesting. What am I supposed to do with you, little luck-bringer?”
She cradled the shivering kitten close, stroking its damp fur. “Never had a cat before. How do I evenwhat do you eat?”
The kitten let out a pitiful mewl, and Laura sighed. Fine. Couldnt just abandon the poor thing. For some reason, she pitied them bothherself, just as lost and unwanted since Mum passed.
Her phone buzzed in her pocket. Tucking the kitten inside her coat for warmth, she checked the screen and winced. James.
“Where are you?” His voice was icy. Instinctively, Laura braced for excuses.
“Near home, at the bus stop. I fell.”
“You what?”
“Slipped and fell.”
“Right. Cant even stay on your feet? How much longer do I have to wait?”
Laura exhaled, calculating how long itd take to clean up.
“I asked you a question! Late again? Mum wont be happy if were late.”
“I” Before she could answer, a tiny pink nose poked out from under her coat, and the kitten sneezed. Laura nearly dropped the phone. “James, I dont think were going to your mums today. Im soaked, filthy, and”
“Are you hearing yourself? Do you realise what youre saying? Or is this all just a joke to you?” James exploded, and Laura held the phone away from her ear. “We planned this for ages! I got Mum to make a whole spreadbringing my fiancée over! And you?”
“But weve been there before. She knows were engaged.”
“And you think thats good enough?” His voice rang with fury.
Laura stayed silent, staring into the kittens oddly attentive eyes.
“Are you even listening? Why arent you?” James tirade fizzled out, and Laura knew the calm would follow, as it always did. At first, she hadnt known how to handle itJames was her first serious boyfriend. Shed grown up in a quiet homeMum, Nan, Grandadno raised voices, ever. Her dad died when she was small, and Mum, heartbroken, never remarried, devoting herself to Laura and her grandparents.
Mum had been older when Laura was bornforty-three.
“Why so late, Mum?”
“Because I was foolish. Chose career first. Loved being a surgeon, but its relentless. Always on call. Couldnt step away without falling behind. Shouldve had you sooner, love. Maybe more than one. When Im gone, wholl you have?”
Laura would hush her, refusing to think about it. But Mums fear of not seeing her grow up had been palpable, as if shed known.
Then, when the cancer diagnosis came, Mum sat her down.
“Ive done all I can for you. Now youll have to manage.” She handed Laura a folderdeeds to the flat, the car. “Youre a catch now. So choose carefully. Watch how he treats you. If he puts you first, then marry him. But if he ever shouts at you, or worsethrow him out. Promise me.”
Now, holding the kittens gaze, Laura remembered. How had she forgotten? Was James anything like the man Mum described? Did love mean enduring this?
No.
She suddenly realisedJames had proposed, but hed never said he loved her.
“Do you love me?” she asked aloud, cutting off his rant.
Silence. Then
“Whats wrong with you? After all this, you ask?”
“Yes,” Laura said simply, stroking the kitten curled against her.
James had no answer.
“Be happy, James. I hope you find someone you can answer that for. Dont call me again.”
She hung up, her chest aching.
The kitten blinked up at her.
“Dont look at me like that. Youre supposed to scratch me for luck or something, right?” She adjusted her grip and trudged home.
The next few weeks passed in a blur. She met James once to return his thingsno arguments, just quiet finality. Then, one evening, she stumbled upon a design competition. The kitten, ever the nuisance, batted at her keyboardand somehow, shed clicked “Register.”
“Scared? What if my ideas are rubbish?”
The kitten stretched, unimpressed.
“Fine. Lets try.”
Two weeks later, the email arrived. Shed wona job at a top design studio, probationary, but a start.
Three years on, as she left for work, the catwhod never once tried to escapedarted past her into the hallway. She chased him down, only to return and find a man on her doorstep.
“You left your door open.”
He handed her the keys shed forgotten, scratching the cats head as it purred loudly. Then he introduced himselfproperly.
Their journey began there. Through her successes (which he cheered), his setbacks (which she softened), and a twist of fate that proved Mum right. Through illness and recovery, Laura learned something: with him, shed never be alone.
Thered be a wedding. Children. And the cathis patchwork coat a living promisewatching over them all, diligently delivering the luck hed been tasked with.
People might not believe in such things, but that wasnt his problem.
As long as they were happy.
