We are thrilled to welcome Adele Parks, whose new book, ONE LAST SECRET, is out today…and is fabulous, with a gorgeous cover! We’re grateful to Adele for taking a minute to share her kittens, Gorgeous and Fabulous, with us. Enjoy!
I am currently sat at my desk in my home office. As I type, I absorb the particular calm of a crisp and glittering winter afternoon. Outside the air will be taut, chilly. The garden is bathed in light from the low but determined sun. It’s the sort of afternoon which usually inspires me to pull on my walking boots, normally I’d be insisting that it is ‘too good a day to waste indoors’; I’d yomp across the Surrey Hills. An area of outstanding beauty that I can literally access from my front door.
Not today. Today, wild horses can’t drag me from my cosy room; there is nowhere I would rather be, because curled up next to me in a green velvet basket is the physical embodiment of adorable – two tiny kittens, who have been part of our family for less than a week.
They are mixed breed, eight-week-old bundles of fluff and excitement.
In the early summer our much-loved cat, Lilac, died aged thirteen. We adopted her into our family when my son was nine. She was the only family pet we’ve ever had and the three of us (my son, husband and I) utterly adored her. She was born with a heart condition and when she was just ten-weeks old we were told the odds were against her living past a year. She defied the odds and lived a full and fun life. When the condition finally took her, I was surprised by the depth and profundity of the grief I felt. Exasperated, I guess by the fact my son had left home and my husband and I are empty-nesters. I kept looking for her when I opened doors, walked into rooms, it took me a moment to understand why she didn’t come running every time I prised open a can of tuna, simple pleasure such as reading lost their shine when she wasn’t curled up next to me. The house and garden felt empty.
Other pet owners were sympathetic and kind, their advice unwavering; we were encouraged to get another cat to fill the void. When my husband stays up late to watch movies that are not to my taste, I usually retire to bed to read. Instead of reading, I found myself trawling through adverts for kittens that needed new homes. I expected to melt but I was frustrated. I insisted that ‘none of them were very lovely.’ Obviously, this is nonsense, all kittens are lovely! As are puppies or baby anythings, come to that. I simply wasn’t ready to try to replace Lilac. I felt guilty even suggesting such a thing was possible.
And then, one night just a couple of weeks ago, I stumbled across a picture of a basket full of kittens. They all needed homes and something clicked into place for me; I just felt I could give that again. The next morning I suggested to my husband that we go and visit these kittens. Throughout the journey I reiterated that we didn’t have to commit, that the owners would understand if it didn’t feel right for us, that we should walk away if we were at all unsure.
Hilarious in retrospect, because on seeing them, the only thing we were unsure of was how to pick two and leave four behind. We chose two female kittens and took plenty of photographs, paid a deposit and pledged we’d return in two weeks to collect. The next thing we had to do was choose names. My childhood cat had been called Amber, our family cat Lilac as I mentioned, we thought perhaps we’d continue with the color theme. Maybe Noir, ideal for a thriller writer’s cat, or Violet. However whenever we showed anyone photos of our kittens they universally called out ‘Oh gorgeous’ or ‘How fabulous.’
‘That’s what you should call them,’ said my mum. Mum is quirky and creative but has not been the sort of woman who often offers opinions or even expects to be heard, partially because of the era she grew up in, partially because she’s a gentle soul, happy to fit in around her family, prepared to stay backstage and let others bask in the spotlight. I really wanted to run with her suggestion so we named the kittens Gorgeous and Fabulous, which indeed they are.
Having two kittens is arguably more than twice as much fun as one. I didn’t expect that. It’s a joy to see how they interact with one another. It sounds a little dotty to say so, but after just five days it’s very clear that both kittens have quite distinct, although equally wonderful personalities. Fabulous is chill, cuddly and confident. She has a loud purr, and if she could speak I think her catch phrase might be something along the lines of the old Spanish proverb “How beautiful it is to do nothing, and then to rest afterward.” Her sister Gorgeous is a bundle of energy. She’s constantly exploring, jumping, hopping, tumbling. She’s not so willing to bestow affection; we’ve already found ourselves working for that. I think her proverb might be that of the Roman poet, Horace ‘Carpe diem’, ‘Seize the day’ or indeed carpe the sofa, the curtains, the trouser leg, because she sure does like to climb! This rare moment, when they are both cuddled peacefully together in their basket, is one I’m savouring like I used to savour the new mum moments when my baby boy fell to sleep, twenty-two years ago. Indeed, when I posted on social media about the arrival of my new kittens, people congratulated me and said welcome to my fur babies. It’s funny how much baby cats are making me think of those delicious, precious newborn moments with my son. I guess that’s the point, my family has expanded.
Gorgeous and Fabulous have not replaced Lilac, or indeed my son! They have found their own space. Space in our homes and hearts. I’m looking forward to the adventures that lie ahead for them and I’ll stand by like a proud parent.
Adele Parks was born in Teesside, North-East England. Her first novel, Playing Away, was published in 2000 and since then she’s had seventeen international bestsellers, translated into twenty-six languages, including I Invited Her In. She’s been an Ambassador for The Reading Agency and a judge for the Costa. She’s lived in Italy, Botswana and London, and is now settled in Guildford, Surrey, with her husband, teenage son and cats.
