They too had a tortoise, but not just regular kind, this thing was enormous. Just to give you an idea … the two small children of the family took rides on the animal.
Roger and Margaret remarked more than once that they regretted getting the tortoise. Louise, that was the tortoise’s name, was a lovely creature but she was the cause of a minor inconvenience.
Louise was a late sleeper and usually wouldn’t get up until 12:00, at which time she would make her way over to the jacaranda trees, where she would spend the afternoon. Around 4:00 she would leave her shaded spot for a place in the sun, and park herself in the middle of the driveway.
When Roger and Margaret came home from work, they would have to leave their car outside the gated garden because … well, Louise was right smack in the middle of the driveway.
On occasion we would see Roger approach the tortoise, pointing to the grass, making a waving direction, which of course had no effect. Louise stayed right where she was.
It wasn’t so bad when Roger and Margaret came from work and had little more than a purse or a briefcase to carry, but it was a different story a shopping trip.
Margaret would carry packages from her car to the house, while Roger would labor with kitty litter bags, fertilizer and other bags that seemed heavy.
While Roger and Margaret came and went, Louise watched them and sneaky bugger as she was, when all the packages were unloaded, she slowly - ever so slowly - would move toward the grass.