In Memory of Steve....

by Roux Lucitt
(Riverside, California)

When I met my wife, she told me that I had to excepted by 2 individuals before our relationship could go any further.. her Mom & "Steve"...I figured "Steve" to be a close friend or relative. I could not have been further from the truth. Steve was a very protective Blue point Siamese that had been with her through some very low times in her life. He was more that just a pet, he was the father figure she never had. (He biological father was killed by a drunk driver when she was a baby) and unfortunately her stepfather, Bob turned out to be a Pedophile that destroyed her life. Steve was the one who listened to all the pain, cuddled up to her through all the tears, and entertained her by being an amazing acrobat & any quarterbacks dream by being a "wide receiver" with magnetic hands... oops paws. The first night I met Steve... I touched his tail... He HATED his tailed touched... he hissed at me in disapproval & I thought I was done!!! Luckily for me, my wife & I had an instant connection and the knowing that we had found "the one". Steve & I developed an amazing relationship. He knew that I would take care of my now wife & I received his "stamp of approval" in many ways. He would cuddle with me more than with my wife at times.. (I thinks it's called PMS!?) I did not realize how much I fell in love with not only my wife but this boy Steve... We became inseparable. We had our routine in the morning where he would wait for me on the kitchen counter for love & food. He became my special "buddy". Steve started loosing weight (I first noticed it) & he was diagnosed with terminal cancer. The kind that progressed rapidly...We lost Steve a few months after he was diagnosed. As I am writing this... tears are streaming down my cheeks... I have never in my life been so devastated & saddened by the loss of what others would see as... a cat. Steve was so much to me. He was my "ticket" for approval to my wife... he was my friend, my closest cuddle-buddy. Not a day goes by that I do not miss him or think of something he did that made me smile. This is to you Stevie... "Papa".. I love you!!