NOTE TO roban05: Thank you! Don't worry, it was only a few hours late, which I don't mind. Glad you're enjoying it! We're going on a twisty turny ride soon, so get ready!
?-?
"I'm sorry, Sunny, but you'll have to stay here. It's too dangerous. I only took you with because I didn't trust you with Howie." Sue replied to Sunny's pleading look the next morning. She then slightly turned, talking to herself. "I don't trust the house with Howie. I think I better call him." She answered herself, getting up from being eye level with the dog.
"Did you see my phone?" She called to Jack, who was in his room, which was across from hers.
"I saw it in the-" Jack yelled as he was tying his tie. "Ugh!" He yelled at himself. He then walked into the living room, picked up the phone, and walked over to Sue's room, handing it to her.
Sue smiled at him. "Thank you."
"NONE PROBLEM." He signed back, shrugging and walking back to his room to get ready for the day. "I've really got to stop that!" he scolded himself.
?-?
Howie was happily raiding the refrigerator when Sue called. "Hey! How's the royal life treatin' ya?" he asked when he answered the phone.
Sue smiled on the other line. "It's fine. I was just wondering how everything was doing."
"Oh, amazing, great." Howie replied, closing the door to the refrigerator. "There's one thing, though. The fridge is empty."
Sue looked at the interpreter with wide eyes. "I just went shopping the other day!"
"I, kind-of ate everything." Howie embarrassedly replied.
Sue was so shocked, she laughed. "There's only one thing you can do."
"Come by you guys?" He hopefully asked.
"No, go shopping."
"With those people? And picking food? Please, Howie may find amazing things, but he doesn't pick produce!"
Sue laughed some more. "Well, if you would like to starve, it's fine by me. We probably won't be home for several days, longer maybe, but if you'd like to wait that long…"
"Wait, wait," he replied, interrupting her. "I'll go."
"Good!" Sue smiled. "Now, don't go and buy all junk food. That won't sustain you for long, and you'll be back at the store in no time."
"I won't. Now, I better go before the lines into the store is too long!" Howie quickly announced.
"Alright. Call or text me if you need anything, OK?"
"You got it."
"Bye, Howie." Sue said as she walked out of her room, the same time Jack walked out of his.
"Bye." Howe replied, then hung up.
"Howie, really?" Jack asked when she looked at him.
"What? I can't make sure the house is still standing?"
Jack laughed as they walked out of the hotel room.
?-?
Mya numbly scanned through the boring TV channels. "Why can't hotels have channels that are interesting! They don't even have Animal Planet here!
Just then, someone knocked on her hotel room door, so she shut off the TV and answered it.
"Wanna have a movie marathon?" Tara asked, holding up a handful of movie series DVDs in one, several bags of popcorn in the other.
Mya smiled. "Sure!" She exclaimed as she let her friend into the room. "Whatchya got?"
"Well, I've got Narnia, Ice Age, and Air Bud." Tara replied.
"Ooh, all my favorites, but I think I will have to pick super dogs right now. It was my favorite movies growing up. Then we can freeze ourselves with ice cream and ice, and end up in a magical land! How about that?"
Tara smiled. "I like that. But where are we gonna get the ice cream?"
Mya smiled as she grabbed her phone. "Magic, you'll see."
?-?
"Let's see, crackers, cookies, what did Sue say? Yes, buy all the junk food you can find." Howie said at the grocery store. He was looking at the half-aisle when his eyes diverted to the aisle across from him. "Ooh, candied beets. Now, that's good." He walked over to that aisle and grabbed a few boxes. "Hrmm." He said to himself. "What am I missing?" Just then, he excitedly jumped. "Ice cream!" He quickly rolled the over filled cart to the frozen aisle and grabbed a few gallons. "Now I'm done." He said to himself, wheeling over to checkout.
The young man rung up all the food items. "That'll be $348.49 please."
Howie looked at him with wide eyes, then reached into his pocket. "It's a good thing I borrowed Jack's credit card that he left on his dresser." He mumbled to himself as he handed the man the card.
?-?
Sue looked around the racetrack building as they entered.
"MASK." Jack signed when she looked in his direction. She pursed her lips, but put it on. Whenever they were inside, they needed to wear it. But she hated it. And she hated it worse since everyone was wearing a mask inside, and she couldn't read anything. She scanned the area anyways.
"So, what do racing owners do?" Jack quietly asked Myles.
"Oversee things, socialize." He replied.
"How's Manny doing?"
Myles nodded. "He likes the horse. We'll see him practice in a bit.
Sue touched Jack's shoulder. "SAME MAN FROM WHEN? YESTERDAY." She signed, then slightly pointed to the man that insulted her the previous day.
"US-TWO WALK, INTERMINGLE." Jack replied, slightly pointing in that direction as well.
Sue nodded. "US-TWO CHAT, WALK, SAME TIME, OK?"
Jack nodded, starting up a social conversation as they walked in the direction.
"Hey, here's that woman I was telling you about!" The man said to a woman as Sue and Jack came close. "I wonder if he's deaf too."
That, Jack heard, and turned towards him. "Hi, I'm Jack, this is my wife, Sue. She's Deaf, but I'm not." Jack said, answering his question.
"Evan. This is my girlfriend Tina." He replied, looking a bit embarrassed.
"I learned some of that in school, see." Tina replied, trying to fingerspell her name. "H, 1, M, 10"
Sue looked at her, confused, then looked at Jack for clarification.
"HER NAME TINA. HIS NAME EVAN."
Sue smiled, slightly nodding, then turned towards the couple. "HELLO, NICE MEET YOU."
"What'd she say, what'd she say!" Tina exclaimed, slightly jumping.
"She said it's nice to meet you." Jack interpreted.
"What is it?" she asked, trying to copy the signs.
"It looks like the ladies have some conversation starters. How about we go start ours by the bar?" Evan suggested.
"Sure, but I gotta warn ya, I'm not much of a drinker." Jack replied, knowing he couldn't drink undercover.
Evan shrugged. "Ginger ale, whatever. There's just nothing like two men bonding at a bar, drinks in hand."
Jack smiled, then turned to Sue. "US-TO GO-TO BAR, DRINK. YOU-TWO CHAT, OK?"
Sue nodded, then the men walked off.
"So.." Tina said.
"YOU WANT LEARN SOME SIGN YOU?" Sue signed.
"Sorry, I don't sign." Tina replied.
Sue held up a finger to show for her to hold on as she grabbed her phone. She then typed what she had signed into the notepad.
Tina read what she typed when Sue showed it to her. "Oh! Yes! Sure! She nodded."
Sue nodded, then motioned for them to sit down at one of the tables nearby.
"Hello?" Myles said into his phone when he answered it. He was sitting nearby, watching the two. "Alright, we'll be right down." He then got up after he hung up and walked towards Jack. "He's ready." He replied when Jack looked at him.