live there alone?"
"Yes, to both questions." She beamed as she spoke. "Well, I live alone except for Fifi and Thor."
"Your servants?"
"No. My dog and cat."
At that, Clancy's ears perked up. She loved other animals--even cats. So she pranced even more.
"Clancy and I will walk with Marianne," I said to George.
He grunted, seemingly distracted by the goings on and probably by the disruption of his perfectly planned trip.
Marianne took my arm companionably, as if we'd known each other for years.
"It will be such fun for me to have you all in my home," she said. "I don't have any children so I cherish my friends."
"Gus and Georgianne don't have children either. Do any of your siblings?" I made sure my concern shone through, instead of mere curiosity.
"None of my sisters," she said while shaking her head. "But our brother had enough for all of us. He had seven."
She looked a little wistful as she started talking, but chuckled by the time she finished.
"Julieanne once told mother that she'd used up our quota." With that, her beautiful laugh filled the area surrounding us. I knew I'd found a new friend.
George was unloading the car as we arrived, and Marianne and I each took our share of luggage.
She pulled open the unlocked door. I gave George a look that I hope he recognized as, "See! I'm not the only person who doesn't lock her door." I think he ignored me.
"Welcome to my home," Marianne said as a black Great Dane jumped on her, almost bowling her over. The Dane then turned his attention to me with the same result. When it came to George, the dog just sniffed and politely waited for a pat.
Finally the dog got to Clancy, who was waiting like the good dog she is. The much bigger dog touched Clancy's nose with his own. Finally I noticed the requisite equipment for a boy dog wasn't present, and I knew it was a she.
"Wait! This can't be Fifi?" I exclaimed.
"Why can't it be?" said Marianne and George almost simultaneously.
"'Cause that means that Thor is a cat." With that, I felt something tap against my leg. I looked down to see the tiniest cat I'd ever seen. "Thor?" I asked Marianne.
"Yes. Isn't he precious?"
"He's such a small kitten," I said.
"Oh, no. He's full grown." She reached down and picked up the dark gray cat, then lovingly stroked its back. "He looked so pitiful when I found him, but Fifi and I both fell in love with him immediately."
She held him out for me to take. "I named him Thor to make him sound tough and give him confidence."
I gladly took him, then turned around and said to George, "Isn't he adorable? I've often thought about getting a cat for Clancy to have as a buddy."
George's answer was immediate and severe. With hurricane force he sneezed, and sneezed, and sneezed yet again.
"I'm allergic," he said as if he needed to explain.
That was all Thor needed. He jumped from my arms into George's. George instinctively caught him and the sneezing continued.
By that time I was practically rolling on the floor laughing. As George continued sneezing I decided to call upon some maturity and took Thor from him. Marianne took the cat and put it into the living room. George stopped sneezing immediately.
"I'm so sorry. But you'll be happy to know that the bedroom you'll be in has been closed up, so Thor hasn't been in there. I hope that will ease your discomfort." Marianne said.
George wiped his eyes and nose with a handkerchief he'd taken out of his pocket, and at that point all he could do was nod.
Marianne escorted us upstairs, making sure Thor wasn't following. As I looked behind us I saw Clancy, Fifi, and Thor engaged in mutual smelling. Knowing Clancy would be busy for a while, I didn't have to worry about her.
The stairs led from the foyer up one direction, then a landing, followed by a switchback to another direction. I looked down when we reached what I thought of as the mezzanine, and saw the three animals splayed out on what looked like a floor of Italian tile. The whites,
"Yes, to both questions." She beamed as she spoke. "Well, I live alone except for Fifi and Thor."
"Your servants?"
"No. My dog and cat."
At that, Clancy's ears perked up. She loved other animals--even cats. So she pranced even more.
"Clancy and I will walk with Marianne," I said to George.
He grunted, seemingly distracted by the goings on and probably by the disruption of his perfectly planned trip.
Marianne took my arm companionably, as if we'd known each other for years.
"It will be such fun for me to have you all in my home," she said. "I don't have any children so I cherish my friends."
"Gus and Georgianne don't have children either. Do any of your siblings?" I made sure my concern shone through, instead of mere curiosity.
"None of my sisters," she said while shaking her head. "But our brother had enough for all of us. He had seven."
She looked a little wistful as she started talking, but chuckled by the time she finished.
"Julieanne once told mother that she'd used up our quota." With that, her beautiful laugh filled the area surrounding us. I knew I'd found a new friend.
George was unloading the car as we arrived, and Marianne and I each took our share of luggage.
She pulled open the unlocked door. I gave George a look that I hope he recognized as, "See! I'm not the only person who doesn't lock her door." I think he ignored me.
"Welcome to my home," Marianne said as a black Great Dane jumped on her, almost bowling her over. The Dane then turned his attention to me with the same result. When it came to George, the dog just sniffed and politely waited for a pat.
Finally the dog got to Clancy, who was waiting like the good dog she is. The much bigger dog touched Clancy's nose with his own. Finally I noticed the requisite equipment for a boy dog wasn't present, and I knew it was a she.
"Wait! This can't be Fifi?" I exclaimed.
"Why can't it be?" said Marianne and George almost simultaneously.
"'Cause that means that Thor is a cat." With that, I felt something tap against my leg. I looked down to see the tiniest cat I'd ever seen. "Thor?" I asked Marianne.
"Yes. Isn't he precious?"
"He's such a small kitten," I said.
"Oh, no. He's full grown." She reached down and picked up the dark gray cat, then lovingly stroked its back. "He looked so pitiful when I found him, but Fifi and I both fell in love with him immediately."
She held him out for me to take. "I named him Thor to make him sound tough and give him confidence."
I gladly took him, then turned around and said to George, "Isn't he adorable? I've often thought about getting a cat for Clancy to have as a buddy."
George's answer was immediate and severe. With hurricane force he sneezed, and sneezed, and sneezed yet again.
"I'm allergic," he said as if he needed to explain.
That was all Thor needed. He jumped from my arms into George's. George instinctively caught him and the sneezing continued.
By that time I was practically rolling on the floor laughing. As George continued sneezing I decided to call upon some maturity and took Thor from him. Marianne took the cat and put it into the living room. George stopped sneezing immediately.
"I'm so sorry. But you'll be happy to know that the bedroom you'll be in has been closed up, so Thor hasn't been in there. I hope that will ease your discomfort." Marianne said.
George wiped his eyes and nose with a handkerchief he'd taken out of his pocket, and at that point all he could do was nod.
Marianne escorted us upstairs, making sure Thor wasn't following. As I looked behind us I saw Clancy, Fifi, and Thor engaged in mutual smelling. Knowing Clancy would be busy for a while, I didn't have to worry about her.
The stairs led from the foyer up one direction, then a landing, followed by a switchback to another direction. I looked down when we reached what I thought of as the mezzanine, and saw the three animals splayed out on what looked like a floor of Italian tile. The whites,
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