Fat drops of rain spattered against my face. I ducked under an overhang and set down the heavy cat carrier. \u201cJust a few more blocks, Junior, and we\u2019ll be at the vet,\u201d I said, peering in at the stray I\u2019d taken in two months ago. He mewed pitifully.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know exactly how you feel,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n
So far my year had been dismal. Family disagreements. Reduced shifts at my bookstore job. A move to a dumpy, cheaper apartment, close enough to walk to work and to shops.<\/p>\n
Now my boss told me that he would have to cut my hours even further, and word came from the corporate office that I would be losing my health insurance. What would I do if I got sick? I was barely making ends meet as it was. I didn\u2019t think I could take one more blow.<\/p>\n
Still, I couldn\u2019t miss Junior\u2019s vet appointment. He would be getting a microchip with my phone number and address injected between his shoulder blades so that people would know who he belonged to should he ever get lost.<\/p>\n
I didn\u2019t even want to think about what I would do without my cats, the one bright spot in my life.<\/p>\n
A friend at work had told me about Junior. She knew that I had been looking for a buddy for Prince, a big gray cat that I had adopted from a shelter a few years back.<\/p>\n
\u201cI saw a new cat at the park,\u201d she said. \u201cHe was hanging out with some feral cats I feed. But he\u2019s friendly. I think he must have been abandoned. Would you consider\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll take him,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n
I\u2019d barely made introductions before Junior and Prince started grooming each other. Finally something was going right.<\/p>\n
My cats gave me a reason to get up in the morning. They needed me. And I needed them. Their antics made me laugh. And they both cuddled next to me in bed at night, their gentle purring a reassurance.<\/p>\n
Thank you, God, <\/em>I prayed. We\u2019ll get through this rough patch together, the cats and I. <\/em><\/p>\n But now I wondered, worried all over again about my job, my health, everything. I hefted the carrier and trudged on to the vet\u2019s office, trying to ignore the pelting rain.<\/p>\n A vet tech ushered me into an exam room when I got there. I took Junior from his carrier and set him on the table. \u201cHe\u2019s a handsome fellow,\u201d the vet tech said.<\/p>\n Not that I had anything to do with Junior\u2019s looks, but I swelled with pride.<\/p>\n The vet tech explained how microchips worked. \u201cWith just a quick scan any veterinarian will know that your cat has an owner and will be able to find out how to reach you.\u201d<\/p>\n She took a wand from the counter. \u201cFirst let\u2019s make sure that he doesn\u2019t already have a chip,\u201d she said. She scanned Junior\u2019s body. \u201cYep. He has a microchip already.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s impossible,\u201d I said. \u201cHe was abandoned.\u201d \u201cMaybe he got out by mistake,\u201d she said. \u201cHere\u2019s the number for the microchip registry. They\u2019ll be able to tell you who he belongs to.\u201d<\/p>\n But I already know who he belongs to, <\/em>I thought. Me!<\/em><\/p>\n I loaded Junior into the carrier and plodded home in the rain. It was all I could do not to flop down on some bench and have a big cry. But who would even notice? Or care? \u201cHey, God!\u201d I wanted to shout. \u201cRemember me?\u201d<\/p>\n Prince met us at the door of my apartment. Freed from the carrier, Junior playfully swatted Prince\u2019s tail. They belonged together. With me. How could Junior have another owner? I hadn\u2019t seen any notices anywhere about a lost cat.<\/p>\n I stared at the phone, then took a deep breath and forced my fingers to punch in the number.<\/p>\n The guy at the microchip registry listened to my story. \u201cLet\u2019s see,\u201d he said. \u201cThat cat was reported missing ten months ago. Looks like the owner lives in Ester, Alaska.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cB-b-but,\u201d I stammered, \u201cI\u2019m in Walnut Creek, California.\u201d I looked in awe at Junior, imagining him crossing glaciers, fighting off hungry wolves. Incredible!<\/p>\n Then it hit me. His home was 3,000 miles away. I\u2019d never see him again.<\/p>\n \u201cHer name is Sappho,\u201d he continued. \u201cThat can\u2019t be right,\u201d I said. \u201cHe\u2019s a boy. The vet said so.