An hour later she was dressed and slowly making her way down the stairs when Elsie knocked on the door. Kate’s heart jumped when she saw the little black kitten in Elsie’s arms. “You found it!” she said, throwing the door open.

“Yup. I saw it wandering around in the front yard.” Elsie handed Kate the squirming animal.

Kate held it at eye level and studied it. “Elsie, this isn’t my kitten. My kitten had one little white foot.”

“Shoot,” Elsie said. “I didn’t think you’d notice.”

“Did you actually find this kitten in my front yard?”

“Nope. I bought it at the pet store, and they won’t take it back.”

Kate set the kitten on the floor and watched it scamper around the dining room. “It’s cute. I suppose if we find my first kitten, it would like to have a friend.” She gave Elsie a hug. “It was nice of you to do this for me.”

“You were pathetic,” Elsie said.

Kate found it in her to smile a little. “Would you like a cup of coffee?”

“Nope. I have a date with Gus. I gotta go meet his daughter.”

“Sounds serious.”

“Yup. I found a winner this time. He’s got a nice rent-controlled apartment just two blocks from here. He’s perfect.”

Now Kate really smiled. “Perfect for what?”

“Perfect for everything. Damned if he isn’t.”

“Elsie! I hope you’re being careful.”

“I’m being careful to snag him fast. You wait around when you’re my age, and before you know it, one of you has a heart attack.”

The thought of Elsie and Gus together brought a new lump to Kate’s throat. Why was marriage so easy for other people and so difficult for her?

When Elsie left, Kate fixed the litter box and gave the new kitten a bowl of milk. She’d just settled down in a chair when her mother and father rapped on the front door.

“We called early this morning,” her mother said, inching her way into the foyer, “and we heard about your lost kitten.” She gave her daughter a hug and a kiss. “Honey, I’m so sorry. Dave said the little thing just vanished into thin air.”

Kate nodded. It was hard to be cheery when people kept bringing up the subject of her misery.

“Daddy and I know it must get lonely for you sometimes, and so… well, we got you a new kitten.”

Her father took a fat black kitten out from under his topcoat. “It’s black. Just like your old one. We went to every pet store in northern Virginia and two in Maryland before we found a black kitten,” he said proudly.

Kate looked at the kitten. “Is it returnable?”

“You don’t like it?” Kate’s father looked crushed.