Dear Reader Column 04-21-08

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Dear Reader,

RUDY IS BACK HOME!! I'm still crying, but the tears are tears of joy.

Thursday afternoon I had an appointment to meet Virginia Ironsides, an author from England, who is on a book tour in the states. Our plan was to go down by the marina and talk about her book, No! I Don't Want to Join a Book Club. I had just picked her up at her hotel, but before I could start the car my cell phone rang.

"Suzanne, we've found Rudy!" It was my husband on the phone. He was gasping for breath and practically in tears as he told me this story...

Our neighbors had heard strange bellowing sounds in the middle of the night coming from underneath their house. So first thing in the morning they called Animal Control and asked them to come out and take a look. I live in Florida and when something strange is underneath your house or underneath anything, it's a scary thought--alligators for one come to mind. But Animal Control told my neighbors they were on their own, "We don't crawl underneath houses."

Hoping whatever scary thing was underneath their house would eventually just move on, my neighbors decided to ignore the noise they had heard. But later in the day they noticed the big sign in our front yard, "Missing White Cat" along with a picture of Rudy. (Our neighbors had been out of town, so they didn't know Rudy was missing.)

Hmm.., bellowing sound, the neighbor's cat is missing, get the flashlight and investigate. So they tore the lattice off of their front porch, crawled underneath and when they looked way, way back, there was Rudy staring at them. His broken leash was wrapped tightly around a pipe.

After I hung up the phone, I was crying and the woman sitting next to me, (who I'd just met) and who by now was probably having second thoughts about her decision of getting into a car with a stranger, asked me what was wrong. In-between sobbing I explained that Rudy had been missing for four days and we'd pretty much given up hope.

"I have to go home immediately," I told Virginia, looking for a sign whether she was in this for the long haul, or did she want to exit now.

"Well, home we go," Virginia said. And off we went.

On the drive to my house I told Virginia about my insane week, selling my book and losing Rudy and how as the days passed, I started praying for closure. Because it would have been easier to know--even if knowing meant that Rudy had died. Virginia knew exactly how I'd been feeling, because a couple of years ago her cat went missing for three months. (Thank heavens her story had a happy ending, too.)

There's more to this story, but I'm running out of space today. To read more about Rudy and to see the story in photos, go to: http://tinyurl.com/5dnwe9

Virginia's story continues, too. You can sample her book, No! I Don't Want to Join a Book Club, see a photo of Virginia, Rudy and me--and you can enter to win your own SIGNED copy of Virginia's book. (She sat at my dining room table and signed 15 books for readers.) Go to: http://tinyurl.com/5lcvha

Thank you so very much to everyone who sent an email about Rudy, it was very comforting to know I wasn't alone.

Isn't it wonderful when a story has a happy ending!

Thanks for reading with me. It's so good to read with friends.

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com 
http://www.DearReader.com

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Comments

[Gladys]

Dear Sue,

Am so happy for that Rudy is back.

My wedding is this Saturday i still have a few working days before i take leave on Thursday - am excited that its my wedding but the planning has me fatigued - i stopped in between work to read your column n get refreshed , n i i felt like you were my friend so i should share what am going through. Am so far away i may not get your cookies but if you sent me back an email it would make my day.
love
Gladys

[Doris]

Hurray - Hallelujah - Miraculous !!! - So glad Rudy's story had a happy ending !!! -

And how lucky that your neighbor was able to get through that tiny opening under her porch -

Am sure all your readers are rejoicing this morning as am I -

Welcome Home, Rudy !!! -

[Kuma-chan]

Your neighboor is my hero now.
(I send him hugs and cookies.)

YES! RUDY IS BACK! EVERYTHING IS BACK TOGETHER NOW! (And all that good news is now GREAT news.) That poor cat...THEY HAVE NINE LIVES! THAT'S WHY THEY ARE SO RECKLESS!

The title of that book is funny, especially considering where I read it...(IRONY!)

[Janet]

Hurray! I am so happy to hear that you found Rudy! I have only had one missing cat turn up, also under a neighbour's porch. Now all five of our cats are indoor cats. We don't allow any of them outside.