[ side by side 002: ] you and me together we'll be
The news that Arthur had made a friend on his very first day at a new pre-school was something Allison had not been expecting even while she had hoped he would manage to befriend someone. Needless to say at her kitten informing her that such a thing had happened, she couldn't have been happier. His father, upon getting home, had been much the same, relieved his son seemed to be adjusting well to life in a whole new country.
As the next few days turned into weeks, Allison was able to get him (and herself) on a routine that not only got him to school on time - not too early, but not overly late like on his first day - but also made sure he had a snack (usually large enough to share since the orange tabby kitten that had befriended Arthur had been kind enough to share enough with him when he had been without one), and even a different ball of yarn to play with at school after the previous one ended up being handed back to Allison in a tangled mess.
(Victor had heard about the string "incident" and taken Arthur to go pick out several different kinds that caught his fancy since his paycheck afforded him to do so for the kitten he had only found out months ago was his. He wanted to keep his new family as happy as he could since his work didn't always allow him to spend as much time with them as he wanted.)
And every day she heard about his day and what he and his friend, Gregory, did (which also involved Gregory's siblings, William and Sammy) and it always managed to put a smile on her face, no matter what kind of day she had had copy editing manuscripts at the only publishing company that had hired her on such short notice upon moving to London.
She wanted to meet his friends, of course, but with the schedule she had to keep most days, she hadn't been able to. She kept entertaining the notion of arranging a play-date for the kittens outside of school but had yet been able to suggest it to Arthur let alone obtain his friend's phone number.
So, being called down to the school's office one day was really the last thing she expected to occur. Arthur had not always had an enjoyable experience at school but he had never gotten into trouble or caused enough of a stir for Allison to be called in to "have a word with on a persisting matter" as it had been phrased to her over the phone.
She had been assured her kitten was fine but that she needed to be informed of his behavior with another kitten in the class, Gregory Eames, that their teacher had tried to deal with but felt the matter needed the attention of their parents in order to be resolved.
The young Calico mother didn't have the slightest clue to what they were referring to but she went down to the school, taking off from work early, and felt her tail curl and ears flatten slightly at the sight of her kitten waiting in the front office by himself, the receptionist keeping an eye on him from her desk, as he kicked his tiny legs in the air in that sulky, bored way from where he sat on a chair too big for him, tail hanging off the edge, limp.
When he saw his mother, black ears perked up only to droop back down as he remembered he was apparently in trouble. Allison came forward and pulled him into her arms, sitting down in the chair herself, setting Arthur in her lap as she purred softly, nuzzling him to try and let him know she was not angry at him.
Softly, "I just want to know what this is about."
The kitten was clinging to her jacket, relishing the contact and comfort being offered, "I don't know! I don't know why we're in trouble!" And he honestly didn't. He didn't see how he and Eames being close friends was against the rules or how that could make the teacher frustrated enough to tell them they were going to the front office and their mothers called in (which managed to hang heavy in the air of the classroom after she said it, all kittens knowing that couldn't have been a good thing).
As the next few days turned into weeks, Allison was able to get him (and herself) on a routine that not only got him to school on time - not too early, but not overly late like on his first day - but also made sure he had a snack (usually large enough to share since the orange tabby kitten that had befriended Arthur had been kind enough to share enough with him when he had been without one), and even a different ball of yarn to play with at school after the previous one ended up being handed back to Allison in a tangled mess.
(Victor had heard about the string "incident" and taken Arthur to go pick out several different kinds that caught his fancy since his paycheck afforded him to do so for the kitten he had only found out months ago was his. He wanted to keep his new family as happy as he could since his work didn't always allow him to spend as much time with them as he wanted.)
And every day she heard about his day and what he and his friend, Gregory, did (which also involved Gregory's siblings, William and Sammy) and it always managed to put a smile on her face, no matter what kind of day she had had copy editing manuscripts at the only publishing company that had hired her on such short notice upon moving to London.
She wanted to meet his friends, of course, but with the schedule she had to keep most days, she hadn't been able to. She kept entertaining the notion of arranging a play-date for the kittens outside of school but had yet been able to suggest it to Arthur let alone obtain his friend's phone number.
So, being called down to the school's office one day was really the last thing she expected to occur. Arthur had not always had an enjoyable experience at school but he had never gotten into trouble or caused enough of a stir for Allison to be called in to "have a word with on a persisting matter" as it had been phrased to her over the phone.
She had been assured her kitten was fine but that she needed to be informed of his behavior with another kitten in the class, Gregory Eames, that their teacher had tried to deal with but felt the matter needed the attention of their parents in order to be resolved.
The young Calico mother didn't have the slightest clue to what they were referring to but she went down to the school, taking off from work early, and felt her tail curl and ears flatten slightly at the sight of her kitten waiting in the front office by himself, the receptionist keeping an eye on him from her desk, as he kicked his tiny legs in the air in that sulky, bored way from where he sat on a chair too big for him, tail hanging off the edge, limp.
When he saw his mother, black ears perked up only to droop back down as he remembered he was apparently in trouble. Allison came forward and pulled him into her arms, sitting down in the chair herself, setting Arthur in her lap as she purred softly, nuzzling him to try and let him know she was not angry at him.
Softly, "I just want to know what this is about."
The kitten was clinging to her jacket, relishing the contact and comfort being offered, "I don't know! I don't know why we're in trouble!" And he honestly didn't. He didn't see how he and Eames being close friends was against the rules or how that could make the teacher frustrated enough to tell them they were going to the front office and their mothers called in (which managed to hang heavy in the air of the classroom after she said it, all kittens knowing that couldn't have been a good thing).