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Pop's foot keeps on twitching.

Finally he says, "Well, I steered you wrong. I'm sorry. But maybe it's just as well to have it settled."

"It's settled, all right," Tom says.

Mom brings out a tray of ginger-ale glasses.

It seems sort of inadequate at a moment like this, but when Tom takes a glass from her he looks like he's going to bust out crying.

He drinks some and blows his nose, and Dad says, "When are you supposed to check in with the Youth Board again?"

"Tuesday. My day off. And I wind up the filling-station job the next week, right after Labor Day."

"Labor Day. Hm-m. We've got to get moving. If you like, I'll come down to the Youth Board with you, and we'll see what we can all cook up. Don't worry too much. I have a feeling you're just beginning to fight—really fight, not just throw a few stones."

"I don't know why you bother." Tom starts to stand up.

But while we've been talking, Cat has been creeping up under the side table, playing the ambush game, and he launches himself at Tom just as he starts to stand.

It throws him off balance and he sits back in the chair, holding Cat.

"You've got nothing to worry about," Pop says.

"Cat's on your side."

Cat may be on Tom's side, but whether Pop is on Cat's side is something else again.

I worry about this all the time we're planning the vacation.

Suppose the motel won't take cats? Or suppose he runs away in the country? If he messes up the vacation in any way, I know Pop'll say to get rid of him.

I practice putting Cat back in the wicker hamper to see if I can keep him in that sometimes, but he meows like crazy.

That'd drive Pop nuts in the car, and it certainly wouldn't hide him from any motel-keeper.

So I just sit back and hope for the best, but I got a nasty feeling in the bottom of my stomach that something's going to go haywire.

Pop's pretty snappish anyway.

He's working late nearly every night, getting stuff cleared up before vacation.

He doesn't want any extra problems, especially not Cat problems.

Mom's been having asthma a good deal lately, and we're all pretty jumpy.

Ch10. Cat and the Parkway

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