Ten Days

By Robert Humphrey

This is a poignant story of love found…and lost. Of seeing "the one" and instantly knowing that your heart will never be the same. A tale of humor, warmth, love, heartache, and…hope. No, this is not a romance novel but rather the true story of how an adorable little fur ball unexpectedly came into our lives and changed them forever…all in just Ten Days!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Page Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Apr 23, 2020
• ISBN: 9781646285617

Robert Humphrey

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Saturday, May 3

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Who Let the Cat Out?

We had needed a power washer for some time to clean our deck and siding. I had just sold my comic book collection to a man in Massachusetts, so I had a little extra spending money. I told Joellen now would be a good time to get a power washer, so off we went on a Saturday afternoon to our local Home Depot, then Lowe’s. We went back and forth trying to figure out what would be a better buy and what would work best for our needs. Would it be gas or electric, 1300 or 1400 PSI…or even 2100?

My brain was bruised worrying about PSI capabilities.

Joellen was tired of thinking about all this too. In the same shopping center as the Home Depot was a pet store that Joellen had heard was holding a special adoption promotion that day. With more enthusiasm than she had for PSI ratings, she said, Let’s go look at kitty cats!

At about three, we walked over—just out of curiosity. We were only window-shopping. The place was abuzz with folks looking to find a pet to share unconditional love with. Outside, on the front sidewalk, is where they had all the dogs—big ones, little ones, barking, whimpering ones that looked at you with those big brown eyes that seemed to say, Please pick me! So cute!

As we went inside, we noticed over to the immediate left there were cages filled with cats and kittens. Usually, whenever we would look, there would only be cats that were two years of age or older. Rarely do you see kittens—especially long-haired ones.

In about the fourth cage down was an orange-and-white kitten that was constantly hollering in the most alley cat voice you could imagine. I think I’d do just as well with a screech owl or a howler monkey! Then we passed a black-and-white cat and a calico cat. But in the last cage over were four gorgeous kittens! They were from the same litter, about eight weeks old…and they were long-haired! Three of them had a dark calico look—one boy and two girls. And they were very playful. The fourth was a little boy—fluffy, gray with a little white, and more docile than his siblings.

My wife always said boy kittens are best. They’re full of mischief, but not as temperamental as the females. I tend to think females have just as must orneriness to them, but that’s another story. I picked up one of the females but couldn’t hold on to her! She was very squirmy and anxious to get down and play. I’d need a butterfly net to capture her! The other two calicos were fun to watch, as well.

But my attention was drawn to that little gray male kitten. He had some white underneath and just enough around his eyes and face to make him absolutely beautiful. But what drew me to him, even more than his adorableness, was his personality. In all my years of being surrounded by cats and kittens, I had never seen a disposition quite like his. I couldn’t resist, I just had to pick him up. When I first held him, he started purring, stretching out his paws, and curling up in the palm of my hand. I’d stroke him under his chin, and he just ate it up. After a while, he made