04b1ef9c60873c444a27c4afd3197be1

I studied my surroundings. The plane was nicely furnished, with cream-colored ceilings, cream-colored floors, cream-colored leather seats, and cream-colored tables where presumably cream-colored beakers with cream-colored non-alcoholic beverages would be served once we had liftoff. I searched around for a cream-colored bowl and a cream-colored litter box with cream-colored litter but didn’t immediately spot one. All in good time, right?

Odelia, Chase and Gran had also come aboard, followed by Angela, who was flying over to England with us.

“Who owns this plane?” asked Odelia as she sat down in one of the snazzy seats and made herself comfortable.

I was frankly dying to take a seat myself, as the leather looked soft as butter and particularly inviting. I would have to refrain from digging my claws in, though. One of those habits that’s very hard to kick for a feline.

“It belongs to one of Tessa’s friends,” said Angela. “A friend whose name may or may not start with a C and end with Looney.”

“Mr. Looney?” asked Dooley. “Who’s Mr. Looney?”

But we all ignored him, surprise rendering us temporarily mum. Who wasn’t mum was Odelia’s grandmom. “Oh, my God,” she said, taking a seat next to her granddaughter. “Don’t tell me we’re flying Air Clooney?!”

“Oh, yes, my dear, we are,” said Angela.

“Does Mr. C. Looney know why we’re flying to England?” asked Odelia.

“Tessa told him she needed to bring her mother and a few of her friends to England as soon as possible, and George immediately offered her his plane.”

“Must be nice to have friends like that,” said Chase, and he was right.

The door of the plane had finally closed, and Odelia knelt down next to us to check how we were doing.

“I hate these cages, don’t you?” I said. “Oh, that’s right—presumably you’ve never been confined to a cage. Well, let me tell you, it’s not much fun.”

“I’m sorry about this, Max,” she said. “But rules are rules.”

“Oh, I know all about rules,” I assured her. “Like the rule that in order to be a member of cat choir you have to actually be able to sing.”

“It’s fine,” said Harriet. “If that’s what it takes to fly to England and join high society, I’ll gladly make the sacrifice.”

“I’ll let you out as soon as the captain gives the sign. You can freely walk the cabin after that—or at least until we land.”

“How long until we arrive?” asked Harriet.

“About eight or nine hours,” said Odelia. Then she caught Angela’s curious glance.

“Don’t mind her,” said Gran. “She’s crazy about those cats.”

“Yeah, she pretends to talk to them all the time,” said Chase.

“I totally get it,” said Angela. “I have a Frenchie back home, and we talk up a storm.”

“Why didn’t you bring him along?” asked Odelia.

“He’s old, and doesn’t like to travel as much as he used to. When he was younger I took him everywhere, but now he prefers to stay in his trusted environment.” She glanced down at us. “I’ve never known anyone to travel with cats, though, so that’s definitely a first.”

“We’re all cat ladies,” said Gran. “Me, my daughter and granddaughter.”

“And I’m an honorary cat lady,” Chase quipped.

“That’s what happens to the men in our family,” said Gran. “It’s either join the club or get lost.”

Chase laughed.“It’s true,” he confirmed when Angela quirked a curious eyebrow. “It took some getting used to but now I love them almost as much as Odelia does. They’re the cutest little rascals, aren’t they?”

And with these words he wiggled his fingers at me.

Odelia placed the carrier next to her and strapped it in, while Gran did the same with Dooley’s, and Chase took care of Brutus and Harriet. The pilot announced over the intercom we were cleared by the tower for takeoff, and suddenly my heart started beating so fast I thought it was going to hammer straight through my chest. The engines roared and the plane started moving, then accelerating, with such a mighty roar I suddenly felt awfully faint.

“Max!” Dooley said. “I don’t like this!”

“I don’t like it either, Dooley!” I cried.

“We’re all gonna die!” Brutus said. “This is the end. We’re dead!”

“This is what hell looks like,” said Harriet. “We’ve landed in hell!”

The plane hurtled along the runway, at an ever-increasing speed, the noise thundering in my ears, and then, suddenly and without warning, we had liftoff! Without even realizing it, I was screaming at the top of my voice and so were Dooley, Harriet and Brutus.

“Nervous flyer much?” asked Angela with an amused smile.

Odelia had opened the carrier and now hugged me close.

Gran and Chase followed her example, and I could tell Harriet was digging her claws into Chase’s thighs for he grimaced and gently removed them.

“It’s all right, you guys,” said Odelia. “Everything is fine.”

“Easy for you to say!” I said. “You’re not the one whose guts are being ripped out by Mach speed!”

She laughed.“What do you know about Mach speed?”

“I’ve seenTop Gun! And I don’t feel the need for speed!”

The plane was still climbing, but then gradually leveled off.