Wednesday came and Katie hadn’t heard from Mitch for four days. She tried to keep her mind busy, but having no word or returned texts from Mitch affected her work. Melanie had been gone Monday and Tuesday for training in Boise. Katie hoped she didn’t see her errors and the change in her batch count.
Fred commented on Katie’s silence and she told him she was sick. The gals behind her never noticed a thing.
Melanie, who kept to herself through the day, was a blessing. They had small chats, but didn’t talk about anything major. Katie didn’t even tell her Mitch was gone.
***
Work went by slowly, and when Katie got home, she had a sour stomach. She was surfing the TV channels to try to find something good to watch when her cell rang. The caller ID showed the number as unlisted, but it could have been Mitch calling from Florida.
“Hello. Hello!”
Silence.
“I’m getting tired of playing this game, so if you give me the silent treatment, I’ll give it back.” She sat with the phone to her ear and heard light breathing. It lasted a minute until they clicked off.
Calls like this were happening every night between nine and nine thirty. Katie had a good feeling Matt and Conner were messing with her again. If she saw them, she’d let them have it. I’ll bite both their arms.
***
Thursday morning and Katie felt exhausted. The donuts Melanie brought in didn’t even look good. “Katie, come sit in the breakroom and have a donut and something to drink. I’ll grab you a soda,” Melanie said as she passed by her desk.
Katie knew what Melanie wanted. She wanted their talk to be casual, not a stressful employer to employee conversation in her office. “Soda’s great, but I’m not hungry for a donut,” she said as she followed Melanie to the kitchen. She took the can, opened the tab, and gulped.
“I’ve noticed your work has dropped in count the last few days. What’s wrong?” She took a donut and picked off a piece. “Are you having relationship problems?”
“I’m not sure what is going on, Mel. Mitch is out of state on a side job and I keep getting prank phone calls at night. It’s getting frustrating.”
“You seem lost, and I have a cure for you. My cat had kittens six weeks ago and they need a new home. Come over after work and pick one. I’ll even throw in the food and an extra litter box with the litter.”
A baby kitten to fill my empty time.
“Well?”
“Sure. I like cats and had a few when I was a kid.” She smiled.
“Great. You’ll have a new love and joy in your life.”
***
After work, Katie followed Melanie to her home and picked out a cute little cream kitty with light gray ears and paws. The first name that crossed her mind was Ivy Muffin. She knew it was strange, but it fit the kitty. She was fluffy, had green eyes like Katie, and a light purr.
Ivy pranced around Katie’s apartment. She loved to snuggle in between chasing the mouse toy on the floor. She pictured Autumn holding Ivy and it made her sad. Her daughter would have loved the kitten.
At 9:00 p.m. the phone rang. Katie didn’t look at the caller ID. If it was important, a message would be left. A few minutes later, Katie checked her phone and saw she had a voice mail. “Katie, you there? Hello? Answer the phone. You know who it is.” Dial tone.
Katie called back. “Hey, Melanie. I guess you knew what I was doing?”
“I wouldn’t answer the phone in your situation either. This time if they call, it will ring and ring because of your call waiting. Maybe it’ll stop them.”
“I doubt it.”
“How’s little Ivy Muffin doing? Does she like her new home?”
“She loves it. She did her rounds and found her litter box in the bathroom. You’re the best.”
“No problem. Friends all the way.”
***
A week and a half went by with no phone call from Mitch. Katie was getting nervous. If it was his daughter, she’d be sharing Mitch with a woman she didn’t trust. She didn’t want to walk on eggshells again.
***
Katie went to her parents’ house to get her fishing pole. “Hi, Mom. Is my fishing gear still in the garage?”
“I believe it is. You’re off work early.”
“Melanie had an appointment so she let us leave too.”
Not much had changed since she lived there in her childhood years. Her fishing pole and tackle box were in the same place. She opened the box to make sure she had everything she needed. Closing the lid, Katie decided to get some worms from OK Gas instead of using a lure.
“Where are you going to fish at?” June had followed Katie into the garage.
“Snake River. Catfish and bass plus a few sucker fish in the mix. If I catch a few, I’ll drop some off for you and Dad.”
“Sounds great. You’re my beautiful lady, but still a tomboy.”