George and I had wanted to adopt a pet for a long time, but I had always been cautious about going to an animal shelter because I knew I would just want to take them all home. That was why I let the rehoming agent go in on my behalf. Best let her pick a pet for me. Little did I know her choice would change my life forever. And that my new pet would, quite literally, be out of this world.
After waiting for what seemed like an eternity, she finally emerged.
'We have been struggling to find a home for this boy for a while' she said as she made her way out of the shelter. I looked for the hand in her lead but there wasn't one. My eyes moved to the floor where I expected to see my new companion padding behind her. But no. This creature was quite capable of following of its own accord. I slowly looked up into the biggest pair of orange eyes I had ever seen.
George's mouth fell open.
'What. On. Earth. Is. That?' he whispered.
'That,' I said, slowly smiling, 'is a GunGan'.
'Me so smiling to see you' the GunGan beamed, suddenly leaping forward and embracing me in a big hug.
'Hello Jar-Jar Binks' I smiled.
Now, I had followed Jar-Jar for some time. I had seen all of his films and so was always so upset and bemused that many people found him annoying. I just thought he was adorable. Probably because I recognised so much of myself in him.
Not physically, obviously, but because he was so friendly and eager to help. He was also a nervous wreck, accident prone and indecisive. Just like me. Yes, I could tell Jar-Jar and I would be the best of friends. I wanted to protect Jar-Jar from danger from the outset and make him happy, because goodness knows, he was about to make me very happy indeed.
Jar-Jar was keen to go for a walk, and so off we went. He was interested in everything, and so was more energetic than a puppy in some ways.
'This is lovely' he said, excitedly sniffing the air, peering into ponds and asking about all the different types of flowers.
The shelter assistant sidled up to me and discreetly handed me a heavy folder. 'As you know, this is Jar-Jar Binks. He crash-landed on Earth a while ago. Apparently he panicked at the huge responsibility of flying a craft shortly after take-off and promptly crashed. We found him dazed and confused-well, more so than usual. But he was very grateful, as you can imagine.'
She paused, looking down at her notes. 'Age unknown but as I say, he has been here for a while now. Not that he hasn't had his fair share of viewers,' she added quickly, 'but we owe it to Jar-Jar to ensure he is happy too...and he didn't want to to be rehomed with anyone.' She paused and looked at me, 'until you walked through the gates.'
I frowned, looking at the ground, 'but how can that be? I didn't actually go inside, so he wouldn't have seen me.' She smiled, 'No, he sensed you. He said that the girl with flowers was going to be his best friend.' I spun round to look at her, my eyes as wide as saucers. 'What's your name?' she asked, a knowing look in her eyes. 'Rose' I whispered. She smiled, watching Jar-Jar lollop down the road. 'Jar-Jar and Rose, the girl with the flowery name.'
We decided to go for lunch, so we could get to know Jar-Jar a bit more. Upon entering the local cafe. Jar-Jar was quick to sit next to me, but even quicker to stick his head into the menu and drool over the contents. I told him to order whatever he wanted.
Ten minutes later, a double ice-cream Sundae arrived...with chips. Jar-Jar sniffed it all excitedly. Suddenly, his tongue shot out, wrapped round a scoop of ice-cream and snapped back into his mouth. He gulped loudly before smiling contentedly. But his smile was soon replaced by a look of fear. 'Me sorry' he said. 'I know me not meant to stick my tongue out at the I find it hard using these' he said, pointing at a fork with his clawed hand. 'Why wouldn't that be OK?' I aske. 'If that is how you eat, that is how you eat.' 'Well, the last time I did it, someone grabbed by tongue and pulled it. Told me not to do it again.'
I felt anger rising in my stomach. I suddenly felt protective of this tall, erratic creature who was in need of a good home. 'Well, you eat as you like when you are with me, Jar-Jar, and if anyone tries to hurt you or tell you off, you just tell me and I'll sort it out. OK?'
He nodded excitedly, and gulped down his chips in one go.
As we left the cafe, Jar-Jar bounced ahead, keen to explore the street. I looked at the shelter assistant and we exchanged knowing smiles.
'Me loves planet Earth' Jar-Jar claimed, running back to hold my hand 'And me loves you, Rose and you, George' he said, taking a hold of his hand too. My heart melted there and then. It was decided. Jar-Jar would go home with us. He would have his own room and we would go on trips and holidays together. We would celebrate his birthday (I would just pick a day and an age) and he would be loved. And we were going to live happily ever after.
THE END