Love Story

"Can I have a kitty for my birthday?" four-year-old Gwen asked her mother one sunnySeptember afternoon.

"Do you think you are old enough to take care of a kitty?" her mother asked.

Through the sliding glass doors of the family room Gwen saw Zachary, her older brother, playing with his dog. Zachary, who was ten, had just tossed a ball to his Golden Retriever.

"If Zachary can take care of Louie," Gwen said, "I can take care of a kitty."

That evening Gwen's father was reading a magazine when she asked him, "Do you know what I want for my birthday?"

"An elephant?"

"No, a kitty."

"A kitten might scratch the furniture. We have a dog. I think that's enough pets."

"The dog belongs to Zachary. Can I have a kitty--please?" Gwen pleaded.

"I suppose so," her father said reluctantly, "But I really don't like cats."

The next day Gwen's mother saw a notice in the newspaper that kittens would be given free to a good home. That afternoon she drove Gwen and Zachary to the other side of town to see the family of new kittens.

A lady with gray hair showed them a cardboard box where three tiny kittens huddled close to their mother. A little black kitten with white paws looked up at Gwen. He almost seemed to smile at her.

"That's the one I want," Gwen said, pointing to the black kitten with white paws. Zachary agreed he was the cutest. The lady with gray hair placed the kitten in Gwen's arms. Her mother said he was the one they would choose.

As they drove home, Gwen and Zachary took turns holding the kitten. "Do you think getting the kitty will be okay with Daddy?" Gwen asked.

"I think so," her mother said. "I know he doesn't like cats, but maybe that's because he has never been around them much. He doesn't know how nice a kitty can be."

When Gwen's dad came home from work, the children rushed to show the new family member to him. "Isn't he pretty?" Gwen asked, cuddling the kitten in her arms.

Her dad gave him a superficial look and went to change his clothes. "I hope he doesn't scratch the furniture," he mumbled.

Later that evening Gwen's father was sitting in his favorite chair reading the newspaper when the kitten jabbed the cuff of his pants leg. The fabric moved with a tantalizing jiggle. After a few more swipes at the limp cuff, the kitten climbed up the pants leg and settled down in the available lap. In a few minutes he closed his eyes and was purring happily.

Gwen's father put the newspaper aside. As the kitten continued to purr, he patted the intruder's soft fur and smiled. "I guess he's not so bad after all," he said.