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Charli hoped the meteorologist was correct about the snowfall. He indicated a possibility of 18” overnight, starting at midnight. If he was correct, she knew her employer would close. She loved her job, but she really wanted a stay-at-home-in-jammies kind of day. She had been at the Dental Clinic for 10 years. She started as a receptionist, which led to an office manager, which led to the clinic manager. Her team of 6 hygienists, 2 receptionists, and one biller is just small enough to feel like a family, but large enough to keep her busy. Charli had been working 5 months without a day off, except weekends, which even then usually resulted in her using Saturday to do payroll, scheduling, or reviewing the key performance indicator reports. For the last six months, she has been going to see her mom on Sunday to check in, visit, or do something around the house. Charli’s Dad passed away, unexpectedly from a heart attack just six months earlier and her mom hasn’t been able to snap out of the deep depression that she had fallen in to. Charli often wondered what it must feel like to spend so many years with someone. Her parents married during college; Dad was 21 and Mom was 20. Charli wasn’t born until 10 years later.  Now, at age 35, Charli is sad to see her mother mourning the loss of her best friend and husband of 45 years.  Sixty-five is still young to be a widow but Charli knows her mom will never remarry. Her parents were soul mates: they were best friends and lovers. Charli recalls blushing when their favorite song would play on the radio and the two would slow dance so close and so romantically as if no one else was in the room. They travelled together, played games together, did house chores and yard work together. They spent so much time together; it was hard to imagine the two of them apart.

 Charli felt guilty for hoping for the clinic to close, but she was like a school kid, looking out the window, watching for the coming snow and hoping to go outside and play. Only she did not want to go out and play, she wanted to read, bake cookies, and snuggle with Sassy, her Lhasa-apso mix that she adopted just 3 years prior.  Sassy isn’t the name she would have chosen, but it was the name given to her, and at 10 years old, it would be hard to teach her a new name.  Charli had decided, years ago, that she wanted to remain single. She can’t put a reason behind her decision; her parents were great role models for marriage and what to do right.  She had dated plenty of times, and even came close to marrying, but in the end, she just liked being alone.  Her parents were disappointed with her decision but supported it. They had longed for the possibility of grandchildren and a son-in-law but since Charli was the only child, that dream would never be realized. Instead, Charli had made it a point to visit with them as often as she could. She would hang out and play cards, sometimes bringing her best friend, Miranda, with her.  A few times, they had a little too much wine and Miranda and Charli spent the night, staying in Charli’s old room.  It had changed a little since she was in high school; her double bed had been replaced with two single beds and the pink paint was now a blue green, but her record/cd player remained with many of her high school albums and CDs featuring music from Train, Lifehouse, Janet Jackson, Justin Timberlake, Brittany Spears, Alicia Keys, and Eminem.   Charli and Miranda would stay up listening to music, singing along, and giggling as if they were back in high school.  Charli loved hanging out with her friends, going on trips with them, having girls’ trips, and having the freedom to decide what she wanted to do and when. That seemed selfish to her, but she knew she wouldn’t change which is probably why she decided to stay single.

As the late-night news ended, Charli decided to go to bed, just in case snowpocalypse didn’t happen. She bundled up and took Sassy outside to do her potty.  “Come on Sassy, tomorrow might be snow filled and you may have a small patch to go in, so enjoy the grass now.”  Charli always shoveled a small grassy area for Sassy after it snowed since she was too low to the ground to try to dig through snow.  As Sassy was sniffing for that oh-so-perfect spot, the slightest snow began to fall. The flakes were small at first, but after just a few seconds, they grew larger.  As Charli looked up, she couldn’t help but stick her tongue out to catch them.  “Come on Sassy, let’s get your leash and walk around the block.”  As the two walked, the snow began to fall harder.  They were halfway around the block, when it started falling so hard and so fast that Sassy’s fur was covered, and the sidewalk was barely visible.  Charli let out a giggle and watched Sassy wag her long tail and stick her nose in the snow. Sassy loved the snow and couldn’t resist rolling in it.  “Looks like the forecast might have been correct Sassy; the two of us may have an indoor day together”.   Sassy looked back at her, cocker her head, and wiggled her tail.

By the time Charli and Sassy returned home, Sassy was covered with snow, Charli’s hair was soaking, and her cheeks were a bright rosy red.  Charli dried Sassy off, put the shovel by the door, and got Sassy’s dog socks and sweater out.  Charli poured herself a glass of Pinot Noir, a taste she developed on a recent trip to Oregon, and a grabbed a book. “Come on Sassy, let’s go night-night.”  Sassy wagged her long tail and turned in a circle, a sign that she was happy. Sassy loved bedtime almost as much as eating; she snuggled up at the end of Charli’s bed and quickly got comfy. It never took Sassy long to fall asleep and start snoring. Charli smiled at the little noises Sassy made and opened her book.

