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Andy had made it very clear to everyone: don't make any trouble and be on time for once because I'm planning on proposing tonight. Andy didn't take her eyes off Booker when she told her friends about it.
Booker looked at the uber app. His drive was more than late, but what could you expect in the middle of December with all the Christmas parties? It was there he decided it was faster if he ran. That way he would only be a couple of minutes late or so he hoped. Just as he was crossing through an alleyway, he saw a stray dog chase something small and white. He looked at his clock and hoped that saving someone would be a better excuse than an uber that was late.
It was easy enough to find the dog because it was growling at something under the dustbin.
"Get out of here," Booker shouted as he threw a dustbin lit after the dog. It did the trick because the dog ran away. Then Booker got down on his knees and he could just reach for the animal under the dustbin. When he stood up again he stood with a very small kitten that was shaking and very wet. "Deep breaths, pal." He then took one of his gloves off and put the kitten in it in the hope it would warm the kitten up. Then he started to walk towards the Christmas party, while he rubbed the kitten in the hope it would calm it a bit. When he reached the party the kitten was sleeping. It was there he realized he was standing with a kitten outside Andy's place and the kitten wasn't invited. He looked down at the sleeping kitten and decided to smuggle it in without even thinking more about it with the thought that no one would notice something so small. All he had to do for the next many hours was to make sure the kitten would stay in the glove.
"You're late," Joe said. "But your luck is that Andy is so nervous she hasn't noticed it yet."
Booker looked over at Andy. He had never seen her this nervous before and he had seen her deal with men, that could scare people away without blinking.
"I need a bathroom," Booker said when the kitten started to move inside the glove. "Be back in five minutes."
"Better make it two," Joe replied. "Quynh is here in five minutes..."
"Yes, yes, yes," Booker replied. "Cover for me."
Booker turned around and walked towards the bathroom.
"Something wrong?" Nicky wanted to know when he noticed Joe was staring at the bathroom door.
"Booker is acting more strange than normal," Joe replied. "And that is saying something."
"Maybe it has to do with his grandmother's death," Nicky replied. "Maybe now that it's Christmas he is missing her."
"Oh I'm such an idiot," Joe replied looking guilty at the bathroom door. "I should know it."
"Hi, you're my idiot, and I love you," Nicky replied before placing a kiss on Joe's cheek. "And tomorrow we ask him to come over to taste the Bûche de Noël, he asked me to bake. It will put him into a Christmas mood."
Out in the bathroom, Booker got the kitten out of the glove to have a closer look at it. He deduced that the kitten couldn't be more than a couple of weeks old given its size. The good thing was that the kitten had stopped shaking, but it was still wet. He took a washcloth and started to clean the kitten. Not alone was the kitten white but it also had black paws, a black tip of its tail, and a black eye. When he finished cleaning the kitten he sat down on the toilet with it to think.
"Ok, little friend," Booker said as the kitten started to chew on his thumb. "You're not exactly invited, so we need to make a deal. If I get you something to eat, do you promise me to not make any trouble? It's a big night for my friend and an important one."
It knocked on the bathroom door and Booker quickly got the kitten back in his glove. After checking that there wasn't any trace of a kitten in the bathroom he opened the bathroom door.
"Hi Nile," Booker said as he put both hands behind his back. He could feel the kitten trying to get out of the glove. "How was Canada?"
"It was Alaska," Nile corrected. "And it was fun. Next time you should come."
"It's not that I don't appreciate the invitation," Booker replied as he was trying to get the kitten back in the glove. "But after my granny died I just don't..."
"You don't owe me any excuse," Nile said. "I understand the feeling because of my father but promise me you'll call me if you need to talk."
"I promise," Booker replied as he made a face. The kitten was chewing on his thumb again. "Something else. Do you know if there are any salmon sandwiches tonight? Since it's Quynh's favourite."
"Andy bought everything Quynh love to eat," Nile replied. "But since when have you started to eat fish?"
"Just trying out something new," Booker replied. "Can't eat bacon sandwiches forever."
Booker hoped he didn't look too suspicious as he walked over to the table with the food on it. He grabbed a salmon sandwich, took a chair which he placed behind the sofa, and sat down on it in the hope no one had noticed anything or the kitten. He took a piece of salmon and offered it to the kitten, who ate it very fast. He kept on feeding the kitten while looking at Andy, who dropped down on one knee and asked the big question to Quynh, who said yes. Just like the rest of the room he got up and clapped. Two seconds later he realized he had put the glove on the chair. When he wanted to pick the glove up the kitten was gone.
