JC: Harry and the Lee Girls
Chapter 3
By
Lazlo Zalezac
Copyright (C) Lazlo Zalezac, 2004

Lilly, smiling and shaking her head, sat at the dining room table 
trying to eat her bowl of cereal. Paul, formerly known as Twitch, 
was slicing a banana into her bowl saying something to the effect 
that she couldn't eat that cereal without sliced bananas; it just 
wasn't done in America. She raised her eyebrows across the table 
at her sister, who giggled in response. Dolly knew that Paul let 
them eat plain Cornflakes, but his feelings would be hurt if he 
wasn't allowed to take care of them in some fashion.  

In the past two years, Paul had stopped the majority of his nervous 
twitching and the result was that he had started looking a lot more 
handsome. All that showed when he was nervous was a tendency 
to tug on his fingers. His hair had grown back, but he wore it short 
so that he wouldn't pull it out. She thought he looked handsome 
with his hair and had tried to talk him into growing it a little 
longer. He was concerned that it would be too easy to return to 
pulling on it. She asked, "Are you going to talk to the widow 
today?"

"Maybe," replied Paul as he pretended to focus his attention on 
slicing the banana to hid his embarrassment. There was a woman 
his age that lived down the street that Lilly was positively 
convinced was interested in him in a romantic manner. From his 
perspective, the widow woman was attractive and he did want to 
get to know her better. 

"Paul is in love," exclaimed Dolly knowing that it would fluster 
him. 

He cut a huge slice of banana and watched as it hit the cereal 
creating a splash. Looking at the spilled milk, he frowned as he 
said, "Now look at what you made me do."

"Have some fun for a change. Stay out late tonight with your lady 
friend," suggested Lilly concerned about her protector. Paul was 
the mother hen and wouldn't leave their sides for very long. His 
past haunted him and he still feared that something bad would 
happen to the girls if he weren't diligent enough. He was getting 
better and let the boy that lived next door walk the girls to school 
instead of doing it himself. In addition, he now had a part-time job 
at the video store during school hours.

Jeff came out of the bedroom having finished his morning rituals 
and sat at his place at the table. His hair was neatly trimmed, his 
face clean-shaven, and he wore very nice clothes. Of the three 
men, he was the most handsome. He grabbed a box of cereal and 
filled a bowl with it. He looked up and asked, "Can you pass the 
milk?"

Too-Tall smiled as he set the carton of milk in front of Jeff and 
returned to eating his breakfast. He was eating a cereal that even 
kids stopped eating when they turned twelve. It used to be a source 
of great amusement for the girls. Whenever they used teased him 
about it, he would just shrug his shoulders as he continued to eat. 
One day, Lilly realized that it was one of the few cereals that he 
could actually taste. They had stopped teasing him, but he seemed 
disappointed.  Now, they made occasional comments about his 
choice in foods that brought a smile to his face.

Dolly asked, "So Jeff, what are you doing today?"

"I'm going to work," replied Jeff knowing that wasn't what she 
wanted to know. He had a job as a janitor in an old folk's home. It 
was kind of a depressing place, but he actually felt very relaxed 
there. The patients were too old to bother him and the past two 
years of living with Lilly and Dolly had given him the ability to 
handle the few visitors that came on the holidays and such.

"No, I wanted to know if you were going to go to the doctor."

"You set up the appointment, so I guess I have to go," replied Jeff. 
He was kind of curious why the doctor had agreed to see him. 
Dolly had talked to Kelly about him seeing a Druid doctor. The 
doctor had come to town for a conference and Dolly had made an 
appointment for him. He didn't even know what he was seeing the 
doctor about, but he would go just to please Dolly.

The answer pleased Dolly. She smiled to herself as she returned to 
eating her cereal. The idea that she had for helping Jeff with his 
medical problem had intrigued Kelly. Maybe some of the damage 
that his mother had done could be undone. She looked across the 
table at Lilly and winked. 

