They start to pet you and scratch around your body. Rather than flinching, like your gut dumpster cat instinct may be telling you to do, you embrace it. You let them keep going.

And they stay for a little while. They like watching you get all this affection and just watching you be yourself. And they even treat you to a few of their snacks as they leave.

As you head back to behind the building, you keep thinking about the family. How kind they were towards you, how happy you seemed to make them for that little sliver of their day. You wonder if you'll ever see them again.

So you decide to return to the front of the building the next day.

And the next day.

And the next day.

And so does the family.

And every day, you and the family start to have the same routine. They see you, pet you, give you some snacks, and play together. You get friendlier and friendlier each time they come to visit, and you start to look forward to your daily trip each day and remember you have it to look forward to on the harder days.

And one day, during your routine, they decided that instead of making this a pit stop out of the morning, you will now be a permanent part of their life.