FIRKANDAL: THE 22- YEAR- OLD CAT

AS I WAS CHECKING OUT AT THE 99 CENT STORE, ON MY WAY TO PICK UP MY NEW DOG, THE CHECKER BEGAN TO CRY. WHAT IS THE MATTER? I ASKED HER. SHE EXPLAINED HER PLIGHT, OF LOSING HER HOME, HER IMPENDING DIVORCE AFTER 20- ODD YEARS AND THAT THE TWO CATS SHE CHERISHED WERE CURRENTLY RESIDING IN HER CAR. MY FRIEND SPOKE UP AND TOLD HER THAT IF SHE GAVE US HER TELEPHONE NUMBER, JODY,WOULD HELP. WELL,THAT WAS TRUE, AS I AM A VERY AVID ANIMAL LOVER AND I COULD SEE THAT THIS WAS A GOOD WOMAN WHO NEEDED ME. NOW, I HAD ONLY BEEN OUT OF PRISON FOR ABOUT 7 MONTHS AT THIS POINT AND I WAS RELUCTANT, BUT I WANTED TO HELP IF I COULD. SO, ABOUT 4 DAYS LATER I CALLED THE LADY. HER NAME IS BONNIE. WE SPOKE, AND AFTER SOME TIME I REALIZED, THAT THIS TO WAS INDEED A SIGN. I COULD GIVE BACK IN A SMALL WAY, BY PERHAPS HELPING THIS DEAR LADY AND HER 22- YEAR -OLD CAT .
SHE WAS SO HEARTBROKEN BY HER CIRCUMSTANCES, AND I HOPED THAT I COULD BECOME ONE THING FOR HER TO CLING TO. THREE DAYS LATER I EXPLAINED HOW TO GET TO MY APARTMENT, AND HER AND HER GROWN DAUGHTER, FROM OUT OF TOWN, BROUGHT THE CAT TO MY HOME. I COULD SEE THAT THEY WERE SO TORN UP BY THIS, AND JUST HOW VERY MUCH THEY LOVED THIS CAT. THEY SAID THAT SHE HAD BEEN IN THEIR FAMILY SINCE SHE WAS ABOUT 6 WEEKS OLD. SO I SHOWED THEM MY APT. WE CHATTED, THEY SAW HOW VERY MUCH I LOVED MY NEW LITTLE DOG, AND WITH THAT THEY BEGAN TO SAY THEIR GOODBYES TO THEIR BELOVED CAT. THEY EXPLAINED TO ME THAT MZ. FIRKITS AS SHE WAS AFFECTIONATELY KNOWN, WAS QUITE THE RULER, AND BOSS OF THE HOUSEHOLD. IT WAS PRETTY MUCH HER WAY OR NO WAY. THEY ASKED ME IF IT WAS O.K. IF THEY COULD VISIT ON OCCASION, WHICH I AGREED TO RIGHT AWAY. THIS WAS A LADY THAT I THOUGHT I COULD BECOME FRIENDS WITH. SHE SEEMED TO BE A VERY GOOD PERSON AND I LIKED HER AND HER DAUGHTER. I WAS WALKING THEM TO THEIR CAR WHEN I SUDDENLY STOPPED. I TOLD THEM I HAD SOMETHING VERY IMPORTANT TO TELL THEM. I EXPLAINED THAT I WAS ON PAROLE AND THAT I STILL HAD WELL OVER A YEAR TO GO ON MY PAROLE, BEFORE , HOPEFULLY, DISCHARGING. I ALSO EXPLAINED THAT I HAD INDEED BEEN CLEAN AND THAT I WAS WORKING DILIGENTLY ON BECOMING A BETTER WOMAN. I TOLD THEM THAT I HAD SEVERAL BACKUPS, FOR MY PETS IN AN EMERGENCY. HOWEVER, I WANTED THEM TO UNDERSTAND WHERE I WAS COMING FROM. IT TOOK ME BY COMPLETE SURPRISE WHEN MY NEW- FOUND FRIEND TURNED TO ME AND JUST SAID "YOU ARE OUR CAT ANGEL. ARE YOU KIDDING? YOU ARE GOING TO DO JUST GREAT. I CAN TELL." WHAT A VERY FLATTERING COMMENT, AND ONE I DID NOT DESERVE AT THAT POINT, AND SO I TOLD HER YOU CAN CALL ME YOUR CAT ANGEL AFTER I AM OFF PAROLE AND FIRKITS IS DOING GREAT...