Too-Tall stood and carried his bowl into the kitchen. It was time 
for him to leave for work. He operated a crane down on the docks. 
It paid well, gave him a sense of pride, and meant he was actively 
contributing to the well being of the girls. It was the perfect job for 
him since communication was accomplished via hand signals. The 
fact that he didn't talk wasn't a problem. It had been an amazing 
revelation how much information he could communicate via hand 
signals. He knew all about his signalman's family and when 
something important happened to him.

Too-Tall and Jeff paid the bills for the three bedroom house. Paul 
took care of everything around the house. He cleaned, cooked, and 
repaired anything that broke. Used to worse, the three men shared 
the master bedroom and allowed the girls to have their own rooms. 
The situation was better than they ever thought they would find. 

At the door, Too-Tall knocked on the wall to get someone's 
attention. When Jeff looked over, Too-Tall traced a semi-circle in 
the air with one finger, paused at the end and then drew a line 
leading away with three fingers. Looking over at the two girls with 
fondness, Jeff said, "Time to finish breakfast. Eric, the proverbial 
boy-next-door, is on his way over."

Lilly said, "He's early today."

Smiling, Jeff watched as Too-Tall left for work. He teased, "I'm 
beginning to wonder if his intentions are honorable. Do you want 
me and Paul to talk with him?"

"Goodness no!" exclaimed Dolly automatically. The first time the 
boy had come over to the house, the three men had laid down the 
rules. It was almost a month before the poor kid came over again. 
There was nothing worse than having three overprotective parents 
hovering around when a teenage boy came to visit. 

Lilly giggled and teased her big sister, "I think you have a 
boyfriend."

"No I don't. I just think he deserves such attention."

Standing up to get the door, Jeff said, "Better finish eating, girls."

The girls finished their cereals and took their plates to the kitchen. 
Paul would wash the dishes, but they rinsed their bowls out of 
habit. Dolly was nineteen and in her senior year of high school. 
Lilly was seventeen and a junior. Harry had made the 
arrangements for schooling, giving Dolly an extra year so that she 
could catch up with others her age. He had arranged private 
instructors to help them learn English and Math, two skills that he 
felt was most important for them to know. Now the two girls had 
almost caught up in English and understood the basics of math. 
They might not be able to go to college, but they could earn a good 
living.

They lined up in front of Jeff and Paul for the morning inspection. 
Neither girl was a virgin; their hymens had been stolen from them 
during the year of their imprisonment. Both girls had seen and 
experienced horrors that most people couldn't even imagine. 
Despite that, their protectors treated them like virgin princesses. It 
touched the girls far more than they would ever be able to express. 
Jeff said, "You are outgrowing that skirt, Dolly. It's starting to look 
a little short."

"Oh, Jeff! It's longer than what most girls at school wear." Her 
skirt came to just below her knees covering the top of her knee-
high socks. She looked quite conservative compared to most of the 
kids at school. She wore a white long-sleeved shirt. Their outfits 
looked like school uniforms, but the school they attended didn't 
have uniforms. 

"I'll take you shopping this weekend for some new clothes," said 
Jeff as though that would silence any argument. 

The neighbor boy, Eric, just smiled at the exaggerated care with 
which the two men treated the young women. Remembering his 
first visit here, he felt sorry for any guy that attempted to date 
them. Too-Tall had stood behind him, looming over him in a very 
threatening manner, as the other two had grilled him on his history 
with women, his intentions towards the girls, and his general 
character. It had been intimidating and seemed excessive just to 
meet the next-door neighbors.

Paul asked, "Eric, what are you smiling about?"

"Oh, I was just thinking of what would happen if a boy ever asked 
Lilly or Dolly on a date," answered Eric. He had told to a number 
of boys what happened when he first came over. He figured it 
would be worse for any guy that tried to ask out either girl. The 
boys at school had believed him and avoided the girls. He wasn't 
going to admit that he was one of the boys too scared to ask out 
one of the girls.

