The next day, Greeley accompanied Leila and her aunt and uncle on a ride to the nearest beach. Leila's uncle drove. Leila's dog, Paul, enjoyed looking out the window at the sights. When they stopped for lunch, Leila took Paul out on a leash to "do his business". A few people stopped Leila and asked her, "What kind of dog is that?" Most people didn't believe her when she told them that Paul is a purebred German Shepherd Dog. Leila didn't mind, though. She was aware that most people don't know that Shepherds can be blue, especially solid blue like Paul. Around 6:00 that evening, Leila, Greeley, Leila's aunt and uncle, and Paul arrived at the property. It was a nice beach house, and it was very pet friendly. They were all tired from their trip. After unpacking, they got dinner and relaxed for the rest of the evening. A few hours later, they called it a night.
Leila and Greeley had just finished their first year of college. They were looking forward to the summer. Greeley asked, "What are you going to do this summer, Leila?" She said, "I'm mostly going to relax and take it easy. What are you going to do?" He said, "I think I'll do the same, but we should do some fun things this summer. After all, summer doesn't last forever." She said, "You're right. We should do some fun things together." He said, "I'd like that." Later, Leila texted Greeley and said, "My aunt and uncle and I are going to the beach this weekend. They said that I can bring one friend with me. I first asked Rita, but she can't come, because she's taking summer classes as well as taking on a summer job. Would you like to come with us, Greeley?" He said, "I'd love to, Leila." She said, "Great!" He asked, "Is your dog, Paul, going too?" She said, "Of course he is." The two friends were looking forward to their weekend getaway.
The first day of spring was approaching. Leila and Greeley were on Spring Break. Leila said, "It doesn't seem possible that we're going to be finished with our first year of college in less than two months." He said, "I know." She said, "It's also hard to believe that my dog, Paul, is not a puppy anymore. He's fully grown." Greeley said, "They grow up very quickly." She said, "They really do. I also can't believe that my birthday is coming up. It's the first day of spring this year, March 20. I'm going to be eighteen." Greeley said, "Happy Birthday." She said, "Thank you." Knowing that she had friends that she didn't have to say "I thought we were friends" to gave Leila comfort. She also knew that she didn't have to have a romantic relationship to complete her. She has and supportive aunt and uncle and great friends. Because of that, she's not lonely at all.
THE END
THE END