A Valentine's Day Story

This past Sunday Hubs wanted to browse around at a bike store and I joined him--that part bored me big time but I knew we'd also wander around a huge antique indoor market place, which we both love to do (a benefit of teen kids: both parents can go out together for several hours to pursue own errands).

On the way back home Hubs reminded me that a new Humane Society was somewhere nearby.  We have no pets, but before we got married I/we had a cat, which expanded to two cats and then later a dog and then another dog.  They all lived their long, geriatric lives and the last one left 7 years ago.  Recently in a local paper they featured a dog whose features were a striking cross of the two dogs we once had so I showed Hubs and he agreed and asked every day if I had called to see if that dog was still available--I did not.  But we were curious.  We really don't want a dog and trust me this is not s story of us getting a dog.  But if we did get a dog it would be from the humane society--many years ago that is where we found a wonderful best dog in the world.

We finally located this other humane society and looked at the dogs and a worker asked us if she could help and I asked about the dog we had seen in the paper and we were both happy to hear that the dog had been adopted.  So we were truly just spending time together and it was a nice reminder to see a little "softie" side of Hubs, the way he talked to the dogs and puppies.  He plays a really tough role but I have some incriminating photos of a cat we once had that lived and breathed for him alone.

As we were driving back home I started to chuckle about an episode that took place at the Humane Society in midtown Atlanta 26 years ago, the year before we were married.  I had moved to Atlanta by myself after I graduated, and he was still in school in Florida and he was visiting me in February.  We knew as soon as he graduated that coming May that he would move into my apt with me and we would begin to plan our wedding for the following year.  I had previously told him that what he needed to know about me to be happy is that I had to have a cat and I had to have a lot of books and reading time.  He was game.

So back in 1986 during a visit to me in Atlanta near Valentine's Day we went to the Humane Society and I found a cat I wanted.  We stood in line to adopt and the clerk was HORRIBLE.  We had observed him being rude to people with an ugly attitude.  When it was our turn for paperwork we found out that you had to prove you owned a home or if you rented (I had my own rental apt) he would call the leasing company to find out if pets were allowed.  He called and they were not allowed.  The rule is the rule (I get that) and he could have talked to us differently but he WAS AWFUL.  I started to cry and went to walk away.

Well.  Hubs let him have it.  He ranted about the man's attitude and treatment of customers and then yelled about "How NO ONE would love that cat MORE THAN ME and how this cat MAY DIE instead of being adopted." (there were some older ladies nearby who literally gasped at this part).  Hubs was livid.

(BTW I was on a mission to find a cat after this --sheesh there were no ads in the paper during that February--but then a coworker knew a friend who knew a friend whose cat had kittens and I picked one out and he was perfect for me so we have a happy ending, but who ever thought for a month or so how hard it was to get me a darn young cat or kitten).

Back to this past Sunday--when we got into the car on the way home I started to think about that Humane Society scene and thought about how my Hubs couldn't care less about cats but he knew how much I wanted one and he knew we'd be together soon to start our life together, and KNEW how much he loved me.  I said, "Do you remember that time at the Humane Society??!?  About the cat??!? "

And he said, "Yes, that man was such an asshole!"  I was smiling and thinking about this from so many years ago and how that was the beginning of our lives together, and how we started as parents to pets and then years later parents to-------  and he says,

"So you saw then a glimpse of years to come with my interactions with bad customer service!!!!"    Hmmmm, how true.  The stories I have of Hubs having words with a clerk and/or walking away from his purchase as needed........

Happy Valentine's Day and may your true love have your back always.