Goodbye My Friend

Today we lost a special member of the family. Samantha Claire (aka "Sammie"), our Siamese, passed away this morning. She was almost fourteen years old. We knew in our hearts that she wouldn't be with us forever, but somehow it's the same heart that knew that's hurting right now.

Darren corrected me today when I said she was mine. Yes, Darren, you are correct, she was ours. However, she was and always be mine. I am the one who held her inside my letterman jacket when I took her home from the shelter. I am the one she slept next to or on top of. I am the one who argued with her over possession of the "duckie" blanket. And she was the one who knew me and comforted me before you. I've joked but it's the honest truth. I knew you were the man who would be soul mate because Sammie approved.

Sammie was special for so many things. She did back flips for paper balls as a kitten. She was so cross-eyed she would often run into walls, pick herself up, and carry on as nothing happened. Or, when she did venture out of the house which rarely occurred, she would always turn left and make a complete circle. She had the Siamese Texas drawl. She loved the top of the stairs. And, when you combine the drawl and the top of stairs you got an echo that she was so proud of, yet it rattled everyone's last nerve. And, speaking of stairs, of course the bunny hop was the only way to traverse them carefully.

Sammie was intelligent. She considered herself a real human. She knew the phrase, "Go to your room." And though Darren didn't believe me that she said, "Mom" or what sounded really close to "Maaaaaaaaaa," he became a believer during my first trip away from home at approximately 2am in the morning when she was looking for me at the top of the stairs.

I will miss all the little things. But most importantly, I will miss my friend.