Page 7 of No One Like You

“Fred Astaire. Tuxedo cat. Look, I don’t get to name them. Well, sometimes we use a name that I suggested.”

“It’s cute! I don’t think that I’d keep that name, but it’s cute.”

They watched Fred chase the string toy around for a few minutes. Eventually, he got bored and went to sit under Tasha’s chair. Megan took advantage of the break in the action to ask, “How often do you volunteer here?”

“The first and third Saturdays of every month, and the fifth, if the month happens to have five Saturdays. I also cover for people if my schedule is clear.”

“That’s really sweet that you do this.”

“Thank you. It’s good for me as well. I enjoy spending time at home with Nocturne, but helping these cats is a good break for me as well, especially after a stressful week at work.”

“Yeah, how’s that going? Are you still doing… uh, graphic design?”

“I still do some of that. I also work on user interface design for apps. The job is okay, I mean… I like the work, I just hate my boss and the soulless corporate grind. I’d really like to work for myself. I’m good at this, and I feel like I’ve built a good reputation in the field.”

“Why don’t you, then?”

“One word… insurance.”

“Ugh, I get that.”

“Hey, not to change the subject…”

“But, you are changing the subject.” Megan grinned at her.

“Look, I don’t know how long you are planning on staying in Portland, but I want you to stay with me, okay? I know it’s a bit cozy in my apartment, but we can make it work.”

“Thank you, Tasha! That means the world to me. I… Honestly, right now, I don’t know what to do. I don’t want to go back to Brad. My parents moved to Florida and couldn’t take me in anyway—but I also don’t want to cramp your style, either.”

“Well, there’s not much style to cramp, so that’s fine.” Tasha smiled. “You’re a teacher, and I’m pretty sure that PPS is always short on teachers, so if you decide that you want to stay in Portland, I’m sure that you can get a job there.”

“Oh, damn! My job! I need to call my principal and tell her that I’m not coming in on Monday, or maybe ever. She was supportive yesterday when I called out for my last class. She might be the only other person in town who knows that Brad was cheating on me.” Megan started to choke up.

“It’s alright, Megan. Just keep petting Julius there. Listen to him purr.”

“Julius? Oh, because he’s orange… I get it.”

“Megan, I know that you need to do what’s best for you and Sophia, and I’ll support you no matter what, but this could be a good opportunity for you to start over. I checked while you were in the shower. The teacher’s strike is still going on, but PPS offices are open this week. So, if you want, we could see about getting Sophia enrolled, and also maybe see what you would need to do to be a substitute or something.”

“Thank you for doing that, Tasha. Let me think about it.”

“Meanwhile, we have another priority to take care of.”

“Uh oh, what?”

“That hair! It’s time to wash that blonde right out of your hair.”

Megan laughed. “You’re obsessed!”

“Guilty! That blonde makes you look so Stepford. Your natural red was always gorgeous anyway. I know someone who can help, plus I have a gift card and a coupon.”

“You? Your hair looks just like it always has.”

“Yeah, so you’d be doing me a favor, getting rid of this gift card and coupon for me.”

“How did you end up with a gift card and coupon anyway?”

“I went halfsies on a raffle basket at roller derby a while back and we won.”

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