(re-run) It was Tom, the contractor’s, umpteenth date on Match.com. The woman he matched with was from the same affluent town, was the same height as he was, and was ready to meet him at Bridges, the hot spot downtown with the best happy hour. But when Ellen walked in, she had on three inch… Continue reading The Contractor and the Jet Setter
Month: September 2026
Head in the Clouds Harry
They met at the Appalachian Mountain club, an organization for sporting events in Boston. He was athletic looking with a nice smile. Harry asked Margo to go on a short hike with him in New Hampshire. She agreed to drive separately and meet him at the trailhead since she had a dinner to attend that… Continue reading Head in the Clouds Harry
9-11
It was 9:30 in the morning, California time. I was doing my usual clean-up after sending our three young children off to school. The oldest was almost 15, the middle one 12, and the youngest just 7. The new Dachshund puppy needed to go outside, but with hawks around, I needed to go with him.… Continue reading 9-11
Stray Dog, Happy Ending
(re-run) Julie’s beautiful golden retriever lab mix, Sadie, lived to be thirteen years old. But when she passed, Julie’s other dog, Finn, started getting mopey. It wasn’t like the Jack Russell mix to act that way, so when Julie saw a big scraggly dog on the Placer County Animal Shelter website, she knew she had… Continue reading Stray Dog, Happy Ending
A Giants Date
(re-run) Tom, the contractor, was a Giants fan. He found a similar-minded woman on Match.com. Tom’s friend had given him the tickets, field level seats at the third baseline, near the players’ wives. Tom asked his date to meet him at his place so they could drive over to the stadium in San Francisco together.… Continue reading A Giants Date
Lolita and the Guy of Lies
Lolita met a guy on eHarmony. They agreed to have their meet and greet at Starbucks in Pleasant Hill. Fred was already seated when Lolita got her coffee. When he stood up, Fred was much shorter than he’d said on his profile. Instead of 5’ 9″, he was more like 5 foot, four. He had… Continue reading Lolita and the Guy of Lies
Marathon Man
(re-run) She had tried them all — Match, eharmony, Our Time, Chemistry, Zoosk, OkCupid, and CoffeeMeetsBagel. She’d had her share of weirdos and had learned to use a fake name, fake town, and a fake place of work. She had been stalked in the past. Now she knew how to do it and be safe.… Continue reading Marathon Man
Bossy Pants
KC met a guy online on eHarmony who said he liked to hike and read. She met him at Jack’s Restaurant in Pleasant Hill. He was ten years older than his online photo. When the waiter came to the table and asked her what she’d like to drink, her date said, “She’ll have a cup… Continue reading Bossy Pants
Surprise in the Porch Stove
I just got home from the beach with temps up to 70 degrees. “Why am I coming back?” I asked myself as the car’s outside temp rose to 82, then 88 then 92 as I pulled off the freeway in San Ramon. When I got home, the dogs went ballistic as they always do. We’re… Continue reading Surprise in the Porch Stove
Joe Average
Emily met Joe on Match. They both liked the Giants. They both lived in Livermore, although he worked in Alameda and had to get up early at 4:00 a.m. for his job. Joe made an exception to stay up late one night so he could meet Emily for dinner. Emily had looked forward to meeting… Continue reading Joe Average
