It was the bent tire rod that sent me home on Halloween night. Don't worry, it wasn't Halloween mischief; it was just a small accident.

Without reliable steering, I didn't dare venture to the costume party my friends went to, even though it was Halloween and I was dressed up and all ready to go out.

So it was with a heavy step that I sauntered back to my apartment.

When I opened the door, my eye caught movement in the darkness. I flicked the lights on. Was that a tail I saw?

I carefully made my way across the living room. The movement had ducked into my bedroom.

I turned the corner. Peering up at me were the two glowing eyes of a cat.

There was a cat in my room. On Halloween night.

It wasn't a black cat, thank goodness. If it was, I probably would have screamed like a little girl and wet my pants. The cat was dark brown with tan stripes.

I immediately checked my patio door and windows. Everything was shut and locked. How in the world did a cat get in here?

"How in the world did you get in here?" I asked it. I think I half-expected an answer. I mean, hell, if a cat can appear in my room, maybe it can talk too.

But it didn't. I reached down and patted it on the head. The cat was very friendly, and after sniffing my hand, caressed my leg and purred. I noticed a collar on it, but wasn't able to read the name tag.

The cat meandered past me and into the kitchen. I followed it and rechecked the windows along the way. Shut and locked.

The cat leaped onto my kitchen counter and sniffed my dirty dishes. This time I was able to read the name tag. The cat's name was "Lady".

Lady jumped down and circled my leg with another purr. I scratched behind her ears, all the while asking her, "How did you get in here, huh? Are you a good luck cat or a bad luck cat? You're not going to turn into a witch, are you? If you do, don't forget how nice I am to you right now."

She slinked into the bathroom and leapt to the sink. I filled it with water and watched her drink. Satisfied, she came back down.

I sat down next to her and she crawled into my lap. As she turned onto her belly to let me scratch her, I noticed a phone number on the name tag too. I took note of it while I patted her tummy. When she got up, I called the number.

"Hello?"

"Um, hi there. Do you have a cat named Lady?"

"Yes, I do. Why?"

"She's in my apartment right now."

"Oh, just throw her outside. She's an outdoor cat."

"Oh, um, okay."

"Thanks." Then the owner hung up.

I played with Lady some more as I pondered her entrance into my room. Maybe she sneaked in while I was leaving in the morning. Maybe I was too tired to see her come in, as I rushed out for work.

Lady was purring again. Though it broke my heart to, I knew I had to put her outside. I walked to the front door and opened it. Lady peeped outside, shook her head, then came back in.

I thought outdoor cats preferred the outside. But I guess Lady didn't. She found her way into my closet, where she nestled in a corner and closed her eyes.

I picked up the phone and talked for about two hours, while watching Lady sleep peacefully in my closet. At one point, I tried to pick her up and coax her back outside, but she wouldn't budge.

I came out into the living room and continued my phone conversation. A moment later, Lady sneaked up behind me and startled me.

I scratched behind her ears, then said, "Sorry Lady, I gotta put you outside now. It was nice knowing you."

Then I scooped her up and gently placed her on my doorstep. She turned and looked back up at me, with those big sad eyes, as I shut the door. "Bye bye, Lady."

So I guess this means I can now honestly say that on Halloween night, I came home to find a Lady waiting for me.

. . .

How do you think that black cat got into my apartment?