serendipity comes in the form of a Cheeto

Today Dan was at Petco getting Cola her shedding-season grooming. As he walked by the cat adoption cages, a magical orange kitten called out to him. When he held Cola up to the cage, the kitten rubbed his entire body against the dog and purred.

He called me and sent me cell phone pictures. I was in an all-hands meeting; I told him to stall. As soon as I could, I went to see the kitten -- and knew instantly that we had to go fill out the paperwork or he'd be gone. We rushed between the Petco and the adoption center and the cash machine; we had to be home by 3:20 to meet the school bus.

The kiddo arrived home from school and we concocted an elaborate ruse about needing to pick up Cola and have Ham's claws trimmed. Away to Petco we went. I suggested my son go look at the cats. The magical orange kitten took one look at my son and let out a long, insistent holler. When he went silent, he didn't so much stop as he ran out of breath.

It felt like fate, like a second chance. Like we were meant to have a magical orange kitten, and even though one had been taken from us much too soon, Serendipity delivered another one just when we were ready to think about it again.

Currently, he's rotating between Dan and my son on the couch. If one of them stops petting him for any length of time, he yells about it and then moves to the other boy.

And we shall call him Cheeto.