I found her while I was in college in Virginia and
she graced my life for the next 19 years. She was far more like a
dog than a cat, following me from room to room and obeying hand signals,
and she slept on my pillow for years. When she died, I was devastated.
A week or so later, I had a dream in which she was lying on the quilt
on my bed in a patch of sunlight purring, as she always had loved
to do. We exchanged blinks, a ritual we'd shared for years, but when
I reached out to touch her, she slowly faded away. I was crying when
I awoke but after that dream I felt comforted. I know that she is
happy and content while she waits for me to come and snuggle her
again.
