God's Creature
Saturday, September 29, 2007 by Jennifer Curran
I'm sitting there in the waiting room today at the animal hospital. Totally wrapped up in my own worry about Stella. I was waiting to hear the results of her x-ray and how many more kittens she still had to deliver. I had gotten the news that the first kitten (breech and very large) was dead, as I had suspected.
A man walked in carrying a cardboard box. He was dressed in work clothes and appeared to be Mexican. Def. Latino with a heavy accent. The box meowed.
"I found this kitten at work. I'm a carpenter and we heard it meowing in a basement." He gently placed the box on the counter.
The woman behind the front desk reached in and picked up a tiny, gray kitten. Maybe 7 or 8 weeks old. It meows at her.
"It's pretty sick. Definitely an upper respiratory infection and he has a wound. Pretty rough shape. Is it yours?"
"No, I just found him. I tried to go to O'Connors, but the hospital there is closed now. So I bring him here. Is a boy or girl?"
"Boy. But we'll probably just put him to sleep if no one is paying for his care."
"Oh. Well, what? Really?"
"Yeah, unless you claim him and pay for his care he'll be euthanized."
He looks at the little kitten in her hands. It mews loudly. He sighed heavily and walked around the waiting room for a moment. I could see him doing the math in his head. Or the logisitics and responsibility in owning a kitten, and a sick one at that. His decision was made for him when the woman placed him back in the box. As she started to pick it up and walk into the back room he rushed up to the counter.
"His name is Gray."
He sat down then and looked in my direction.
"He's God's creation." A small head shake in total disbelief that an animal hospital should find a homeless, sick kitten so expendable. He suddenly looked resigned to his new role as Pet Owner. His expression changed quite distinctly from Good Samaritan to Concerned Parent.
The woman behind the desk is smiling, but asks one more time. "Sir, his care is going to be pretty expensive. He's one sick kitten. Are you sure?"
The newly minted kitten owner stood up, took out his wallet and tossed a credit card onto the counter.
"I'm sure."
I smiled at him and said, "Congrats Daddy."
I think that from now on, when I'm pretty sure the world has gone to shit... I'm going to think of this man. Who today proved once and for all the human race is still pretty decent. Pretty damned decent.
A man walked in carrying a cardboard box. He was dressed in work clothes and appeared to be Mexican. Def. Latino with a heavy accent. The box meowed.
"I found this kitten at work. I'm a carpenter and we heard it meowing in a basement." He gently placed the box on the counter.
The woman behind the front desk reached in and picked up a tiny, gray kitten. Maybe 7 or 8 weeks old. It meows at her.
"It's pretty sick. Definitely an upper respiratory infection and he has a wound. Pretty rough shape. Is it yours?"
"No, I just found him. I tried to go to O'Connors, but the hospital there is closed now. So I bring him here. Is a boy or girl?"
"Boy. But we'll probably just put him to sleep if no one is paying for his care."
"Oh. Well, what? Really?"
"Yeah, unless you claim him and pay for his care he'll be euthanized."
He looks at the little kitten in her hands. It mews loudly. He sighed heavily and walked around the waiting room for a moment. I could see him doing the math in his head. Or the logisitics and responsibility in owning a kitten, and a sick one at that. His decision was made for him when the woman placed him back in the box. As she started to pick it up and walk into the back room he rushed up to the counter.
"His name is Gray."
He sat down then and looked in my direction.
"He's God's creation." A small head shake in total disbelief that an animal hospital should find a homeless, sick kitten so expendable. He suddenly looked resigned to his new role as Pet Owner. His expression changed quite distinctly from Good Samaritan to Concerned Parent.
The woman behind the desk is smiling, but asks one more time. "Sir, his care is going to be pretty expensive. He's one sick kitten. Are you sure?"
The newly minted kitten owner stood up, took out his wallet and tossed a credit card onto the counter.
"I'm sure."
I smiled at him and said, "Congrats Daddy."
I think that from now on, when I'm pretty sure the world has gone to shit... I'm going to think of this man. Who today proved once and for all the human race is still pretty decent. Pretty damned decent.
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