They came for her yesterday; the silver van with the crooked cages welded to the windows and the vinyl’s painted in bright red on the doors screaming to the world the vans terrible origin. I stood at the living room window on tiptoe, trying desperately to catch one last glimpse as the big men in gray uniforms lifted her into the darkness behind the open van doors. “Don’t hurt her!” I shrieked in my tiny, insignificant voice. I was so helpless behind the glass. The doors closed and the men hopped back into their seats casual and carefree. My face burned red with anger and resentment at their callous insensitivity, I wanted to scream but no sound would leave me; instead a let the tears pool in my eyes until they spewed over. The vans engine started and began to pull out of the driveway. Pressing my somber face to the glass, I watched as the van turned and disappeared down the street. Suddenly I felt strong arms enclose around my body and my feet leaving the floor. I whipped my head around to look up into the reassuring eyes of my father; he was smiling with sympathy and hugged me close to him. “It is for the best Hannah, you must understand that. She is very sick and it is not fair to her to keep her around anymore. I’m sorry.”
At first I wanted to scream at him too, his words made me angry; but I waited and tried to comprehend what he was trying to explain. After a few minutes of internal struggling I eased my tension and hugged him back as tears streaked down my cheeks.
“and we can always get a new cat honey! Any cat you want. How would you like that?”
I still couldn’t speak so I nodded my approval and then brushed my dripping nose. We stood there together for a while, dad holding my close and wiping the tears that escaped until I insisted I was okay to stand on my own. He placed me on the floor and waited for me to say something, anything. I looked up into his warm, friendly face and couldn’t help but smile back. “I love you daddy!” I said.
THE END