King is a social dog. Every time we go on a walk, we end up making a new friend, human or canine. Everyone wants to chat and find out whether King is a purebred. He is, and I always go through the same story about how lucky I was to adopt such a regal dog.
Recently we walked along the Hudson. I forgot to wear a hat and sunscreen, and I felt myself baking in the sun—but King wouldn’t let me stop until we reached his favorite spot, the basketball court. King loves sniffing around the fence there, and he basks in all the attention he gets from the players who like petting him and slipping him the occasional Slim Jim.
I must have looked like a lobster when we finally reached the court. As I was pouring King some water, I heard my name being called. It was Tom from my high school. I was surprised he even recognized me; the last time we saw each other was at our 15-year reunion several years ago. He was sweaty and in the middle of a game, but he came over to talk to me and pet King. Tom offered me some sunscreen, which I graciously accepted. He was kind and insisted on us having coffee next week. It should be a nice break.
Image courtesy of artur84 at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
About the author