It was a hushed night for Chicago. Nights in Chicago were always booming with sound: cars among every street, businesses open and bustling with people in and out, skyscrapers reaching up to Heaven with people doing their late shifts. This night, however, was different. Less traffic, businesses anticipating for the next day to come so they can open, people getting out of work early and going back to their homes. The particular night didn’t feel like Chicago. 

Among Chicago was the long, winding, and dark alleys. The alleys were filled with dumpsters, trash, and bottles strewn about. Among these dumpsters was a lone figure sitting next to a dumpster. A senior woman who bore clothes that were torn to the thread. She wore a biretta hat that covers her gray hair that blended with the darkness. Her name was Merithia. 

Merithia was lonely in these parts of Chicago. She used to live in one of these houses, but now the only place she calls home is these alleys. No one else was among the alleys with her for a long time. Then, a noise was heard. It wasn’t a loud or a faint sound, but a rustling sound coming from another dumpster. It caught Merithias attention. “What could that sound be?” Merithia thought as she walked towards the sound. As she got closer, the sound became more rowdy. Then something jumped out of the dumpster and clung to Merithias long coat. The thing purred and it rubbed its head against Merithia. It was a feline that clung to her. Merithia smiled and hugged the surprise  visitor. “Love! I found love again! Merithia exclaimed in her mind. 

Merithia took the cat back to her spot. She sat and put the cat in her lap. “It’s been awhile since I had company. No one talks to me or comfort me as much.” Merithia said. “ I knew love once, but I can’t remember. I remember I married a man, but his name, its fogged from my memory.” Merithia told. “Ever since living on these alleys, my mind has not been as clear as it once was.” The cat stood from Merithia’s lap and walked out onto the street. Out from the darkness, Merithia was able to make out the cats features.

The cats sex was female and she bore a white coat. She was a big cat, a Maine coon. She had green eyes and was old like Merithia. The cat stared at her with its bright eyes, inviting Merithia to follow it. Merithia smiled at the cat. “I do want to go out again. Leave these alleys for another adventure so I can get my memory back before I depart.” Merithia announced as she began to follow the cat. Merithia followed the cat when they came upon a dress shop. It wasn’t any dress shop, it was dedicated to wedding dresses. “ This store” Merithia studied. “Its familiar. Oh, yes! It was a store where my loved one bought a dress for our wedding, he promised me that he will buy a dress that, in his eyes, would make me the prettiest bride.” Merithia recalled in her mind. She smiled. “And in my eyes, I felt like the prettiest woman.” 

As they walked along the street, they encountered another place. A deli restaurant that was significant to Merithia. “I remember, me and my husband went to this restaurant every Sunday. I always ordered a reuben sandwich while he ordered a philly steak. Oh, the good old days are coming back!” Merithia shouted in her head. They reached the end of the street and reached a curb. The cat went across the road with Merithia trailing behind her. Going a little ways, the cat stopped at an apartment. In front of it was a bold sign saying “for sale.” 

The cat scratched the door of the house. The cat let out a meow, hoping someone would open the door. Merithia watched the cat and analyzed the building. Two possible scenarios ran through her mind to how the cat lived in the alleys. One was the cat went missing for awhile and never returned, so the family moved without the cat or they abandoned the cat, not wanting to take care of it anymore. Whatever the case is, the cat continued scratching the door, thinking the family is still there. “You poor thing.” Merithia whispered under her breath. 

Merithia walked to the cat and picked her up. Merithia hugged the cat in her grasp and comforted her. The cat didn’t fuss, she just purred, inviting Merithia loving embrace. Merithia looked down the street. “I need to find my house one last time. I need to remember my lover’s name and the house that board so many memories.” She told the cat. Merithia put the cat down as she began walking the winding road. A little ways down and Merithia found a house. Another house that had a “for sale” sign. It was a good sized apartment with two floors. “I remember now. His name was Frank. He bought this house for us. We played the piano together and composed our own music.  Frank, he was my lover. Merithia remembered. She sat down on the concrete as the cat sat in her lap, ready to hear what she has to say.

“I remember” she began. “His name was Frank, he was a very wealthy man, had lots of money that he could buy the entire world. We loved and cared for each other until the end. Then sickness struck him, the doctors told me he had cancer. They tried their best to make him survive, but he was on the last stage.” Merithia began to well up with tears. “He passed away in the hospital. After his funeral, I was brokenhearted and was isolated from Chicago. I used to work at a bakery, but I quit my job. I was so in debt that I lost my house. This house that harbored so many memories of me and Frank just gone.” Merithia began sobbing. The cat stood from her lap and rubbed its face against Merithia. Merithia smiled as tears went down her face. “I guess we’re both loners.” Merithia commented. 

Merithia began to feel weak and faint. It was her time to go. “Our adventure is over. We should return back to what we call home, should we?” she asked the cat. “Goodbye.” She muttered under her breath towards the house as she picked up the cat and began walking back. Pass the cats house, the deli shop, and the dress shop. Merithia and the cat went back into the shadows of the alleys. Merithia sat back on the dumpster with the cat sitting on her lap, with one paw in her hand. Merithia smiled one last time. Dying in peace, they both knew this was their best last adventure.