Chapter 2: Letters to a friend

Outside Marlinspike Hall, Captain Haddock sat down in the garden and drank his second bottle of Loch Lomond. A while back, Professor Calculus had invented a pill that prevented him from drinking alcohol. Although the effects of the pills were temporary, strangely it's been months since Haddock has had any alcohol whatsoever. After the Professor finally found a pill to allow him to drink alcohol again, Haddock was free the drink as much as he wanted. Nearby, Professor Calculus was gardening his Bianca flowers.

Tintin walked up to Haddock and said, "Enjoying yourself?"

"Ah! Tintin!"

"Great to see you like your old-self again."

"Yes, I know. Isn't this life? A bright sunny day and a whisky in my hand."

"Not to mention with all your hair grown back."

"Don't remind me," said Haddock. During one of the attempts to create the product to counter the effects of the pill, the Professor made a pill that ended up making the Captain lose all of his hair. In another trial his skin turned orange, and another trial made him hiccup bubbles.

The Professor giggled. "He! He! Yes, it was very funny when you were bald. You without your beard. He! He!"

"Why is everybody teasing me…?" Haddock jumped. "Wait a second! Did he just hear what I said? Cuthbert! Did you hear what I just said?"

"Yes, yes, I am planning to make another flowerbed. Right around the corner."

"… Oh, never mind."

Tintin said, "Captain, I already told Nestor, but I just want to remind you that I'm not going to have dinner tonight. I'm meeting up with Miss Martine."

"Oh yes… yes… WHAT?" Haddock fell off his chair. "What do you mean? You're going to meet up with that girl from the art gallery?"

"Yes, I'm going on a date with her. Except that she doesn't work in at art gallery anymore; now she found a job in a bookstore."

Haddock ignored the last part Tintin said. "On a date? You're going on a date?"

"Yes. I told you yesterday. You weren't listening."

Haddock stood up. "No! No! I did listen! You're going on a date with Miss Martine! I listened to your every word."

"Oh really? What restaurant are we going to?"

"Um… I can't remember the name exactly, but I know it's… Fre…" Tintin shook his head. "Span…" Tintin shook his head again "Ita… Chine… Japa…" Tintin kept shaking his head. "Gree… Portuguese! That's it!"

"Really? Portuguese?" said Tintin crossing his arms.

"… OK, I admit it! I tried to cover it up, but I did get drunk that night. I can't remember a thing. I'm so sorry! Please forgive me!"

"I get it. I will forgive you. Captain, it's great to see you this happy again, but please don't go overboard. Don't do it just for me."

"Fine, lad… So, you're going on a date with Miss Martine? Didn't she ask you before a few weeks ago?"

Tintin uncrossed his arms. "She did. After we arrived in Italy, she made a stop by the airport and she invited me to meet her parents. She immediately changed her mind about it, but we went out for coffee afterwards. Then she just called yesterday and asked me out on a regular date. She agreed that I could take Snowy too. She likes him a lot."

"I see…"

"… What is it, Captain?"

"No, nothing. Good for you! You have a date!" However, when Tintin said that he was going on a date with someone, something popped into Haddock's head. There was someone else who liked Tintin a lot. Actually she probably loved him after all the events that happened months ago. He was no expert in love, but he remembered that every time she was near Tintin she had a spark in her eye.

"Fine. Speaking of which, we're going to a Belgian restaurant."

"Good! Good!" Tintin didn't move away. "What is it, Tintin?"

Tintin sighed and asked the Captain, "Can I ask you something?"

Captain looked up at Tintin. "As me for what?"

"Advice. I mean, I never went on a date before and I thought—"

"Oh no, no, no! I'm not an expert in these things!"

"But you have fallen in love before, haven't you? That means you must have gone to at least one date."

"Well… eh… fine, lad. Umm…" Trying to think of something, he said, "Try to act normal."

"Normal?"

"No wait, that's not good." Haddock remembered. Last time someone had asked him for advice, he told her the exact same thing. It didn't help. "Be yourself… I think. But wait… you don't love Miss Martine, do you?"

"What? No. She's a nice lady, but I don't."

"Then why are you asking me for advice? Are you nervous about meeting her?"

"No. It's just as I said before. I never went on a date before and I just want to know how they work."

"I think you call it a date when you like someone. You don't have to love her necessarily, but the reason someone asks someone out is when they're interested in the other. I think she really likes you, Tintin."

"Maybe she does, but I don't know what to think of her. I don't think I ever had time for anything like that. More like I never thought about it. Maybe I should go. It'd be a new experience for me." Thanks anyway, Captain. I'll see you later."

"Alright. Bye now." As he saw his friend walk back to the mansion, a thought still floated around Haddock's mind: Jacq. He wanted to ask Tintin whether he ever thought about Jacq, but couldn't bring himself forward to stop Tintin and ask him. It's been a while since they've seen Jacq. Tintin could have just forgotten about her. He doesn't want to jump into assumptions. If it turns out he doesn't feel anything for Jacq, then the Captain would be asking him a silly question. Maybe he should ask later, after Tintin's date.

