last night, i let dominic out for the first time since coming to MA. i figured he'd been here long enough, and could handle it, and i was tired of shooing him away from the door. so before his supper, i let him go, figuring he'd be back in a couple of hours.
to make a long story short ...
he didn't come back.
i cried.
a lot.
i imagined all sorts of things.
i assumed i'd never see him again.
i needed to cry a lot, had needed to for a long time.
he was found, wailing piteously under the deck below ours, almost 24 hours later.
i rejoiced.
i felt immensely better.
the end.