This story is from Day 2 – FlashNaNo challenge. Story prompt: Write a story of a man who has at least three cats.

Coffee is the drink of the hour. At least it is for the people at the neighborhood coffee shop called Marty’s Coffee. All day, every day, people filter in and out of that cozy little shop.

Every local business has its regular customers, and this shop is no different. Jack visited every morning for a cup of black coffee. He sat at the same table and worked on one of the crossword puzzles from his book. He loved word games. Jack claimed it kept his brain sharp at 72-years-old.

Today would prove to be different from most days, though. Jack was a lonely man. His wife died earlier that year—sometime in February, I think. His wife, Lisa, was the love of his life. They were married for forty-five years. I know a lot about them, but their marriage is not the subject of this story.

Here’s the reason for my story—cats. Yes, cats. It hadn’t been long after Jack arrived for his coffee when a young mother with two children ran into the coffee shop yelling, “Someone just dumped three kittens on the side of the road.”

Nearly everyone hurried out the door and ran to a box placed on the curb. And, there they were—three kittens that couldn’t have been more than a couple of months old. How sad it is that people have such little regard for animals.

Jack picked up all three kittens and cooed at them as if they were his babies. Jack, the big burly man, fawned over those tiny kitties.

“I think I’ll take all three of them home with me,” Jack said.

The waitress put her hands on her hips, cocked her head sideways, and said, “Are you serious, Jack? What are you going to do with three kittens?”

“I’m going to make them my new family. I’m going to name them Pumpkin, Spice, and Latte.”

Everyone laughed. One of the women in the crowd asked Jack why he would name them after flavored coffee.

Jack answered, “Well, you see, it’s November, and Thanksgiving is only two weeks away. So it seems fitting to me. Plus, my wife liked pumpkin spice, and she adored this time of the year.”

That was the day a lonely man named Jack gained a family. It was a day that made him forget the meaning of alone.

Featured image by ArtTower on Pixabay