In the company of a breathtaking sunrise, we woke the pet sitter and her charges. We paid her in the midst of warm effusions, wiggling tails, purring, barking, panting, and hugs, recovering Eros and Peridot. They were so relieved to see us they diplomatically ignored one another and continued to respectively purr and pant happily in the small cockpit of my car.
I dropped Benedetta and her beast off and waited until she reached her door. What an adorable sight: my lithe friend in her olive green sundress and her dog, sleek and sinewy, at her side.
On a whim I called after her, "Bene-what's your favorite fairy tale?"
She spun around and yelled back, "Fairy tale or myth?"
"Fairy tale!"
"The Ugly Duckling!" she yelled back.
A smile stretched across my face as I drove the short distance t
