I had a Valentine once, a girl I knew, a girl who later became my wife. After coming out as trans to her, that Valentine thing all kind of fell apart. Looking back, I guess it was inevitable, and probably not surprising, but that was never part of my plan.
Since 2013, I have more or less been on my own, still tied by a legal agreement with the “girl” referenced above. I transitioned to female in 2016 and I have not had another romantic relationship since. It’s not that I am adverse to the idea, I just think staying single at my age is less complicated, albeit lonelier. Just the same, I DO have a little Valentine of my own.
Back in 2018, I thought how nice it would be to adopt a kitten. I had had many cats over the years, starting with my first one at age 6, and I have loved them all. At one time, the “girl,” my two sons, and I shared our home with a half dozen little feline souls. I had been a Cat Dad, but if I adopted a kitten, it would be my first crack at being a Cat Mom — perhaps Crazy Cat Lady is more appropriate.
Samuel Ezra Addis (the “Ezra” part came later) arrived at my home at about nine weeks of age; he was adopted in July 2018 through the Thomas J. O’Conner Shelter in Springfield. He was jet black and the fourth black cat I’ve shared my home with. My first black cat Simon was a stellar cat with tons of personality — I credit him with starting my long love affair with black cats.
Unlike all the black cats I had before, Sam is the only one I’ve had who didn’t have a lick of white fur on him. Upon on our first meeting when he was about six weeks old, we hit it off immediately — or at least that was my takeaway from the encounter. While his feline little siblings and mom made themselves busy with other things in the room, Samuel found my toes, which were sticking out of my summer sandals, quite entertaining. He didn’t bite them, he was just very curious about them. Frankly, I loved the thought of him before I even met him, but after meeting him, that love was solidified.
Samuel is my bestie, meeting me at the door when I come home from work. From the back door, we move to the living room and onto the couch — he jumps up to be right next to me. Shockingly, he is one of the quietest cats I’ve ever had. Sam is very sociable — he’s quite fond of my brother, but for some reason, he reserves his purrs for me alone. If he is with me and purring, which usually occurs when he is “making biscuits” into my armpit as I lie on my back in bed, and someone else comes into the room, the purring quickly stops. The fact that Sam actually does purr is like our own little secret — even though I have assured others that yes, Samuel does know how to purr.
So on Feb. 14, I won’t be out at a restaurant, sipping champagne, or giving flowers or chocolates to my feline sweetheart Samuel. Just the same, I’ll be home with this little bugger, my furry little valentine, who I just happen to love so much sometimes it hurts.
Mariel Addis lives in Florence.