Grizzle & Bone: a short story

Shaw Peel is under pressure. His wife, Minky, is bringing her boss home for supper, and his stew, using a secret family recipe, takes a whole day to prepare. Will Shaw get the stew done, and will Crippen, the talking werecat, be a help or a hindrance?Shaw Peel is a dutiful stay-at-home husband with a dark hobby, and not only because his kitchen is in the basement, Shaw has to prepare a special meal because his wife Minky is bringing the boss home for supper.
But everything is not going according to plan. And Crippen is not much help at all. Crippen, the werecat, has an acidic personality and a sharp wit. And he gets on Shaw's nerves. How will Shaw cope with everything that needs to get done? GRIZZLE & BONE, one of I. M. Gerhi's earliest short stories, is included in the 2021 short story collection ABRUPTLY: a short story collection in four sets. I. M.
Gerhi is the pen name Gerhi Janse van Vuuren used to publish his fiction. As a former high school teacher, Gerhi is also a fine art painter. I. M. Gerhi lives in Randburg, Gauteng, in sunny South Africa, with his wife, two sons, and two cats.