A New Family | Prompt A Day

iamraincrystal (68)in Shady Writing • 3 years ago

Fiction Prompt by @shadowspub

Life wasn't great at all for Mr. Pea. It wasn't even mildly good.

He has been living alone for quite some time now. His son and daughter who now live in another state are too busy to even visit. Travel restrictions make it even harder for them to visit now. He does not know much about computers and doesn't want to bother about learning new technology, so there's no way to keep in touch except through the telephone. At times, he feels so alone.

He goes about his daily walk every morning. Then, Mr. Pea would drop by his neighborhood deli. That morning, there was a new product on display, some new sausage flavor. He likes new stuff, so he bought some to try. As he was headed home, he noticed an orange tabby cat that seems to be following him. Since neighborhood cats are quite common in the area, he didn't give it much attention.

He didn't quite like the new sausage flavor and wondered what to do with his leftovers. He was surprised to see what he thought was the same orange tabby cat outside his porch.

"Well, what do you know? I know what to do with my sausage leftovers now," Mr. Pea was pleased with his idea. Soon he was feeding the orange tabby with his leftovers. It seemed to like it a lot.

"Wow, you sure have a healthy appetite there, Peaches. I think I can call you Peaches, huh?" The cat just meowed and continued licking its paws.

That brief afternoon bonding somehow made Mr. Pea quite happy. Peaches would come and go for the next few days, and Mr. Pea would happily feed it leftovers. He wondered if he fed the cat too much as it seemed to be getting fatter.

One day, Peaches didn't come at all. Mr. Pea was both sad and worried. He didn't know if he should go look for the orange tabby cat. That same night, he found it hard to sleep, so he sat by his porch to enjoy the lovely evening.

Suddenly, he heard rustling in the bushes beside the front porch. He grabbed his old flashlight to have a look.

"Whoa! What do we have here?" Mr. Pea was surprised to find Peaches with three little kittens beside her. It turned out the cat was pregnant and was looking for a place for herself and her kittens.

"I guess now I wouldn't be so sad anymore," said Mr. Pea. "I have new family right here with me."