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, that may be, but it\u2019s definitely the same microchip. I\u2019ll contact the owner.\u201d<\/p>\n I hung up and grabbed Junior. \u201cSappho?\u201d I said. The cat nuzzled my face. \u201cWhoever you are, I sure don\u2019t want to lose you.\u201d<\/p>\n That evening the phone rang. I hesitated, letting it ring again before finally answering. It was the microchip guy. \u201cI\u2019m patching the cat\u2019s owner through now,\u201d he said. There was a click, then a woman\u2019s voice. \u201cYou really have our cat?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, they say I do,\u201d I said. \u201cHow did you lose him?\u201d I hoped I didn\u2019t sound too accusatory.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was my daughter, Aurora,\u201d she said. \u201cShe was moving from Alaska to Arizona, and she stopped at a park there in Walnut Creek. That\u2019s when Sappho got loose from her car. She hadn\u2019t owned him that long so maybe that\u2019s why.<\/p>\n \u201cShe put up posters and posted his picture on the web, but no one called. Finally, she had to leave. Let me give you her number. She\u2019ll be so excited to hear from you.\u201d<\/p>\n We said goodbye. My fingers hovered over the phone\u2019s keypad. I felt bad. For Aurora and her mom. And me. Especially me. With each number I pushed, it seemed like Junior was slipping further away.<\/p>\n Aurora answered. \u201cI think I might have your cat,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n There was a pause, then a shriek of joy. My whole body sagged. I told her how I\u2019d taken Junior in, how well he was doing.<\/p>\n \u201cI can\u2019t thank you enough for taking such good care of him,\u201d she said. \u201cIsn\u2019t he a wonderful cat? You know he was raised with sled dogs. And he loves being sung to\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n I couldn\u2019t deny it any longer. He was <\/em>her cat. She loved him as much as I did. I\u2019d been selfish to even think of keeping him. \u201cI could rent a car and drive him down to you,\u201d I heard myself say. \u201cOr put him on a plane.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLet me figure it out and get back to you,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n We hung up.<\/p>\n I sat there in my dumpy little apartment, but I felt calm, the stress that had weighed so heavily on me suddenly gone, like it was never even there. I had done the right thing. I had contributed something right to a world where so much seemed wrong.<\/p>\n I could handle this. Everything\u2014my job, the bills, Prince and I\u2014would turn out okay. Hadn\u2019t God sent Junior to me? The perfect antidote to my fear and worries. God would be there for me even after Junior was gone. Junior was a demonstration of grace.<\/p>\n \u201cGod, thank you for taking care of me,\u201d I prayed. \u201cI believe you know what\u2019s best for Junior just like you know what\u2019s best for me. Be with him and his owner, wherever their journey might take them\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n The phone rang. I picked up. It was Aurora. Was she calling back with instructions already?<\/p>\n \u201cHi, Linda,\u201d Aurora said. \u201cI\u2019ve been thinking. You\u2019ve actually had Junior longer than I did. And he\u2019s happy there. I think you should keep him.\u201d<\/p>\n For a moment I couldn\u2019t speak. \u201cThank you,\u201d I finally said. \u201cThat\u2019s incredibly sweet of you. I\u2019ll send you pictures. I\u2019ll even sing to him.\u201d<\/p>\n I looked down at Junior, rubbing against my leg, purring, the very sound of grace. Maybe he hadn\u2019t crossed a glacier or fought off hungry wolves, but the journey that had brought him to me seemed no less amazing.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Fat drops of rain spattered against my face. I ducked under an overhang and set down the heavy cat carrier. \u201cJust a few more blocks, Junior, and we\u2019ll be at the vet,\u201d I said, peering in at the stray I\u2019d taken in two months ago. He mewed pitifully. \u201cI know exactly how you feel,\u201d I […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":28809,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"ep_exclude_from_search":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[206],"tags":[51,80],"ppma_author":[678],"class_list":["post-20277","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cats","tag-inspirational-stories","tag-stories-of-hope"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n