Xxx

In the living room, Haddock and Calculus were waiting for Tintin to arrive. "I wonder where the young man has gone to," said Calculus. "He missed dinner with us."

Haddock went towards the Professor and screamed into his deaf ear, "I TOLD YOU ALREADY! HE'S ON A DATE!"

"At eight? But it's ten already."

"FOR THE FOURTEENTH TIME! AND I'VE BEEN COUNTING! HE'S OUT WITH SOMEONE!"

"Aaron? Who's Aaron?"

The Captain sat down back on his chair and thought, "Thundering Typhoons. Luckily I can drink my stress away again."

Calculus stood up and went towards the Captain, "Now you listen, Captain, I asked you a question. I want to know where Tintin is. I'm beginning to get worried. Did this Aaron man do something to him?"

Then Nestor came in and said, "Master. Mr. Tintin has returned."

"He's back?" Haddock went outside. He saw the motorcycle enter the estate. Tintin stopped the motorcycle and him and Snowy went off the bike.

"Hello," said Tintin. He took off his helmet. Calculus went up to him and gave him a big hug. "Tintin! We were so worried about you!"

Tintin looked at Haddock. Haddock said, "I did try to tell him. I swear."

Calculus put Tintin safely on the ground, and Tintin proceeded to take off his dog's helmet.

They went inside and the Captain asked, "So, how did it go?"

"For the first time on a date, it wasn't so bad. It was fine, I think."

"Just fine? It wasn't anything special?"

"Not exactly. But it was still nice." They sat down in the living room. Haddock eagerly asked, "Go on. What happened? I want to know."

"Well, Snowy and I met up with Miss Martine, who looked excited to see me. We went to the Belgian restaurant and I asked her about herself and her job at the art gallery…" Tintin went on with the details about Miss Martine and the rest of the evening. It seemed like a decent date.

Tintin was starting to finish his story, "And then I walked home with her and then wished her a pleasant night. All in all, I thought it was good..." Tintin concluded. Then he looked down.

"You don't look that way," said Haddock.

"What do you mean?"

"I meant what I said. It doesn't look like you liked the date a lot."

"I did like it. But…" Tintin looked hesitant. "Alright, I'll be completely honest. It was a good night, but there was something else that bothered me the entire time."

"What was it?"

"While I was talking to Miss Martine in the restaurant around the dessert course, she asked me if I wanted to go to the movies afterwards… the first thing that popped into my head was… I don't know if it's appropriate to think about it during a date, but it just did… I don't know if I should have thought about it… I mean…"

Haddock said the first thing that popped into his head. "You thought about Jacqueline?"

"Yes! How did you know?"

"I… umm… Who else talks about movies all the time? Well, not all the time, but once in a while."

Tintin chuckled. He walked towards the window and looked at the stars in the sky. "Yeah, that's Jacq. It's probably not right to go on a date and think of someone else. And don't get me wrong, Miss Martine is a nice young lady, but I couldn't get Jacq off my mind. I've been thinking about it the rest of the night, and Miss Martine did notice that I looked a bit absent-minded."

Snowy added, "Believe me, he almost crashed into a tree on our way home! He really was distracted!"

"And you're thinking about her now," Haddock leaned back on his chair. "When was the last time she sent us a letter?"

"I don't know, but I do know that the last time she called me was a few months ago. She must be very busy in the film studio… I miss her…" said Tintin still gazing at the night.

"Yes, I miss her too… So what is it that made you think about her so much?"

"I think…" Tintin pondered about it. Then he said, "Maybe I haven't thought about her for such a long time that being reminded of her now caught my attention. When I think about her now… I feel a bit different. Captain, remember I told you about that one particular time she called?"

"While Cuthbert and I were in San Theodoros? Yes I do. What was it exactly? Did she say anything in particular?"

"We just talked to each other briefly. I didn't feel like myself lately, so I was glad to receive a call from her. I'm not entirely sure if she really encouraged me to go, but all I knew was that as I listened to her speak… the more and more she made me feel like myself again."

"Ah, I see…"

"She always said something right, even though she doesn't realize it herself."

"Maybe she just talks so fast she can't keep track of what she's saying." They chucked.

"Yes, that does seem true. Now I have a strange feeling, Captain. I just wish I could talk to her again. At least just see her face again… I've got it!" he said turning around to Haddock. "Let's go and visit her!"

"But Tintin, won't she be too busy to see us?"

"Not if we let her know first. We can call her right now. But wait… it's about 3 or 4 o'clock where she is. Isn't it? She could be working during that time. Probably working at late hours as well, and I don't want to bother her while she's working. Let's send her a letter instead."

"Good idea," said Haddock. Tintin went to grab a pen and some sheets of paper. He didn't tell her about their last adventure, so he thought he could write it to her. "Captain, do you want to write anything for Jacq?"

