The orange kitten catches Lennys eye during his morning walk, but Mrs. Clarke has organised a round of DuckDuckGoose, so the little cat never gets any closer. The kittens fur is the same bright ginger as Lennys own hair, though Lenny cant say whether its whiskers have a tint of orange.
Lennys mother once told him that the sun had kissed the kitten, and she had kissed Lenny too before she passed away. Since then no one has kissed him. His father is always busy, and his grandmother, Marge, seems to dislike Lenny for reasons he cant understand.
If the sun really did kiss the kitten, does that make it a son of the sun? Could the kitten have eyelashes? These questions drift through Lennys mind during the quiet hour.
Lenny, why arent you sleeping? Mrs. Clarke smooths his blanket. Close your eyes, love. He obeys, shuts his lids, and still cant drift off. He lies there listening as Mrs. Clarke talks in the staffroom:
How long can we keep this going? One assistant for two groups isnt enough for the number of children we have. Its madness. Who will work for that pay?
A different voice replies, Good thing Anna left. With the way she treated the kids, wed be better off without a nanny.
Mrs. Clarke answers, We cant just get rid of her, but well have to figure out how to manage without her.
Nurse Annie, the former nursery nanny, was feared by every child. She often scolded them, and if they refused the thick, lumpy porridge, she would shove a spoon hard into their mouths, making their tongues hurt. One day she pressed the spoon down so hard on Lennys tongue that he vomited onto the table. He cried, Mrs. Clarke washed him and changed his clothes, and sternly told Nurse Annie to stop. After a complaint, Annie never returned to the nursery.
Later that evening Lenny spots only a flash of orange tail disappearing behind the bushes near the gazebo. His father, Steve, arrives. Since his mothers death, Steve hardly talks to Lenny and barely notices him. He brings Lenny home from the nursery and leaves him to play alone in his room.
That night Marge snaps at Steve in the kitchen:
Steve, Ive told you a hundred times youre raising a child that isnt yours. He doesnt look like you at all.
Steve replies, He looks like my sisterinlaw, Nadya.
Marge retorts, He doesnt really look like Nadya either. Maybe a DNA test would be easier than dealing with a child that isnt yours.
Steve grumbles, Fine, Ive been caring for him for four years now, almost five.
Marge sighs, You should sort out your own life and have your own children. Im not going to keep feeding a boy who isnt mine.
Lenny hardly registers the harsh words; they become a background hiss hes learned to ignore.
The next morning a new nanny appears. She is nothing like Nurse Annie. Iris Harper speaks softly to the children, and they eat without being shouted at.
Hello! Whats your name? Iris asks. Lenny, right? Im Iris.
Lenny answers, I dont like the lumps in my porridge.
Iris smiles, I dont like them either. You can leave any lumps on your plate; well see who finds the most later.
Intrigued, Lenny puts his spoon down and scans his bowl, searching for lumps. He discovers almost none, yet while hes looking he inadvertently finishes his porridge. Iris praises him, Well done, Lenny! No ones ever cheered you like that before. His face lights up, and the nursery feels brighter than ever.
Iris helps the teacher, Mrs. Clarke, wherever she can, and the children quickly grow fond of her.
One quiet hour, Mrs. Clarke asks Iris to watch the little group while she steps into the head teachers office. The children hum quietly, but Lenny still cant fall asleep.
Lenny, why are you still awake? Iris strokes his head.
Do you know my mum is in heaven? Lenny whispers.
Iriss throat catches. She had just taken a liking to this shy, orangehaired boy. No, I didnt know, she says gently. The sun once kissed me, too.
Do kittens have eyelashes? Lenny asks, eyes wide.
I suppose they might, Iris replies.
Lenny tells her about the ginger kitten he saw darting through the bushes, about how the sun might have kissed it too, and how he wishes the kitten were his brother because no one else kisses him now.
Do kittens kiss children? Iris asks, fighting back tears. She pats his tousled hair and nods, Yes, they do, but their tongues are a bit rough.
The nurserys head teacher later explains to Iris that Lennys mother was a resident of a childrens home and had only recently passed away. His stepgrandmother never accepted the new wife, constantly telling Steve that the boy wasnt his. Lenny, once a bright, smiling child, now seldom smiles at all.
Weeks pass, and Lenny stops coming to the nursery. A nasty virus sweeps through the town despite it being late spring, and Lenny remains absent for two weeks.
Mrs. Clarke says, He wont be coming back. Steve arranges for Lenny to be placed in a childrens home, filing paperwork with the council.
Iris cant believe it. How could he end up in a home when his father and grandmother are alive? she wonders. A DNA test later shows Steve isnt Lennys biological father. Five years of care have turned out to be for a child who isnt his.
Walking home in a fog, Iris sees the familiar ginger boy in her thoughts, still asking about kitten eyelashes. Suddenly a bright orange ball rolls out from under the nursery fence. She scoops it up, startled, and realises its a young cat, not a kitten. Its scruffy, brightginger, and clearly in need of a wash. She notices it has no eyelashes.
That night, Lennys husband Alex returns from work, tired but happy. The clean, wellfed cat darts to greet him.
Looks like weve got a new family member! Alex exclaims. Will it ruin the furniture?
Iris laughs, Im not worried. Ive heard cats can be cheeky, but theyre lovely.
They talk late into the night about the cat, the nursery, and the difficult paperwork theyll need for Lennys adoption. Alex admits hes not sure what the future holds, but he knows Lenny cannot stay in a childrens home.
Thanks to the head teachers contacts, social services, and a generous salary that allows them to afford a larger house, they manage the paperwork, the psychologist reports, and the adoption process.
When the day finally arrives for Lenny to return to the nursery, the children cheer, Lennys back!
Mrs. Clarke, smiling, says, Youre right, Iriskittens dont have eyelashes, and their tongues are a bit rough!
Two years later, Lenny stands at the door of his new primary school, ready for his first day of Year 1. His mother, his father, two grandmothers, his grandfather, and his little sister all gather to see him off, while the orange cat curls at his feet, purring contentedly.
