阅读理解 When my father was dying, I traveled a thousand miles from home to be with him．It was far more heartbreaking than I'd expected, and was really one of the most difficult and painful times in my life．After he passed away I stayed alone in his apartment．There were so many things to deal with．Weeks passed; it all seemed absolutely endless．I was completely lonely．I hated the silence of the apartment． But one evening the silence was broken：I heard crying outside．I opened the door to find a little gray kitten(小猫)on the steps．He was thin and poor．I remember thinking that he looked the way I felt．I brought him inside and gave him a can of fish．He ate it, and almost immediately fell asleep right there on the kitchen floor． The next morning I checked with the neighbors and learned that the kitten had been abandoned by someone who had just moved out．As I walked back I tried to figure out what to do with him．Having something else to take care of seemed like the very last thing I needed．But as soon as I opended the apartment door he came running and jumped into my arms．It was clear from that moment that he had no intention of going anywhere．I decided to keep him－just until I went back home．I started calling him Willis, in honor of my father's best friend． From then on, things grew easier．No longer was I returning to a lonely, empty apartment．With Willis in my lap the time seemed to pass much more quickly．When the day finally came for me to return home, I had to decide what to do about Willis．There was absolutely no may I would leave without him． It's now been five years since my father died．Over the years, several people have commended on how nice it was of me to rescue Willis．But I know that we rescued each other．I may have given him a home, but he gave me something greater-the will to live, and an important lesson． | 
