Why not? - English

13-06 Too Many Peas, Too Many Plugs

I had noticed that Penny had repeatedly stood on the balcony while we were doing the exercise with the young rescuers at the training tower. When James said that I just stood around and did absolutely nothing during the respiratory protection monitoring, as well as when Dolly's foot was torn off, she laughed quietly. Ellie didn't notice anything. But I would always hear Penny's laugh among thousands, no matter how quiet she tried to be. It made my heart beat wildly with joy that I could still - or rather, make her laugh again - no matter how unintentional it was. But at the same time it also made me sad. I missed our jokes so much.

I let her take more lead after her announcement about Ellie. I was more insecure than ever before. I didn't know what else to do anymore. Maybe Helen was right and I should have talked to Penny about it from the start instead of just implementing my idea?

So I had left her in charge again today and by God, she was so hot when she was so energetic and kicked in doors like she had done with the door to Dilys shop. I was just a man after all. Everything went well and we quickly extinguished the fire. Finding Trevor, on the other hand, took a little longer, but we managed that too after I helped Elvis to find him.

After the mission, I stood outside the shop with Trevor and patted him on the back every time he coughed again from the inhaled smoke. It slowly got better and I encouraged him that it would be over soon, but still called to Ellie to call Helen - it was safe to be safe.

Dilys loud shouts startled me, as did everyone else, and I had to roll my eyes as she tried to sell her frozen peas like a barker. I doubt Penny had intended this when she wanted to talk to Dilys about relieving the load on her sockets. Penny just stood there and I saw her shake her head slightly before turning around. A slight smile tugged at the corners of her mouth at Dilys demeanor, but it still didn't reach her eyes. How could our separation - if you could call it that - hurt us so much and yet leave us so strong to resist each other? False pride? Fear? Despair? I had no idea.

Confused, I watched as Dilys turned back to Penny and called her again to run straight to her and quietly ask her something. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't understand anything, thanks to our colleagues who were still putting away the hoses and equipment, and they weren't exactly doing it quietly. I saw Penny pause, then give me a quick sideways glance, but quickly look back at Dilys. What had been in her eyes? Shock? Confusion? Pain?

"What are they talking about, Trevor?" I asked Trevor after another small coughing fit - he could exaggerate almost as much as Dilys often did. Was her constant company not good for him and rubbed off on him?

"I don't know. I think Dilys just wants to hear the latest gossip and see if there's anything to it," Trevor waved it off calmly.

"And what would that be?" I asked him immediately and skeptically. If Dilys had to ask Penny about the truth of it, there was a good chance I was involved too, right?

"Oh...um...well..." Trevor started to stammer embarrassedly and I looked at him seriously. His behavior also suggested that it affected me too for real. "The word around town is that you two...well...you know," Trevor continued, accompanying it with a wave of his hand as if he wanted to wave it off.

"No, I don't know, Trevor. What do we have?" I replied seriously and crossed my arms over my chest. Trevor sheepishly ran a finger along the collar of his shirt, as if he felt it was getting tighter and would otherwise cut off his breath.

"Well, you've been seen together so much lately and you're so different to each other and the dance on the quay the other day...and Dilys recently...You know what Pontypandy is like. There's talk. That's forgotten about it in a few days," Trevor stammered, in a helpless attempt to somehow put an end to this conversation.