Justin
Disclaimers: I don't own Once Upon a Time. Also this story is another spin – off to La Lisboa's original "Thicker than Water."
Sorry that I don't have a chapter of "Thicker than Water Part II" this week, especially considering there's no episode tonight. But here's a chapter of "The Voices" for those who are interested.
I don't have a "voice" for every chapter anymore, but every now and then, I think of a character who I'd like to write a POV for. Justin is going to be become a major character for Red, so I thought he'd be a perfect one to write about.
This takes place through chapters 32 and 33.
Justin was taking Champ for a walk one day when he heard her voice. The woman he'd talked to at the park a couple of weeks ago, who liked to run with her dog. "Hello," she called loudly. "It's Ruby."
Justin really hated it when people talked to him loudly. They seem to think it would be the only way he would notice them, because he couldn't see. What did this woman want? "Hello," he replied, uncertainly. "What is it?"
Ruby paused for a second and then replied, "I…was just hoping to talk to you again. I really enjoyed talking to you last time."
Well, I'm not really enjoying talking to you right now, Justin thought to himself. "I see," said out loud as he began walking away from her.
But the woman wasn't so easily discouraged, apparently as he could hear her following him. "Is there going to be a day and time you'll be at the park again?" She asked loudly again. "We could plan to meet at the same time?" Justin sighed. She was talking too loudly again. "Or do you have a problem with telling time? You know, because of your eyes."
That was it. He'd had it with this woman patronizing him. He paused and felt the time on his watch before he snapped, "It's now quarter after three. See, I'm fully capable of taking care of myself, no matter what others think." Then he walked away again.
But as he was leaving he heard her call out, "I'm sorry I offended you, but I'd still like to talk to you again. I'll be at the park with one of the dogs tomorrow at 3:00, if you want to come." Justin knew he wouldn't bother. This woman was just another person who thought Justin was a "special case," so he needed everything done for him. He hated people like that. Why had he told her he was blind before, anyway? He knew this would happen.
OOOOOOOO
The next day however, Justin began to have second thoughts about seeing Ruby again. He remembered how much fun it had been, to listen to her play with her dog. Honestly, that was why he'd talked to her in the first place before. He'd never interacted with someone so in tune with their dog before, much less that she and the dog could actually run at the same speed. Was seeing Ruby with her dog again worth more patronizing treatment?
No, he decided firmly. Nothing was worth dealing with that again.
And yet, when it was time to take Champ out, somehow he wound up at that same park, at about 3:15. It didn't surprise him that Ruby ended up being there again. He could hear her talking to her dog, "What are you sniffing? What's under that bush?" Apparently she wasn't running with her dog today; she was playing with the dog under a bush. As he stepped closer to her scent and voice, he noticed she'd brought a different dog with her this time. She was definitely a dog person, if she had two different dogs that she brought to the park all the time and played right with them. It was really cute, actually.
Ruby finally crawled out from under the bush and noticed he was there. "Hi Justin," she told him loudly, again. "I wasn't sure you'd come."
Justin sighed. Here we go again, he thought to himself. "I wasn't sure if I was going to, either. And please stop talking to me like that. I don't need you to talk to me so loudly just because I can't see. My hearing is fine. Better than yours, actually." Maybe if he explained that to her, she would begin to understand.
"Okay. I'll try to remember that. But seriously, I can tell I offended you the last time we talked. So why did you come, back?" Ruby sounded like she was sorry for offending him and honestly curious about why he returned.
So Justin shrugged. "I remember how much I liked listening to you run with the dog last time, so I thought it would be fun again. You brought a different dog this time, but that's okay. You and the dog under the bush was pretty fun to hear, too."
He and Ruby talked for a while. He told her how he was able to use his other senses to understand what was going on. She explained that she had different dogs because she worked at a dog kennel, not because they were her own. He praised her for how good she was with the dogs.
Ruby also asked how Justin was able to tell time. So he took her hand and showed her his special watch. She seemed very interested in how he interacted with the rest of the world. When she talked to him, her voice showed she admired him, rather than that she felt sorry for him. Justin really liked that.
For all those reasons, when Ruby asked if they could meet at the park on a regular basis, he agreed, although he cautioned her to not give him anymore "special treatment."
OOOOOOOOOO
For the next couple of weeks, Justin enjoyed going to the park with Champ and seeing Ruby and whatever dog she brought with her that day. They talked, they played with their dogs, and they even had friendly competitions with them and their dogs.
One day, Ruby brought an older dog who liked being outside and watching people. But the dog didn't have enough energy to "play" the way the other dogs did. Ruby tried to pretend it didn't bother her, but Justin could tell by the tone in her voice that it really did. So he decided to let her play with Champ.
Ruby sounded excited at the idea. "Really?" she asked.
"Really," Justin replied smiling. It was nice to hear how happy she was about this idea. "I have to be careful who I let play with him. I don't want anything to happen to Champ, especially because he's a working dog. Besides, a lot of people don't understand that there are times he can't play. So I just say he doesn't play at all. But Ruby, I know you're really good with dogs. I trust you with him. And right now is Champ's playtime, so it's okay." It was nice to know there was someone besides himself that he could trust with Champ.
So Justin listened to Ruby and Champ playing. It really was adorable. Justin's heart began to thump loudly.
Unfortunately, the wasn't as much time to talk her when she was done playing. Not as much as he'd like, anyway. Justin suggested they meet at McDonald's this weekend, so they could talk some more. Ruby wanted to know if it was supposed to be a date or just between friends.
Justin shrugged. He didn't really care either way. He had to admit, he was starting to notice Ruby as more than a friend. He would enjoy spending time with her in a "date" setting. On the other hand, she was really fun to hang out with as a friend, too. If all she wanted was friendship with him, he'd be okay with that. "Whatever you want it to be," he told her.
Ruby looked like she couldn't decide whether she wanted it to be a date or not. He decided to give her some more time to make up her mind. "Here's my phone number. You think about it, and give me a call when you decide. If it's a date, I'll pick you up at your home. If it's just between friends, we can meet at the restaurant."
I'd love to hear what you think of this series, if you would give me a review, please.