"Ah, don't worry about me. You write the letter."

Tintin proceeded to write:

"Dear Jacq,

How are you? It's been a long time since I sent you a letter. How did the filming with that Western film go? Is it going to be released soon? What else are you working on? And how's your next screenplay? Sorry if I'm asking too many questions.

I don't know if you read in the newspapers about the art forgeries and about Ramó Nash. We had a wild adventure in Italy. It's been months since I had an adventure. Remember my last adventure in San Theodoros?" Tintin proceeded to write the details of the adventure in his words. He used about three papers to write the whole thing. As soon as he finished, it was about 11:30 at night. He concluded with, "Overall it's good to be back home. I hope everything is well with you.

I really miss you.

In fact, I was recently wondering, if you aren't too busy, how would you like us to come visit you in America? It'll be me, Snowy, the Captain and Professor Calculus coming to visit. Unless you're carrying too much work on your hands, we'd all love to see you again.

Your friend,

Tintin"

"There. All done."

Xxx

About two days later, they received Jacq's letter. "It's here," said Haddock holding the letter and walking into the kitchen where Tintin and Snowy were having their breakfast. "Jacqueline sent us a reply." Tintin grabbed the letter and opened it immediately, finding about two pages in the envelope with tons of writing all over it. He read out loud:

"Hey Tintin!

Thank you so much for the letter! I am so sorry I didn't send you a letter or even give you a call!

WOW! What a story! Who ever knew that the art business could be so exciting? I'm just glad to hear you're all ok. I haven't been to Italy in ages! Since I was a kid!

So the Western film went well and we just finished filming. They finally confirmed the title: it's called Bright Red Sunset and it's gonna be released once post-production's done. They announced the release date is in three months.

Again, I am really, really, really sorry about not calling you or sending you a letter! I really am! Please forgive me! It's just that I am a bit busier than usual, but I'm almost done with a movie script and done with most of a movie shoot. I'm also working on another movie starring Sally South. It's all really exciting, and production is much more fun when I hang out with Sally.

Even so, I think it's a GREAT idea for you to come and pay a visit! Around next week would be great. I can show you around the film studio and then I can show you around Hollywood. You'll love it there. Let me know as soon as possible who's coming and what time you'll be coming.

Maybe if I'm not too busy in a few months, we could also decide when I can come to Marlinspike.

Oops! I think I wrote too much! Oh well…

Can't wait to see you!

Your friend,

Jacq"

"YAHOO!" Tintin jumped out of his chair. "We're going to see Jacq! We're going to see Jacq! Tralalala!" Tintin grabbed Haddock and started dancing around the kitchen. He let go of Haddock who was trying to stop spinning. "This is fantastic! I'll go get some paper and write another letter!" Haddock thought as he tried to keep his head still, "Blistering Barnacles." Then he looked at Tintin and couldn't help but smile.

Tintin put some paper on the table and started writing his letter.

"I think I'll write my own letter to Jacqueline." The Captain grabbed a sheet of paper and wrote:

"Dear Jacqueline,

I don't remember the last time I've been to America, but I can tell you I've never been to Hollywood. Perhaps we'll bump into some movie stars. Will you introduce us to Sally South?

We're ecstatic to finally see you again, and I'm very curious to see your workplace. I heard you're working very hard. You should be very proud!

Which reminds me, Tintin sent you the letter because he couldn't stop thinking about you. You might have some luck with him this time, if you know what I mean.

See you soon.

From,

Captain Haddock"

"There," said Haddock folding his paper. He waited for Tintin to finish his.

"There. I'm done too. What did you write?" asked Tintin.

"None of your business."

"Alright, alright. Just put it in the envelope." Haddock attached his letter to Tintin's letter. "Come on, Snowy, let's go to the post office."

A/N I hope you enjoyed this chapter. What'll happen in Hollywood? Will Tintin see Jacq as more than a friend?

I can relate to Jacq that I write A LOT. My e-mails are usually really long! I send some of you private messages, so some of you can tell how much I write!

So this is after the events Yves Rodier's version of Tintin and Alph-Art, except not exactly. According to Rodier's version, the comic takes place years after the events of Flight 714 to Sydney, but I changed it to months after the events of Flight 714. How many months passed is up for the reader to decide. So if anyone read the Yves Rodier version of Alph-Art, they'll remember that in the end it's revealed that Martine had a thing for Tintin. I don't know if Hergé would have planned something like that or not, but that's also for others to make-up their own minds on.

And another thing: the "Tralalala" was something I thought Tintin would say. I mean he HAS said it before, like the time when he heard that Chang was coming to visit (in Tintin in Tibet). But I'll remove it f there's anybody who thinks it sounds weird.

I'm so glad people love what I write! I feel extremely honored to hear you guys say that. If not for you, I wouldn't have had such a blast writing the second fanfic. Thank you guys! You rock!