Member-only story
The Daily Cuppa Grande
They Called Me ‘The Lizard Lady’
A name I earned while on vacation with my scaredy-cat husband
During my years of raising two boys, 14 years apart in age, we owned various pets, including cats, dogs, snakes, gerbils, white mice, and iguanas named Tommy and Lisa, who enjoyed sitting on our shoulders, returned to their cage when they got loose, and rarely tried to bite us.
Most people who came to visit were fine with our menagerie, except for one, George, my future husband.
When we first met, we spent many evenings going out for dinner or eating my home cooking. Being 23 years older than I, smart, and having raised three sons of his own, my son and I were comfortable with him.
One night, after we had been dating for a few months, I answered the door with Lisa on my shoulder. To my surprise, George’s expression changed to one of horror. He made a strange noise, ran to his car, and took off with no explanation.
“What the heck just happened?” I said out loud. My son and I were baffled by his strange behavior, which was so out of character for him.
A while later, I called his house. “Why did you leave like that?” I asked, dumbfounded.
