the orange kitten

the mewing pulled me out of my sleep, it was faint but insistent. without turning on my light i slipped out of bed not sure if i was dreaming or awake. i moved through my house trying to source the sound. i walked from room to room and soon began to open cupboards. after i'd done this a dozen times, a fluffy orange adolescent kitten popped out. he immediately stopped complaining and looked at me as though he knew me. i stood up, my eyes now accustomed to the dark and said out loud, 'who the heck are you?'. the kitten began to purr loudly and weave himself through my legs as if to say, 'let's just take it from this point on, okay?'. i was mostly awake now and with the kitten on my heels, padded to the kitchen to put down a bowl of water for him- which he immediately drank. i shook my head and started back to my bed thinking i would sort it all out in the morning then realized i didn't have the heart to deal with cat droppings. i moved to let the kitten out the kitchen door but hesitated because it was dark and he was young and adorable. i knew it was closer to dawn than midnight and quickly decided he seemed wily enough to make it a few hours out there on his own. i opened the door and the white moonlight flooded the end of my driveway making it bright enough to see that there were at least 15 cats of various colors and sizes all sitting quietly with their faces turned toward me. the kitten sprinted out and moved carelessly through the group, this time i followed him. it was a surreal scene and i marveled that this congress of cats had been holding court right outside my back door while i slept. as i looked around, a figure solidified from the dappled black shadows cast by the branches of the tree. before i could react in any way, i heard his familiar voice say, 'shandra, it's me...'. he stepped toward me through a bowl of light, put his arms around me and i could feel that he was trembling. he began to quietly confess his feelings as he rested his head into the curve of my neck. i meant to say words, but i could not bring myself to speak. he had come so far from the distant past that i had no way into my own feelings. we stood amid the sitting cats and shadows thrown through the trees by the bright and unblinking moon.