All were astir the day of the bachelorette party. Café Bravo was to cross the seas to be married. Seven girls including the bride-to-be Café Bravo headed off to the bowling center. Squirrel Girl being small had trouble with the heavy bowling ball and did not do so well. Yet, the beer loosened up her striking pose and she managed to knock down enough to avoid looking pathetic. When she improved, she leaped into the air as Squirrel Girl would do. She quickly gathered why the bowling center provided the beer. It was the best thing for striking the bowling pins.

After bowling, they set off to the country to visit the winery. Their friend, the designated driver, also became the DJ. She rocked the van with fabulous dance music. She was mindful and did not hit any turtles on the road. 

“What great music,” beamed Squirrel Girl as she asked Poodle, “and where does our DJ live?”

“In the country,” said Poodle. 

“What?” girls  became puzzled but decided not to enquire for Poodle’s serious look was too confusing for their “beer” brains.

By then, the beer had turned the girls  into a group of crazed karaoke band. Squirrel Girl joined in but her voice was rather off. Unlike her human friends, she did not possess a singing voice. While the girls’ songs rang out in the van, they went rolling into the lovely hills of the country. 

Once at the winery, Squirrel Girl was in her element. There were plenty of trees and lush grass carpeting the ground. After enough wine was drunk, she laid on the grass. The heavy lunch of empanadas was the culprit. Squirrel Girl became drowsy.  A kindly lady passed and giggled. She had never seen Squirrel Girl lying on the grass before. It was “splendor in the grass” for Squirrel Girl. The sky was blissfully blue and the weather was seductively warm. It was summer, and it was the year when the cicadas were to fly in the air in drones. The air was already full of the music of the cicadas. 

Squirrel Girl knew she would miss Café Bravo’s bluntly honest comments. What Café Bravo said, it was what it was.

Instead of the, “The day is rather blustery.”

“It’s stinking cold!” would be Café Bravo’s comment.

Café Bravo was not known to condiment her words. She liked it plain and shockingly bare. However, she was not known for being unkind. Au contraire, she was sweet. If you looked like a troll, she kept her silence—thankfully.

When Café Bravo saw Squirrel Girl, she did not exclaim, “Your furry ears are funny-looking!”

Café Bravo did not point out that Squirrel Girl looked different. To Café Bravo, she was just Squirrel Girl, which made her glad for she thought her furry ears were rather charming. 

Truly, her friends would miss Café Bravo. To see her off across the sea made it feel as if they may not see her again, and a feeling of sadness blended with joy. Once she settled in England, Café Bravo would not be labelled as a “Yank.” She would become a Brit. 

Her friends teased Café Bravo and said, “You will become an émigré.”

Squirrel Girl hoped a tea setting would await her when she manage to visit Café Bravo. Of course, Wind would follow. It would be a different adventure. Wind would enjoy a change of environment. Blowing on a nicely manicured lawn while sniffing the clotted cream on the scones may be a welcome change. Squirrel Girl adored scones and coffee. She was a coffee addict like Café Bravo. But who can say? Perchance Café Bravo may learn to like tea with two lumps of sugar.

Instead of shedding squirrel tears, Squirrel Girl widened her smile. She wished happiness would chase after Café Bravo across the sea.