Bella keeps Trish on track, forcing her out of the house somehow, even if only after dark.  And once she’s out, Trish knows that the outing is as good for her as it is for Bella.  As soon as Bella engages herself in the moment, Trish starts to feel calmer and tries to follow her lead:  wander where she wanders, look at what she looks at, focus on their walk.

Why Trish has really come to wait till after dark to walk is hard for her to admit to—her not-so-unconscious need to feel less vulnerable and conspicuous.  The daytime seems to highlight problems that are very real for Trish, though others may find them trivial.  First, she’s tired of walking alone and being seen to be so.  Second, she’s tired of putting makeup on just to go out of the house—lest neighbors have an unfavorable impression of her or she blows a chance encounter with somebody new because her looks don’t measure up.  At night (and in the dark), these problems are minimized.

Some people love being out at night under the stars in the crisp evening air with few others around.  Trish doesn’t have the same motivations.  Favoring privacy over discomfort, she wants to avoid direct eye contact and that feeling of being judged that she thinks daylight so easily prompts.  In the dark of the night, most other people walking seem to be engaged in the same activity as she is —taking care of their dogs’ needs.  They are usually walking alone too.  

A walk at night in summertime, when it’s not cold, windy, or wet, is actually quite enjoyable and ensures a better night’s sleep.  A walk at night in wintertime is something Trish would often prefer to avoid, so she keeps it short.  When she goes out, of course, is more a matter of self-confidence than weather— how well she’s coping with being by herself.  Sometimes, she’d rather succumb to inclement weather and the darkness of night, than the warmer, drier conditions a sunny day offers.  

Also, at night, though Trish may be walking alone, there’s usually more for her to see, particularly as no one on her street seems to believe in window coverings.  She catches up on neighbors’ lives and creates stories about them.  There are those who are TV or computer addicts, and those who seem to have friends over  a couple of times a week.  There are those whose houses are usually in total darkness, who could be hiding in the back somewhere, doing who knows what.  

Once in a while a homeowner comes into full view, in a well-lit front window.  There’s a new family member in his arms.  A pink rosette on the door, an empty Pampers box in the driveway, and a "baby on board" sticker on the car’s back window have already given a hint to inquisitive passers-by with less eventful lives.  Trish might not know any of her neighbors personally, but she does stay informed, somehow or other, even if she’s not really that interested.