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“Don’t mention it,” said Rufus good-naturedly. “And in fact it’s not me you should thank but Fifi. She’s the one who came round to ask for my help.”

“Don’t mention it, you guys,” said Fifi, a little bashfully now that all attention turned to her. “You’d do the same for me, I’m sure.”

“Well, will you look at that,” said Jack finally. “Two cats, two dogs and a mouse, all working together to save the lives of their friends. Now isn’t that something?”

It sure was something, all right. I had no idea what, but I liked it. And I think Dooley expressed it best when he said,“I’m hungry. Why don’t we all share a meal? To celebrate the happy ending?”

“Oh, I know where the woman keeps her best cheese!” said Judy. But then she caught Jack’s look of disapproval, and quickly amended, “Or maybe not. After all, stealing is bad.”

“Stealingisbad,” I reiterated. “And so I have a much better idea. Out where we live there’s plenty of food for all of us, and the best part is we don’t even have to steal it and risk life and limb. In fact our humans are only too happy to share their wealth.”

“And where is this paradise you describe?” asked Bertha, her voice laced with a healthy dose of skepticism.

And so we led the way to our own home, where we found our humans still gathered around the pool, and when Odelia saw us all troop into the backyard: two cats, two dogs and no less than three mice, at first she seemed taken aback, but after I explained the situation, she was quick to head inside and take out the cheese for the mice, and the kibble for the rest of us, and as we all munched away to our heart’s content, I found myself saying a quick word of thanks to a benevolent creator who had placed me with the best humans on the planet.

And when later on I noticed how Jack and Judy were chatting away in a corner of the living room, looking very cozy indeed, I closed my eyes knowing that all was well that ended well. And I would have enjoyed a well-deserved nap if not a tiny paw of a tiny mouse kicked me in the tummy. When I opened my eyes, I saw that Bertha wanted speech with me.

“Well, thanks for nothing, buster,” she was saying.

I blinked and stared at the tiny creature.“What do you mean?” I asked.

“Now look what you’ve done!” She gestured to Jack, who was fervently kissing Judy, who was clearly enjoying the treatment.

“Aww. Now will you look at that,” I said, much touched by this tender scene.

“This isn’t supposed to happen!” said the tiny female. “She’s supposed to get hitched to my brother, not this… this… this usurper!”’

“Your brother?”

“Franklin!”

“Oh,” I said, remembering what Jack had told us about the new leader of the pack. “But I thought you were Judy’s cousin?”

“Distant cousin.”

“Huh.”

“And he won’t be happy, I can tell you that. I was supposed to keep an eye on his future wife, and now look what happened. She’s fallen for the other guy!”

“Looks like love to me, Bertha,” I said, resting my head on my front paws and suppressing a yawn.

“I don’t care! She’s supposed to be the new mother of the clan, and now what? Who’s going to become Franklin’s wife now?”

“What do you care?” I said. “As long as love’s young dream is fulfilled, that’s all that matters, right?”

“Wrong!” She eyed the couple for a few moments, then finally sighed. “Though I have to admit they make a pretty cute couple.”

“Of course they do,” I said, and this time I did yawn widely, causing Bertha to recoil, presumably out of habit. A cat’s maw makes for a pretty impressive sight.

“Look, if you help me find a new bride for my brother, I promise I won’t tell him how you brought these two together.”

“And why would I do that?”

“Because Franklin is in charge of a clan of thousands. And if he wanted to, he could make your life and that of your humans a living hell, buddy boy.”

I gulped. It wasn’t that long ago that a mouse infestation had turned our house into a mouse-sty, and I really didn’t want to revisit that particular episode.

“What do you want me to do?” I asked reluctantly.

She smiled.“I already told you. You’re going to find a bride for my brother.”

Oh, boy. Somehow I had the impression I was letting myself in for a world of trouble. But then I eyed the cute couple and nodded.“All right,” I said.

“What did you say?” asked the stout little mouse. “I didn’t hear you.”

“All right!” I said. “I said I’ll help you look for a bride for your brother, okay?”

“Good. And don’t think I won’t hold you to that promise, cat.”

“Max,” I said. “My name is Max.”

“Let’s shake on it, Max.”

And so I found myself shaking paws with a pudgy little mouse.

“Max the mouse matchmaker,” she said with a grin, then toddled off.

“What’s going on, Max?” asked Dooley, sidling up to me.

“Looks like we’ve got our work cut out for us, buddy,” I said with a deep sigh. “Bertha wants me to find a bride for her brother.”

“Nice,” said Dooley, who never shies away from a challenge. “When do we start?”

“Not today,” I said, and promptly dozed off.

This was definitely a story for another day.

50. 5. 2. PURRFECT LOVE

CHAPTER 1

“Max?”

“Mh.”