Thursday morning, the animal shelter invited Clara to examine three recently admitted cats. She traveled across town by bus, carrying Bubbles’s photograph. None of the animals was hers. One frightened white cat stretched its paw through the cage when she turned away, forcing Clara to resist taking him home herself.
Outside, her knees trembled so badly that she needed to sit. A volunteer brought tea and waited with her. “Cats survive remarkable things,” the woman said gently. Clara wanted to believe her, but hope had become exhausting. Every promising telephone call lifted her before another disappointment dropped her even harder.