A Tale of Two Connie's

When TV audiences first met Constance MacKenzie back in 1964, we knew her as the beloved owner of the only bookstore in Peyton Place. Connie to her friends -- of which she had many -- Mrs. MacKenzie was a pillar of the community. It wasn't until the season was underway that we learned about her past: weekends in Boston with an older, married man and an unplanned pregnancy. At first, when the townspeople learned of her youthful indiscretion, there was a scandal. But her inherent goodness and dignity ultimately carried the day and she retained the good will of the Peyton Place-onians.

This is why I have named my cat Constance MacKenzie. She was rescued from a crowded Indiana apartment (like Peyton Place's Connie, she has crossed state lines), where she and many, many other cats were kept by a hoarder. Barely a year old, she was already pregnant. She was also emaciated and battling an upper respiratory infection. She miscarried that litter and has been languishing in a cage since February.

But now Connie lives here. We're putting her painful past behind her and from now on, she'll be known as the respectable feline who lives in a booklined apartment. (Her eyes are still bothering her and she's squinting at the flash.)

So far Reynaldo views her with rapt attention and apprehension. He's been so preoccupied by her he hasn't knocked anything over or torn anything up. Joey, literally, could not care less. When she first arrived, he glanced in her general direction and then took a nap.