What a relief

I must insert here the happy news that our little cat has returned safely at last. I let her out this morning and she went happily off, headed for her usual hangout in the rose bushes. She never stays out there very long, and I expected her in again in an hour or so. All morning went by and no sign of her anywhere. The afternoon dragged by and though we called and searched up and down the hill, we found no trace of her. We began to be anxious as other cats in the neighborhood have vanished without a trace, and this little cat is twenty-four years old and slow and walks only at a very slow pace. She could never outrun a predator.
As dusk was setting in, we were out in our coats with flashlingts in hand, calling her name and causing neighbors to peer out their windows to see what the ruckus was about.
It got dark.
It got cold.
I sent my husband all the way down the hill to see if she had gotten onto the road and been hit by a car.
Finally we ate our dinner of soup and sandwiches, and I flopped down on the sofa with a blanket and a clear view of the door where we hoped she would appear.
At 8:30 the porch lights came on and there she was at the door, looking unconcerned and not at all contrite. Where she had been all day I will never know, but we were glad indeed to see her again. She has been with us since she was born, and though we know that time is against us, we hope to keep her a good while longer.