10 44 pm pdt [ kittens on the freeway ]

Today we went to a beautiful wedding in Carmel. Whenever Matthew or I have needed to communicate with someone about today, we have written: we will be attending a wedding (not ours!). We both find it odd when we think the same, even after all this time.

On our way home, we were driving a clowerleaf onramp to the 101 when traffic came to a halt. And as we hit the bottom, I saw a distinctive white kitten shape streak in front of Matthew's headlights. To the right I could see another fuzzy shape, laying in the road and moving its limbs wildly but not getting anywhere. I needed to help and Matthew said, "Can you help it?" and I was out of the car, my green dress swirling in the headlights. In a socend I scooped up the writhing mass and carried into into the field nearby where I set it down. At a good distance I could see the mother cat eyeing me, but she did not come near. I motioned for the other cars to start driving again, and was amazed to realize that no body had honked or seemed upset. I felt that I had to rescue the other kitten who had darted across the road, to the narrow division between onramp and freeway. Matthew seemed to understand this and pulled his car further off the road. He got out to help and we tried to hear the faint kitten cries amongst the rumble of traffic. Eventually I saw a kitten walking in front of Matthew and we realized that it was the one I had scooped from the road. It had walked across the onramp. The mother cat was nowhere to be seen, so we can only guess that she had come across too, and this is where the feral cats wanted to be.

At last we got back in the car and began again to drive home. I could still feel the fraigle kitten in my hands, terrified. I'd guess that I am the only person that will touch that cat in its lifetime.

In thinking about it now, I don't think it is possible for someone to have hit the kitten without killing it. I cannot fathom why it was laying on its side in the road trying unsuccessfully to run. It was not bleeding and was not crying. It did not cry when I picked it up or set it down. And eventually it seemed to be fine.

I am glad to have done something good tonight, and I know that the experience left a mark, that I will never forget those brief moments. Life is filled with strangeness.