“Make ‘em laugh” — continued

—“Slow down Big Monster!”
I shouted that to my silly Irish Setter as he lunged toward the door of the kennel that daycares my dog while I work-out in Canandaigua’s YMCA swimming-pool.
It was Saturday afternoon, and started snowing while I worked out. It wasn’t awful, but the kennel parking-lot was treacherous. My dog had thrown me down before.
Suddenly two pretty women ran to my side. “Here, let me take your dog,” a cutie said, probably in her early 20s. The other was *****, age-47, one of the kennel co-owners, also the prettiest.
“NO PRETTY FEMALE WILL BEFRIEND YOU!” Yet here were two pretty females running to my side.
“No pretty female will befriend you” is the infamous Hilda Q. Walton, my hyper-judgmental neighbor and Sunday-School Superintendent when I was a child. She convinced me all males, including me at age-five, were despicable and disgusting.
Constant-readers won’t need explaining of Faire Hilda. Otherwise click the link.
Had my overly religious parents come to my defense, Hilda woulda fallen flat. But they heartily agreed. I was rebellious and stupid because I couldn’t worship my father.
The younger one decided I was not only safe, but fun. ***** made that apparent earlier as soon as I walked in, yelling “HI BEAUTIFUL!” (That’s a link to my “HI BEAUTIFUL” blog.)
Yrs Trly isn’t used to such adoration. Hilda, etc marked me for life.
But the pretty ladies keep piling up.
“Yer funny!” one tells me.
“As you can see, the boat didn’t sink.” I long ago said that to ***** after her kennel daycared my dog for a Transit retiree Erie Canal cruise.
That cracked her up. I made her laugh. “Why can’t all men be like that?”
I’m sorry I keep harping on this. After 70+ years I’m surprised by all the female friends I make.
I’m not Adonis, plus I’m overweight, a geezer, and socially unsavvy.
But women love laughing — one told me that a few months ago.
I make lady-friends left-and-right. Apparently I make ladies laugh just being myself. A lot has changed since my wife died.
After the childhood I had I didn’t expect such success.

• “Transit” equals Regional Transit Service, the public transit-bus operator in Rochester, NY, where I drove bus for 16&1/2 years (1977-1993). The Erie Canal cruise was organized by our union retiree group.