The ‘right’ sort of folks

I think I finally found someone to make and install my kitchen counter tops. I’m thrilled. After months of businesses not answering their phones, not following through on returning messages, going out of business suddenly, and just generally showing a lack in interest, I found a locally owned company who does their own fabrication and installation, has the product I want in stock, and gave me a really good price. What a relief. They seem to be the ‘right’ sort of folks to work with. How do I know? Well…

They came out to the house to do preliminary measurements and provide a quote. While they were there the cats came around to visit and, since we were standing around the kitchen, Maddie curled up in her sink and started to purr.

If you have been to my house you know that Maddie has her own sink in my kitchen. It is a little bar sink in the peninsula, about 12 x 12 inches square and 5 inches deep – a perfect 'tight fit' for a little girl who likes to curl up in something about her size. (OK, Maddie is well known to be a fat cat… no sniggering here, please.) She generally likes to watch water drip from the faucet but if it doesn’t happen to be dripping, she enjoys just hanging out in the sink. And so the decision to keep a second sink in the configuration was one of accommodation of the cat, rather than of any particular culinary advantage. We admit that the only one who uses that sink is the cat. And we’re OK with that. If it is important to her, it is important to us. We explained all this.

These folks understood. And I know that because this morning the woman called with some concerns. They are providing the sinks, and after looking at one in the showroom, she thought that the one we had selected might be more shallow than the one we have now.

Her concern? That the cat wouldn’t fit. Would I like to bring her in to make sure?