(Okay, I *could* have worked - but let's keep working this excuse.)
The night we moved into our new place we went to bed with three cats (shhh...if anyone asks it's only two) on the balcony.
When we woke up the next morning there were only two cats.
Uh oh.
So I ran out the door to see if there was cat splatter on the sidewalk below. Fortunately, before I got very far, I ran back in and put some clothes on.
Dressed, I took a walk and I looked...and called...and looked...and then noticed the Brueggers bagels and got some breakfast.
The cat was no where to be found. I wandered back up and broke the news to my daughter.
Not a good moment.
She has never known life without this old boy of ours. Proving that she is definitely my daughter she immediately formed a plan and took action. She created flyers and put them up everwhere - using up ALL of my color ink in the process.
Several days passed and no Snickers. A visit to World Market included buying some floor pillows for the two remaining cats (I dream of keeping them from sleeping on my face...I am *allergic* damnit.) Chris looked at me and said "two or three."
I damn near burst into tears.
14 years ago I walked into a petstore to buy pinkies for youngest son's snake and on the other side of the store was this cage FULL of kittens. They were sleeping, and playing, and climbing, and meowing. All except one. THAT one locked eyes with me and did not break his stare even once as I crossed the store to get to the cage - and that kitten. It was clear to everyone that I had been chosen.
He came home with us and a year later Gwen was born. My fondest memory - Gwen crawling out of her room in the morning and Snickers greeting her with the cat head bump. You want to know what a crying cat sounds like? Come to our place when she has gone off to school and he is looking for her. Theirs is a true love.
Sunday we made our way to the Shelter where we were told that if they had him they'd know - a cat like that would stand out. But we looked anyway. We looked at 70 cats/kittens all wishing they could come home with us - and none the one we were looking for. We came home and made a deal - we were going to believe he'd found a good home and was so wonderful that his new family just couldn't bear to give him up.
We'd understand.
I found my blackberry at 10:30 last night. I did not read email. Really, 10 hours before going back to work isn't that just stupid?
Last night at 11:30 my phone rings. It's the front desk folks in our building. "Ma'am" said Rick "I think we have your cat."
We stumbled out of bed, knocked over a lamp, tripped over the comforter, and made our way to the closet to get dressed. Actually, I did that. Chris woke up with my ruckus and when he learned what was going down he swung his legs over the bed and calmly slipped a pair of shorts on. (Why is it that no matter WHAT is happening, men can always get dressed faster?)
We then half ran, half stumbled to the elevator, made our way downstairs and tried to process where we were supposed to go when we rounded a corner and sure enough, there sat Snickers - calmly sitting there looking at us with a look that said "what in the HELL took you so long?"
I scooped him up and we headed back into the apartment and then crept into my daughter's room and then whispered her name so she would wake up.
The look on her face when she realized who it was is what makes me cry now. Happy tears.
Stupid cat.
Stupid cat I love.
NL
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