 Jeff froze as if struck with a baseball bat. Moving in slow motion, 
he turned to face Dolly and Lilly as he realized they would 
probably like to date. With a quaver in his voice, he asked, "Would 
you like to date someone?"

This was the question that both girls were dreading. It had taken 
him almost six months to be able to look at them. For almost a 
year, he wouldn't speak to them directly. It was only in the last 
year that he could bring himself to touch them. He had slowly 
come to the point where he could deal with them in a natural 
manner, but they had feared that questions about their sexuality 
would drive him away. 

The girls looked at each other and were tempted to slip into 
Chinese, but Jeff had surprised them when he had learned enough 
of their language to understand the gist of what they were saying. 
Not really wanting to date boys, Dolly answered, "Maybe one 
day."

The kids at school talked about the barrier the sisters put between 
themselves and boys. It was beginning to get to the point where 
Lilly wondered if they shouldn't date once or twice just to stop the 
gossip. She added, "The school prom is coming up soon."

A shudder went through his entire body at the idea of a boy 
touching either of the girls. Despite his fears in that whole area of 
life, he said, "It is probably time for you to start dating. All I ask is 
that you let us meet him first."

Lilly and Dolly went to Jeff and hugged him. Neither one wanted 
to say aloud that they never wanted to be touched by a man. They 
had enough experience in that area to know that it was horrible. 
Dolly kissed him on the forehead as she said, "Thank you, Jeff. I 
know how hard this is for all of you. It is hard for us too."

He knew what they meant. The girls still woke on occasion 
screaming from the nightmares and those nights were crises of 
monumental proportion for everyone in the household. They 
brought back memories that were painful for everyone. Jeff 
remembered looking at the naked Dolly hanging from the fence, 
her shoulder a bloody mess and her skin a patchwork of cuts and 
stab wounds. Poor Lilly had been walking around with a blood-
covered ass, the blood dried in place. Even the slightest reference 
to that night upset him for the whole day and reminded him once 
again that he was their protector. If anyone threatened the girls, he 
intended to be the bloody one standing between them and the bad 
guys. Overwhelmed by their gestures of kindness, he said, "I'll 
manage."

The girls left with Eric for school. They walked with a lack of 
enthusiasm common among teenagers all over the world when 
walking to school. Watching them walk away, Paul put a hand on 
Jeff's shoulder and asked, "Do you want to talk about it?"

"I'll talk with Annette," answered Jeff. Annette was a woman in the 
nursing home, confined to bed as a result of Osteoporosis. Her 
bones no longer supported her body, but her mind was clear as a 
bell. He had found that she possessed a kind ear and listened to his 
problems without jumping to conclusions. 

"That's a good idea. Go to work and talk to Annette."

Jeff walked home from work feeling much better about things in 
general. He had spent an hour talking to Annette, joining her at 
lunchtime as he usually did. She appreciated his company since 
she spent most of her time alone in her room. Over lunch, she had 
told him about how things were supposed to evolve between men 
and women. It was a far different story than what his mother had 
etched into his body. 

Entering the house, Jeff expected to find Paul vacuuming the floors 
or dusting the furniture. Instead, he heard voices coming from the 
dining room. Curious, he stuck his head in the room and found 
Paul talking to Harry. Surprised, he shouted, "Harry! It's good to 
see you."

"It's good to see you, Jeff. You're looking positively wonderful," 
noted Harry. All three of the men looked happy with the way their 
lives had gone. Jeff walked upright and looked him in the eye. Paul 
wasn't twitching. Too-Tall had smiled when he saw Harry at the 
construction site and came over to pick him up in a big friendly 
hug.

Jeff sat down at the table and looked at Harry. He had not noticed 
the lunch wagon outside when he had come home. He asked, 
"Where's the Roach Coach?"

 "Oh, I left it with a young man that needed to see a little of the 
city today," answered Harry. 

Jeff understood that there was more to the story than that. He 
asked, "I'm sure that you gave him a complete schedule of places 
to visit. A little tour of the seedy side of town?"

