Web Surfing

Alice and Mark find their way to togetherness – on the internet of all places!

Coffee Break Tale

So what were you looking at?” Mark asked as he sat down on the deckchair beside his wife, stretched out on the grass as the sun shone down.

“Oh, just a website,” Alice replied, wishing she hadn’t made herself look suspicious by closing her laptop as he’d come into the garden.

Mark frowned. “Just a website? Oh, you haven’t been looking at houses we can’t afford, have you?” “No, I haven’t,” Alice said. “So what were you looking at, then?” Mark asked again, as he opened a can of beer and poured it into a glass. “Was it holidays?”

“No,” Alice said, realising that she was going to have to come up with some sort of answer because he wasn’t going to give up. “If you must know, I was looking at exercise ideas.”

“Oh, no.” Mark groaned and then took a swig of his beer. “I thought you decided that walking is the best form of exercise.”

“I did, but it’s so boring,” Alice replied. “It wouldn’t be so bad if you’d come with me, but I’m getting fed up with walking alone, and I’ve gone along the same roads so many times I’m surprised the pavements haven’t worn out by now!”

Mark put the empty beer can on the garden table and thought for a moment.

“Well, maybe you should drive to somewhere else first and then walk from there.” “Like where?” “Like the park,” he suggested, his eyes lighting up. “The one up by the new estate. I wouldn’t mind going there. Loads of people walk their dogs up there in the evenings and I love seeing them.”

Alice screwed up her nose. “Well, I don’t. They all seem to be big dogs and they’re scary!”

“No, they’re lovely,” Mark said, knowing that it would be pointless suggesting that they should get a German Shepherd because Alice had always looked horrified when he’d come up with that idea before. “The last time I went up there, I saw a Dobermann bounding around.”

Alice shuddered. “Oh, I would have been terrified!”

“But he was gorgeous,” Mark cried. “Anyway, what sort of exercise ideas were you looking at? You’re not thinking of signing up for a gym again, are you?” “No,” Alice said. “Oh, good,” Mark replied with feeling. “It cost us a small fortune the last time and we hardly ever went and you soon lost interest when you went to that Zumba class too.”

“No, I didn’t.” Alice stared at him. “I went at least ten times, but –” “But then the novelty wore off.” “Yes. I loved it at first, though.” “Yes, you said it was much better than doing exercise at home.” “And it was.” “At least it didn’t cost that much,” Mark mused. “And at least it didn’t involve you buying things that cluttered up the place. That exercise bike you bought after Christmas is still in my way in the garage, you know.” “I know,” Alice replied sheepishly. “I suppose I’ll have to get in touch with that company who took the treadmill away,” Mark muttered. “Honestly, that bike was such a waste of money. You only used it twice.”

“No, I didn’t. I used it for weeks… but then I get bored.”

“Yes, and you’ll get bored with whatever you’re thinking about now,” Mark said before taking a sip of his beer. “You’re not going to get a rowing machine, are you?”

“No, I don’t think I’d get on with one of those.”

“So what are you considering, then?” Mark asked as he stared at her laptop “Is it running?”

“No, it isn’t,” Alice said, deciding she might as well come clean. “Actually, I’d only just gone on the website when you walked in, but I was wondering if I should take up walking for a reason.” Mark looked confused. “What?” “For this reason,” she added, opening her laptop. “But it’s a dog!” Mark gasped. “Yes, and he needs a home,” Alice said, her eyes softening as she stared at the picture of the Jack Russell again. “He’s only little, so he wouldn’t be scary, but he’d still have to go out for walks, wouldn’t he?”

“Of course he would,” Mark grinned, thinking that any dog would be better than no dog. “And we could take him out together, couldn’t we?”