Tara, a divorced mother of two, was on her way home from work on a cold and frosty evening. During this time of year, Pittsburgh is always at its coldest. After seeing a person throw a garbage bag out of the window of a car in front of her, she tried to pass it.
The Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania native hated people throwing things out of their car windows because she cared about the environment. Despite the freezing temperatures, she pulled over. Although the sun had already set, she took some time to find the bag. She noticed it was a little heavy when she picked it up. When she got home, she was eager to get warm under the blankets and drink hot chocolate.
Tara didn’t realize that her evening was going to be very eventful. Her memory of the garbage bag she left in her trunk came to her while she was relaxing on her sofa. After opening the trunk, she pulled out the bag she hadn’t realized how heavy it was when she left her house to throw it away. A faint sound interrupted her. Opening the bag carefully, she made sure not to scare anything inside. With baited breath, she stepped back and waited to see what crawled out. Once it was open wide enough, she saw a dirty, scared-looking cat saunter out of the bag. Tara’s heart sank. After looking left and right, it meowed loudly.
Tara opened up a tuna can and gave the cat some water. After the cat wouldn’t stop meowing, Tara felt a pang of sadness as the cat gobbled up the food. It was extremely hungry; who knew how long it had been in the garbage bag? In addition, it looked very underweight for a cat of its size. On her couch, she gave it a warm place to sleep. At night, it must have been very appreciated by the cat. She would take it to the vet in the morning.
The next morning, Tara was happy to see that the cat was still comfortably sleeping on the makeshift bed she made for it. She gently stroked his dirty fur. “We need to get you to the vet, buddy.” Tara took the blanket from the couch that the cat was sleeping on and placed it on the back seat of her car. The cat immediately went to the blanket; he was then at peace. That’s all it wanted: to be free.
She drove to the vet without worrying about the cat in the back seat. At the vet’s office, Tara explained the situation to the receptionist, who quickly got a vet tech to examine the cat. The tech checked the cat’s overall health, scanned for a microchip, which it didn’t have, and gave it a thorough cleaning to remove the dirt and grime from its fur. Tara anxiously waited in the examination room, hoping the cat was going to be okay.
After what seemed like an eternity, the vet finally came in with a reassuring smile. The cat had a clean bill of health aside from being malnourished and dehydrated. Relieved that the cat was physically okay, Tara decided to adopt it. She named him Lucky, considering how fortunate he was to escape the garbage bag and find her. Lucky turned out to be a loving and affectionate companion, grateful for the second chance at life Tara had given him.
Over the next few weeks, Tara and Lucky formed a strong bond. She couldn’t imagine her life without him now. Her house felt warmer and cozier with his presence, and Lucky seemed equally content to have a loving home. But at the back of her mind, she couldn’t forget what Lucky had endured. The cruel person who threw Lucky from a car was still out there, walking free. It made her very angry, and she was determined to seek justice for Lucky.
She decided to take matters into her own hands. She began by retracing her steps from that fateful night, trying to recall any details about the car that had tossed the bag. After a few days of investigation, she spotted a security camera on a nearby building that might have captured the incident. She approached the building’s manager and explained her situation, hoping they would provide her with the footage. The building manager agreed to help Tara and pulled up the surveillance footage from the night of the incident.
Together, they watched as the car in front of her tossed the garbage bag out of the window. Tara’s heart pounded as she saw the license plate number. With this vital information in hand, Tara reported the incident to the local authorities and handed over the footage. The police promised to investigate the matter further and find the person responsible for this cruel act.
The investigation was a roller coaster of emotions for Tara. She had to recount the events over and over to the police, and it stirred up all the anger and sadness she had felt that night. But she was determined to see it through, not just for her own satisfaction, but for Lucky’s justice. Days turned into weeks and then months as the police worked tirelessly to identify and locate the driver of the car.
Tara was patient, knowing that justice could take time. Finally, after several months of investigation, Tara received a call from Detective Miller from the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police. He informed her that they had identified the person responsible for abandoning Lucky and had issued an arrest warrant. Tara’s heart swelled with a mix of satisfaction and relief.
The trial that followed was highly publicized, and Tara was called as a key witness. She stood in the courtroom, recounting the night she had rescued Lucky from the garbage bag and how he had come into her life. The evidence against the driver was overwhelming, including the surveillance footage, eyewitness testimony, and the condition of Lucky when Tara found him. The jury didn’t take long to reach a verdict. The driver was found guilty of animal cruelty and faced severe penalties, including fines and community service.
Tara felt a sense of closure as the judge handed down the verdict. She knew that justice had been served. With the legal battle behind her, Tara focused on helping Lucky fully recover from his traumatic experience. She continued to shower him with love, and over time, his once matted and dirty fur turned soft and shiny. Lucky had transformed into a happy and healthy cat, no longer haunted by his past.
