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January 22, 2005

Hobo Cat

Lani, riding the convenient wave of coincidence...

Hey, all! Sorry to be so MIA. I spent last weekend at the hospital bedside of my eldest daughter, Sweetness, who'd had an "asthmatic episode" triggered by pneumonia. Poor kid. Whenever anything happens, it always happens to her. The 3 y.o., Light, however, is built like a Mack truck. I think she had a runny nose when she was 18 months old. Other than that, the kid never gets sick.

And how's this for coincidence?...

While we were in the hospital, and the doctor was telling me that since Sweetness might or might not have what might or might not be possibly asthma or an asthma-like disease (five thousand dollars a minute for a hospital bed, you'd think they'd be able to give you at least one straight answer), he also suggested that we get rid of our cat. Which, grand scheme, I was like, "Oh, yeah, absolutely, to the shelter with Tobey" because I don't love any animal more than I love my daughter's ability to take in oxygen. So, then I went home...

... and found the cat had run away. Apparently, while I was doing the steam-in-the-shower, outside-in-the-freezing-cold shock-the-lungs thing that they recommend you do, the cat picked up a stick, tied a bandanna to it, stuffed in a few odd toys and some Friskies, and hit the road, Jack.

Hmmm.

So, I'm telling my good friend and soon-to-be-published buddy Eileen Connell (hey, Eileen, get a website so I can link to ya, babe) about this turn of events yesterday and Eileen, who's known me for eleven years and is hence qualified to make such statements, says, "You know, stuff like that just happens to you."

I was like, "Huh? Whatchoo talking 'bout, Willis?"

And she starts in with the examples. When she and I worked together eons ago, our mutual boss was really insulting to me and I quit in a snit - this was back when I was single and had the luxury of doing such things "on principle." A small while later, an old boss got a hold of me and offered me my old job.

During my mid-twenties crisis, I broke up with Fish and moved from Arizona to New York. One day, about April-ish, I'd been walking down the street (you'll see this experience mirrored in Maybe Baby) and heard, clear as a bell, my married name in my head - although at that time I was still single and fairly certain I'd made the right decision in leaving Fish. I froze on the street, freaked out, and suddenly knew I'd made the hugest mistake of my life. A few days later, Fish called me from Arizona. He'd gotten bumped off a flight and had a free ticket from American Airlines, and he wanted me to come out and see him. I felt this was very stupid of him, and told him so. I'd freaked out, I'd left him, I'd moved 2000 miles away. Now he was going to give a free airline ticket (a big deal; mid-twenties=broke) to me? No way. I said no, that it was for his own good to forget me. He kept calling, and I kept saying no. Then, finally, hearing my married name in my head, I agreed. We got back together on that trip, and I think it's worked out pretty nicely for us.

I've been writing my whole life, but when I decided to take it seriously, I sent the first chapter of my book to a friend for a critique to help me prepare for the endless query-rejection-query someone else process. This friend recommended me to her agent. This agent signed me, and sold it to the best editor in existence anywhere, ever. (Please excuse my being biased.)

So, while at first I was a bit shocked by Eileen's pronouncement that "these things just happen to you" I guess I have to concede the point. Not that I haven't had my share of pathetic failures, rejections and bad relationships - oh, I have - but when it really matters, I guess the stars just align somehow.

Although, to be fair, I believe this is true of most people. I believe that when something is your fate, your destiny, it will happen whether you look for it or not. I've always believed that. Maybe that's why these things just happen to me. Maybe it's just as simple as trusting that, if it's meant to be, it'll happen.

I can only hope that the same thing is true for exceptional, prescient cats who go hobo when they know a little girl needs it. I hope his destiny is a cute older couple who want to do nothing but love up on him all day long and feed him Fancy Feast by the truckload. I'd say he's earned it.

Posted by Lani at 9:32 AM | Comments (4)

Comments

Posted by: Cate at January 23, 2005 1:07 PM

Posted by: Michelle C at January 24, 2005 7:19 AM

Posted by: Joshilyn at January 24, 2005 9:21 AM

Posted by: Marcie at February 1, 2005 3:24 PM