Ratchet found me back in 2005, when I lived in macon Georgia and was working with the dept of defense as a mechanic. on my 1515 break I saw this little salt and pepper kitten leading a black kitten twords the shop where I was standing. the salt and pepper kitten stopped and this little black bobble headed kitten kept walking until he hit my boot, and sat right down and looked up and did a weak meow. both his eyes were glued shut due to conjunctivitis. I picked him up and brought him into my bosses office and asked if I could take him to pet smart to get meds, boss man said sure and don’t worry about using leave, you’re only leaving 2 hours early. so, I take him there and they get him shots and give me the goo to fix his eyes and they tell me that will be 275. I yell them look I’m just doing this to get him in better health to put him up for adoption. and then they say oh well, when you drop him off that will be another 60 bucks. I say I don’t think so, and they asked what the cats name is as I reaching for my wallet and instead grab the 9/16 ratchet wrench in my pocket. Ratchet, his name is Ratchet. that was back in 2005. Ratchet loved going on road trips with me, on a wim while living in macon ga I decided I want a Maine lobster roll, and we drove together to the tip of Maine together and had lobster. Once during an annual training in key west Florida I forgot my dog tags(I was in the army reserves and for annual training my unit was doing water jumps) in the military hotel, so the following weekend me and Ratchet hopped in the truck and drove back to key west to get them back, I made sure to let him see the Hemingway kitties while there, he absolutely hated it, hence I started calling him my lil evil. fast forward and we did another long road trip. I got a new job with the oilfield based out of NY. we moved together to corning ny and our first night in March we slept in the cab of my Ole Chevy pick up, I was going to set up what the military calls a hooch and sleep outside in the parking lot of my new job(after horseheads finest told me where my job was actually at) and the blast of cold March air hit both of us, I said nope. well ratchet said nope first. (it was 80 when we left Georgia by the way) up here in ny he made a lot of friends. my first apartment in corning ny he met Amanda my next door neighbor and Jackie my upstairs neighbor and while I was away for school or on pad they would check on him regularly. they even gave him an all black Christmas tree with presents and everything cause I was away, just to make sure he had a good Christmas. in 2014 we bought our house, we got a nice deck, a yard and I’d let you outside until you started going crazy with the hissing and everything. guess the great outdoors was a bit much for you lil evil.fast forward to 2017, my now ex wife moved in with her 2 cats Sam and orange kitty and jar jar a raccoon colored kitty. you and Sam didn’t hit it off to well, he beat you up the minute you hissed at him, but you took it and for the most part kept it civil. when 19 year old Sam passed back in 20, I remember you and jar jar looking for him, and a year later when the ex left I remember you looking all over for her cat jar jar that was your snuggle buddy. fast forward to this past week. Sunday I find a kitten that looks identical to your buddy jar jar, and I welcome him into our home. you hissed at him but not aggressively just a I’m the boss here and all like, and then the next day you both were sitting on the couch waiting for me to get home. I’m a wreck without you here, but your lil brother bandit is doing his best buggy, you didn’t teach him to come to the door when I get off work and demand cans bud, but that’s okay. I know you’re not gone, just walking a bit further ahead. live and miss you my lil evil