you’re the spokesman for the litter.” I pick up the box and bring it in to the kitchen, setting it in a sun square. “C’mon, guys. Time for breakfast. And thank you for showing me what I couldn’t see before.”
I hear the whispers from the next aisle as I wheel my shopping cart through the pet superstore.
“I’m telling you, it’s her.”
“No way.”
“Molly, that’s Madison Shaw.”
“Get real, Joe. You think someone on network TV goes out in public like that? The woman looks like she just rolled out of bed and combed her hair with an eggbeater. Trust me, that is NOT the redhead you drool over on the evening news.”
I can’t help but laugh as I push the cart around to the next aisle. The young couple in front of me studies my face. What the hell. I stick out my hand and flash a big smile. “Hi, I’m Madison.”
The woman’s eyes widen as she turns beet red. “Oh my God, I am so sorry—”
The man’s jaw simply drops and hangs open like a trophy bass. “Uh, I, uh …”
I laugh as I wave my hand like I’m shooing a fly. “Pffft, don’t worry about it. This is the real me. Pretty scary without the hair spray and makeup, huh?” I pat the guy on the shoulder. “Sorry to blow up your fantasy, dude.”
The man looks down at the floor, his face matching his wife’s. “You’re still … naturally beautiful.”
“Thank you.”
The man looks up and shoots me a sheepish grin. “I’m, uh, a fan.”
The woman rolls her eyes. “I think she got that part, Joe.”
“Yeah, thanks to your big mouth.” He turns back to me. “Nice to know you’re a real person.”
“Well, that’s the first time I’ve ever been referred to in that manner. Though we do have quite a few plastic androids in the business, so I get it.”
He looks in my cart and spots the formula. “Ah, you’re taking care of an orphaned kitten.”
“Four of ‘em. Found them while doing a story yesterday.”
“Wow. And you’re taking care of all four?”
“Yep.”
“Well, your stock just went up. Our cat was an orphan. They make the best pets. It’s like they know you’ve saved them. You gonna keep all of them?”
“Just until I find homes for them in a few weeks.”
The guy starts to laugh. “Yeah, right. Trust me, there’ll be one that you just can’t give away.”
“Whoa, fright night.”
I shrug as my best friend Rory stares at my disheveled hair, formula-covered t-shirt and sweatpants featuring cat hair, her hazel eyes wide in disbelief. “Yeah, I get that a lot lately.”
The slender brunette moves forward and hugs me hard. “Freckles (her nickname for me), why didn’t you call me yesterday when you broke up with Jeremy?” She pulls back and takes my face in her hands. “God, you look devastated. You’re a wreck. Have you even slept?”
I usher her inside. “That’s not why I’m wearing the Raggedy Ann summer collection and have designer bed-head.”
“Wait, hold on. You’re not upset about Jeremy?”
“Nope. Let me show you why.” I lead Rory over to the box of kittens.
“Oh my God, they’re adorable!” She kneels down to get a closer look. “And they’re so little. Whoa, wait a minute. Why do you have all these kittens?”
I tell her the story, how they actually led to the breakup. “So, I sort of owe them for showing me the light about Jeremy.”
“Well, I can’t tell you—”
“Please, don’t give me the I told you so. You warned me enough times about him. You were right.”
“Maybe next time you’ll listen to me when I tell you the guy you’re dating is a selfish, superficial sonofabitch.”
I nod as she sits on the couch. “I defer to your feminine radar in the future as mine obviously isn’t in working condition.”
Rory has always been spot-on about men since she became my best friend in high school and saved me from some bad decisions. (Though obviously I don’t always listen to her.) She’s a half foot shorter than me, about five-four, and has that girl-next-door thing going, fresh faced with never a spot of makeup. Couldn’t care less about appearances. But she makes up for that with an incredible personality that attracts men like moths to a flame. And she’s quite the wordsmith, working as an advertising copywriter out of her home across the street. It’s like having a sister a hundred feet away.
I may as well tell you the story of how she saved my life.
Life began for me, at least the part I can confirm, in a New York City park restroom, where I was abandoned shortly after being born along with a note.
I am unable to take care of my child. Please find a good home for her.
My name comes from the two police officers who followed the sound of a crying baby and found me. Two cops whose last names were Madison and Shaw brought me to social services, where I began the journey of being shuttled between six foster homes over the next eighteen years.
Some good, some not.
A few of my foster parents were decent people who actually wanted children. Others simply wanted the financial stipend the state provided in return for taking care of me.
That I could live with. The bullying in school I could not.
Children can be cruel, and so the taunting about being “unwanted” began at an early age. By the time I was sixteen, I was bitter and angry at the world.
Until Rory came into my life.
The most popular girl in school, head cheerleader, prom queen, co-valedictorian, saw a tall redhead wearing a death stare on a daily basis who ate alone with her head down in the school cafeteria. When she heard another student taunt me about being a foster kid, she came over during lunch, slid her tray onto my table and sat across from me.
“Hi, I’m Rory.”
“Yeah, I know.”
“You got a name?”
“Madison Shaw.”
“Ah. I was getting tired of referring to you as the angry redhead in my class who’s smarter than I am.”
“Doubtful. I’m a straight C student.”
“But
