Making Someone's Day

Huck and I went for a morning walk in Miami. We got to a street intersection and pushed the crossing button so we could cross the busy road. A woman walked up to us. She looked like she was living on the streets because she was very, very dirty and was wearing mismatched, ragged clothes and men's shoes that didn't fit her. She was looking at Huck and then said to me, "Your dog is so sweet." I thanked her politely, still waiting for the light to change. She asked a second question: "What does he think of me?" This question caught me completely off guard and I was so sure I misunderstood her.

"What was that?" I asked.

Her chin started to quiver and she asked again, "What does he think about me?" Uh...um..I had never been asked that before, so I stammered something like, "He loves people, so he pretty much likes everybody." By now, Huck was sniffing this woman's face (he didn't have to reach very far up to be level eye to eye).

She blurted out to Huck, "Oh, thank you! I love you!" She kissed Huck on the forehead. He wagged his tail, making her cry even harder. I wasn't expecting this at all! (As if on cue, the light finally changed at this moment.) I said, "Have a good day!" and we walked on.