Free Pit Bulls vs Aliens by Neal Wooten Page A

imagine. I just wanted to give you a call before going to work. I have to leave for my office in a few minutes.”
    “Do you still enjoy it?” Glenda asked.
    “No, I hate it,” Dr. McNair answered. “This office job is slowly killing me. I stare out of the window most of the time wishing I were still in the field. I am seriously considering retiring.”
    “I think you just need a vacation. You know, somewhere nice and warm.”
    Dr. McNair laughed. “Tell me a place this day and age where it’s not warm. That’s my job, trying to find where the planet is not warm anymore, or at least discover why it’s not ever going to be cool again. And I apparently suck at it.”
    Glenda laughed. “Maybe you’re spending too much time looking out the window.”
    “Maybe. Maybe you’re right about that vacation.”
    Glenda went for the kill. “How about California? I’m not sure if you’re aware of this or not, but that is actually a family favorite of states to visit during vacation. Heck, some people come every year.”
    “Really?” Dr. McNair said. “I did not know that. You guys have some cool stuff out that way?”
    “We’ve got some stuff. I know this great place where you can bury yourself up to your eyeballs in doggie kisses and forget about everything else.”
    “Sounds tempting,” Dr. McNair said. “But I have to be honest with you; I’ve never owned a dog.”
    “Never?” Glenda said, shocked. “How is that possible? Not even as a little boy?”
    “Nope. My dad wasn’t a big animal lover of any kind. When I got married, my wife and I talked about it a few times, but then she got pregnant and after the baby came along, we just didn’t think about it anymore.”
    “That’s the saddest thing I’ve ever heard,” Glenda said. “You definitely need to come spend some time here. You’ll leave here wanting to take a couple of these guys home with you.”
    Dr. McNair let that paint a picture in his mind. “I’m not sure how good a dog owner I would be. I can hardly take care of myself.”
    “Well, for one thing,” Glenda said, “you would stop referring to yourself as an ‘owner’ and start referring to yourself as a ‘parent.’ Dogs are members of the family, not possessions.”
    “See, I still have a lot to learn.”
    “Yes, you do,” Glenda said. “It’s a good thing we met, huh? Who better to guide you through this process?”
    Dr. McNair smiled. He certainly admired her passion for dogs, especially pit bulls. “I wish we could talk vacations and dogs all day, but I have to go. I’ll give you a call this evening.”
    “Okay, bye.”
    Dr. McNair hung up the phone, got dressed for work, and walked out to his car. Even this early he cranked the air conditioning up to high for the daily commute. Once he got to his block, he navigated his car around the front of the US Climatology building and noticed the protestors were back. He couldn’t understand why they picketed his building. They were only scientists reporting the events of global warming, not creating it.
    After turning down beside the building and parking in the employee parking lot, he got out of the car with a bag carrying his fast-food breakfast. He was notorious for eating junk food on demand since he rarely had the time to get away from work or the inclination to cook at home.
    As he neared the coded front entrance, a young Asian woman with a briefcase was waiting by the door. She was short, athletic, and wearing a shapely pantsuit. Her short black hair came to her shoulders and reflected the morning sun.
    “Are you Dr. Stephen McNair?” she asked.
    Dr. McNair looked longingly at the bag in his hand carrying his first meal of the day. He nodded.
    She stuck out her hand. “I’m Sally Xie. I’ve been leaving you messages for several days now.”
    “Salacy?”
    She grinned. “No. First name: Sally. Last name: Xie. You can call me Sally. I’m a marine—”
    As she stopped and stared past him, Dr. McNair turned to see