What seemed like only a few minutes later, Charli opened her eyes to discover her light still on, her book laying on her chest, and her glass of Pinot still half full. She looked at the clock on her nightstand; she had been asleep for almost 2 hours.  She got up to use the restroom and looked outside to assess the snow situation.  As she peered outside, she could see the street covered in snow. Her bedroom faced the front of the house, and it was clear to see that the snowplows hadn’t been out yet and the snow hadn’t quit coming down.  She estimated that they already had over 8 inches. As she was closing the blinds, she thought she heard something.  She listened for a few minutes to try to figure out what it was.  She didn’t hear it again, so she turned to go back to bed. There it was again, almost like something in the bushes below her window. She tried to glance down into them, but it was just too dark to see. Then she heard it, a whining sound of some kind.  She couldn’t make it out, but she knew she wasn’t imagining it.  She opened the window to listen, and there it was, a small cry of a cat.  She shut the window, ran out to the bedroom to grab some clothes. Sassy glanced up at her and went back to sleep.  Charli ran to the living room, got her coat and hat on and flew out the front door.

Charli was amazed at how much snow there was. She trudged through it and listened for the crying again. “Here kitty, kitty, kitty.”  She heard it again. She couldn’t tell which bush it was coming from. She had evergreen bushes lining the front of her house, and they were thick.  She tried to get on her knees to peer through, but the snow was coming down so heavily and she was covered up to her thighs when she bent down.  She heard it again.  “Here kitty, kitty, kitty.”  She decided to stay where she was to try to coax the cat out.  She knelt there, freezing, talking in a calm voice to the cat. She kept talking telling it to come out, kept coaxing until, finally, she saw the bottom branches move.  “Come on baby, it’s okay, I won’t hurt you.”  There it was a black and white cat that was way too skinny.  She knew she had to stay still and calm or there was a chance the cat would get spooked and run away. “Come on sweetheart, it’s okay.”  Finally, after ten long minutes, the cat came up to her. Charli stroked its head and pet it on the back. The cat arched its back and came closer.  Charli leaned over and picked the cat up. To her surprise, the cat didn’t resist.  Charlie brought the cat inside for a closer inspection.  She and the cat were soaked and shivering.  She couldn’t believe how light the cat was to pick up. This cat was dangerously malnourished.

Sassy met them at the door; she must have realized Charli was gone and wanted to check it out.  “Sassy, we have a visitor, but you should go lay down.”  Sassy sniffed up in the air, did a little tail wag and followed Charli into the bathroom where she brought the cat.  The cat was a female with a torn ear, which was still a little bloody, a few puncture marks near the neck, and a pad on her paw that was bleeding.  Charli was, miraculously, able to wash the paw with some mild soap and put a bandage around it. The cat was so lethargic, it barely had the energy to fight the care that Charli was giving her.  Charli took a warm cloth and cleaned the cats face and then brought it to the kitchen to try to give it some nourishment.   “Let’s get some warm milk and a little of Sassy’s canned food mixed with tuna fish.”  Charli put Sassy in the bedroom and shut the door so the cat could eat in peace.  As Charli set the food down, the cat drank a small amount of milk, a bit or two of food, and just laid next to the bowl. She looked up at Charli and just stared. “What can I do baby?” Charli asked. The cat just looked off into space and put her head down. She closed her eyes and went to sleep.  Charli was worried and knew that she couldn’t take the cat in to a vet with the roads being as bad as they were.   She decided to make a bed up for the cat in the bathroom, she went to the basement for an old baby gate she used when she first brought Sassy home and put the cat in the bathroom that adjoined her room.  She grabbed a space heater and put it on the counter, put some fresh water down, and added the left-over food, just in case.  The cat laid in the bed, barely moving.  Charli was concerned, she knew she couldn’t risk going out tonight but didn’t want the cat to suffer.  She sat in with the cat while Sassy looked through the gate.  Charli tried a few times to give the cat some water with a syringe, but it just slept. Finally, Charli decided she needed to do the same.  She stepped over the baby gait, scooped Sassy up, and lay down to get a few hours of sleep. She was exhausted; it was 3 a.m. on Thursday night, even though she probably wouldn’t have to go in tomorrow, she needed to get some rest.

