I finished the housework. Since Auntie Janet wouldn't be back for a while, and I had nothing else to do, I changed from my cotton house dress to my mid calf cream linen skirt and pastel yellow angora turtleneck. I pulled on my white three inch heel soft leather knee high boots, slid into my new winter jacket. Hip length medium brown leather with a shoulder wide fur collar/hood and wide matching fur cuffs. I pulled the long thin strap of little my beige leather purse over my shoulder, one quick check in the hall mirror, then locked up and strolled towards the park.
When I was thirteen Aunt Janet came for a visit. Mother gave father a subtle look and grabbed Grace's hand they left the family room.
"Donnie, come sit with me." Auntie patted the couch cushion beside her.
My mothers sister had always been my favorite aunt. Tall, gorgeous, always elegantly dressed. Magnificent figure. I often wished I could be as beautiful as her.
"Well, Donald, it seems your mother is very upset. She still loves you, but is very upset, and worries you'll be a bad influence on your sister Grace."
"Mm." I concentrated on my clasped hands. So embarrassed. Even Auntie Janet knew.
"You know, Donnie, I always wanted a pretty daughter. Like you.."
She called me pretty? I blushed.
"What do you think of coming to Ontario and living with me. You could be my niece."
So now I'm twenty three, and 'Donna', Aunt Janet's niece. I graduated from college and have a good starter job.
The park has a small playground area with swings and things, but most of it is gardens. I find a bench by my favorite one. A ten meter circular one that the paved path encircles with benches around outside of the circle. It's a clear sunny autumn day. The maples are in full, glorious color. Over to my left two teens are teasing a crow and a seagull by throwing one chip at a time and laughing as they fight over it.
Something soft bumps my right leg. It's a Labrador retriever, tail wagging like crazy, and that "Hi! I'm the dog. Please pet me. Can I be your friend?" look on it's face. naturally I pet it's soft fur and it's whole back end wags in unlimited joy.
"Nancy, come. Get back here."
She turns and wags her way two paces back to a well dressed gentleman.
"I'm sorry. She's always so excited to see people."
"Oh, that's OK. No problem. Nancy is so adorable. Aren't you? Aren't you a pretty puppy?"
"Allow me to introduce myself, I'm Walter."
"Donna. Pleased to meet you and Nancy."
"May we join you for a minute?"
"Of course." Back to Nancy. "You're such a good puppy, aren't you?" She rests her chin on my knee. She has a leash rolled up in her mouth to meet the 'leash laws'.
"Claire." I turn my head to see to see where he's looking. "Can you take Nancy?"
She's a pretty girl wearing a grey pant suit and sensible walking shoes.
"Nancy, come." Nancy wags her way over to Claire and they continue around the garden and along the path.
"We've been walking for half an hour. Nancy can go all day, but I'm ready to sit. Thankfully, my driver, Claire loves walking her too."
We chat for a bit, then Nancy and Claire return.
"Well, must be going. Thanks for the company Donna. I'm so happy we met."
"I'm glad we met to, sir."
It's Walter, miss."
It was time for me to be getting home too.
"There you are dear. I was thinking I'd have to prepare for our guests by myself. Change and come back to the kitchen and tell me all about your day."
I was sauteing some onions.
"Dear, don't take this the wrong way, but I'm worried about the kinds of men you're meeting, especially at that bar you go to." She just couldn't say 'gay bar'. "I met a nice man last week at the tennis club. A business man, friend of Jacks." Auntie's current gentleman friend. "So, they're our dinner guests.."
I changed into my knee length, long sleeve, full skirt, Peter Pan collar, light blue floral print dress, natural nylons and three inch block heel round toe robin's egg blue pumps for dinner.
The doorbell rang.
"Why, you both arrived together!"
My self control barely kept my mouth from falling open.
"We both live in the same neighborhood, so I offered to pick Jack up."
The speaker was Walter, the man I'd just met in the park. His face broke into a huge warm smile. "Donna? I can't believe this."
"You know each other?"
"This is the man I told you about with the dog, I met in the park."
By the end of the evening Walter had discreetly asked me out.
As we were cleaning up I asked Auntie Janet, if meeting Walter in the park was a setup.
"No, of course not. Think about it, how would I know you'd go to the park this afternoon."
When he came for me, Claire was standing holding the Bentley's door wearing a silver fox stroller jacket, a short skirt and knee high block heel dove grey boots.
