“What?” Mary exclaimed, “Now just you wait one minute!”
A sudden sharp pain in my forehead brought my hand up to sooth it.
At that moment, I would rather have been anywhere but in that room.
“It makes sense, does it not?” Oak continued, oblivious to the
fury building behind my wife's eyes. “This house is much too big
for just the two of you. Your children are grown now, they've long
since left your nest. What need have you for so much space?”
I closed my eyes, still rubbing my head, bracing myself for the
tirade that was surely about to follow. So I was surprised when it
was Fiona's voice I heard next.
“Nobody needs to move anywhere,” she said, “But you might learn
to keep your counsel to yourself.”
I opened my eyes a fraction, squinting through my fingers, to see
Fiona addressing Oak, her hand laid gently on Mary's arm.
That was the moment that the cats decided to put in an appearance.
