Chapter 12 · Continued
Piston
“Bold choice.”
“He’s more entertaining this way.”
“I heard that,” Piston announced proudly.
Jane picked up the plants again. “Come on, Cam. Let’s see where these should go.”
“I am unable to move safely,” Cam replied.
Jane stopped and looked back.
Seymour was weaving around Cam’s legs, purring loudly enough to be heard across the room.
Cam looked down. “Seymour appears to remember me.”
Jane’s expression softened.
Chris smiled and looked away.
Piston rolled closer to study the reunion.
“This is significant cat behavior,” he said quietly.
Phil burst out laughing.
Jane eventually separated Seymour from Cam long enough for everyone to make it into the backyard.
The afternoon passed slowly.
Cam helped Jane decide where to place the plants while Piston attempted to assist with enormous confidence and limited success.
“This hole appears adequate,” Piston announced beside a shallow dent in the soil.
Chris looked down at it. “That isn’t a hole, buddy. That’s a suggestion.”
“I can make it deeper.”
“Please don’t hit any water lines,” Phil called from the porch.
Piston froze. “There are water lines?”
Cam calmly took the small plastic shovel from him. “Perhaps we should begin with a smaller objective.”
Piston appeared fascinated by this wisdom. “You are extremely knowledgeable.”
“Thank you.”
Jane hid a smile while arranging flowers in the garden bed.
Piston had the energy of an enthusiastic younger brother following someone he had already decided was the coolest person alive.
Every few minutes, he rolled over to Cam with another discovery.
“I have identified three worms.”
“That is good.”
“I believe this plant is aggressive.”
“That is a weed.”
“I also found a rock.”
“Excellent.”
Phil sat in one of the porch chairs, watching with obvious amusement. Chris leaned against the railing beside him while they drank iced tea.
“You know,” Chris said quietly, “when all of this started, I thought the entire thing was insane.”
Phil laughed. “Honestly? So did we.”
Chris looked toward the garden, where Cam was helping Piston turn over a flowerpot that Piston had somehow placed upside down.
“But now?”
Phil watched them for a moment before answering. “Cam’s placement here changed a few opinions inside RCAM.”
“How?”
“People kept treating unexpected adaptive behavior like a problem that needed correcting.” Phil smiled faintly. “It turns out adaptation was the point.”
Chris nodded.
Seymour stationed himself beside Cam while he worked, occasionally rubbing against his leg before wandering away and returning.
Piston observed closely. “Seymour appears to favor you.”
Cam looked down at the cat. “Yes.”
“This represents high-level cat approval.”