She awoke to Sassy moving around on the bed.  “Go to sleep girl.” Sassy continued to pace around, her tail wiggling. Charli opened her eyes and could see that it was getting lighter outside. She looked down to see what Sassy was looking and wagging at; the cat was lying next to the gait inside the bathroom. “Oh my gosh!!!, I forgot about a litter box.”  Charli, ran to the basement, grabbed some old soda case boxes she kept for her plants, and by the grace of God, she had cat litter that she used to clean up an oil spill.  She brought the makeshift litter box upstairs, put it in her bathroom, and put the cat near it.  To her amazement, the cat slowly walked in and did her business.  “Great job girl, you waited all night, you need a name. How about Midnight, since that is about the time, I found you?”  The cat looked up walked, almost tripped, out of the litter box and laid down on the floor to sleep.  Charli picked Midnight up, put her back on the warm blanket, and tried to get some liquid into her with the syringe.  Midnight swallowed it but didn’t respond very much. None of the food had been eaten, so Charli threw it out.  She decided to let Midnight rest and try every two hours to give her a few syringes of liquid. She decided she would boil a chicken and use the broth to hydrate Midnight, but first, she needed to get Sassy out to do her morning potty and poopy.

Charli finished shoveling a small square for Sassy and brought her out to do her business.  The snow was crazy high; they had to have gotten 15 or 18 inches. It took forever to shovel a small 2 x 2 space for Sassy, but she managed to get it done and get Sassy outside.  The wind was ferocious, and the sky was a deep gray. After Sassy was done outside, Charli fed her and called her boss, Dr. Ross, who agreed that it was too dangerous to go outside so Charli promised to contact all the patients scheduled for today. Both agreed that they would watch the weather for Monday but didn’t anticipate a problem.

Charli boiled the chicken without spices, put the water in a container and shredded some of the chicken.  She then boiled rice and added some apples, carrots, and a frozen tilapia filet.  Once it was all cooled, she added a bit of tuna and some of Sassy’s food.  It smelled awful to Charli but was probably delightful to Sassy and the cat.  Charli contemplated letting Sassy taste it but decided against it for fear of Sassy thinking she should always eat that instead of her food.

Charli brought some of the concoction to Midnight, but she was barely moving. She didn’t want to eat, so Charli gave her a few syringes of the chicken water instead.  She decided to puree the food and try to feed Midnight via the syringe.  She did half of a syringe every hour for a good part of the day.  Midnight swallowed but wasn’t interested in moving; she just wanted to sleep. Not being able to do anything else for the cat, Charli decided to give Sassy some attention and curl up on the couch to call patients and read a book.  As the day wore on, the wind grew stronger, and it began to rain a freezing hard rain.  That was not in the forecast and was a little concerning to think about an ice storm.  Charli called her mom to check in.  Her mom was fine, had plenty of food and books to read.  Charli told her about the cat and the ordeal in getting her into the house.  Her mom wasn’t surprised at Charli going to the lengths she did; it was always in Charli’s heart to help animals, which is something she received from her parents.  Among their many trips, several involved visiting shelters and excursions to see or help animals. Their love of animals was something Charli was so thankful for; she loved the soft spot her parents had for any type of animal.  Charli asked her mom if she would want to take Midnight, provided she could be nursed to health.  Her mom loved cats but didn’t want another living creature to take care of right now, she felt she didn’t have the energy or compassion to think of another living being and that it wouldn’t be fair to whatever came into her house to live.  “Okay mom, no pressure, but just think about it and call me if you need anything.”

The rest of the day looked much like the beginning of the day; Charli gave Midnight syringes of liquid and pureed food. She went out to shovel a spot in the grass a few times so Sassy could potty, then she sat on the couch and read her book. She did manage to bake some oatmeal cookies; one of her favorites. It made her feel good when she was domestic, but she froze most of the cookies so she wouldn’t eat them all at one time.  Charli wasn’t what one would consider overweight, but she did gain weight around her belly and thighs easily, so she ate a healthy diet and worked out a few times a week.  After baking cookies, she decided to make a small meal for dinner and check the weather forecast.  As she was looking in the refrigerator to assess what she could throw together, the lights went out.  “Oh, great, that is all we need!”  She closed the refrigerator, opened the blinds to get the last few moments of daylight, and went in search for candles and flashlights.  Charli could see that the ice was getting thicker on the trees. No doubt, ice on the power lines is what caused the outage.  She would have to rely on lots of layers and her gas fireplace until the power came on.

