The Cat

The Cat

We married three days after we met. It was raining when we met, raining when we married and still raining now, a week later. We moved into my old apartment, a two room lower on the cold east side of the building. We bought a new kitten. We had our first fight.

I told him I wanted the cat to be an indoor cat. Soft and cuddly, something to sit on my lap and keep me warm. He said a cat should be able to take care of itself and should be allowed outside – no, should live outside and be allowed inside only at night. And with that he scooped up the poor thing and threw, well set it out on the front porch. Case closed.

I wasn’t happy. I was mad. I stood at the front door and watched the little thing mewing in the rain. “How could he be so cruel?” kept running through my head keeping time to the rain dripping off the roof. I couldn’t believe this man who I thought was my soul mate hated cats! I shook my head in disbelief. I began to worry that I had made a very, very big mistake. “If he hates cats…what else do I not know about him?” I worried.

A few minutes went by. He came up behind me carrying his old camera in its leather case. He had moved on, cat forgotten. Leaning over my shoulder he looked at the cat. “Geez, he looks pitiful” he said.

I nodded, afraid to say anything.

He stood there for a minute more. Then, leaning forward, he kissed my head and said, grinning, “Okay, maybe cats should live indoors.”

I turned, smiled, and opened the door to let the poor little thing in. Maybe I had the right guy after all.

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