Hello,
My name is Jacqueline and I am a very proud grandma.
I write stories for my grandchildren and I am very happy to share them here with you.
So make yourself comfortable,
Settle back because the story is about to begin.
A cat called Mimi Have you seen Mimi today?
Asked Mrs M as she gazed out of the kitchen window.
Not since breakfast this morning,
Replied her husband looking up from his newspaper.
It's getting late and she hasn't been home for her tea,
Mrs M said as she started to feel a little anxious about her precious cat.
It's not like her to be out for so long.
She's always home at 4.
30 on the dot and it's just after 5.
30 now.
I hope she's okay.
I'm sure she is,
Replied her husband going over and putting his arm around his wife's shoulders.
You know how friendly she is.
I expect she's curled up on Sally's lap,
Two doors down.
But Sally normally sends her home after four and it rained this afternoon.
Mimi always comes home when it rains.
Mrs M was getting more and more worried.
Stop overthinking things,
Her husband said gently as he pulled her into his arms.
You are getting yourself upset for nothing.
If she's not home in half an hour,
I'll go and find her.
Mimi was an extremely friendly cat who loved everyone and believed everyone loved her too.
Snuggling up on a warm lap was the perfect place for her and she didn't mind whose lap it was.
She loved to be made a fuss of and would spend all day purring as long as she was being stroked by somebody.
Everyone who lived in her neighbourhood really did love Mimi and would always stop and talk to her as she passed by.
Often they would take the time to bend down and make a fuss of her while telling her what a beautiful cat she was.
Actually,
Did I say everyone loved Mimi?
Well,
Everyone did love Mimi until last Tuesday when Mrs B moved out of her house and Mr D moved in.
Mrs B always welcomed Mimi into her house and would feed her a tin of tuna.
Mrs B did not like tuna but she would buy it just for Mimi's visits.
Most days,
Around lunchtime,
Mimi would climb over Mrs B's back fence,
Jump down into the garden and go to the back door.
If she couldn't attract Mrs B's attention by standing at the back door,
She would leap up and swing on the door handle.
This made such a noise where Mimi's paws slipped off and the handle pinged back into place.
Mimi would keep doing this until Mrs B opened the door and let her in.
Last Tuesday Mrs B moved to a different neighbourhood and an elderly gentleman called Mr D moved into her house.
Mr D did not like cats at all.
He thought they were the worst creatures on earth.
You see,
Mr D used to keep pigeons and the local ginger tomcat,
Who was an extremely large ginger tomcat,
Would chase Mr D's pigeons day and night.
Mr D would scream and shout but the big ginger tomcat was not scared of him and would continue to chase the pigeons every chance he could.
Mr D became so angry that all the children in his neighbourhood wouldn't play near his house.
The shouting really scared them.
Their mums complained about Mr D's bad language but this didn't stop him.
Soon nobody in his neighbourhood liked him and would ignore him if they saw him out walking.
Before too long the big ginger tomcat had either frightened all the pigeons away or killed them and so Mr D decided to move houses away from the bad memories he had of this neighbourhood.
This particular day Mr D was busy in the lounge unpacking the last of his boxes when he heard a weird noise at his back door.
He wasn't a very curious man and decided to ignore it.
A few seconds later he heard the noise again and again.
Mr D began to feel very annoyed by this disruption and stopped what he was doing to go and take a look.
He flung open the back door and there was nobody there.
This annoyed Mr D even more.
Just as he was about to shut the door he heard a cat meow.
He looked down at the same moment as Mimi brushed past his legs and went into the kitchen as if she lived there.
What the blazes do you think you're doing?
Shouted Mr D picking up Mimi and throwing her out into the garden.
Get out and stay out!
He bellowed as he slammed the door shut and he stomped back to his boxes extremely irritated.
Mimi felt a bit discombobulated after being thrown from such a great height and who was that angry old man in Mrs B's kitchen?
Mimi stood up and stretched her body which helped her feel a little better.
She walked over to the back door and jumped up at the handle a few times.
She was not one to give up on something and she knew there was always a delicious tin of tuna in that house.
This time Mr D opened the kitchen window and yelled loudly at Mimi,
Clear off you mangy cat before I come out there and string you up!
And he banged the window shut before going back into the lounge.
Mimi climbed onto the window ledge and looked through the kitchen window.
Where had he gone?
The old man was nowhere to be seen and where was Mrs B?
Mimi was used to getting her own way.
People liked her and would go out of their way to be kind to her.
She was not comfortable with someone being mean to her.
Mimi started to claw at the window when suddenly the old man came running into the kitchen.
He was waving his arms frantically above his head and hollowing so loudly that Mimi slipped off the ledge with fright and fell into the flower bed.
Mimi lay there for a few seconds and then stood up and cleaned the dirt off her fur.
She decided to have one more try at getting the old man's attention.
She went over to the back door and jumped up at the handle a few times.
As she landed on the ground for the third time the back door flew open taking her by surprise and the old man threw a bucket of cold water over her.
How many times have I got to tell you to go away?
He screamed.
Here,
Maybe this will help you get the message.
And he threw his boot at Mimi.
Dripping wet Mimi started to run up the garden just as the boot hit her on her back.
Boom!
And knocked her to the ground.
The boot had knocked the wind out of her and she lay on the ground motionless.
Clear off I say!
Shouted Mr D.
But Mimi did not move.
Don't make me come over there!
He shouted again.
Still Mimi did not move.
