Garden, tenants plots, afternoon, Charlie OTA
Two old friends were having a chat by the plots. Charlie was half listening while he weeded around the strawberry plants he had put in and picked dead leaves and greenfly off everything else, and making the occasional reply. People often talk to their pets, but it's not often their pets initiate the conversation.
"Of course I allowed her to pet me," Palug said from his comfortable place across Charlie's shoulders.
"Good," Charlie said. "Poor lady must be feeling a bit out of sorts."
"And she said I was beautiful, which I am. Bonito gato she said."
Charlie wiped sweat from his forehead, leaving a muddy smear, and frowned. His French was good, but his Spanish wasn't so much broken as ruptured.
"Bonito?" he said. "Isn't that some kind of big mackerel? And gato ..." He snickered. "That means cake. She called you a great big fish cake you div!"