Her name was Luna. A good name derived from the Latin name for the Moon. She was a cat. But her name is not significant for this story. What is important is that Luna lived in a large hardware store. Hard to believe. It is true.

The first time I noticed Luna was when I was visiting the store with my son Jon. I was at the cashier’s counter to pay my bill. Jon noticed Luna lurking around on the counter next to the one I was at.

“Mom,” Jon had said. “Look. Isn’t it a beautiful cat?”

I looked and he was right. It was a calico cat. Her skin was a patchwork of mostly white, black, and a tawny orange tail. It was like love at first sight. I liked her.

“Is it your cat?” I asked the cashier.

“Oh, no,” She replied.

“Then, whose is it?” I asked, my curiosity increasing.

“Nobody’s, as far as I know. She lives here, at the store.”

“You’re kidding, right?”

“No. I am not kidding. The kitty has been here ever since I started working here eight years ago.”

I came home, still wondering how a cat can survive in a large department store. Who fed her? Who took her to a Vet for a checkup? Or maybe nobody did. She just stayed healthy.

Since that day, every time we visited the store, we inadvertently looked for Luna. She could be anywhere. Sometimes lying down peacefully in the shade of the lawn, and garden section, or by the side of the entrance door. Sometimes wandering in the paint or the pet supply section. I was concerned that  Luna could get hurt when people carried large pieces of lumber or heavy building materials. How would they notice her if she were lingering in their vicinity? But it appeared that she had survived for eight years.

Luna was a friendly cat. She would not mind if strangers took her in their arms and lovingly talked to her while petting her head. Jon did it many times, and he got attached to her.

Encountering Luna during our shopping became a second nature for us. She was always there. Then the unthinkable happened. We missed her on our visit a few months ago. We thought maybe she was in another section of the store. But when we missed her on our next two visits, we became concerned.

“Where’s Luna? She always used to be somewhere in the store,” I asked the cashier. It was a different cashier from the one we had met the first time.

“You know,” the young lady said, a bit annoyed at my question. “You are the third person who has asked the same thing. I have no idea what you are talking about. This is my first day here.”

I explained to her that a cute cat called Luna had lived in the store for eight years. We used to see her every time we visited. Now we don’t see her. We stated that we were worried and we wanted to know what happened to her. Is she still alive?

“I’ll find out,” she said. At least she was not as annoyed as I thought she was.

She called her manager. Matt, the manager, knew Luna.

“Yes. You are right,” Matt said. “Luna has been missing for a few weeks.”

“Do you know what happened?” I asked.

“We used to see her every day. She was like a member of the store family. One day, she just disappeared.”

“Didn’t anyone notice?”

“No. She could be anywhere in the store. So, it did not become evident immediately. Then, Will, our janitor, noticed that Luna was missing. He used to feed her frequently.”

“Do you think she might have wandered off somewhere outside?” I asked, worried.

“No. There is no chance of that. Cats usually come home. But this one hasn’t.”

Matt then told us how they had conducted an extensive search. They had walked around the store grounds, looked at each nook and corner of the departments. It was hard with so many supplies. She could be anywhere.

When I told Jon what I learned about Luna, He was upset.

“I hope Luna didn’t just walk outside the store,” Jon said, adding, “I hope she wasn’t hit by a car. There are a lot of crazy drivers. They wouldn’t stop to look if they had killed a cat.”

“Let’s be positive,” I said.

I said that, but I too was upset. Luna was in my mind day and night. Is it possible, I wondered, that one can be so upset over a missing animal? Was it worth worrying about a cat?

A month later, Jon and I were at the store. It was a couple of months before Christmas. We wanted to know if they have new, exciting material. It was a good time to beat the holiday rush of buyers. I was perusing the gift-wrapping paper when I heard Jon calling me. His voice seemed like he was excited about something.

“Ma, Ma,” He was saying loudly. “Come here. Quick.”

I wondered what could be so urgent? When I approached Jon, he pointed me towards the top of a stack of cardboard boxes full of Christmas knick-knacks. I couldn’t believe my eyes. There, lounging peacefully, was our beloved Luna.

“I can’t believe this,” I said. “She is back. I wonder what had happened to her.”

As we were watching her, Luna climbed down to floor level. Jon ran and picked her up. He held her close to his chest and caressed her head.

Just like on cue, we notice Matt walking towards us.

“Matt,” I called him. “She is back. Luna is back. Oh, my. She looks so happy to be home.”

Matt came closer and told us what had happened.

“It appears our Luna accidentally wandered into a truck that was being loaded for transporting materials to our branch in another state,” he said. “They found her when unloading. They placed her in a crate for safety and brought her back here.”

“I’m so glad she is alive and well,” I said. “We were thinking all kinds of things that could have happened to her.”

“Well. She is with us now.”

“This calls for a celebration,” I said.

Matt had a broad smile on his face. He gave a high five to Jon and me.

I can sleep peacefully now.