It was in the year of “social distancing” that this story takes place. Allison has barricaded herself in the house, never going out except to walk her dogs, and she tried a new neighborhood to walk them today. As Allison passed this one house, a woman stood out front watering her plants. The homeowner saw her walking by and waved, “Mind if I pet your dogs?”

Allison said, “Sure. I’ll bring them to you.” As Allison came onto her porch, the dogs got excited because they loved meeting people. When Allison arrived, the stranger started petting the two canines, saying, “Oh, they’re so soft. They are cute dogs. What are their names?” The dogs put their front legs on her pants as she petted them.

“The one you’re petting is Pippi. The other one is Poncho. And thank you, they are unbelievably cute dogs. But then you’re cute, too.” That sounded forward, but Allison had been alone for a long time and wanted companionship.

The lady blushed at the compliment, saying, “You’re making me blush with such compliments. Is that your intention?”

“A compliment from the heart is true,” Allison responded. And Allison continued, “I would love to get to know you better. Might that be possible?”

“My name is Hazel, and I would love to know you better. What do you have in mind?” She asked as she continued petting the dogs.

Allison thought for a few minutes regarding what to do with her and thought, “I’m eating alone tonight; why not invite her for dinner?” She asked, “Would you care to have dinner with me tonight? I am having spaghetti with a small salad. Maybe we’ll crack open a bottle of wine, too.”

Hazel responded, “What is your name, and where do you live?”

In her excitement, Allison had forgotten to introduce herself. How interesting!

“My name is Allison, and I live just around the corner on King’s Circle. I am the only house in the circle with an enormous tree.”

“Should I bring anything, and what should I wear?” Hazel inquired.

Allison was lighthearted, replying, “Just bring yourself. It does not matter what you wear; it is an informal dinner, just you, me, and the dogs.”

Hazel looked at Allison and stopped petting the dogs to say, “I’ll be there at six, then. Is that OK?”

Allison responded, “Six would be great. I will see you then. Goodbye!”

She continued walking, thinking, “What did I just do? But I find it curious that I am attracted to her. It has been years since I had an attraction to anyone. I wonder if she has an attraction to me. I guess we will see tonight.”

________________________________________ Allison got dressed in a T-shirt and jeans, with no underwear; after all, she wanted to be comfortable. She started dinner at 5:30 by boiling the water for the spaghetti noodles. While cooking, Allison prepared a couple of small salads - just some lettuce, onions, and cheese. When the noodles were ready, she rinsed them into a colander. She returned the pan to the stove to brown some hamburger meat for the sauce. It was a simple sauce. She browned the meat, drained it of grease, added a can of mushrooms and a jar of spaghetti sauce, and then let it simmer until her guest arrived.

Promptly at six, the doorbell rang, exciting the dogs and causing a rush to the front door. By the time Allison arrived, they were jumping up and down all over the place. She opened the door to see Hazel wearing a T-shirt and jeans. How appropriate. She told the dogs to return upstairs and let Hazel in. The dogs came back down and started jumping up and down around on her legs. Concerned for her guest, she asked, “Should I put them away?”

Hazel replied in a relaxed manner, “No. They will calm down with time.”

Allison suggested, “You can leave your shoes at the landing. I find it more comfortable to walk around barefoot.”

Hazel responded, “That would be great. I don’t like wearing shoes either.” And she took off her shoes and put them with Allison’s. They went up the stairs into the kitchen.

Hazel stood, staring at the kitchen island with three stools. Allison pointed to them and said, “Please take a seat. Dinner will be ready in a minute.” Allison returned to her cooking. Hazel watched as Allison scampered around the kitchen, getting dinner ready. Allison got out the plates and silverware.

Seeing an opportunity to help, Hazel asked, “Would you like me to set the table?”

Allison smiled at Hazel, “Yes, please set the table.” She showed Hazel where the glasses and corkscrew were, then handed her a bottle of wine. “And could you pour us a couple of glasses of wine?” As Hazel began uncorking the bottle, Allison asked about the spaghetti, “I normally mix the noodles up with the sauce before serving. Is that OK with you?”

“That’s how I normally serve spaghetti.”

Allison thought about how much they seemed to have in common. They sat down to eat their salads and sip their wine. She confessed, “I have never been on a date with a woman. I’m unsure what came over me when I asked you over.”

“I know what you mean. At first, I thought it was a little forward of you to invite me since I, too, have never had a date with a woman. I am not sure what this means, but I found myself attracted to you. You would think women our age would not be thinking of a relationship. Let alone one with the same sex. I did not think I was that way. However, with the norms of society changing, we can make our own choices. Nowadays, we don’t have to accept choices that society would force on us.”

“I am thrilled that we’re getting the chance to know each other,” Hazel remarked, saying, “The salad is good, simple yet crisp and tender.” They continued eating their dinner until they ate all the salad. Then Allison got up and took the salad bowls to the kitchen.

Allison told Hazel, “This is a serve-yourself spaghetti, so grab a plate and come get it.”

Hazel grabbed her plate. Allison grabbed hers. Suiting actions to words, they entered the kitchen and loaded spaghetti onto their plates. They walked back into the dining room and sat down to eat. Hazel looked on interestedly as Allison began cutting her spaghetti into smaller bites. “That is an exciting way to eat spaghetti. I think I will try it, too,” as Hazel started to cut up her spaghetti.

Once they started eating, the room became quiet, which signifies enjoyable food. If people like the food, they eat it. They do not talk about it. Once they finished eating, they picked up their glasses and started drinking the wine. Allison spoke first, saying, “I don’t want to rush us. Let us take some time before proceeding to places we might regret being.”

Hazel interrupted, saying, “Spontaneity is all about doing something spontaneously. I, for one, like to be spontaneous and see where this will take us.”

“Well, would you like a tour of the house?” Allison countered.

Hazel smiled and said, “Sure! That would be great.”

Allison started by going to the patio door in the dining room. They went outside, and she said, “This is my outside room. I have a nice hot tub over there. I’ve got tables and chairs, with a small private yard for the dogs.”

“Do you use the hot tub a lot?” Hazel inquired.

“Yes, I use it every night. You are welcome to use it, too. We have blinds that will make this area private because I do not allow clothes in my hot tub. It messes with the chemicals in the water. Did you want to try it out?”

Hazel smiled at Allison and said, “Maybe later.”

They walked back into the house. Allison showed Hazel the living room and down the hallway as they moved to the bedrooms. She showed her the main bath, the guest room, the study, and the primary bedroom. She had an enormous bed sitting in the middle of the room, and she invited her to sit on it. Hazel remarked, “This is a nice bed. Is this the end of the tour?”

“Yes, this is the end of the tour. I thought you might like the bed.”

Hazel smiled back at Allison, “Is there a reason that you showed me the bedroom last?”

“Well, I guess it has been a long time since I’ve had a companion, and I thought it might be nice if I could kiss you.” With that, Hazel leaned in and kissed Allison. It started as a peck on the lips, but soon the kisses were longer, and their lips opened, and they started kissing with their tongues. The kiss lasted a long time, and their hands began touching each other as it progressed. At first, it was just on the shoulders, then the arms, and then Allison got more intimate by touching Hazel’s legs. The kisses got passionate, and now they were hugging each other. They kissed each other for several minutes before finally breaking apart. Hazel was the first to speak, “You realize, I’ve never done this before, and I only have men to compare it to.”