Charli checked the news on her phone and discovered that the snowfall had been almost 16 inches, a record breaker since 1930. On top of that, the ice storm was an unexpected storm coming down from Canada.  She called her mom to check in and update her about Midnight. Her mom’s power was still on, thank God.  Charli turned the fireplace on, lit the candles, and put flashlights in most of the rooms.  She knew it wouldn’t take long for the house to get cold with the wind blowing so hard.  She decided to get Midnight, her bed, and the water and bring her to the living room.  She had debated because she wasn’t sure how Sassy and Midnight would interact.  After moving everything into the living room, close to the fireplace, she put Midnight on her mound of blankets.  Midnight looked around and buried her head under the blankets.  Sassy went up and sniffed the cat and laid down on a corner of the blanket.  Charli decided to let the two of them be and see how it worked out.  She needed to close the blinds, put towels under the doors to stop as much draft as possible, and turn the faucets on to drip so the pipes wouldn’t freeze. When Charli returned to the living room, Sassy and Midnight were both in their same spots, only Midnight’s head was out from under the covers, and she was facing Sassy but asleep. “Well, that’s promising.”

At 7 p.m. Charli decided to eat a peanut butter sandwich since she didn’t want to open the refrigerator.  It had been 3 hours since the power turned off and it was getting cold in the house.  She feared how cold it would be if the power didn’t come on soon.  She also feared the price of her gas bill if she had to leave the fire on all night.  By 9 pm, the power was still out, and Charli was in as many layers of clothing as she could stand so she decided to call it a night.  Instead of going to her bedroom, she decided to pull a bunch of blankets on the floor and sleep next to Sassy and Midnight where it was warm.  “Let’s hope the power comes back on soon.”  Sassy was probably hoping for this more so than any of them; her last time out to potty was brutal for her; she hates her dog shoes, but those and her sweater protected her from the freezing temps.  Charli closed her eyes and prayed for the weather to get better, Midnight to heal and start eating, and the power to come back on.

Charli woke up several hours later to a very bright room, she realized that she forgot to turn the light switch off in the living room when the power went out.  She looked down and saw Sassy and Midnight lying next to each other.  Midnight was licking her paws and cleaning her face. “Well, look who feels better.”  Charli, grabbed her shovel, geared up in her winter clothes, and shoveled a spot for Sassy to do her business.  After she brought Sassy out, she went back in to get the concoction for Midnight.  It seems her appetite came back overnight because she ate the entire bowl of food and was meowing in the kitchen.  Sassy came in and sniffed Midnight; the two circled around each other and began to play.  It was the most amazing thing Charli had seen; they chased each other, rolled around as if they were wrestling, and then sat next to each other.  “Well, I guess if mom doesn’t want Midnight, she has a home here.”  As if they understood her, the began to play again.  Charli figured that Midnight must have been suffering from exhaustion, who knows how far she traveled, what fights she had been in, and how long she had been without food. Her desperation, the cold weather, and the need for Midnight and Sassy to keep warm must have created a bond for the two of them.  Charli decided to call her mom.

 “Mom, this cat is great, Sassy likes her, she waited to use a litterbox, and she really needs attention and to fatten up.”   “No, Charli, I don’t need a cat.”  “Come on Mom, I don’t mind keeping her, but she would be a great companion for you. I could keep her if you travel, and I can help take her to the vet.”  “Charli, I’m not ready.”  “Okay mom, just think about it. You can come over and meet her.  Let me know if you need anything, although it might be a while before my streets are plowed.”

The snow fall was on Thursday and the ice on Friday, which closed the clinic down for both Friday and Monday to be precautious.  Many of Dr. Ross’s patients were seniors and she didn’t want to take the chance.  Dr. Ross and Charli decided they would stay an hour later for two nights that week and schedule a few of the staff members for a half day the following Saturday.  Charli caught up on her office work and went out to get cat supplies once the roads were clear enough.  She decided to swing by her mom’s house to check on her and ended up bringing her back to the house to meet Midnight.  When her mom saw Midnight, she smiled and got teary eyed. “You didn’t tell me the cat was black and white. I had a black and white cat as a girl, and she was my favorite pet.”  Charli’s mom sat down, and Midnight jumped right into her lap, purring.  Charli could see the calm come over her mom’s face.  She watched her mom stroke Midnight, talk to her in a baby talk kind of way, and thought she saw tears running down her cheeks. Charli wanted to say something to her mom, but before she could, her mom looked up at her and smiled. “I think it’s time I have another living creature in the house.”  “Me too, Mom.” Midnight looked up pushed her face against Charli’s mom and laid down purring.