Once upon a time, there was a stray cat who lived in New Albany, Indiana. One day, he met a tender-hearted young woman whose parents lived in the country and she sweet-talked her parents into taking the cat in. They named him Roger, after a similar-looking cat the man half of the couple had once had.

Then the mother of the woman half of the couple retired and bought some of the couple’s land and the man — let us call him Charlie, for that is his name — built her a house on it. The plan was that she would move there when she retired, bringing her father and step-mother with her.

During the building process, Roger spent more and more time at the construction site. By the time Mom — for it was she — moved in, she had a cat.

Roger favored Grandma, until she passed away; then he was Grandpa’s cat. He was pretty rough-and-tumble until he went out and stayed out for several days (the cat, not Grandpa), and then he was much milder. He also had diabetes (still the cat — well, Grandpa had diabetes, too, come to think of it, but anyway).

Grandpa is gone, and so is Roger. But now they’re on the internet, forever friends.

A WRITING PROMPT FOR YOU: Did your grandparents have any pets? Did your main character’s grandparents have any pets?

MA