"I want a cat, Mommy," Paula said one day. She and Jakob were watching Captain Kangaroo while Ginny changed Lili's diaper. Lili had just turned one year old.

"Why do you want a cat?" Ginny asked as she lifted Lili from the bed and sat her on the floor. Right away, she toddled into the living room to be with her sister and cousin.

"There's one right there on TV and he's so cute!" Paula pointed to the screen, where Ginny saw a small grey kitten.

"So he is," she replied. "Let's talk to your Daddy about it and see what he says."

"Give that back!" Jakob yelled at Lili, who'd just put on of his toys in her mouth. Ginny scooped the toddler up and put her into the playpen, where she handed her one of her own toys.

A couple of hours later, Elizabeth came to fetch Jakob, and several hours after that, Matthias arrived home from work.

"Paula wants a cat," Ginny told him after they'd kissed hello.

"That sounds good to me," he replied. "My mother had a cat when I was a child. We can go to the pound on Saturday, if you want."

"Let's do that," Ginny agreed.

Saturday morning, she and Matthias got up at the usual time. After breakfast, Paula wanted to watch the Saturday morning cartoons, but her mother told her it was time to get dressed.

"We're going to get your kitten this morning," said Ginny.

"Hurray!" Paula shouted. "We're gonna get a kitten! We're gonna get a kitten!" she sang as she danced around.

"Kitty," echoed Lili.

Ginny put matching red dresses on her two daughters, and when everyone was ready, Matthias drove his family to the pound. As they got out of the car, the loud barking of the dogs could be heard, and Lili primped up to cry.

"We should have left her with Elizabeth," Ginny said as she picked her younger daughter up and comforted her.

"Why don't you take her to Murphy's while I take Paula inside to look at the kittens," Matthias suggested.

"That's a good idea." Ginny returned Lili to her car seat and drove to the department store down the road while Matthias took Paula into the pound. The little girl held her father's hand as she skipped along.

The first section housed the dogs. As Paula looked around with wide eyes at all the different breeds, one of the pound's employees approached them.

"Can I help you?" he asked.

"My daughter wants a kitten," Matthias replied.

"You're in luck," said the young man. "Six kittens were dropped off just yesterday. Follow me." He led Matthias and Paula to the next room, which held cages containing cats and kittens.

"It's really quiet in here!" said Paula. Both adults laughed.

The kennel attendant found the cage with the kittens and opened it. There were three brown kittens, a white kitten, a black kitten, and a dark grey kitten.

"I want that one, Daddy!" Paula pointed to the dark grey kitten. "It looks like the one I saw on TV!"

The kennel attendant handed the kitten to Matthias and then closed the cage. Fifteen minutes later, father and daughter walked outside to where Ginny and Lili waited beside the car. Lili held a small cloth doll.

"Look at my new cat, Mommy!" said Paula.

"What a little cutie!" Ginny said as she stroked the kitten's soft fur. "Just the color of smoke! Your name can be 'Smoky', if you don't already have one."

"That's the perfect name," Matthias agreed.

The family returned home with their new pet. Paula and Lili had a lot of fun playing with him, and Matthias and Ginny enjoyed watching his antics, until he disappeared a couple of weeks later.

Matthias came home from work that day to a sobbing Paula and a frustrated Ginny.

"I can't find him anywhere!" Ginny wailed, collapsing into her husband's arms.

"I'm sure he'll turn up soon," soothed Matthias. "He probably found something to chase, or else a dog scared him."

"Will Smoky ever come back?" asked Paula.

"Of course he will, when he gets hungry," her father assured her.

But it was another two days before a woman drove up in a white Opel. She had dark hair and eyes and looked to be a few years older than Ginny, closer to Elizabeth's age. She was carrying Smoky.

"Is this your cat?" she asked Ginny. "My husband found him in our garage. I've been to every house in the neighborhood, and so far no one has claimed him. I was just about to take him to the pound when I decided to try just one more house."

"I'm so glad you did!" said Ginny. "That's my daughter's cat, and she's really been missing him!"

Hearing their voices, Paula ran into the kitchen.

"Smoky!" she cried.

"Thank you so much for bringing him back!" Ginny said to the other woman.

"You're very welcome," the woman replied. "I'm Leah Ritter. We live one block over, in the two story light blue house. We'd love to have you over for dinner sometime."

"Thank you," said Ginny. "I'll mention it to my husband."