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Megan was at the door a second later, and I could only laugh at the revelation that he must have screamed that practically at her face. "Well hi there! Robby, go finish your homework and let Mr. Canon and I talk, all right?"

"OK! Bye, Mr. Canon!"

"Study hard, stay smart Robby," I said, twisting his new hat around. He laughed as he galloped off, leaving it backwards.

"Hi there, neighbor," she said, smiling her warm smile. It was a good reminder of why I'd always liked her. Those laugh lines came naturally, and deepened every year. She had over ten years on me, but one would hardly know it. She was her daughter's mother, cheerful and effortlessly pretty. I'd been surprised to learn about the difference in our ages when we first met, and had even considered asking her out -- then I found out she had a daughter who was much closer to my age and chickened out. Who knew how things might be playing out between us now if I hadn't.

"Afternoon. Is this a good time?"

"Oh sure. Unless you're