I agree with you on that actually. I would never do that. But it's based on a true story and I couldn't think of another way to get the story going other than keeping that part the way it happened to my friend.

But thanks!!

So hi there! My name is Samantha (Sam or Sammy work just as well...if not better). I'm 24, from Burlington Mass. I am a literature nut and my favorite books are all seven of the Harry Potter series. I can talk about them non-stop. My favorite television show is Supernatural. My favorite color is red and my favorite food is my mom's special chicken and rice dish.

Anything else you want to know, feel free to send me a message or post here! I'm a pretty laid back, easy-going, friendly person.

��"Now what??"�� I looked at the dog in front of me with a growing sense of dread. When I had accepted this week-end dog-sitting job from my neighbors, I had envisioned the money they would pay me and I had envisioned the long hours of watching tv while the dog slept, but what I hadn’t envisioned was the dog being dead when I got there.
I knew he was old but this just didn’t seem like a possibility to me and now that it wasn’t only a possibility but a fact, I was panicking. Not wanting to call my vacationing neighbors (could you just imagine that conversation?!), I decided the next best bet was the family’s vet. He would know what to do. "��Um, hello? Is this Dr. Crane’s office?"�� The lady on the other end of the phone was very nice and understanding; she informed me that my neighbors had been expecting their dog to pass away for some weeks now and, in fact, they had gone on vacation with the idea of not being around when it happened.
"��If you could just get him to our office, we can take care of the remains and telling your neighbors when they get back"�� she finished kindly.
"Just get him to the vet. Ok, I can do that."� I looked closer at the massive dog sprawled in front of me. "��How do I do that?"
~~~ ~~~ ~~~

The large wheelie suitcase that I had borrowed from my neighbor’s bedroom closet bounced along awkwardly as I struggled to make it down the very long flight of stairs before the next subway left; I had already missed three. People had been jostling past me all morning without offering to lend a hand so when a voice asked "can I help you with that",�� it took a hand on my shoulder and a repetition of the question for me to realize it was actually directed at me.
"��That would be amazing. Thank you so much."�� I took a minute to catch my breath and then noticed my savior for the first time. He was...well, to say he was the most attractive guy I had ever seen in my life would probably cover it, though that still didn'��t seem to do him justice. Aware of how sweaty I must be and afraid that he might regret his decision to help me, I quickly booked it into the last compartment of the train, giving him no time to do any such regretting.
Fortunately, he seemed perfectly content to sit next to me with the suitcase between our feet on the ground. "��So where are you going?"�
"��What?"�� I was having trouble concentrating on anything other than his face.
He chuckled and toed the suitcase. "��Are you going on vacation or something?"
The word vacation reminded me (for I had been doing everything in my power to forget) of what was actually in the suitcase and what my true purpose on the T was...which unfortunately wasn't to flirt with cute guys. "��Oh, um...I'��m just moving across town and this is the last of my stuff"� I invented wildly, for not even the promise of a date with this charming stranger would make me tell him the truth.
~~~ ~~~ ~~~

"��Well, it’s been great talking to you, but this is my stop."� I pointed regretfully to the map.
His eyes lit up. "This is my stop too! What a great coincidence. I can help you bring the bag up the stairs if you want...then maybe after you settle into your new place we can go out to dinner?"��
I hadn’t expected this; getting rid of the dog with a virtual shadow was going to be next to impossible...but I really wanted to have dinner with him, and his help to get the unbearably heavy suitcase up the stairs would really be beneficial. "��Sure."�� I smiled agreeably. "Thanks." I could figure out a way to subtly drop by the vet's later.
At the top of the staircase, he turned to me once again. "This is a pretty heavy bag…you must have a lot of valuable stuff in there."��
A warning bell should have sounded then, but all I could focus on was his crooked smile. "��What? Yeah, I guess so..."��
"What'��s that?" He pointed at something over my head with a puzzled expression.
It took me just about as long to realize that there was nothing of interest there as it took me to realize that he was sprinting in the opposite direction...with the suitcase. Now how on earth am I supposed to explain that to my neighbors??
Next time, I'm only dog-sitting for families with young dogs...or at the very least, dogs small enough to fit in purses.

THE END.