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

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

Sneaking into the Pool

(re-run) While student teaching in Venezuela, my roommate and partner in crime learned how to have fun with not much money. One of the American teachers had stolen a couple of striped beach towels from an upscale hotel, and she had been sneaking into the hotel pool for years. “Just carry the towel and act… Continue reading Sneaking into the Pool

The Third Date Rule?

After Sue became a widow, her adult children were protective of her dating online. They had her send them a profile photo, an address, and phone number for each guy she dated. One of them was an anesthesiologist named Don. Sue’s son’s friend knew Don since he was in the medical field. Sue felt safe… Continue reading The Third Date Rule?

The Princeton Ploy

(re-run) It was Sue’s third day as a freshman at Temple University in Philadelphia. She was riding the elevator with her friends between Hardwick and Johnson Hall when he got on. He had all of his stuff. He was moving in. “School started already,” one of her friends said. “I was in San Diego,” he… Continue reading The Princeton Ploy