An Adoption Story
Billy and his twin sister Lisa lived on a farm with their parents and grandparents.
“When will Calico have her kittens?” Lisa asked her grandma one evening as they all stood in the laundry room. Calico was their favorite cat.
“Maybe tonight,” Grandma said. “Why don’t you put this towel into the box and make her a little bed? She'll want a safe place for the kittens.”
Lisa folded the towel and put it in the bottom of the box. Then she reached down and petted Calico. The cat was purring and rubbing her rounded side against Lisa’s leg.
“Who is the kittens’ daddy?” Lisa asked.
“Rufus,” Grandma said, "the big black barn cat.”
Calico lay down, and Billy petted her head. “Will she have a lot of kittens?” he asked.
“I think so,” Grandma said. “She’s very big. The kittens have been growing inside of her for many months.”
“Why does it take so long?” Lisa wondered.
“Because the kittens have to be strong enough to eat and breathe by themselves before they can be born,” Grandma replied. “Now let’s leave Calico alone for a while and go to bed.”
The next morning, Mom woke Billy and Lisa up very early. “Come down, but be very quiet,” she said. “Calico has had her babies.”
The children walked softly into the laundry room. Calico was lying in the box. The cat raised her head and looked at them as they entered.
“It’s all right, Calico,” Mom said. “No one is going to hurt your kittens.”
Billy and Lisa could see that there were five tiny babies in the box. Calico was licking one of them. The little kitten opened its mouth in protest. The other kitties were already lined up by Calico’s side, drinking milk.
“Don’t touch them yet,” Mom said. “They’re very small right now. You can play with them in a few days.”
“Calico is a good mother,” Lisa said. “She loves her kittens.”
Mom nodded. “She’ll take very good care of them.”
A week passed. The children saw the kittens grow into soft puffballs. The kitties’ eyes were now open, and they moved around the box.
“Mom was right. Calico is a good mother,” Lisa said as she petted her favorite. “She licks them, and she's careful not to step on them.”
“When they get bigger, she’ll teach them how to hunt mice in the barn,” Grandma said as she stirred the cornbread. “And they’ll learn to climb trees, too. She’ll teach them all kind of cat things.”
“Just like Mommy and you teach me how to cook and things like that?” Lisa said.
“That’s right,” Grandma agreed. “Now go and call you brother. I see lightening in the distance and I think we’re going to have a storm.”
Grandma was right. By suppertime the rain was pouring down outside and the thunder rumbled in the sky.
Billy was awakened from sleep by a noise from downstairs. Someone was walking around. “Lisa!” he whispered.
“I hear it,” she said. “I’m awake, too.”
Then they heard Grandma’s voice and the thump of the screen door banging shut. Together the two kids rushed downstairs to the kitchen. Grandma was looking out the door toward the barn.
“Where’s Dad and Granddad going?” Billy asked.
“To check on the cows,” she said. “The lightening hit a tree in the pasture.”
They all watched as the truck moved slowly over the pasture. It staying in one place for a long time, and then came back toward the barn. In the dim light they could see Grandpa reach into the back of the truck and lift something out.
“It’s a calf,” Lisa cried. She started to put on her boots.
“Go put on your clothes and THEN you can go see it,” Grandma said.
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