Honey

Today, too, I had to stay late, putting all my evening plans on hold. My last client was delayed by unforeseen circumstances, and she begged, almost pleading, to leave her cat at the clinic for boarding, even if only for one day.

You were awkwardly shuffling papers on the table, absentmindedly stroking the warm side of the kitten curled up next to you, when suddenly the silence was shattered by a deafening knock, followed by a crash that made your heart skip a beat. Running to the door and throwing it open, you saw the boy frozen in the doorway. His gaze, full of worry and hope, was fixed on you. Clutching the small, defenseless bundle in his large palms, he held it out, and only then did you notice the tiny kitten, a scarlet drop of blood slowly oozing from its paw.

Without a word, you quickly took it from his trembling hands, ushering the frightened boy inside. Hastily examining the little body, you listened to his halting, broken story about how he was rushing home and saw this little boy on the road, who was literally miraculously not run over by a passing car, which is how the poor guy received his small but frightening beating.

Having carefully treated and bandaged the wounds, you laid the tiny sufferer on a soft mat, where, exhausted by the horror he had just experienced, he almost instantly fell into a restless sleep. Having completed all the necessary manipulations, you watched with quiet, aching love as his sleeping body rose and fell in rhythm with his shallow breathing. The man, who had been standing awkwardly to the side this entire time, finally smiled sheepishly, saying quietly:

• Thank you... I am incredibly grateful to you.