Frantically he started to scan the room in the search of the kitten but in vain. It shouldn't be that hard to search for a kitten that looked like it did, but it was with all the people in the room.
"Sorry Nicky," Booker said when he swirled Nicky around to check under his feet.
"Are you flirting with my husband?" Joe joked. "The last one who did it was never seen again."
"No, just admiring his shoes," Booker lied. "Could I see your shoes, Joe?"
Joe looked just as confused as Nicky did but Joe lifted his feet anyway. They both looked at Booker making his way through the entire room by either swirling people around or asking people to see their shoes. Nicky made eye contact with Nile, who was closer to Booker, and mimic to her to stop Booker before he reached Andy and Quynh, who were talking with Quynh's parents.
"Sebastien," Nile said. "What are you looking for?"
"My contact lenses," Booker lied as he swirled Nile around.
Nile placed an arm on Booker's shoulder to stop him but before she could ask him another question someone screamed from the kitchen. Booker was one of the first who made it into the kitchen praying it wasn't the kitten that was the course of the scream.
"Something white and black was eating the salmon. It ran towards the bathroom," Michelle said. "Do you have rats, Andy?"
"I do not hope so," Andy replied. "Are you sure it was a rat?"
Both Nile and Nicky saw Booker trying to make a discreet exit out of the kitchen before he ran toward the bathroom, but before he could lock the door, Nile and Nicky were standing in the bathroom.
"Lock the door," Booker said as he got down on the floor to reach for the kitten under the vanity table. "I promise it isn't a rat."
Nicky locked the door and Booker showed them the kitten as he told them about what had happened earlier.
"Let me have a look at it," Nicky said. "I'm a vet after all."
"I forgot that," Booker said as he handed the kitten to Nicky. "I couldn't leave him in the alleyway or that dog might have killed him."
"Her," Nicky corrected. "It's a little girl."
"Ok," Booker replied. "I admit I didn't think it through with taking the kitten to this Christmas party."
"You got a big heart, Sebastien," Nile said as she hugged Booker. "You could say it was your heart that was thinking for you."
"Don't tell anyone," Booker replied. "Will she survive?"
"Yeah, she is just food drunk after eating the salmon, which can be cured with a nap," Nicky replied. "We need to come up with an explanation for why we went to the bathroom together because this isn't high school."
"Let me tell Andy the truth and face the consequences," Booker said. "I did after all make trouble."
"You take care of the kitten with Nicky," Nile said. "And I'll talk with Andy."
Before Nicky or Booker could say anything Nile left.
"You need to find a foster mom for the kitten," Nicky said. "She is too small still to live with you."
"I didn't say she could live with me," Booker replied. "But where do I find a foster mom?"
"Our cat's kittens are the same age as this little one. Let me see if she'll accept this kitten," Nicky offered. "That should give you 3-4 weeks to think about if you want to keep the kitten."
Before Booker could say anything Andy came into the bathroom.
"Booker," Andy said as she shook her head. "What am I to do with you?"
"I'm so sorry, Andy," Booker replied.
"Don't be too hard on him," Nile said. "He was trying to do something good by saving this kitten."
Nile took the kitten and held it up in front of Andy's face.
"Look at this face," Nile said. "You can't be mad at her, could you?"
"At least she is cuter than the last one you dated, Book. I hope you keep her," Andy said. "And now let's get back to the party because I don't see any booze in my bathroom."
After showing Michelle and the other guests the kitten, Nicky said it was better he took the kitten home, so Joe followed him as always. Nile and Booker sat down on the sofa with a beer.
"I guess I owe you for saving my ass," Booker said. "Again."
"You saved a kitten tonight so we're even," Nile replied. "But how you crawled around on the floor looking for the kitten is something people will talk about for a long."
"It wasn't that bad," Booker said as Nile started to laugh. "Was it?"
"I got proof on my phone," Nile replied. "Wanna see the video?"
A year later
Booker still hadn't watched that video, but he had adopted the kitten, which he named Dulcinea. Two seconds later Nile renamed the kitten Dina, saying it was a kitten he had adopted, not a racing horse. Booker then tried to tell the story of "Don Quixote" to Nile, but she still kept on insisting that her name should be Dina. When Nile the day after showed up with a pink collar with the name Dina on it, Booker knew he had lost that discussion.
Booker looked at Dina who was sleeping in the winter sun before he got dressed for Andy and Quynh's wedding. When he took his keys, Dina jumped up on the table, demanding to be scratched under the chin.
"I can't take you with me to the wedding," Booker said just as he made eye contact with Dina. "On the other side, maybe I should smuggle you into Andy's wedding. Why ruin a beautiful Christmas tradition?"