Imagine what happens when . . . . . . a widow spots another woman, a stranger, putting flowers on her husband's grave. . . . a boy genius climbs out his bedroom window to follow his cat to see where it goes at night. . . . a lonely, depressed young woman encounters a silverback gorilla in her backyard at night. . . . a joyful Dalmatian that bites forces a boy and his father to uncover family secrets. . . . the Loma Prieta earthquake catapults a fading grandmother, documentary-making daughter, and rebellious granddaughter to Africa, where they can no longer ignore one another. . . . an in-home cutlery sales pitch by a lovely young woman slices away years of deceit. The short stories in To Love in the Past Tense offer some possible answers.