Family gatherings were the worst for Lara, especially since her sister, Emily, began to make fun of her love life, or lack thereof. Determined to sit through her father’s birthday dinner, Lara decides to hire a boyfriend for the night. Little did she know that a romantic comedy would play out.
I love my family, but family gatherings used to be a nightmare for me. Every single time we got together, my sister Emily would find some way or the other to poke fun at my single life.
Last Thanksgiving, she took it too far and even set a place at the table for my “imaginary boyfriend,” complete with a hand-drawn face on a napkin. Everyone around the table laughed while I forced a smile.
“It’s funny, Lara!” she would say whenever I brought up the incident.
It was anything but funny.
Now, my father’s birthday is coming up, and of course, it was to be celebrated with a family dinner.
“There’s no way I can sit through another one of those events with my family,” I told my friend, Kate, when we met for coffee.
“I’m telling you now, Emily probably has something up her sleeve already,” I grumbled.
“Then just hire someone out for the night!” Kate chuckled, adding sugar to her coffee.
“Hire a man?” I exclaimed.
“Yes! My sister did it through an agency. She didn’t want to go to her ex-boyfriend’s wedding by herself, so she found the agency. Look, it’s all above board and the guys do exactly what you need them to do.”
“It’s not… sleazy?” I asked, trying to think of a better word.
“No, Lara,” she giggled. “And you know my sister. She’s so prim and proper! She wouldn’t have gone ahead with it if she didn’t think that everything was legitimate.”
Which is how I ended up hiring a date to the family gathering. I found Jake through the same agency that Kate’s sister used. He was charming, easy to talk to, and seemed to understand exactly what I needed.
We met a few times before the dinner to get our story straight, because the last thing I wanted was Emily to get wind of something fishy.
“So, the story is that we met at a mutual friend’s party, hit it off over their dog, and have been dating for three months,” Jake said, grinning. “Sounds about right.”
“Look, any story involving myself and a dog are winners,” I replied, opening our Chinese takeout for dinner.
“And I’m an architect with a passion for cooking, right?” he confirmed.
20 Pics That Perfectly Explain What Having a Pet Is All About
When you have a kitty or a doggo, you’re almost sure there’s something special waiting for you at home. A pup that’s terrified when he sees you in a bath for the first time, a cat that won’t stop walking on its hind legs, and a dog that’s just crazy about… fresh carrots. They all have their own quirks, and we love them even more when we discover yet another one.
Here at Bright Side, we laughed until we cried while looking at these funny photos, and now we want you to get your daily dose of laughter too.
1. “This woman was walking around NYC with this label on her shoe.”
2. “Karen, I’m concerned, are you aware water CAN KILL YOU!?”
3. “Trained my cat to stand up. Now she won’t stop.”
4. “My name’s Mookie. I hide in mom’s purse when I’m nervous.”
5. “My dog has loose lips that get stuck on his gums after he yawns.”
6. The best way to spend time in a traffic jam
7. “So… I recently discovered my dog likes carrots.”
8. “I cannot take her seriously when she looks like this.”
9. “Me with our dog and my wife with our cat”
10. “Somebody said black cats are hard to photograph for social media. Well, meet Thor.”
11. “She thinks it’s her job to pull rocks out of the lake. The big one weighs 14 lb.”
12. When you let your white dog out after you mow the lawn:
13. “The way my cat decided to sit down”
14. “The face he makes when he knows he’s in trouble… every time!”
15. “When my cat gets spooked by a sound in the next room:”
16. “I put my inside cat outside and walked out to this 5 minutes later.”
17. Oh well… Looks like he’s comfortable…
18. “Delighted to have some uninterrupted downtime with a good book…”
19. “My cat escaped. Found her the next day outside my son’s bedroom window.”
20. “Finally got a picture of my cat looking at the camera.”
When was the last time your pet made you laugh out loud with their quirks? Do you have a funny picture of them acting out? Share your stories and pics in the comments below!
Preview photo credit KatraHigher / Twitter
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