Mr D hesitated wondering what to do next.
Had he killed the cat?
He didn't like cats but deep down he wouldn't hurt them.
He was about to go back into his house when he heard a slight murmur coming from the cat.
Slowly he walked over and could see that he hadn't injured the cat apart from winding it.
He felt bad about this but didn't know what he could do.
It was beginning to rain a little so he couldn't leave the cat outside.
Mr D went into his house and found an old towel he had used for his pigeons.
He grabbed it and went back out into the garden.
Very gently he picked up the cat and wrapped her in the towel then carried her indoors.
He went into the lounge where he had been unpacking boxes and laid Mimi inside one of the empty ones.
He thought this would keep her warm and safe until she woke up.
Mr D sat and watched the cat.
He thought how tiny and fragile she looked and felt really upset with his actions.
He used to be a friendly man who loved people and animals but he had become lonely when his wife died and his pigeons had been his only friends.
He had turned into a grumpy old man when the big ginger tomcat began to stalk his birds.
Maybe he should have befriended the tomcat instead of being angry towards it.
Maybe things would have been different then.
As he looked at Mimi a tear came into his eye.
His wife would have been very disappointed with the way he had behaved.
The thought of this made him feel quite upset.
He needed to change his ways and decided today he would start to be kind to people and animals again.
He would begin by being kind to this sweet little cat in his box.
But first she must wake up.
He didn't have long to wait because as soon as Mimi had warmed up she opened her eyes.
She looked up out of the box and saw the old man staring down at her.
Mimi purred.
Hey,
Old girl,
Are you feeling better?
Mr D asked in the softest voice he could.
Mimi purred again.
I'm sorry I threw that boot at you.
I never meant for it to hit you.
I only wanted to scare you.
Mimi purred again.
Mr D went into the kitchen and came back with a saucer of milk which he placed on the floor.
He gently lifted Mimi out of the cobbled box and stood her next to the saucer.
Here,
Drink this.
It will help you feel better,
He said.
Mimi wobbled slightly but soon got her balance and purred before she took a drink of the milk.
It was deliciously cold and creamy.
Mimi looked up at the old man and purred again before she lapped up the rest of the milk.
After wiping her whiskers with her paw she went up to the old man and brushed around his legs,
In and out,
Purring loudly.
You're not a bad old cat,
Are you?
Said Mr D,
Pleased that she was okay.
He bent down and stroked her.
Mimi purred louder.
You like that then,
Huh?
Mimi purred in reply.
I wonder who you belong to,
Said Mr D.
You've been here most of the day.
I expect your owner may be getting worried.
He noticed that Mimi was wearing a tiny pink cat collar which had a small silver-coloured disc dangling from it.
Come over here.
I need to find my specs.
I can't read anything without them.
The old man went over to the sofa and sat down,
Grabbing his glasses which were on a small table next to the sofa.
Mimi jumped up onto the sofa next to Mr D and stepped upon his lap.
The old man held the disc on Mimi's collar and read,
Mimi 7523681141.
Mimi,
That's a cute name,
He said,
Stroking her head and smiling.
Well,
Mimi,
I should call your owner.
Move off my lap and I'll go and ring that number.
And he gently nudged her.
But Mimi had other ideas and curled up in a ball on Mr D's lap and fell fast asleep.
Oh well,
I'm sure five minutes won't hurt,
He said,
Looking at the contented cat.
Sitting on the sofa,
Stroking the warm cat on his lap,
Mr D was the most relaxed he had been in years.
Before too long,
He nodded off himself.
Mimi was the first to wake and as she stood up to stretch,
Mr D opened his eyes.
It was dark in the house.
Oh no,
What time is it?
He looked at his watch.
It was just coming up to six o'clock.
Mimi jumped onto the floor and Mr D quickly stood up.
Let me call the number on your collar,
He said,
As he walked into the kitchen to use the phone.
He dialed the number and a lady answered,
Hello.
Hello,
My name is Mr D and I have a pretty little tortoise shell cat here called Mimi.
Would she belong to you?
Oh yes,
Came the reply.
Mimi belongs to us,
Mr and Mrs M.
We were just wondering where she had got to.
If you give me your address,
I will bring her home,
Mr D replied,
Not really wanting to get into a conversation about the events of the day.
Mrs M told Mr D her address.
Oh,
He exclaimed,
You are just over the road from my house.
Are you the new owner of Mrs B's house?
Yes,
I am.
That explains why Mimi is with you,
Replied Mrs M with a smile on her face.
Mrs B always fed her a tin of tuna when Mimi went over there.
I am sorry if she has been a nuisance.
She really loves people and thinks everybody loves her.
She has been no trouble at all,
Said Mr D bending down and stroking Mimi as she brushed against his legs purring.
She has made a friend in me.
I can understand why everybody loves her.
I will bring her straight home now.
Mr D said goodbye and picked Mimi up,
Giving her a cuddle.
I am sorry for our misunderstanding today,
Old girl,
But I am very pleased you came to visit me.
You have helped me to realise that not all cats are naughty and the way I treat anyone is the way they will treat me.
The next time you come over to visit me,
I will have a tin of tuna waiting for you.
Mimi nuzzled into Mr D's neck as if she understood every word he had said.
I hope you enjoyed listening to my story.
Before you go,
I would like to ask you a question.
Mimi wouldn't give up until she had got Mr D's attention.
What is something that you have achieved where you have kept trying and trying until you reach the ultimate goal?
