"Very nice, I like it."
"Thanks." He set the food on the kitchen counter. "I'm going to feed Bailey and then we can eat. My neighbor walks her but he usually doesn't feed her."
"All right."
He walked over and opened the sliding door. Bailey jumped on him and licked his hand. He rubbed her ears and patted her head.
"Okay, Bailey. Now sit, we have company." Bailey sat and I walked over. She wagged her tail as I petted her head. She was a beautiful German Shepard, all brown with black and gray markings. She was wearing a light blue collar with a heart shaped name tag.
"She's beautiful."
"Thanks." He grinned. I continued petting her as he walked over to the kitchen and picked up two light-blue dog bowls. "So, will Stuart be okay?"
It was sweet that he remembered and thought about my cat. "Yeah, he has an automatic water and food feeder. He will be lonely but he'll be okay."
"That's good. Cause you know I'd kick his butt to help a poor starving cat."
I burst into laughter and had to lean against the couch to catch my breath. Keith chuckled, I could tell he wanted to lift my mood and he had known just how to do it. "My cat is so fat that it'd take days for him to starve."
Keith laughed as he filled one bowl with water from the faucet and then he opened a pantry cupboard and scooped dry food into the other bowl. He set the bowls down on the tile floor.
"Bailey, come eat." He whistled and she licked my hand before she ran to the kitchen. Keith patted her back and washed his hands. "We can eat in the living room. I'm a little too sore to sit on those hardwood chairs."
I grabbed the bag and spread the food on the coffee table. We sat down and quickly ate breakfast.
"So, let's see...what else do I need to know? Um...favorite color?"
"Light blue. You?"
"Dark blue. Favorite flower?"
"Um . . . I'd say pink roses. Favorite TV show?"
"The X-Files. You?"
"ER. Favorite childhood memory?"
"When I was nine, my dad took me to my first Orioles game at Oriole Field. That day Jim Hardin hit a home run. My dad lifted me up on his shoulders and I caught the ball." he smiled.
"Aww, that's sweet and you'll be happy to know, I'm an Oriole's fan."
"Really? Good to know. So, what's your favorite childhood memory?"
"Um . . . when I was ten, I had entered the science fair and my Dad was off on a mission. So, I was upset that he wouldn't be there. Just as they announced that I'd won 1st place, Dad ran in and scooped me up. He went with me to the stage to get the award and I remember him telling me he wouldn't have missed it for the world." I smiled softly, and a few tears escaped. Keith hugged me close.