Mabel came from a litter belonging to somebody at Eastbrook.
I took Claire and Michael to see the kittens in spring 1995. I told Alan we were only looking. This was accurate when we left home.
Claire chose a small tabby. Michael chose all five.
We brought the tabby home in a cardboard carrier with a blanket and enough instructions to suggest that cats had not previously survived without paperwork.
Alan was in the garden when we arrived.
‘We’re only looking,’ he said.
‘We’ve done that part.’
The children had already named her Mabel. Alan said a pet was a family decision. Mabel climbed onto his lap that evening and went to sleep.
By bedtime, Alan had put a folded towel beside her basket. She lived with us for thirteen years.