As I walk through the halls of where we used to play together, I see the old markings on the walls. They remind me of how I would draw our family with a crayon on our wall of memories. I took a different color each time, and everyday add something, like a family member we just found out about, or a new picture I drew. The wall soon filled up over time, as I dipped your paw in paint and my hand as well, and pressed them together, at the same time, right next to each other, on our wall of memories. Mine was purple, yours was green.

I don’t recall what made me think you liked the color green. After all, weren’t cats colorblind? I wasn’t sure, but I guess green was sort of your color. You had a green collar, a green toy, green this, green that. And it was all by accident. Although, I’m sure there are no accidents when it comes to that. But ever since that hand-printing day, I can’t remember a time when those two colors never looked so perfect together. And the wall kept filling up, and filling up, with more memories to look back on, and more promises to keep.

Promises? I don’t remember making any promises. But the promises we made were in each other’s eyes, and in each other’s hearts. I looked at you, and you looked at me with those green, peaceful eyes, and it seemed as though we promised to be together forever. The promises we made in our hearts were for us only, to stay best friends. But after you left, those promises seemed to do nothing but fade.

I remember the day you left very clearly. And boy, it was not pretty. I remember collapsing in tears, screaming that they couldn’t take you away from me. Sobbing my heart out, only to face the reality that there was nothing I could do. Time passed and I didn’t get any better. I hid my pain behind a fake smile and shining eyes. Shining from tears. I wanted to die. I couldn’t imagine life without you, and I wished for you to come back to me. I missed you terribly, and I couldn’t get you off my mind. I wanted the best for you, but I wanted you with me. I saw you everywhere after that day. Everywhere I went, there was a memory we shared on that couch, in that room, next to that wall, everywhere, and anywhere. You were everywhere, and all I kept thinking of was what I had and lost. I kept walking by our wall of memories, only to softly touch the markings, and break down in tears again. Every time. I wanted you to come back. My sweetie. My first pet. My best friend.

I could spend hours and hours gazing at our wall of memories, like they were the stars in the night sky. I could get lost in the thousands of memories we left there, until I finally rested my gaze on the two small hand and paw prints, purple and green, and right next to each other. No matter what the future held, that was one thing that could never be changed. Our promises on our wall of memories.

I love you Cricket <3