CHAPTER 9:
The Ears Have It

Harry, Derrick and Will met Jessie and her four girls at the ranch's van. This time he was better able to get himself inside without help. He was buckling his seatbelt when Jessie started talking to him.

"So the last time you were off the ranch…"

"Was when I was in the hospital," he finished. His accident had been nearly 4 weeks ago. His mobility was still impaired, but he was determined to get better.

"Hopefully you'll have some fun," Jessie replied with a smile before turning to the back to make sure the teenagers were seated properly. "Six kids. That leaves three for each of us. Do you think you can handle it?"

"We're already on our way, so it doesn't matter," he said as they left the driveway.

A short while later, something occurred to Harry to ask. "Wouldn't it be better to go on a weekend? The drive alone takes about an hour one way, right?"

Jessie nodded. "That's true, but on the weekend it wouldn't be Diana's birthday any more. She's been waiting for this for a while, her parents finally gave their permission, and we didn't want to disappoint her."

"I can understand that," he said slowly, "but why are the other girls with her?"

She laughed. "Girls move in packs. Don't you know that? It's like there's safety in numbers, especially in the teen years. Besides, like your boys, who can pass up a free trip to the mall?"

The rest of the drive to the mall went without any more fuss than normal for two adults traveling with six teenagers. From time to time there were complaints about the music choices on the van radio, but two of the girls brought their own music.

When they arrived, Jessie gave clear instructions. "You have an hour to look at whatever you want, but you have to stay with a buddy. Meet us back at the clock in the middle of the mall, and then we'll have supper and head on out. Any questions?"

None of the teens asked a thing, and the pairs were easily made. Will and Derrick ran off to look at electronics and video games. Diana, the birthday girl, and Christina went to go do the ear piercing. The other two girls, Jada and Rebecca, went to look at clothing.

"Wow," Harry said as all the teens left. "That was amazing."

Jessie nodded her head. "It's the fastest way I know to clear a room full of teenagers. Do you have anything you want to see before we meet back up with them?"

"Books, please," he said.

There might be something that could help him make sense of his dreams. He'd been writing them down as well as any hints of memory that floated on his conscious, but it wasn't yet to the point where it was making sense to him. He was also curious about any books on magic and illusions he hadn't gotten yet through the library.

When it was time to meet at the clock at the right time, the two adults and four of the teenagers were present. Will and Derrick ran over with some new gaming magazine that had been bought in one of the stores.

"I thought you said you didn't have any money," Harry said suspiciously.

"Not for food!" Will said. "This is more important."

"I see where their priorities are," he murmured to Jessie.

She laughed with him and then asked the kids if they'd seen Diana and Christina.

"Diana's still at Claire's trying to pick out earrings," Jada said, sounding bored.

"Look, we need to get going. We did have a schedule," Jessie declared.

The group went to Claire's as one to retrieve the other girls and see what Diana had chosen for her birthday. The scene at the jewelry store was anything but lovely. Diana still hadn't gotten her ears pierced, and she and Christina were bickering over something. This went on for what seemed like minutes while the others observed. The whole thing was starting to give Harry a headache.

"Stop arguing!" he barked at the girls. He didn't know how the little creatures ever came to a decision. Both of them did finally stop and looked to the man in embarrassment. He took their pause to continue to get to the heart of the matter.

"Diana, do you want to get your ears pierced?" he asked while looking only at the girl.

"Yes," she sniveled, "but Christina won't go with me."

"Is that all? You want someone to be there to hold your hand?" he asked with no small measure of annoyance.

"Well…" she started and acted like she was going to burst into tears.

"So you want to do this?" he asked again, trying to get a hold on this ridiculous situation.

Diana nodded and sniffed.

"Fine," he said in a tone that indicated he was taking control of the situation. "I'll go with you."

"What?" she said, finally looking up at him.

"You can't do that!" Christina said because she didn't want to be left out.

"I can. I'm an adult, and I don't answer to you," he said with satisfying sneer. To Diana he said, "Come on. I'll get my ears pierced, too, and I'll let you pick out my earrings—as long as you don't take forever to do it."

The girl practically bounced over to the case where the starter earrings were displayed. Immediately she knew which ones she wanted for herself. They looked like stars but they had a simulated diamond in the middle. When she took too long to decide which starter pair for him, Harry rushed her along with an impatient hand gesture.

"Hurry up, Diana. I'm not getting any younger here, and we have to be getting back."

She sucked in her breath and nodded at him. After another moment of looking at the choices again, she picked a pair of golden hoop earrings. "Those!" she said triumphantly.

The shop girl looked to him for confirmation, and he nodded slightly. She started to prep his ears while Diana smiled at him triumphantly.

"Come here and hold my hand while she does this," Harry said. Diana ran over to him and put her little hand in his. "Why did you pick the hoops?" he asked her right before the first earring was put in his lobe.

"It makes you look like a pirate!" she said with a squeal. "Like Johnny Depp or Orlando Bloom."

"That's good?" he asked as the other earring pierced his flesh.

Diana smiled super wide and bobbed her head up and down vigorously.

The salesgirl handed him a mirror so he could inspect the finished product. As she was giving the aftercare instructions, he turned his head from side to side to see the little golden hoops glinting from behind his thick hair. Harry decided it wasn't a bad effect after all.

