Dear Mason,

I met you on July 16, 2016
A day after my birthday

I had begged my mom
To take me to the animal shelter

And when she did

I was so happy
So, so happy

I was surrounded by one of the things that made me the happiest

Cats

I walked in there
And I looked around

Some cats were sleeping
Most of them were grooming

And others stared at me
Like they wanted to **** me up (or rip up my new trendy top)

I looked around some more
And all these cats seemed pretty neat

Just not the one for me
You understand?

My mom told me to hurry up
So we could leave (the smell wasn't that great)

And then I saw you

Oh Mason

You looked at me in such a way
That didn't get me scared like the other cats

So I crouched down
Looked into your cage

And you looked at me
With those eyes

Oh your eyes were beautiful

I stuck my finger in your cage
And you batted at it playfully

(Even when the lady working there told me not to. How could I not(those eyes)?)

I was fixated on you
You were fixated on me

And finally the lady
Asked if I wanted to hold you

I have never agreed to anything so fast

She got your attention
With her long acrylic nails rattling against your cage

And you jumped into her arms

She told me some things about you
And finally handed you over to me

I placed you against my chest
And you immediately began purring

(My heart)

I stroked your shiny black coat
While the lady explained to me

How a young girl like me
Could miss out on some fun opportunities

Because of this cat
I didn't really care.

I held you like you were going to leap away from me at any given moment  
But you didn't leap away so that meant I was doing something right, right?

My mom was snapping away
And I was falling in love with you

And you were licking my arm and
Making biscuits against my chest

After the long, long conversation
Between my mom and the lady

I had to give you back.
I almost started crying.

I made a noise in the back of my throat
And you looked up at me with those eyes

I kept stroking your fur
I really didn't want to leave without you in my arms

But I had to.

My goodbye to you was a kiss on top of the head
And you placed your head in the crook of my neck.

(Oh ****, here comes the tears from all this reminiscing)

I gave you back
You put back in your cage

And before I left
I looked back at you

And of course you looked up at me
With those eyes

I left the animal shelter with a heavy heart.

The next day I went on the shelter's website
Looking for your picture to show my grandma, to showcase how photogenic you are

And you weren't there

I searched
And searched
And searched

I thought it was a glitch
But I knew it wasn't

I knew it before I even realized.

You got adopted.

I cried.

Quite a lot actually.

I had made plans to got to he shelter the next week
So you could meet my sister

Eventually, I got over it
And I was happy for you

You got adopted! You have a home!

The hard part is the fact that it isn't my home.

Sometimes I look at a box and think
'Wow, if Mason was here, he would've loved that box'

Or I could be alone in bed and think
'If Mason was here, he'd be laying next to me, purring like crazy'

I miss you, Mason.