A man and his Turtle

While taking a stroll one fall afternoon, (yes I stroll, it is a little slower than walking and lets you take in all the handiwork on people’s front lawns in the spring and fall), I past by a man standing in his yard. He was elevated about four feet higher than me, due to a retaining wall between his yard and the sidewalk that I was on.

I smiled at him and said, “Hello.”

He smiled back and said, “Hello. Nice day for a walk.”

I agreed and kept walking slowly by.

He said, “I am walking my Turtle.”

“Oh.” I said, as I strained my neck, stood on my tiptoes to search the grass beneath his feet, and bit my lip so I would not laugh out loud.

And there it was a couple of feet in front of him. Just sitting there, or maybe standing, I was not close enough to see if its little legs were out or not.

Now, I am very familiar with walking dogs, and I have a brother who will let his cat out on a leash in the yard sometimes. And I have even seen my neighbors out pushing their baby in the baby buggy, with their dog tied up to it following along, and bringing up the rear? Their cat, with no leash, just walking behind the whole group!

I think I said, “That’s nice.”

He went on to say, that his Turtle was really his son’s Turtle and that it lived in a gage of sorts, in their home. He explained that not all Turtles like to be in water all the time,
and he liked knowing that the Turtle got to be outside sometimes.

We chatted for a minute or two, wished each other a good afternoon, and I was on my way again. I strolled on; giggling to myself, thinking about the man and his Turtle. But I was glad that he was keeping an eye out for it. That way, it would not get eaten by a neighborhood dog or cat.