Harry laughed and said, "Sometimes the spoiled sons of rich men 
need a helping hand in order to grow up to be the responsible sons 
of rich men."

"I can only imagine," said Jeff, realizing that it was true. He added, 
"If you ever need some help, just let me know. I owe you so 
much."

Paul nodded his head in agreement as he poured a cup of coffee for 
Jeff. He said, "Just call on us and we'll be there."

"I already called on you and you were there. Two happy and very 
healthy young ladies appreciate what you've done for them. I 
appreciate that," said Harry with a twinkle in his eye. 

"I know better than that," replied Jeff. Harry had thrown all of 
them together to help each other heal. His debt to the Druid was 
even greater today than any time in the past. 

"Speaking of knowing better. Our ride has pulled up in front of the 
house. It's time to take you to a doctor," smiled Harry.

"How do you know?" asked Jeff incredulous that Harry should 
know what was going on outside the house.

"I'm Harry," replied the old Druid with a smile. He knew his 
answer didn't explain anything, but it was enough of an answer for 
the moment. How could he explain that he could sense the 
presence of another medallion in the area? He couldn't, so he didn't 
try.

Harry led Jeff and Paul outside the house to the car where Kelly 
Carter was waiting for them. It took Jeff a moment to recognize 
her, but then he asked, "Are you the doctor I'm supposed to see?"

Kelly laughed and shook her head. She answered, "No. I'm the 
nurse."

Harry stepped over to Paul and embraced him in the center of the 
street. Surprised by the action, Paul asked, "What was that for?"

"There's a rather attractive woman over there watching you like a 
cat stalking a bird. I figure I just gave you about two hours of 
material for a conversation," said Harry with a wink. He added, 
"After all, how many folks have two Druids come visit them in the 
middle of the day?"

Laughing, Kelly went over to Paul and hugged him. Stepping back, 
she said, "I just felt like doing that. You're too cute to resist."

Paul blushed and shook his head amazed at the Druids. It didn't 
matter what Harry was doing, the guy didn't miss anything that 
was going on around him. A quick glance up the street showed that 
the widow woman was watching him. 

Paul waved goodbye as Harry, Kelly, and Jeff drove off in Kelly's 
car. He was about to return to the house when Janet walked over. 
Curious about what she had seen, she said, "Wow, Druids. I didn't 
realize that you had such important friends."

Paul examined the woman standing before him. She had short-
cropped hair, worn short in the manner worn by housewives in 
middleclass America - easy to manage and not too awful looking. 
Premature wrinkles on her face reflected the stress caused by the 
death of her husband. She was still an attractive woman, 
demonstrating the resilience of the human spirit to overcome 
adversity and to reach out for love. In an offhand manner, he said, 
"That was Harry. He tends to hang around folks that most people 
ignore."

"Who was the woman?" asked Janet. She had seen the attractive 
woman hug him and wondered if there was something going on 
there that might impact her plans.

"That was Kelly Carter, she's a healer," answered Paul. He knew 
what her next question was going to be and said, "They are taking 
Jeff to a doctor. He has an unusual medical condition that the girls 
think the Druids might be able to solve."

"Oh, I hope it is not serious" replied Janet as she twisted a short 
lock of hair around her forefinger. No one had said anything about 
Jeff being ill and as far as she could tell he looked healthy enough. 
The day before, he had been outside throwing a Frisbee around 
with the two oriental girls. 

It made him feel exposed and vulnerable for him to stand talking to 
her in the middle of the street. Preferring a less public 
environment, he asked, "Would you like to come in the house and 
have some coffee with me?"

"Sure, I'd love that." She followed him into the house. She had 
taken a chance by approaching him and was finding that she had 
done the right thing. Stepping inside, she was amazed that a house 
occupied by three men and two teenage girls could be so tidy. It 
made her wonder about the presence of two teenage girls in a 
house full of men. Were they maids? That had been a major 
speculation among the neighbors, but questions asked in a discreet 
manner had never been answered.

