A World Apart

Thank you Kylee and Maggot23 for your reviews. So glad you like the story. Onto some more kitty love!



Chapter 26



I rode my bike quickly through the town. We had received a few odd looks, but continued on anyway. We were getting closer to my home town, only a few hours now. I didn\'t mind that the wind was whipping around my face. I just loved the freedom it gave me. I was glad Logan had come, too. He made it all the better.



It was lunchtime before we arrived in Everton. We had been spotted easily and I know a few people had pointed. I found it funny that no one recognized me, but then again, why should they?



"I\'m starving," I heard Logan say from behind me.



We stopped at a small diner a few miles away from my former house. Logan got off first and then we walked up to the restaurant. He had grabbed for my hand, but I shook my head. If people knew we were together here, we\'d receive more than just a few glances.



The diner I had chosen I had picked for a good reason. It was the only one close to my house that would serve humans as well as cats and dogs. The others would have kicked me out, even if they knew I had the money. I sat down in a booth in the corner, that wasn\'t near the window, but I could still watch my bike. Logan sat down across from me and picked up an old menu. He paged through it. A waitress finally came a while later. Logan stared; he wasn\'t used to seeing humans. I kicked him from under the table and he yelped.



"Can I help you?" She asked rudely.



I knew the older brunette lady had not wanted to serve us. I could tell by her tone of voice and by the way she had been arguing with whom I believe to be the manager. She must have been new. I read her name tag "Bernadette". I didn\'t care if she wanted to serve us or not. I had the money and I, too, was hungry.



I glanced at my watch and wondered if breakfast was still available.



"I\'m going to have scrambled eggs with bacon and sausage and a cup of coffee please," I said.



She wrote down my order in a big scrawl.



"Is this on two checks?"



I was ready to answer, but Logan answered for me, “One would be fine."



"Alright. What would you like?" She asked.



"I\'ll have the fish and chips and water please."



She nodded and walked away. I folded up my menu and placed it back behind the red and yellow ketchup and mustard bottles. I looked out to see who else was in the diner at this time of day. It was about twelve thirty and the restaurant was pretty busy. I hadn\'t seen any other cats since Kingsdale. They usually try to keep away from the common crowd.



Our food came about fifteen minutes later. She placed the food on our table without comment and left us to eat. I began eating my scrambled eggs and added a few creamers to my coffee. I had gotten so used to the coffee in Kingsdale, where they used real milk and sweetener.



I glanced over a few tables to see a young busboy cleaning off the tables. He happened to be the first cat I had seen. He had big, fluffy white and black striped ears and a long tail. He was picking up old plates and placing them on a rolling cart. I watched his nose twitch and he turned around. Funny how cats can smell each other.



The boy was only about fifteen. I thought he was too young to be working. He had big, innocent blue eyes and longish brown hair. He smiled shyly at me and went back to what he was doing. A man came up from behind him. He was big and was heading for the bathroom. I went back to eating until I heard the crashing of plate and a high feline cry.



"Ah. You damn cats! I don\'t know why they even bother to employ you when there\'s plenty of people who need jobs," The man said loudly and pushed the young cat away.



Humans were naturally bigger and stronger than cats, but he had shoved the boy into the table and he looked hurt.



I was angry.



The boy looked a little shaken up, still staring at the man\'s back as he headed for the restroom. I caught Logan\'s attention and he glanced at the boy with concern. I got up slowly from the table and looked around. No one else nearby had noticed - or cared. I approached the boy slowly and he jumped a bit when I touched his arm.



"Hey. Are you okay?" I asked.



Logan was behind me a minute later. The boy stared at us in awe, like he, himself had never seen other cats before. He was gripping his long tail tightly and was backed up against the table.



"Yeah. I-I\'m okay," He said.



"Are you sure?" Logan asked him.



He nodded again, but continued to hold onto his tail," Did he hurt you?"



"He just stepped on my tail...but I\'m okay," The boy replied softly, looking back at the restroom.



"Oh, alright. But I know how it feels to get your tail hurt. I broke mine when I was seventeen. Hurt like a bitch, too," Logan replied.



The boy gave a shy smile, “Umm..I was just wondering why - oh nevermind."



"What?" I asked.



"Well...why aren\'t you wearing any shoes?" He asked.



Logan laughed and I too joined in, “Where we\'re from we don\'t wear shoes, no one does."



"Oh...is it nice there?" He asked, looking out the window and back at us, “I hate it here."



It really made me think. Yes, Kinsgdale was nice, so much better than here. It made me wonder why I had come back to this place.



"It\'s wonderful there," Logan replied and then glanced at me, “And you\'ll meet the most amazing people."



I blushed, hoping the kid didn\'t pick up on what he meant.



"Well, I\'d better get back to work, or my boss will get mad. He didn\'t want me to work here, but I had known somebody who does and he helped me get in," The boy said.



"All right. If somebody acts like that towards you, you should tell somebody. No matter who you are, you shouldn\'t be treated like that," Logan instructed.



"I know...I just don\'t want to lose my job. My family doesn\'t have very much money," He whispered.



I had been lucky. My family had money, money enough for my father to go to college. Money enough for us to live comfortably. However, most cats didn\'t have that advantage.



"Just be careful then," Logan said with a wink, throwing a few dollars on the table for the waitress and passing the kid a ten dollar bill. He said it was for \'good service\'.



We were on our way to the cashier when the boy turned around, “Where are you from?"



"Kingsdale. You should visit someday. It\'s a great place," He added.



I was fishing through my wallet to pay for the dinner, when Logan handed the cashier a twenty. I frowned and followed him out the door.



"You didn\'t have to pay for that, you know. I could have gotten it," I said.



He shrugged," Well, we\'re dating now and I like to buy you things."



"Yeah, but I\'m not a girl. You don\'t have to buy me everything. We should split it equally."



"Then I wouldn\'t feel like I\'m dating you...don\'t worry about it Rave. I like buying. I\'ve never had anyone to buy for before," He said, waiting for me to get on the bike.



I acted mad, but I was actually smitten by his want to care for me. He wrapped his arms around my waist again and leaned against my back. I pulled out of the parking lot and into a residential neighborhood. We came upon my brick ranch home. There were no cars around it and I figured whoever lived here now was at work. It made me sad to think that we had sold our house and strangers were now living in it. I pulled right in the driveway, but just sat there on my bike. This was strange.



"Was this your old house?" Logan asked from behind me.



I nodded.



"It looks so small. I can\'t believe there\'s only one story!" He said.



"It is smaller than our house in Kingsdale, but it\'s also wider," I said, looking around, noticing that the grass needed to be mowed.



"Hard to believe you lived here a month ago," Logan observed.



"It is. I remember the last night in this house. My bedroom was downstairs and I had been ready to go out to a bar. That was the night I got beat up," I said softly.



I felt him hug me from behind," Well, you won\'t have to worry about that ever again."



"I\'m glad," I said and then added “ I like living in Kingsdale."