Asa took off his sweater, folded it into a sort of a nest, and carefully picked up each tiny creature, tenderly brushing the dirt off, and gently placed it into the folds of the sweater. We drove to the closest phone booth and made several phone calls, finally locating a veterinarian who operated out of his home, and was willing to see the kittens at this late hour.
He examined the tiny foundlings and sadly told us that they were too weak from exposure and malnutrition to save, and the kindest thing he could do was to "put them down." I was crying when we left the small clinic, and couldn't help but notice Asa wiping away at his own eyes.
I knew then, without a doubt, that this boy was the person with whom I wanted to spend the rest of my life. Any man who could be so kind and caring about helpless small creatures had to be an exceptional person.
During all the subsequent years we spent together, he was exactly the man I dreamed he would, those many years ago.