Mary held out her hand feeling the first checker disks splashing into the fountain. She stood, “Imagine that! Biggest rain drops I’ve ever seen in California, I better get back to my apartment before it really starts raining!”

“Mary,” I said starting to laugh, “It is just checkers, Rob lost again and has dumped the checker over the side of the balcony, what you feel are the checkers, not rain.”

“Checkers? Catelin stop jesting! I know rain when I feel it, and this is the biggest rain drops I have ever felt, and if you had any sense you’d get inside before you get soaked! I’m going home!” She retorted reaching for the hand rail that would help her find her way back to her apartment.

Match-Maker Cat

Esther Kerry was a widow who had a black and white cat she called Oreo. This cat was really a sweet cookie! Esther had trained Oreo to walk like a lady on her rhinestone studded red leash and collar. It was a familiar sight to see the two of them taking walks each day right around four o’clock. I thought it was amazing that Oreo never slipped her collar to run off.

Lance Durham was a new resident; a husky man in his late seventies. Lance was a retired seaman, having spent his younger days in the navy and his forties and fifties as a captain of a chartered fishing boat. He had a hobby of growing the most beautiful orchids I have ever seen.

Lance’s upstairs apartment was visible from the window in my office. I often glanced towards his apartment to see how he was settling in, he seemed very lonely.

One afternoon I noticed Esther walking Oreo on the walkway leading past Lance’s apartment. I looked back to my computer, then hearing Esther yell, “Oreo, come back!” I looked up. That cat had slipped her collar! I rushed out of the office, knowing Esther may need help retrieving Oreo, but stopped short in the door way, seeing Oreo had dashed up the staircase to Lance’s apartment.

Lance was on the balcony watering his orchids. He stooped down holding out one arm to the wayward cat. Oreo went straight for him; he picked her up carrying her down the step to Esther. I smiled, “that was easy,” I thought.

In the weeks and months which followed I often noticed Esther stopping at Lance’s apartment. One time she had a basket of something she must have given to him as she left without the basket on her arm.

About six months later Esther called me requesting I come to her apartment she had something important she wanted to talk to me about. I told her I could come in about thirty minutes.

Arriving at her apartment, she greeted me looking younger than I recalled ever seeing her. For a lady in her late seventies she was still very attractive. I then notice Lance sitting on the sofa, with Oreo curled up on his lap, appearing quite content as he gently stroked her back.

Esther motioned for me to take the arm chair, while she seated herself next to Lance, and the cat.

After a couple moments of silence, she announced that she and Lance would be getting married in two weeks, and Lance would be moving in with her. She then asked if this would be a problem. I told her no, and congratulated them. Then asked how did this happen so quickly?

Lance looked down at Oreo, “This darn cat!” he said laughing. Then explained Oreo slipped her collar more than once – quite a few times to be exact: But strangely only when she got close to his apartment. She would always run straight for him. If he wasn’t out on the balcony, she would nose her way through the crack in his front door; as he always left the front door cracked during the daylight hours

I stood to leave knowing I had paperwork to complete and to have them sign before they made these changes. Glancing back at Esther and Lance on the sofa, I saw Oreo stretched out over both their laps; and thought I could hear her purring at an accelerated rate.