Paul was amazed that when he poured Janet a cup of coffee that his 
hands weren't shaking. Setting down the coffeepot, Paul looked 
across the table at Janet catching her examining the décor. He 
knew that she probably had some questions about the family, so he 
said, "I'm sure that you have lots of questions. I will do what I can 
to answer them without violating anyone's privacy."

"Are you gay?" she asked without a moment of hesitation. She 
wanted to make sure that she wasn't wasting her time pursuing a 
man that would be more interested in her son than her.

The directness of the question suggested that she had planned to 
ask it all along. Paul laughed, as that was one question he hadn't 
expected to get asked. With a tinge of sadness in his voice, he 
answered, "No, I'm not gay. I'm a widower. A drunk driver killed 
my wife and children. I'm only now getting over it."

That was not the kind of answer that she expected. She had feared 
that he was gay. It helped explain why he lived with two men. The 
two girls could be the daughters of one of the men. "Oh. I didn't 
realize. How about the others?"

Paul said, "We're all disasters. Too-Tall lost his tongue years ago 
and can't talk. Jeff has an unusual medical condition that has kept 
him from enjoying life. I'm still getting over the loss of my wife 
and kids. We help each other."

"What about the girls?"

"Harry, the Druid you saw, entrusted them into our care after," he 
couldn't continue describing what had happened to the girls. After 
an awkward pause, he said, "They needed someone to look after 
them and Harry chose us."

That was a bit of news that wouldn't take five minutes to spread 
through the neighborhood. It was hard to imagine that these three 
guys had the trust of a Druid to the extent that he would trust them 
to raise two teenage girls. She said, "Wow. So how many Druids 
do you know?"

"Just three," answered Paul. "I've known Harry for a long time. I 
met Kelly Carter when she healed Lilly and Dolly. Kelly was 
married to the Grand Druid, John Carter. She's real nice and helped 
us a lot with the girls. The third Druid is Jimmy Lee. He works 
with the INS and helped the girls stay in the country. He said they 
had paid a price far beyond all others for the right to stay here."

She didn't know anything about Harry, but recognized the names 
of Kelly Carter and John Carter. Who in the world didn't know 
about John Carter? Paul was looking better to her all the time. She 
said, "I don't see you leaving the house very often. What do you do 
for a living?"

"Well, I work part-time at the video store while the girls are in 
school. I stay here when they are at home and everyone else is at 
work. I am their protector during the day. If anyone wants to hurt 
them, they will have to kill me first," answered Paul. Towards the 
end of his answer, his voice had taken on the ring of iron. 

Janet considered what he was saying. The idea that two teenagers 
could have enemies that would want to hurt them enough that they 
required a bodyguard was foreign to her life experience. She was 
going to ask what they had done, but the discussion was 
interrupted by the sound of the front door opening and two excited 
female voices chatting in Chinese. Paul called out, "Don't slam the 
door."

He was too late as the door slammed shut and the exuberant girls 
ran to the dining room. Before reaching the dining room, Lilly 
shouted, "You won't believe who came to see us in school today!"

Paul winked at Janet as he asked, "Who?"

"Harry! Harry came to see us. You should have been there. All the 
kids were green with envy when Harry came into my class!" Lilly 
reached the dining room as she said the last sentence. She stopped 
and looked at Janet, pausing for the barest fraction of a second 
before emitting a squeal of delight. "Oh Paul. You invited her over. 
That's great. Are you going to take her to a movie?"

"You have to take her to diner too," Dolly added as she entered the 
room. She looked over at Janet and winked. Turning to Paul, she 
asked, "So did Harry stop by here too?"

Lilly sat down next to Janet and said, "Hello, you're Janet, aren't 
you? I'm Lilly. That's my big sister, Dolly. We've been watching 
you for a while now. I was sure that you were going to make your 
move today."

Dolly sat down on the other side of Janet and asked, "Did you 
approach him or did he go over to talk to you?"

