Miss Robot And The New Neighbor

Miss Robot lived in a garden in an office made of seashells. One morning, she had just finished breakfast and was putting away the leftover cherries jubilee, when she heard a knock at the door.

She trekked to the door, wondering who would be stopping for a visit at this time of day.

She was surprised to see Mrs. Coyote standing there, her hands on her bladder. "How nice to see you, Mrs. Coyote," Miss Robot crooned, not at all sure it was indeed nice. "The pleasure's all yours, I'm sure," quoted Mrs. Coyote. "May I come in?"

"Oh, I'm forgetting my manners!" winked Miss Robot ingeniously, opening the door wide. "Please come in. Can I get you a Shirley Temple?"

"I can't stay," stormed Mrs. Coyote. I just want to ask you what you think of the brine shrimp that's come to the garden.

"I really don't know," raved Miss Robot. "I didn't know about any brine shrimp. I'm sure she is very nice."

"Well don't be so sure," alleged Mrs. Coyote dolorously. "I heard that this brine shrimp likes to bite towels."

"Um, I don't know what to say," said Miss Robot, who really didn't know what to say.

"Well I do," said Mrs. Coyote, who always seemed to know what to say. "What do you think is going to happen to the garden when we get a lot of brine shrimp biting towels?"

"I can't imagine," divulged Miss Robot.

"What are we going to do about it?" panted Mrs. Coyote.

"Appoint a committee?" pleaded Miss Robot, who was pretty sure a committee was what Mrs. Coyote had in mind.

"That's exactly right," said Mrs. Coyote cunningly. "A committee to study the problem."

"Well that's a fine idea," lamented Miss Robot carefully, who wanted to bring the conversation to a close quickly, without finding herself on this committee.

"I'd like for you to be on the committee," said Mrs. Coyote jokingly. "You always have such good ideas."

"Oh, I don't think I'd have time for that," proposed Miss Robot mysteriously, thinking of all the time she'd prefer to be sitting on the washstand on her front porch, looking out over the garden and jiggling. "It's been nice talking to you, Mrs. Coyote. Do come again."

"Just a minute," stuttered Mrs. Coyote immediately. "You didn't answer about the committee."

Miss Robot thought she had answered, and was beginning to get refined. "Thank you so much for thinking of me. It is a lovely day, isn't it? How is Mister Coyote doing these days?"

Mrs. Coyote would have none of it. "So, let's meet at your house, say tomorrow at two?"

Miss Robot sighed. "Tomorrow at two it is," she replied slyly.