A weekend well spent

Carl's dark form could be seen moving slowly through the water. He came from under the bridge and approached the side of the canal, where Hori's legs were dangling, his trousers rolled up to his knees. Carl's head surface again and he looked up at Hori's smiling face and broad-brimmed hat. Horatio put down the book he was reading, rolled his neck and stretched his shoulders, enjoying the sunlight. A weekend was always a blessing and there wasn't a chance he would waste this one.

“Well, my good fellow... shall we move on to the gallery? Are you sufficiently wet?”

Carl closed one eye lazily, angling his body, watching the reflections of his scales on the wall of the canal.

“Shall we?” Hori repeated, then quickly pulled his arms in front of his face to shield his eyes from the light shining off Carl's scales. “Ooh, watch out, Carl. That's bright!”

A deep, resonant chuckle welled up within Carl's big, green body. Hori lowered his arms in time to receive a jet of water from Carl's mouth that knocked Hori's hat right off his head.

“Heh heh. That sounds simply lovely. Although, you might want to dry yourself a little,” laughed Carl as he propelled himself up onto the boardwalk, then proceeded to take a towel and slap his back with it.

“Oh, how kind of you...” Hori smiled, “Never mind drying off, we'll take a walk in the gardens first.”

Carl threw the towel across his back and sidled up to Hori. Hori tucked his book in his jacket pocket and handed Carl his glasses, then took up the straw hat and basket beside him. They made their way across the bridge and through the streets as they wound a path through the city to the public gardens. Few crossed their paths, save for a postman on his motorcycle, who dipped his hat, and a group of university students with satchels, all of whom were laughing, glad for the chance to study outdoors. One of the girls caught Hori's eye. He smiled back, with a feeling of recognition, but kept on his way.

They arrived at the large, black gates of the public gardens and after visiting all their favourite places (the greenhouse, the cactus garden, the eels in the Chinese fountain) they strolled back to the entrance. Striding toward them, on the other side of the gate, was the same group of students they'd passed earlier. “You've the right idea,” Hori called, waving, “It's too beautiful a day to be spent indoors!”

The group smiled back and Hori searched his memory for where he'd seen the girl with the pretty black and red hair, earlier in the week.

“I can't place her, Carl.”

“Who's that, Hori? Do you know one of those students?”

“I think I remember seeing the one with the red tips in her hair before.”

“Heh heh. Yes, yes. She is pretty, isn't she?” Carl smiled. Hori looked away from Carl, taking a sudden interest in pine trees lining the path. “It'll come to me, I'm sure,” he muttered to himself.

In the gallery they saw an exhibition of furniture by an Italian designer and a collection of sketches depicting forest fires. Patrons came and stood silently in front of the works, then in turn moved on to the next and the next and the next. Carl tried to pull a face imitating a portrait of one of the artists. He was a stern looking man, sporting a giant moustache. Carl flung his towel over his upper lip and tried to look gruff. Hori laughed.

Carl struggled with the escalator, but they moved on to the the modern art collection. They saw hats made of corrugated iron, blank road signs, pictures of forest animals in parliament and Hori's favourite – a big, grey canvas with a small girl in the middle, reading a book by Chekhov.

Hori suddenly turned to his scaly friend, “I've got it! She was at the library on Tuesday afternoon.”

“You've been thinking about her the whole time haven't you?” Carl's grin made Hori turn the same shade of maroon as the girl's dress in the painting.

“Quiet, you...” Horatio smiled back, “Now, to remember her name...”

“You spoke to her?”

“Oh, yes. Only for a moment. I don't remember whether we exchanged names.”

Hori suddenly noticed the funny smile on Carl's face, “What? What's wrong?”

Carl motioned with his fin and Horatio turned to see where Carl was pointing. “You should ask her,” Carl's smile widened as Hori watched the very same girl, along with another of the students, making her way around the room, moving from one artwork to the next. When she got to the large grey painting, she made her way up to Hori and Carl, pointing to the painting beside them.

“Fantastic isn't it?” she asked, “It reminds me of when I was young.”

“Ch-Chekhov? You read Chekhov when you were-” Carl asked, astonished.

“No, no. Of course not,” the girl said quickly. “I was just left to my books a lot when I was younger. I still love to read. A little too much, perhaps.”

“Ah, I see. It was... at the library that I met you earlier in the week, isn't that right?” Hori asked.

“Yes, I was trying to figure that out myself. My name's Ann and this is Catherine,” she said, motioning for her friend to join her.

“Nice to meet you,” Catherine extended a hand.

“A pleasure. Horatio, err... Hori. I'm Hori and this is Carl.” Catherine shook Carl's fin, admiring his big, grey eyes, one at a time.

“You're both students, yes?” Horatio asked.

“Well, Catherine's a dental student in her final year, but I'm a recent graduate,” Ann began.

After much small talk, it was revealed that Ann was working in a hospital, after graduating from studying medicine. Carl mentioned that Horatio and himself had been friends since high school and that Hori had studied robotic systems at university. Hori explained that Carl had been left ownership of his father's bookshop when his father passed away and, as a favour to Carl, Hori took over management and decided this was where he felt comfortable. The joint venture had become a relative success. They could spend time together at work and at their home in the suburbs.

This went on for some time, until Catherine eyed the basket in Hori's hand.

“Is that a picnic basket I see?” she asked. “Ann and I could buy some lunch and join you on the lawns in the sculpture garden. The one behind the gallery.”

“Oh, no. No need. We have plenty with us,” Carl insisted. “That is, if you don't mind tinned meats, crusty bread, blue cheese and chocolate truffles-”

“Oh, you're too kind!” cried Ann.

Hori and Carl beamed at the new friends they'd made.