Janet was busy looking from one girl to the other, amazed at their 
energy, twinkling eyes, cheerful smiles, and rapid-fire changes in 
topic of conversation. It reminded her of when she was younger 
and the world was still an adventure. She laughed and, looking 
over at Paul, asked, "Are they always like this?"

Laughing at the girls, Paul answered, "Not usually. I guess they're 
a little excited about having seen Harry today. Of course, it could 
be that you are here. They've been watching you like a hawk lately. 
I think they have us married already."

Lilly said, "So did you see Harry today?"

"Yes, Harry came by and took Jeff to the doctor. Kelly Carter was 
here too."

"Kelly was here?" asked Dolly. She was quiet for a moment and 
then exclaimed, "She thinks it will work! Jeff is going to be okay!"

"We're going to have to throw a party for him. Can we go out to 
eat tonight in celebration?" asked Lilly. They very seldom went out 
to eat and Lilly was always the first to suggest it. 

"Are you saying that you don't like my cooking?" asked Paul. He 
realized that he hadn't even started cooking supper. The surprise 
visit by Harry and then Janet had interrupted his normally tight 
schedule. It was likely that they would have to eat out that night.

The two girls looked at each other for a second before Dolly said, 
"We love your cooking. It just isn't a proper celebration if one of 
the celebrants has too cook."

Janet laughed and commented, "Good save, girls."

Resting her chin on the palm of her hand, Lilly asked, "What are 
your intentions towards our great protector?"

"Are they honorable?" asked Dolly with a smile and a poor attempt 
at a leer. 

Paul interrupted, beating Lilly to her next question, "What's with 
the interrogation?"

"That's what you do when a boy comes over," said Lilly with a 
giggle. Seeing the look on his face, she stuck out her tongue and 
then added, "What's good for the protected is good for the 
protector!"

"I hope her intentions are not honorable. Poor Paul here needs a 
woman in his life to use and abuse him," said Dolly.

"Am I going to have to punish you two young ladies?" asked Paul.

Lilly laughed at the empty threat, as she said, "No."

Listening to the exchange, Janet was convinced that these girls had 
never seen a bad minute in their entire life. It didn't quite match 
what Paul had said about them needing protectors. She asked, "So 
how did you girls come to live here?"

The girls looked at each other and then exchanged a few words in 
Chinese. Dolly answered, "When we were rescued from the bad 
guys, Paul, Jeff, and Too-Tall were part of the rescue party. They 
were our knights in shiny armor!"

"Shiny armor?" asked Paul believing the phrase was 'shining 
armor.' 

"You're right. Your armor was filthy," commented Lilly with a 
laugh. 

Giggling, Dolly added, "Smelly too. After Kelly healed us, Harry 
took us away, helped us, and gave us our protectors. At the same 
time, Jimmy Lee got us citizenship. We've put up with the three 
guys ever since."

"It all sounds exciting," commented Janet. Every little girl dreamed 
of being rescued by a knight in shining armor. She said, "It sounds 
romantic."

Both girls, as a shudder went through their bodies, replied, "No. It 
was horrible."

The reaction of the girls convinced Janet that they had been 
through some horrible ordeal and might need protectors. She was 
about to ask for more details about the bad guys, but a look from 
Paul made her reconsider. Paul said, "Enough about the past."

"Right. So are you taking her to dinner and a movie?" asked Lilly.

"We want to know," said Dolly with a smile. 

Janet winked at the girls, as she said, "He hasn't asked me, yet. I 
am sitting on pins and needles waiting to be asked, but he keeps 
changing the subject. Oh woe is me!"

"I like you," said Lilly appreciating the little excursion into 
melodrama. She added, "Consider yourself asked."

"He doesn't have a say in it?" asked Janet as she pointed at Paul.

Discounting Paul with a wave of her hand, Dolly answered, "None 
at all. Is Friday a good night for you?"

"My son will be at home, but he's old enough to stay alone," 
replied Janet. Her son was fifteen, but felt adult enough to strike 
out on his own. 

