That’s Sir David Niven to You!

I should have seen it coming. Yesterday, after we’d finished all our work, walked all our clients, and picked up every last drop of you know what, we drove to Fremont where Gretchen got her haircut.

“Why now?” I asked, foolishly.

“Well, Thanksgiving is coming and we’re going to the grandparents’ house,” she said. “We want to look our best, don’t we?”

I accepted her answer at face value, not questioning the “we” in her statement and continued on with my relaxed evening. But that “we” came back to haunt me this morning because I was the one who landed at the groomer’s for my turn at a haircut.

I should have known. I should have smelled the inevitable. I should have looked at the calendar and seen that Thanksgiving is fast approaching and a trip to the grandparents’ was right around the bend. I should have known that a feast, the relatives, and holiday all combined meant I was doomed for a grooming.

Did I really need it now? That was the question I pondered as I looked out the window upon the gray, gray and chilly day.

I guess it was inevitable and so I make the long trek up the hill and spent the morning in the tub, on the table, under the dryer, and at the mercy of the clippers.

Meanwhile, Gretchen got to spend a rainy, cold morning with Woobie and Ollie, who walked around Seward Park without me.

“Did they miss me?” I asked later.

“Yes,” she said. “Woobie looked for you out over the lake because she knows how much you like to swim…

“And Ollie gave me those sad eyes all the while begging for your share of the treats!”

And then Gretchen came home to eat a warm lunch, change her wet socks, and work a bit on her “assignments” for the pool. I know she had to have missed me. I mean, she had to notice I wasn’t under the desk warming her feet. I wasn’t there to look at her lovingly when she prepared her lunch. I wasn’t there when she rearranged her rain gear in her pack. I know she missed me. She had to. I missed her.

But when the phone rang and the groomer said I was finished, I also know she was surprised because it was so much earlier than expected. She headed back out the door,  thrilled to see some blue sky (though it was still mighty cold), picked up Gemma and then Saber, and made her way up the stairs, then up the hill on her way to me, her faithful (and now fluffy) companion.

I was happy to see Gemma. I was happy to see Saber. But I gotta admit, I was most happy to see Gretchen until she said…”Oh my goodness, you look like David Niven!”

“What? Who’s David Niven?” I asked. But before she could answer, we were off, back to work walking dogs in the cold November sun.

When I got home, I looked him up and learned that he was a very talented and stylish actor known for his silk ascots and chiseled look. Gretchen caught me doing research and she smiled and said, “Hey, are you finding out all the things you have in common with David Niven?”

Quick-witted as I am, I replied, “That’s Sir David Niven to you!”

We spent the rest of the afternoon laughing. All is right again in the world and if I do say so myself, I look pretty dapper!

Until tomorrow,

Rubin