"So tell me Baby what color do you like, pink or yellow"
"Do you really think she'll answer you back?"
Shawn turned to see a pretty store clerk, "I don't know maybe, she told me she liked her name"
"Really? Then you must have a very talented dog" She took a few steps forward, "It's a girl?"
Shawn nodded.
"Well she's pretty, so what name did she tell you she liked?"
"Baby."
"Well hello Baby, and what would be your owner's name" She looked up at Shawn and gave a flirty smile.
"I'm Shawn"
"Is that like Madonna?"
"Hunter, Shawn Hunter"
"Hello Shawn I'm Khandi Alexander"
"Hello Khandi" Shawn politely shook her hand.
"Well Shawn I think that Baby will look cute in maybe a baby pink?"
"I think you're right, what do you think Baby, you like the baby pink?" Baby confirmed the decision by giving Shawn a nice wet kiss. Shawn just laughed and rubbed her head.
"You know that you can get fined for have a dog without a leash and a license?"
"Yes I know I just got her, hey do you know where I can get a name tag and a license for her?"
"Yeah there's a machine at the front of the store you just type it in on the screen and then choose a tag shape and it engraves it right there, it's like six or eight dollars. And then to get her a license you just need to register with the town hall and they can give you one today and I think that's about eight or ten dollars."
"Well thank you Khandi you've been very helpful."
"Maybe I can help a little more"
"Excuse me?"
"I'm sorry that sounded a little oddly put, I meant this here" Khandi pulled tags off the leash and collar. "I'll just ring these up for you and you can put them on her, this too?" She pointed to a shopping cart.
"Yeah thanks, the engraving machine is up front?"
She just nodded.
"So is that everything?"
"Yes thank you"
"Ok then that comes to $89.78. Hey Shawn, I get off in like ten minutes; do you maybe want to grab a cup of coffee? I know this great place that's outside you can bring Baby."
"Oh umm, Khandi you seem really nice but I kind of have a girlfriend."
"Kind of?"
"Well she went to Europe with her father and she hasn't come back yet."
"Well when is she coming back?"
"I don't know"
"When did she leave?"
"About a year and a half ago. But she's going to come back, we were meant for each other. I let her go."
"You know Shawn I admire you, you really must love your girlfriend especially if you think two people going for coffee might qualify as cheating on her."
"Just coffee?"
"Just coffee, strictly platonic and I can fill you in a little more about dogs since I highly doubt that you've ever had a dog before."
"Why would you think that?"
"Well unless you also have a cat at home, you don't need kitty litter."
Shawn just blushed and Khandi let out a stifled giggle.
"So ten minutes?"
"Actually it's more like right now, let me just get my bag from the back ok?"
"Sure go ahead, we'll be outside, come on Baby."
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
"What's her name?"
"Hmm?"
"Your girlfriend what's her name?"
"Oh Angela, she's so beautiful, do you want to see a picture of her?"
"Yeah"
"Here" he pulled out a picture from his wallet, of him and Angela cuddling with each other from a picnic they had in the park. He looked at the picture for a second, he remembered that day that was the day Angela told him she loved him. He shook the memory from his head and handed the picture to Khandi.
Khandi stared at the picture for a second; she was surprised by Angela's skin color. She looked up at Shawn, smiled and knew that it was because he loved his girlfriend that he tried to back out of going for coffee and not because she was a tan skinned Hispanic. She was glad that Shawn wasn't a racist, even though it's the twenty first century there were still a few people that treated her different because of her skin color.
"She's beautiful; you guys look so in love, like you were made for each other"
"You got all that from a picture?"
"Mhm, with the way you're holding her, how comfortable she looks in your arms and you can see it in her eyes she feels safe with you."
"I do love her, before she went to Europe with her dad; I was going to ask her to marry me."
"Did she say yes?"
"Well I was going to ask her so she would stay with me, but she said she wanted to be with her father for a while because she doesn't get to see him much, so I told her to go and I never got to ask her. I was going to ask her when she came back, but she hasn't yet."
"Well she will and when you ask her she'll say yes"
"How can you be so sure?"
She handed the picture back to him, "This, look at the two of you, you're too nice of a person Shawn, trust me she'll come back, I promise."
"So do you think she'll like this?" Shawn pulled out a black velvet box and handed it to her.
"It's beautiful; white gold, with an inset caret and a half square cut diamond?" she looked back at him.
"Is that like a woman thing?"
"It's similar to the one I wanted, but my boyfriend just wasn't looking for a commitment. So we broke up."
"Wow I'm sorry"
"It's not your fault, whoa is it that late already?"
"Wow it did get kind of late, umm do you need a ride home?"
"Oh no thank you I can walk"
"It's starting to rain."
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
"Thanks for the ride"
"Thanks for the coffee"
"See you around?"
"I'm sure it's not the last time I'll be in the pet shop"
Shawn kissed her cheek, "Good night Khandi"
"Good Night Shawn"