I love

Emily knocked on her new neighbor’s door.

“Who is it?” came the shrill voice from the other side of the door. Emily heard dogs barking – high-pitched terriers, she supposed.

“It’s Emily, your next-door neighbor, Mrs. Palmgren.”

The door opened. Mrs. Palmgren was dressed for a day of shopping, Emily guessed – a lovely navy blue dress, pearls, make-up, and lipstick. She had sallow gray eyes, thinning white hair, and wore orthopedic oxfords. But her smile carried with it something of the little girl – a little Mary Jane, a little Barbie, and a little wry with one corner down and the other up.

“Won’t you come in, my dear. Meet the loves of my life.”

Three West Highland terriers barked their way up to Emily, and two Siamese cats meandered their way around the living room.

“Here we’ve got Teddie,” Mrs. Palmgren said. “She’s a female, by the way. And there’s Chester and Lilly over there. Chester’s the fat one. And the kitties, they’re Agnes and Petunia.”

Emily looked around the apartment. There couldn’t be anything here that didn’t harken back to World War II – probably World War I, given Mrs. Palmgren’s likely age. Tons of old family photographs, but not a single one in color.

“I see you’ve noticed my family collection. All dead, ever so long,” Mrs. Palmgren said. “Call me Mildred. Please.”