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Chapter 2

And now, when we finally made it to the bed, what about a fairytale? Do you want to hear the one about the princess and the dragon? No? How so? It's your favorite! So which one do you want to hear tonight? Woof? What you mean by woof? Oh! I see, you want to hear about Squirrel! And where did we stop the last time? Oh, the green eyes…

So, when your aunt and I came home that day, all Jane could talk about was Charlie. I was happy for her, I really was, but sometimes she gets so excited and she daydreams good deal and I fear she will be disappointed by the reality. She is my older sister but I feel I have to look after her, she's such an angelic girl; she loves people and thinks the best about everyone. It's good to have her around, you know, she can make your day, and when you're down, she can lighten up the room and the world is a great place again, see?

And now she was so enthusiastic about Charlie and their date the next day and I feared he could easily break her heart if he didn't turn up. I didn't say a word though because those were my fears – you have to understand that I exactly wasn't the girl who would have five dates a week, you know. It isn't easy to talk to a guy who seems to like you, and when you say you're deaf, he goes:

"Uh, well… I'd better be going, I have homework to do…" Homework, my god! This was university and it was August…

Jane didn't have any problems as far as boys were concerned, she is so beautiful that one isn't surprised when boys on the streets turn their heads as she walks by. But she's shy and that makes it harder for her.

Anyway, I wished so much that Charlie would be her prince Charming, she deserved to be loved by a wonderful guy and he seemed wonderful to me. Oh, don't look at me this way, he wasn't my type at all!

I was saved by Squirrel. Jane's rambling made me feel dizzy, because it's not that easy to read her lips when she's talking like a machine gun… Squirrel got bored and brought me her water bowl. She does that when she drinks up all the water and wants some more. Thinking about water, I got a great idea that would both entertain Squirrel and save me from Jane's enumerating Charlie's virtues – and so I asked Squirrel:

"Shall we go swimming, Squirrel?" She immediately started to jump like crazy and before I had a chance to take the keys, she brought them together with her favorite water Frisbee. Sometimes I wondered how clever she was!

Jane waved us a goodbye and we set off to the nearest pond. You know, normally you have to tell do dog to stop at the crosswalk and after you look around and see there are no cars coming, you let the dog cross the street. Well, with Squirrel it was the other way round – she made me stop at the crossing, pricked up her ears and then she allowed me to cross the street. You have no idea how many times she saved my life when she didn't let me into the street and a moment later a car flied by so very fast…

We went by a newly built house with expensive flats, its own swimming pools and wonderful garden, well, more like a park then a garden, to be precise. Suddenly Squirrel froze and then jumped at me – she did that when something or someone needed my attention. I looked around and in the garden of that expensively looking house I saw Charlie and Will, and Charlie was waving and coming to us.

When he was near enough for me to read his lips, I asked: "Did you call me?" and he replied:

"Well, I called Squirrel, to be true, I thought…" and with an awkward smile he looked at his feet.

"It's OK, Charlie, people feel awkward before they get to know how to talk to me. It's OK when you call Squirrel, she'll let me know. But if you called my name, she'd know you were calling me and let me know as well."

Charlie looked more at ease and patted the dog, talking to her but making sure I could read his lips at the same time:

"You are such a clever dog, Squirrel! What else can you do?"

I replied: "Well, she can open and close the door when she's asked to. She warns me when the bell rings and brings me my cell phone when it starts ringing. I would be lost without her, you know."

When Charlie noticed Squirrel's Frisbee, he asked whether we were going to the pond and whether he and Will can come with us. I agreed, of course, even though I didn't exactly want to spend any time with Will; and you can imagine he wasn't too eager himself. But we all went together and I was talking with Charlie most of the time. As we were walking, Charlie suddenly said:

"Oh, I left my cell in the garden, I'll be right back, keep going, I'll catch you in a minute." And with that he left me and Will alone, both as unhappy about the current situation as could be.

I am used to awkward moments, believe me, but I tried for Charlie's sake to get on with his friend, so I said:

"How long have you and Charlie been friends?" He looked at me as if had three heads, and looking in front of himself he said something I wasn't able to make out.

"I didn't understand you, sorry." I said apologetically, walking slightly before him to see his lips. "Could you please say it again?"

He smirked and mumbled something. I was getting angry because who was he to look down on me like that? Fortunately, we'd come to the pond meanwhile, and I started to throw the Frisbee far to the water. Squirrel happily swam for and forth and seeing her so frenetic made me smile too. Oh, how much I wanted to swim there with her but I felt it'd be awkward if I stripped to the bikini in front of Will with no one around. In fact, I would forget about him if Squirrel didn't get that insane idea to bring the Frisbee to him and, imagine it, shake all the water from her fur at him. If I weren't shocked and frighten by his deadly expression, I'd laugh my head off, but I could hardly breathe.

In that moment, Squirrel started to wiggle her tail and I followed her gaze and saw Charlie – and Jane! When they came nearer, Jane signed that Charlie messaged her he was going swimming to the pond and whether she wanted to join in, and, needless to say, she willingly agreed.

Charlie apparently wasn't scared by Will's expression and enthusiastically proposed:

"Darcy, let's jump in there, the water's cool, it'd be fun!" And while he was talking to Will, he stripped and in his trunks he ran into the water. He was behaving like a five year old but his enthusiasm rubbed off on Jane and me and in no time all three of us were playing with Squirrel in the water.

Will retorted: "We have a swimming pool, Charles, for god's sake! Nothing will make me get into the water where the stupid animal is swimming!"

I couldn't take it any longer. If someone insults me, OK, I can cope with it, but if he insults my dog, I'd readily jump at his throat, believe me! I stood up in the water, made several steps towards Will and said:

"The animal, as you call her, has a name, Squirrel, and it is a dog. If you don't know what a dog is, go back to the kindergarten, you smartass! She's a great help to me and is better behaved than you, get it?" And I turned around so that I couldn't see what he was saying.

From the expression on Charlie's and Jane's faces I saw that Will said nothing and left; Jane and Charlie, they both were looking at me, utterly speechless.

I came to them and said sorry, for I felt I ruined their day. But Charlie smiled and said:

"No way, you were great! Will needs someone to ground him from time to time. He's a good guy but sometimes he's being an ass."

Then, addressing both me and Jane, he shouted:

"Anyway, catch me if you can!" And swam off.

You can imagine that I did all I could to play with Squirrel while Jane and Charlie enjoyed themselves. No, I'm saying it again, young lady, I am not a matchmaker! Anyway, I've been talking long enough; now close your eyes and sweet dreams. Yes, of course I'll continue tomorrow. Good night!