TAN

"Well, this is new." I have been visiting this DVD store since I was in high school. It has been nearly 7 years now. I love movies and buy new ones every two weeks. I have never seen him in this neighborhood before. This store is quite popular and gets crowded in the evenings. I tend to come around in the evening on Saturdays.

The store owner, Michael, smiled at me. I have known Michael and his daughter Zoey, who is the same age as me, for quite some time. Zoey whispered to me, "It's his third time already." I asked Zoey under my breath, "What's his name?" Zoey replied, "No idea."

Fortunately, this handsome new guy came with the man's best friend, a beautiful golden retriever. Normally, I do not flirt with guys nor show any interest. After two bad breakups, I gave up on all the relationships I had. But I am in a good mood today. My company won a new project bid this morning. And what's the harm in flirting with this cute guy?

He is in my favorite section, sci-fi, and picking out one of my all-time favorite movies, The Matrix trilogy. I winked at Zoey, and she giggled. I walked straight to the sci-fi section. Now I am standing like four or five feet from him. It seems like the golden retriever has got my dog scent on me. The dog came to me and tried to sniff on my shoes.

He looked at me with his apologetic blue eyes and shooed his dog not to bother me. I patted his dog and told him, "It's okay, I love dogs." I amused myself without looking him up. This could be my worst punch line. I heard him say something to me, but I did not hear it properly. I asked him again, and he said, "TAN."

Well, I was thinking what a strange name for a dog. I laughed and told him, "It is a good name." He seemed a little surprised and slowly said, "Thank you."

Silence has crept between us now. "Think, Jules, think," but my mind went blank. I couldn't find a word to continue our awkward conversation. I patted his dog again, saying "Good boy, Tan, good boy." I was trying to spell some words in my mind when he abruptly went to check out at the cash counter.

I cursed myself, "That went well, Jules, great job; now he might think you are this awkward lady." I was not going to give that up easily. When I reached the cash counter, he was ready to leave. I had to make one last move, and I needed to do it fast. I sat down and patted his dog on the head. I told the dog in an "I can hear you from a mile" voice, "Bye Tan, see you next Saturday." That's it; now he knows that I'll be here next Saturday. I am sure he'll be here. He left without looking me back. Maybe he was shy.

When I stood up, Michael was looking at me with a surprised look. "What's wrong?" I asked him twice. Then he asked me back, "What did you say to the dog now?" Embarrassed that Michael noticed my stupid move, I told him, "Oh, I was just saying bye to his dog Tan." A smile spread across Michael's face, and in a second, he was laughing. I had to give him a full minute to stop laughing and tell me what was wrong with my move. Michael said, "Jules, Tan is his name, not the dog.