The Twins

Farm life is full of surprises

Sarah Simmons

(10/2021) Since it has been such a hot summer, we haven’t been able to ride as much as we would like, but it’s important to keep the health of the horses in mind. When Mike said it was cool enough for us to ride one evening, My sister Emma and I were ecstatic. We were so very ready to get on our horses again. It had been at least a couple of weeks since we had ridden. Outfitted in our best riding clothes, we set off for Mike’s farm. All the way there, Emma and I chatted about the horses, how much we missed them, and how great it would feel to ride again. My mother often uses the phrase, "best laid plans" to mean sometimes things come up that you don’t expect. And that was what was in store for us when we got to Mike’s farm.

When we arrived, Mike was out riding Scotty, so we decided to wait for him in the barn. While we were waiting, we heard a sound that we often heard at the farm, a cat meowing. Since Mike and his wife Audrey have several cats, indoor ones and barn ones, we didn’t think anything about hearing this very usual noise. But even though the sound was familiar, there was something different about it. I asked Emma what she thought, and she too said that the cat sounded different from Mike’s two barn cats, Will and Q. So, we began to investigate. And we soon discovered that the screen door leading from the barn to the potting shed and workshop was closed. Now, this door is rarely closed during the day since it allows the cats and dogs to come and go from the barn to the yard. We knew something was different. And we were soon to discover exactly what was going on.

As soon as we peered through the screen door into the potting shed, we saw something we did not expect to see, a tiny, furry, ginger and white colored little ball of fur. A ball of fur that meowed. It was a kitten! As he looked up at us, he was so cute!

At that point, Audrey walked into the barn and said, "Oh, you’ve found him. He’s only been with us for a day, and he’s the loudest little kitten I’ve ever seen." As Emma and I sat down on the floor to play with him, Audrey told us the tale of how she discovered the little guy.

She said that the previous evening she was out for her usual walk down the road and she heard the familiar sound of a kitten. She looked around and soon caught a glimpse of a little furry creature. She told us that she found him standing close to the road, which is not a safe place for a kitten. So she reached out for him. And she noted that she was a little surprised that he walked right up to her with no hesitation. Audrey said that it was clear he had been around people and had likely either wandered away from home or had been let loose to fend for himself. She took him home and showed Mike her find. They both then went back to where she found him and looked for other kittens and went to several nearby houses to see if anyone was missing a kitten. And they went back the next day and looked again for other kittens. But this little guy was the only one and no one in the neighborhood had lost a kitten. So, Audrey and Mike spent some time thinking about what to do. Since they already had several cats, they felt they just couldn’t keep another one. Audrey said that they decided to find a good home for the kitten instead.

Since it was already late and since Audrey has a lot of experience with animals, especially cats and horses, she checked him over to make sure he was not injured. Then she gave him water and food. She told us that he was so thirsty. He drank and drank all the water she put out for him.

Just as Audrey was finishing her story of how she found the kitten, Mike walked into the barn from his ride and said, "I see you found the kitten. Want to take him home with you?" Well, you can guess what our Mom said. We already have two big dogs, two cats, 12 fish, and 2 snails. But being kids who love animals, we still had some hope and gave our Mom our very very best pleading look and asked quietly, "Can we please keep him?" Our Mom seemed unmoved. She long ago developed the Mom response to such questions: "No. I already have enough to take care of, the dogs, the cats, the fish, Daddy, and you two girls. I can’t do anymore." She seemed firm. But Emma and I are tenacious. Without even saying a word to each other, we used our twin telepathy and quickly devised a plan. We went back to the kitten, sat on the floor again, and called her over and asked if she would take a photo of us and the kitten so we could always remember him. And we knew that being a photographer, she just couldn’t resist a good picture. So she got out her iPhone and started snapping away. Part One of our plan was successful.

Now, Part Two of the plan should be obvious to any girl. We squeezed out a few tears as she was taking pictures. She looked up from her iPhone at us and said in her gentlest Mom voice, "It’ll be alright. Audrey will find a good home for the little kitten." Then she walked away to talk with Audrey. We don’t know exactly what they said, but we did hear the word, "shelter" being mentioned. Bingo. We know our Mom doesn’t like the idea of little animals in shelters because they don’t always make it out. On to Part Three of the plan. I asked, "Maybe we can ask Daddy?" Now this was the critical point. If our Mom said "No, let’s not bother Daddy", then our plan had hit a big bump in the road. But if she agreed to call our Dad, Game On. We saw the wheels in her head spinning as she thought about her next move. Then she said, "Ok, I’ll give him a call." We looked over at Audrey and she smiled. She knew what was going on. She’s a smart lady.

We heard Mom talking on the phone to our Dad and they seemed to talk for a long time. So we went back to playing with the kitten. Then we saw her go over to Audrey and Mike and talk with them. Emma and I held our twin breath. "Please, please, please", we prayed. "Please let us keep this little kitten, dear Lord."

Then she walked toward us, but we couldn’t read her face. She is great at keeping a straight face. I can still remember her exact words. Her face turned into a big smile and she said, "You can keep him! Heaven help me, you can keep him. But he’s your responsibility."

Fortunately, Audrey had already made a run to the store and bought kitten food and some toys and she had a carrier we could use to take him home with us. Audrey was so kind and told us what we needed to do to take care of him. She knows so much about kittens. She told us to make sure he has enough water all the time. And introduce him to our other cats slowly. She reminded us to keep him separated from them for a few days or so until they get to know one another. "Don’t rush it," she said, "take your time. Make sure they become friends." And most importantly, she told us to give him lots and lots of love. "That’s what kittens need most," Audrey said. As we drove home that evening, Emma and I were so so so happy. Another kitten. There’s nothing in the world that’s as wonderful as a little kitten. That evening we decided to call him, "Vesper," since Audrey found him one evening and we got to take him home in the evening.

Oh, and by the way, we never did ride that day. We can always ride later, but we only had one chance at keeping the kitten. And it paid off.