As anyone who's ever read a love story knows, the wedding is usually the last chapter of the book. But in a real love story, there's so much more to be told. So much happens in the happily ever after. And that’s what the sequel is for: to tell the story of two people as husband and wife as they live and grow together. So here are pages from our sequel.
THE STORY OF LUCY
We slammed the car doors and hurried through the grass towards the front door as the rain dropped on our heads. My shoes had just touched the concrete of our driveway when I heard soft little meows. I squatted down next to my car and came face to face with a sad little kitty, huddled under the bumper to keep out of the rain. I reached out my hand and she hurried to me, curling herself around my legs and purring as I pet her.
I looked up at Ryan. It was 10:30 at night. We had just gotten home from a game night with friends. And there was a cat in our driveway. So we scooped her up and brought her inside for the night. Twenty minutes later, I was sitting on the floor of the bathroom with a very affectionate and inquisitive little cat while Ryan was out at Harris Teeter buying kitten food and litter for our overnight guest.
We stayed up late that night talking, running through all the questions that popped into our minds. “What do we do now? Do you think she was abandoned? We weren’t planning to get a cat. But she’s so sweet. Do we want to keep her if she doesn’t have an owner? We’re having a baby. Do we really want to adopt a cat right now?”
The next morning, Lucy greeted us with cuddles and an insistence that we pet her with both hands. After Ryan went to work, she followed me around the house and curled up with me on the couch for a nap. She was the sweetest thing, and she melted my heart. After animal control came to take her away, I sat on the couch and called Ryan, crying. “They took my kitten away. Why couldn’t she stay with us?”
Ryan and I were both surprised at how quickly we had become attached to this sweet little cat. (Although I was 6 weeks pregnant, so I guess I can blame hormones.) We had decided not to get a cat until after we had a bigger place and we were overwhelmed at the idea of adjusting to a new pregnancy and a new cat at the same time, but this little lady seemed perfect for us. She was cuddly and affectionate like a dog. Cute and tiny but still full grown. She hadn’t tried to destroy anything in our house while she’d been there. And we just couldn’t stop thinking about her. So we anxiously waited out her 5 day hold and drove to the shelter 10 minutes before they opened the day she became available so we could officially make her ours.
