August 10, 2015
That Darned Kitty

The other day I was checking in at a motel and noticed a ratty, well-loved stuffed animal lying forlornly behind the desk.  Seeing that little pink ratty something-or-other stopped me in my tracks.  Who, I wondered, did it belong to, and would it ever be reunited with its grateful little owner?  How many teary nights had been spent since its abandonment?  And what of its future. The motel clerk said that they hold on to lost items such as that for three months before discarding them.  Its days were  numbered, I thought sadly.

Seeing it I couldn't help but think back on quite a number of years when a youngster I know had a heartbreaking experience involving another much loved stuffed animal.  

This animal in particular was a kitty.  A much adored, rag-tag worn, beloved kitty.  It had been with him from the early years and rarely left his sight.  Indeed bedtime just wasn't complete without kitty to snuggle to sleep.  Kitty's tail had been reattached a number of times,  and the stuffing poked back in and seams mended.  Kitty was family. 

Then came the time that the two were parted.  After an overnight trip away from home in a motel and home at last, bedtime arrived and regular rituals were observed. Everything was in its place but where was kitty?!  Slowly the realization came that Kitty had not made the return trip, alas.  Heartbreak shown in that little one's eyes as he bravely faced the pillow alone that night.  For the first time without kitty by his side.  Soft sobs could be heard through the door that night and the next and the next.  Truly it was heartbreaking.

A phone call to the motel with a plea to search the lost and found box just one more time in search of that little ball of fur brought no results.  The maids, the operator said, rarely salvage such items and kitty was most likely tossed into the garbage.  The suggestion to the clerk to search the trash barrel brought no satisfaction either.  

Next day a phone call came from the motel saying that the kitty had been found and had been put into the mail and should be arriving home any day.  Day upon day arrived, but no package ever did. A phone call to the post office led to the dead letter department where a clerk noted that after a a few weeks, most deliverable mail was destroyed. 

Next came the cleverly crafted letter to the post office describing the dire situation and the young boy still distraught over the loss of his best friend.  A personal reply arrived, praising the fine efforts of the author of the letter.  But no found kitty.

Weeks went on, and one day a phone call came from a disheveled motel clerk with the news that kitty had been found tucked away on a shelf, waiting to be mailed back to the boy.  Yes, he had been there all along, it turns out, unable to call out to someone, anyone, who might notice him.  Odds are the Legend of Kitty had been ingrained on the employees of the motel so when he was spotted, there was no mistake to whom he belonged.

When they offered to mail the kitty back to the boy, it was determined that no chances were to be taken a second time and that kitty must be picked up in person. And that he was.  Not long after, kitty was returned to the boy and remains with him to this day.  He might not be front and foremost in his life anymore, but chances are there's a bond that will never fade when it comes to kitty and the boy.

The lessons here?  Leave your valuable treasures at home when you travel. Love deeply, without abandon your cherished items.  And never give up. Ever.