Today was mild for this time of year. Although it didn't rain, or even drizzle, the air felt damp, as it has since the rain we got the other afternoon and night.
It actually wasn't a bad day to ride, in my book. It's nice to ride on overcast days sometimes: I have fair skin, so a lot of time in the sun tires me out as well as leaves me at risk for sunburn and other things. Still, I was feeling sad.
While riding, I saw one of those billboard signs that shows the time, temperature and date. I then realized why my mood was darker than the sky: Today is the 13th.
Last year, this date fell on a Friday. Now, I'm not normally superstitious, so Friday the 13th doesn't mean much to me. But I recall the one that came in January of last year for one reason: Charlie died.
Although Marley is adorable and sweet, he can't replace Charlie. I didn't expect that he would; he just happened to come into my life a little less than two months after I lost Charlie. Max took to him very quickly; he was always a very affectionate cat. But Max, like Charlie, was with me during a very special time in my life: my transition and surgery. One simply can't replace the kind of relationship one had with an animal during a time like that.
At least Max is still here and will be for years to come. And, I believe, Marley is special in his own way, and I am developing a relationship with him that's different from the one I have with Max, or the ones I had with Charlie or the other cats who came before him. Needless to say, it's also different from the relationships I have, and have had, with people in my life. I guess that was the point, at least for me, of taking Marley into my life. That, and the fact that he's ridiculously cute.
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