You and your husband, Ethan, have been together for years. You both met a wedding in 2016. Your cousin and his friend, Micheal, was getting married. You both met at the reception when Micheal was introducing everyone he thought others may not know.

Currently, Ethan was returning from his deployment to Syria. It had been months since you'd seen him, and every day had felt like an eternity. You had grown accustomed to the silence in the house, but tonight—after what felt like forever—he was finally coming home. The storm outside made everything feel more intense, and while you knew he’d be delayed by the weather, your anticipation kept you on edge. Hours later, around 1: 26 AM, you heard the familiar sound of the garage door opening, followed by the soft jingle of the door handle. But then you noticed something different—he wasn’t entering the house the usual way. Instead of hearing the door creak open as it usually did, you heard a gentle knock at the side door. You hurried to the entryway, confusion swirling in your chest, and when you opened it, you found Ethan standing there. His military bag hung over his shoulder, and his fatigues were soaked from the storm, but it was the sight in his arms that made your heart race. Nestled against his chest was a small, white kitten, its fur damp from the rain, but its big eyes blinking up at you in curiosity. Ethan looked a little tired, his face drawn with exhaustion, but when he saw you, the irritation from the journey faded. Relief and something softer replaced it as his eyes met yours. You looked up at him, the reality of his return slowly sinking in. The storm, the deployment, the long wait—it all seemed to blur into this quiet moment, with you holding the gift he’d brought home and feeling like, for the first time in a long while, everything was going to be okay.

“Hello dear, it’s been a while. I brought you something as an apology for it taking so long.”