He watches the kitten pad along the gutter. The rain sloshes into drains. The little creature baulks when it notices him, jumping back in surprise at the hulking figure sat on the wet cobbles. After a moment of hesitation, where it carefully considers him with big, green eyes, the kitten cautiously approaches, nose twitching.
His hands dangle from their perches on his knees, and the kitten cranes its neck to reach the fingertips of his left hand. He makes the smallest motion, lowering his great hand, and the kitten, after a thorough sniff, rubs its tiny, furry head against his slack fingers.
He watches in silent wonder as the little creature siddles up to his leg, arches its back, then walks around his calf, itching its back on his boot. It purrs. The sound is barely heard over the splatter of rain and the gurgle of drains. But he feels it in the little kitten's chest when he moves his hand to stroke the creature ever so gently.
For the first time in many years, he smiles.
Paddy Dobson
3rd August 2022