A beautiful new friendship

I had intended to write this week about my unstoppable, bilingual powers of seduction.

But, something came up.

This adorable gecko.From the moment he appeared on my windowsill I knew I had met a remarkable being. His wide eyes evaluated me with such analytical intensity that I couldn't help but wonder which of us was really the more intelligent creature.

After careful consideration, he crept onto my open palm and I knew then-not from some cold "scientific" observation, but from a warm understanding that flowed from my heart-that I had made a wonderful new friend. Possibly the best friend of my life.

I named him Gatsby, and so began that beautiful camaraderie that only man and gecko share.

I kept him in a empty water bottle while I absorbed the online version of "What to Expect When You're Expecting Geckos." As it turns out, beautiful camaraderie is a serious pain in the ass. I was not about to buy a ten gallon tank, fresh mulch and live crickets, no matter how forlorn the look on Gatsby's nearly human face.

So I released him. He didn't want to leave, but I forced him to in a heart-wrenching mid-fifties-Disneyesque scene. ("Go on, get boy! I don't want you here no more Gatsby, so just go on now!" etc.)

But, three days ago, he returned (I had never really believed he would leave) and has been scuttling happily about my room ever since.

Join me next Saturday for "I see no escape from the girl at the video store"