Tall Cotton

In a dazzling rags-to-riches Cinderella story, Greg Pike and his animals (previous post) have found a new home.

Flip had offered to take some photos of them which could be made into postcards, so on Friday we stopped by his motel to pick him up. It was clear that he had either forgotten our arrangement or assumed we would forget because we had to wait outside while he dressed.

His dog and cat were quite surprised to be out so early, as it was 11 o'clock and he normally hits the streets at 1:00.

We walked to Starbuck's, where he attracted his usual crowd, and Flip and I both took pictures.

A little later, a man came along who invited Greg to have dinner with him that night. Greg asked if he could bring his animals because he never goes anywhere without them. The man assured him that he could. Greg told him uncomfortably that he hoped what he was wearing was ok because it was all he had.

"All my money goes to feed my animals," he said.

The man offered to buy him some new clothing and Greg apologized to Flip and me for running out on our photo shoot.

We assured him that it was a good thing, and they left.

Today, we gave him some of our pictures, and he told us that he is moving. In circumstances reminiscent of Curious George and the man in the yellow hat, the man who bought him dinner has offered to be his silent business partner and to bankroll his ventures, which will soon include a website that accepts donations.

He has also offered Greg a rent-free apartment in his home with its own entrance, a freezer stocked with steaks, and a private deck overlooking San Francisco Bay and the Golden Gate Bridge.

I told Greg that he was finally getting the good karma he deserves.

I'm thrilled at this new development and hope that it's as good as it seems. I also take pleasure in knowing that Flip and I were the catalyst because if we had not dragged him out two hours earlier than usual, he would never have met his benefactor.

Maybe fairy tale happy endings occur every day but are mostly unnoticed in our busy lives.

So if anyone would like to adopt Flip and me, we are also available. In fact, I'm going to get a dog, cat and rat and start training them now.