Starting Over

         I knew better, I knew what would happen if I went in that place. I said never again; I said I would never do this again. I knew better, but I went in anyway. Now here I am right back where I started from.

         “I’m just going to look,” I said. I wasn’t going to buy anything, just look. I might have known; I did know.

         When my friend Willie grew old and died I said that is it. I will not go through that again. No more cats ! Not another one to creep into my heart and then all too soon grow old and die. Never again will I put myself in a place where someday I may have to decide it’s time for a dear friend to go to sleep forever.

         So I went in and looked. This little fellow with the soft gray fur and the searching blue eyes looked at me, reached out a tiny paw and said, “Please?”

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