You live in a nice senior community. You feel at peace.

 

Then one evening, the police are called. You have no idea what this is all about, and you wonder . . .

 

 

Did I Do Something Wrong?

 

     It was a quiet Saturday night—that time of the month again. No, it isn’t what you are thinking. It was our monthly neighborhood dominoes game.

     “Jerry, let’s go. We’re going to be late,” Michelle yelled.

     “Okay, I’m coming. Just got one more shoe to put on.”

     “Can’t you ever be on time? It’s always one more minute. Just one more thing you have to do,” she complained.

     “I’m here. So stop your nagging and let’s get going.”

     The night was chilly, so I pulled my coat collar up around my neck, as we walked down the block to Sylvia and Dan’s house where we were playing. The door sign read, “Come in,” so I opened it and we entered.

     Just as I was about settled in at the kitchen table to play, Michael and Ann came through the front door. Michael had a strange look on his face, as he shouted . . .

     “Hey, Jerry, there’s a cop car in front of your house. I think I saw a guy in uniform at your front door.”

     “Did you or did you not see an officer at my door?”

     “I’m pretty sure I did. Maybe you should go check. Want me to come with you?”

     “You’re so observant. You’d be a great asset. But I think I’ll go alone.”

     I grabbed my coat off the bed in the guest room, zipped it up, and trudged back to my house. As I approached, I noticed a uniformed officer exiting the courtyard gate. “Officer, are you looking for me?” I asked.

     “You the owner of the house?”

     “Yeah, my wife and me. What can I do for you?”

     “I left a note on your door. Your backyard neighbor, Tom Wellman, filed a complaint about excessive dog barking in your yard. When I approached the door I could hear a dog barking. You need to quiet him down. Mr. Wellman said this has been going on for hours.”

     “That’s strange. We have two dogs, not one. We’ve only been gone twenty minutes and the dogs didn’t even bark when we left.”

     “Well, I wouldn’t worry much about it. Try keeping them in the house for a while. That should do it. By the way, what kind of dogs do you have?”

     “We have a schnauzer and a schnoodle.”

     “Hey, I have two schnauzers.”

     By this time, the dogs had discovered I was standing on the sidewalk in front of our courtyard. The barking was furious. I stared at the officer. “You know what you told me about keeping the dogs quiet? Standing here isn’t helping.”

     “Can I meet the dogs?” he said with a lilt in his voice.

     “Guess so. Just follow me, but stand back from the door until I introduce them to you.”

     “Sounds good to me.”

     So we entered the house. To my amazement Suzie and Sara took to him immediately. The next thing that happened confused me a bit. The officer, who I thought might arrest me, was rolling around on the floor with my dogs. What a world!

     After fifteen minutes passed, I thought I’d better go back to my dominoes game, so I reached down and tapped the officer on the shoulder and said, “Officer, I have to go.”

     His reply surprised me. “All right, just do it? I’ll stay with the dogs until you return.”

     “Huh,” I responded.

     “And remember to flush,” he stated, with a weird grin on his face.

 

 

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