"I guess no bling bling for me, huh, Derrick?" he said in a confidential voice to the boy standing near him.

"Hey, man, you can get that later," Derrick answered, clearly amused that Harry would mention "bling." He stifled a giggle and elbowed Will in the ribs after he answered.

"Sure, whatever," Harry muttered and then said, "Okay, it's your turn, Diana."

The girl looked too scared to do it, so he was encouraging. "Did I squeeze your hand too hard when she pierced me?"

"No," she admitted with a soft voice.

"It didn't hurt me, and you can squeeze my hand as hard as you want," he assured her.

Diana sat down in the chair and let the salesgirl do to her what she'd already done to Harry. It was quick, and the sound surprised her enough to make her jump. There wasn't any pain to do it, though.

After Diana finally got her ears pierced, Derrick let out a victorious whoop, Will gave the thumbs up sign, and even Christina grudgingly clapped for her. The girl had a dazed smile as she got down from the chair and made her way with Harry to the register to pay.

As they were walking to the food court when it was all over, Will asked Harry, "So if I want to get a tattoo and I'm scared, you'll get one with me, too, right?"

The man gave the teenager a look that at first registered surprise and then humor. "I don't think so. Nice try."

The trip back to the ranch was much as the trip into town. The boys were looking at their magazine, and the girls were chatting. They didn't even seem subdued the later it got; they were still full of energy.

When they parked the vehicle, Umi was making her way from the Templeton house back to her own living quarters. She stopped to greet them as they got out of the van.

"Miss Umi, I did it!" Diana squealed.

The blue haired woman smiled brightly. "Let me see."

Diana smoothed her hair past her ears and modeled the new earrings. "I know it's something little, but I've wanted it for so long. All the other girls had it, and I felt left out, you know?"

"I know a little bit," she said to the girl. "I don't have pierced ears even now."

"That's okay! It wasn't as scary as I thought, and Harry helped me," Diana added with a giggle.

"What did you do?" she said as she gave her attention to the man that had been quietly watching the exchange.

He put his hands in his thick hair and lifted it up to show his ears with new golden ornaments. He turned his head to the right and then to the left mocking a model striking a pose.

Umi's mouth gaped. "What made you do that?"

Harry shrugged his shoulders and said, "It just seemed like something I would do. Besides, our little Diana needed moral support, especially on her birthday."

"That's right! Happy birthday, Diana," she added.

Jessie looked at her friend and asked, "Have you been with Scott all this time?"

"Most of it," she said with a tired sigh. "The plans are a lot of work."

Jessie nodded understandingly and then gave the teens their last instructions while the other two adults listened. Harry couldn't help noticing Umi staring at him as the other woman was talking. The expression on the once Water Knight's face didn't look very happy at all.

"What?" he asked with a sigh. "You don't like a man with ear rings?"

"It's nothing," she lied as she looked away from him. Umi then excused herself and finished walking to her own quarters.

Harry's eyes followed her, and he thought something troubling was on her mind. He left with Jessie and walked back to the main building where he was living.

A half hour later Umi was in her pajamas and sitting on her sofa to enjoy a cup of tea before bed. It had been a long day full of work, wedding plans and a few surprises. Two of them would be how much more Clef-like Harry was becoming. She'd seen him wearing the oversized robe and playing with the children as a magician, and then he came back to the ranch with earrings. It was mind boggling, and she didn't know what to expect next.

A knock on her door interrupted her thoughts. At this time of night it was probably Scott coming to give her a goodnight kiss or something. She set the tea on her table and went to answer the door. Surprisingly, the person on the other side of the door wasn't Scott at all. It was Harry.

"Hello?" she said with a level of confusion.

"I'm sorry if I'm disturbing you, but I was worried about you," he said.

"Why would you be worried about me?" she asked, still clearly surprised to see him standing on her doorstep.

"You seemed more than just tired a while ago. I can't explain why, but I thought something was wrong." A moment passed, and he asked humbly, "May I come in?"

Umi snapped out of her surprised daze and invited him inside. "Would you like some tea?" she offered. "I was just about to have some."

"Yes, please," he said as he sat in the chair by her sofa.

While Umi rushed to the tiny kitchen, Harry looked around her living room. The small bungalow was very quaint. He'd been told that teachers lived in ones scattered across the property, but he realized this was the first time for him to visit Umi privately and actually see one.

She quickly returned to him with a tea tray and then took her place on the sofa. She watched him as he mixed the tea to his liking and took a sip. He smiled in satisfaction at the taste.

"Thank you," he said graciously. Then he added, "I think this is the first time I've been alone with you since you gave me that bag of fruit in the hospital."

Umi nodded and asked, "How's Fyula?"

"Still swimming," he chuckled. "It was a beautiful gift. Thank you for that, too."

"You're welcome," Umi replied as she set down her cup.

"So…" Harry started unsurely. "Would you like to tell me what's bothering you? I think I can be a good listener. I might not even remember to tell your secrets later! That's one good thing about amnesia, right?"

Umi laughed. "I don't think it works that way. But," she added soberly, "there are some things on my mind, and some of it has to do with you."

His blue eyes filled with concern before he took her hand in his. "Please, talk to me, Umi."