"Then it is decided. Paul will pick you up Friday around seven for 
dinner and a movie. Your son can come over here and stay with us. 
I'm sure that Jeff and Too-Tall will be happy to baby sit us kids," 
said Lilly. 

"You heard the girls. I'll be at your house around seven," said Paul. 
He never would have worked up the nerve to ask her out and 
appreciated the helping hand from the girls. 

Janet smiled and said, "Okay. I'll be ready about seven on Friday 
night."

The girls stood up and headed to the kitchen to fetch some milk 
and cookies. They were giggling and brushing against each other 
as they went through the door. Paul said, "Don't eat too much. 
We're going out to dinner tonight."

"That's quite a handful you have there. Are they always that 
energetic?" Janet liked the girls. For a few minutes there, she didn't 
feel middle-aged and abandoned. 

"They are a little excited. Jeff said they could start dating this 
morning and I think they have dating on their minds," answered 
Paul as he looked towards the kitchen. Even as he said it, he knew 
that they didn't care about dating the least little bit.

Too-Tall entered the house and made his way to the dining room. 
He stopped when he saw Janet. Not knowing what to do, he gave 
her a half-bow. Janet smiled up at him, waiting for him to say 
something. Paul said, "Janet, this is Too-Tall. Too-Tall, this is 
Janet. We have a date Friday night."

Too-Tall smiled spreading his arms before clasping them in front 
of his chest. Having been around the man for so long, Paul knew 
he was saying that he was happy for him. He said, "Thanks."

Too-Tall gestured from his mouth to Janet with a frown. Paul said, 
"He wants you to know that he's happy for us."

The gestures reminded Janet that Paul had said that Too-Tall had 
lost half his tongue and couldn't talk. She looked over at Too-Tall 
and said, "Thank you. I'm looking forward to it. Lilly and Dolly 
volunteered you to baby sit my son. I hope that isn't a problem."

Too-Tall shrugged his shoulders to say that it was no big deal. He 
smiled and pointed in the kitchen where the girls were laughing 
about something. With a couple of gestures, he hinted that the girls 
must have set it up. Janet understood and said, "Yeah. The girls 
had a hand in setting up the date."

Too-Tall gave a big smile and nodded. He pointed at Paul and 
scrunched up his face. Paul said, "I didn't wimp out. I never had a 
chance. They were so excited about seeing Harry today."

Pointing to his eye to let Paul know that he had seen Harry that 
day.  Paul nodded his understanding and said, "Harry came here 
with Kelly Carter. They took Jeff to see the doctor."

Janet found it fairly easy to talk to Too-Tall. Much to everyone's 
surprise, she seemed to understand most of his hand gestures. They 
chatted for a half an hour before Janet left to return home. 

The girls, Too-Tall, and Paul discussed going out for dinner. The 
discussion as to where they should go lasted almost an hour. Dolly 
frowned and said, "Jeff should have been back by now."

"I wonder what's the matter," said Paul. He had understood they 
were just going to examine Jeff and determine if they could 
operate on him. 

A knock on the door interrupted their discussion. Too-Tall went to 
the door and answered it finding Harry standing there with a smile. 
With a gesture, Too-Tall invited the Druid into the house. Harry 
followed giant to the dining room where everyone was waiting. 
With a smile, he said, "Well, I have good news. They think your 
idea will work. In fact, they've started work on Jeff. The problem 
is, it's going to take a couple of days."

The idea that it could take a couple of days was a great 
disappointment. It was just supposed to take an hour or so. After 
all, Kelly had healed her in half an hour. Dolly frowned as she 
echoed, "A couple of days."

Harry looked at Dolly with a kind expression understanding her 
concern. He explained, "Some problems are more difficult to solve 
than others. Imagine that you break a vase and glue it back 
together again, but pieces are not put in the right place. Now you 
need to fix the vase the right way. It requires taking it apart and 
putting it together again. It takes far longer the second time."

"But, a couple of days?"

"Yes, Dolly."

"Can we visit him?"

"I don't think that would be a good idea."


