09/08/2025
I CAME ACROSS A CAT WITH AN ID TAG IN MY GARDEN ā AFTER CALLING THE NUMBER, I TURNED DOWN $100,000, BUT I FOUND HAPPINESS
At 38, I finally did it. After years of saving every penny and pulling myself back together after my messy divorce, I bought a cozy little house in a quiet neighborhood. It wasn't anything grand, but it was mine. Every creak in the floorboards and scratch on the walls was a reminder of my independence and resilience.
It was a cool morning when I first saw the cat. Perched on the stone wall separating my yard from the woods, he looked like royaltyāsleek black fur, piercing green eyes, and a gold address tag gleaming around his neck. I had no intention of keeping a pet, but the cat seemed to decide otherwise. He hopped down gracefully and started rubbing against my leg as though he belonged there.
Curious, I checked the tag. It had a nameāArchibaldāand a phone number. Out of politeness (and perhaps a strange sense of obligation), I dialed it. The line connected immediately.
"Hello?" said a deep, steady voice. It belonged to an older man.
I explained I'd found Archibald and described the cat. The man sighed with relief. "Thank you. That's my late wife's cat. He's very special to me. Where are you? I'll come get him right away."
Ten minutes later, a well-dressed man in his sixties arrived in a vintage car. ā¬