Alannah didn't comment, but said, "Anya told me that she shot a cigar out of her husband's mouth. Do you suppose that it's true?"
Dominic burst out laughing. "Anya is indeed the best shot on Los Anteas - one of the best I've ever seen, man or woman. And Santiago had it coming to him! I Anya is defenitaly a spitfire of a gal to have around, and I have to admit, Santiago was remarkably calm about it all. He even took the stub of that cigar stub out of his mouth and examined it. The look he gave Anya was the funniest thing, I'll never forget it it was laced with annoyance and something a kin to love. The he said "At sixteen pesos a cigar, I certainly hope that you are not going to make this a habit.'"
"You saw this?"
"I was standing right there, right next to Santiago as a matter of fact. No, Anya does not tell tall tales. She has way too many true stories, all good ones at that, to resort to telling lies."
Alannah sighed. "Well, I've given her a few more, I'm afraid. I didn't want to, but it was so nice being able to talk to someone my own age. She is so easy to talk to as well."
"Am I so hard to talk to?' Dominic asked her in a quiet, yet teasing manner that made her insides turn into a field of butterflies.
"Dominic … you give off mixed signals. One moment I think you like me, and that maybe it could be more, and the next I am in the garden meeting the woman who claims to be your fiance. So yes, Dominic in some ways you are very difficult to talk to. I want to talk to you, I want to tell you everything, I want the feelings that I have right now to be real and to know that you feel the same way about me." Alannah replied slowly, carefully. "You are the first man to have ever seen me naked, you are the first man to have ever seen my scars. There has only been one other man who has known the truth behind my life and I left him in Dalkey. Timothie saw me, one day after father beat me. It was raining and there was blood on my dress, he told me about God. Now there is you and I get so nervous around you, I get butterflies in my stomach everytime I see you. You were the one who came to my rescue, you sat by my side all through my sickness. There are times when I feel that I can talk to you about almost anything, it feels like I have known you all my life. And then yes, because when no matter what I say, I can't say what I want, and when I do it comes out all wrong. I get tongue tied and nervous around you."