“It’s been like forever”

“I saw your husband’s truck out front, so I had to stop.”
I said that to *****, one of the co-owners of the kennel that boards my dog.
“Yeah; how ya doin’? It’s been like forever.” (I haven’t seen ***** in weeks, and ***** is cute.)
More important, she’s fun to talk to. We laugh.
“Gotta stop and see *****,” I told her. “Probably feel good as a result.”
“Glad ya stopped. I haven’t bought a new car yet, so I’m still drivin’ my husband’s truck.”
“Bark-bark-bark-bark!” (“I want attention — pet me!”)
I took Killian in with me; the kennel-people love Killian.
***** zoomed out from behind her counter to pet Killian.
She stooped down, and Killian plopped in her lap.
“Such a handsome boy,” she cooed, scratching Killian’s rib-cage.
“And also a ham,” I said.
“You know my balance is awful,” I commented. “I have a story if ya wanna hear it.”
“Tell me your story!”
“I do aquatic balance training in the Canandaigua YMCA swimming-pool, and the other day.....”
I locked up. “This is the stroke,” I said. “Can’t get the words out.
Our instructor happens to be cute.”
“Now we know why you attend that class.”
“That’s part of it,” I said. “But she’s not the only one.
That instructor takes my hand to stabilize me, but WHOA! How do I handle that? ‘NO PRETTY LADY WILL EVER HOLD HANDS WITH YOU!’
My counselor tells me I should continue those classes to socialize, and thereby flip-flop my dreadful childhood.”
The reason I mention this is because 10 years ago it wouldna happened.
I woulda drove past that kennel, with no interest in meeting *****. Just walking in also woulda been unthinkable. “NO CUTE GIRL WILL WANNA TALK TO YOU!”
A lot has changed since my wife died. I’ve met too many *****s.
What a joy it was to meet ***** again. “It’s been like forever,” she said. We both felt good as a result.
And for 70 years I was scared to try.

• RE: “I haven’t bought a new car yet.....” ***** had her own car, but the motor seized; so she drives her husband’s truck.
• My current dog, “Killian,” is a “rescue Irish-setter.” He’s eleven, and is my seventh Irish-Setter, an extremely lively dog. A “rescue Irish setter” is usually an Irish Setter rescued from a bad home; e.g. abusive or a puppy-mill. Or perhaps its owner died. (Killian was a divorce victim.) By getting a rescue-dog I avoid puppydom, but the dog is often messed up. —Killian was fine. He’s my fifth rescue.
• I do aquatic balance training in the Canandaigua YMCA’s swimming-pool, two hour classes per week — plus a third hour on my own.
• I had a stroke October 26th, 1993 from an undiagnosed heart-defect since repaired. It slightly compromised my speech. (Difficulty finding and putting words together.)
• “No pretty lady, etc. etc.” was my neighbor Sunday-School Superintendent Hilda Q. Walton, who convinced me all males, including me at age-5, were SCUM. My hyper-religious parents heartily agreed. (And I’m sure by now it’s well over 14 blogs.)