I let her think it was her decision.<\/p>\n
I said we went to the property \u201cjust to look.\u201d The second we entered the gate, she beelined for the chubbiest, sleepiest little ball of fur\u2014that was all. First squish love.<\/p>\n
She called him Buttons even before we departed the yard.<\/p>\n
Trying to make rent stretch, she had no idea I had been sleeping in the car some nights. That the message pinned to our apartment door underlined \u201cfinal warning.\u201d The pet deposit by itself exceeded my checking balance.<\/p>\n
But seeing her that day\u2014barefoot in the grass, smiling with her whole face while Buttons gazed up at her like he already belonged\u2014I couldn\u2019t say no.<\/p>\n
I promised the owner we would \u201ccome back tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n
She clutched my hand in the car and said, \u201cHe picked me too, Mama.\u201d<\/p>\n
I agreed.<\/p>\n
But as she dozed down clutching a sock she claimed smelled like Buttons, I realized I had under 24 hours to come up with something.<\/p>\n
Since she had previously created room for him in her heart.<\/p>\n
And allowing that to be shattered once more\u2026 was not a choice.<\/p>\n
Over bowls of cereal mostly milk, I attempted to come up with a solution the next morning. Doodling little paw prints all over her notebook, my eight-year-old daughter Tilly sat opposite me. With those expectant eyes, she glanced up every few seconds wondering whether it was time to go fetch Buttons.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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