"Kate, what do you want for dinner tonight? It's rare for that little girl Skye not to be around." Henry came out of his room and asked Catherine Hepburn, who was sitting in the living room watching a TV soap opera while petting Tigerhead.
Kitty was also sprawled across the couch, resting his rather hefty head on the old woman's lap. With his eyes narrowed, he looked exactly like a pig's head laid on an altar as an offering to the gods.
"Hmm, why isn't Skye here?"
Whether the old woman was genuinely muddleheaded or merely pretending, Henry obediently answered, "Didn't Skye go to a party with Lorna and Gwen? It's being held by one of Gwen's high school classmates from New York. You agreed to it. Did you forget?"
"Oh, now I remember. What time did I tell them curfew was?"
"If they aren't home by nine tonight, even if they're one minute late, I'll spank their butts so hard they won't be able to sit for three days. They'll only be able to lie down or stand." Catherine Hepburn gave Henry's exaggerated hand-waving an approving expression, as if tacitly accepting the arrangement. But then the old woman turned and said, "I want mapo tofu for dinner. Make it spicy! Skye can't eat spicy food. Her life must be completely flavorless."
"Wow, Kate, can you handle something that heavy?"
"You asked me. Go on, hurry up. I'm waiting to enjoy dinner."
Chased into the kitchen, Henry took out the firm tofu he had bought in Chinatown that morning. The old lady must have seen it, which was why she had specifically requested a tofu dish. Since he was making something with strong flavors anyway, Henry also made some long-overdue Indian tiger cuisine as a special treat for Kitty.
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