...

EVERY SO OFTEN A LITTLE RED CREATURE emblazoned with black polka-dots puts out the buzz that my kitchen is the in place to be; it's where it's at, the latest hang-out spot.

There's a mad dash to get here--the place fills up fast. Ladybugs from all around fly in just as soon as their schedules allow. They congregate on my kitchen ceiling near the light fixture, explore the nearby windowsills and walls, often taking side trips to such far-flung places as the upstairs bathroom or the remote corners of the living room.

However, most of these forays and expeditions are done alone--no pairing up for the excursion, no going as a group, as in, "Hey, why don't you and I and Dotty check out a corner of the upstairs hallway ceiling some day this week? I hear it's even more bland and white and lacking anything of interest than the kitchen ceiling!"

It impresses me as being a sad situation, coming all the way to this vacation spot and having no social interaction! Surely, something like half of these tiny critters are lord ladybugs...and have they no interest in the lady ladybugs? So this evening, when I noticed a ladybug roaming around on my lovely plant from Louis, I took matters into my own hands.




I named him Lord Domino.

Sauntering around on the
windowpane nearby was another ladybug, which I easily coaxed into taking a short trip aboard my finger.













Of course I had my motives, and much to her surprise (and perhaps chagrin) this ladybug ended up sharing the leaf with Lord Domino.













I would have to say...in spite of my good intentions, things did not go well. There was an awkward moment in which I imagined Lord Domino mumbling something about spotting her earlier, ha, ha, no pun intended...and she (it appeared) blushed quite charmingly. But then she backed away and hurried off rather rapidly. She's playing hard to get! I thought. Go after her! I told Lord Domino, but he just sat, I supppose a little stunned.



She seemed agitated--what to do, what to do?--scurrying down one branch and up another. Perhaps she needed some encouragement. Why hadn't I thought to set the mood?! I leaned down close and started softly singing, "Some Enchanted Evening...You may see a stranger, a handsomely speckled stranger..." (yes, I did ad lib a bit).




She turned immediately and made a beeline back to the leaf where Lord Domino was probably pondering the whole surprising turn of events.

But (Dear Reader, I warned you of an unhappy ending) alas, just as she reached the leaf and peeked over the edge, the full effect of what, inevitably, he must have felt as her rejection of him had taken hold. He had turned away, preparing for take-off . Uh, oh, I think she was crestfallen. He wasn't waiting around for her! He hadn't really been interested!

And that's just the way the story ends. He flew away!



I finished cleaning up the kitchen sink, keeping an eye on Lady ladybug, and humming "Que Sera, Sera...whatever will be, will be..." But I felt a pang of disappointment, and thought how there's probably a lot I don't know about the socialization of ladybugs. Later I saw Lady ladybug hurrying up the windowsill, likely hoping to forget the whole sorry event.




...
Epilogue: Very unexpectedly, Lord Domino has joined me on the keyboard here as I prepare to post this post (tomorrow morning). Perhaps he has some interest in re-writing the ending?







...