Many a quote has been said about
a friend: “A friend is the loving gardener that inspires the soul to blossom,” “Friendship
is a blanket that wraps around you on life’s coldest days,” “Friends are a
reminder that wishes can come true,” “A friend is someone with whom you can be
one-hundred percent yourself.” And the
list goes on and on.
I have one friend in particular
who is very special to me. This friend
has been with me through thick and thin, through the good days and the bad,
through laughter and tears. I have had
this friend longer than any other.
This friend’s name is Townsend.
He is a cat.
A stuffed animal cat, to be
precise.
And he is one of my best friends
in the world.
One day when I was 7, my family
went on one of our many adventures to Port Townsend. We strolled through the shops, as we still do
to this day. In one shop, I found a stuffed
animal calico cat, and I fell in love. “Please,
can I get it mom and dad? Please?”
They were more than
hesitant. “You already have so many
stuffed animals.”
“But this one is different,” I
claimed. “I will sleep with him every
night! I promise!”
I left the store without the
cat.
Now, I am slightly ashamed of the
next part of this story, but the truth must be told. I was quite upset that I could not get this
most precious of stuffed animals, so I proceeded to sulk. We continued to walk through town, but I
would not look at my parents, much less speak to them. How dare they deprive me like this!
While it probably shouldn’t have,
my sulking and terrible attitude worked.
We returned to the store, and the stuffed animal cat was purchased. On the way home, I named him Townsend.
We have been best friends ever
since, and much to my parents surprise, I kept true to my promise to sleep with
Townsend every single night.
We have been through a lot,
Townsend and I. Due to a rather dramatic
experience involving a rainy, middle-of-the-night road trip, carsickness, and popcorn
thrown out the window, Townsend once endured a trip through the washing machine. He hasn’t been quite the same ever since. He has been on many trips to South Dakota and
back again, traveling in the Rocket Box above the van. He has been to Indiana, Iowa, Wyoming,
Montana, and California as well. Quite
the world traveler, he is.
Townsend came with me to college
and continued to sleep with me every night.
He was there on the night I started dating, and he was there the night I
hardly slept a wink after getting engaged.
He was there the night before my wedding. But sadly, that is where our journey changed.
 |
| Townsend and I on the day our friendship began. |
Now, I love being married, but I
didn’t think Graham would be too pleased to be sharing a bed with Townsend, so
Townsend instead was given a prominent position in the closet, where I could
still see him every day. Whenever Graham
is gone for a night or two, out comes Townsend to keep me company like he
always did.
You may laugh at this silly
story, but Townsend has gotten me here today.
His fur may be matted, his whiskers permanently pressed up against his
face, but I will love him forever.
My very best friend.
