Angela sniffed and wiped her nose on the back of her hand. Domingo went to the sink to get a cloth, and when he turned round, he saw the most extraordinary thing. The marmalade cat, taking advantage of his absence, had jumped onto Angela's knee and was looking up at her intensely. Then, very slowly and deliberately, he put up a paw and patted her gently on the cheek. Angela looked down and smiled through her tears.
"See," said Domingo. "He does not think you killed the kitten."
Angela looked up at him with a smile. He sat beside her and gently wiped her face with the cloth and she took a deep breath and continued.
"Anyway, it didn't last long after that. My dad came home and everything changed.My mother never hit me when my dad was there and now he was home for good. He was sixty-five a
