My Boots!

      Three days ago our neighbor girls knocked on our door. They had an armful of kittens.
     "Would you like to adopt one for free?" one of the girls asked. I surveyed the cats.
     Up until this moment my husband and I had talked about getting a pet but had never really gotten past the talking part. Pets were a big commitment, something neither of us had felt ready for since getting married. We had both had pets before. They were smelly, destructive, and needy, and my husband and I are both typically, for lack of a better word, selfish with our time.
     But there was something so sweet about one of those kittens that I couldn't resist. Without thinking I nodded yes and scooped the fluffy black and white one up into my own arms. It was a boy. 
     His name was Socks. And I was in love.
     I texted my husband tentatively. "Please, don't get mad, but I got us a cat." I included a picture of said kitty with his big eyes and fluffy body. My husband didn't respond for thirty minutes. Finally, he texted back, "he's cute." I wasn't sure what this meant or how my husband really felt about the matter, but I was going to take it for a win.
     Socks was mine.
     Socks, who I renamed Boots, has been an utter joy in my life for the last three days. He loves to play and hang out with me and purr, but he isn't super needy, which is good. And, unlike my dying plants on the front deck, he actually sounds an alarm when he's hungry or needs water. I think if more plants adopted that behavior they'd stand a better chance of surviving their first few weeks under my care.
     I'm not sure which direction my life will take now that I'm a cat owner. I've never owned a cat before. But I hope that I will be a good mommie to the little guy. We took him in to get his shots (his sibling had to be put to sleep because he had contacted a disease and I was very worried) and neutered this morning. I'm afraid when I pick him up he will look at my like I've betrayed him. I hope he forgives me.
     Anyways, just updating about the new addition to my life. Animals are good for the soul and I'm surprised it took me this many years to adopt another pet.