Two And Two Together

Why are you showing your parrot the prawns? asks Minnie.

I was showing him the ham, says Terence.

But the prawns are right next to it, says Minnie. He'll put two and two together.

No he won't, says Terence. He can't even touch them.

Putting two and two together doesn't mean that, says Minnie.

Can I help you? asks the deli assistant.

Two hundred grams of champagne ham, please, says Minnie.

Terence lowers Prawny.

Did you put two and two together? asks Terence.

One and one, says Prawny.

What were they? asks Terence.

One lot had heads, one lot didn't, says Prawny.

You should have just looked at the ham, says Terence.

I know, says Prawny.

Minnie now has her ham and moves on to the cheese section.

What kind of cheese do they like? asks Minnie.

How would I know? asks Terence.

Soft or hard? asks Minnie.

Hard, says Terence. Or soft, maybe.

She buys a large block of cheddar. And a small brie.

Some bread rolls, and a kilo of apples.

What about my drink? asks Terence.

Of course! says Minnie. Choose a drink from the fridge near the checkout.

Woo! They are all sports drinks. Terence chooses a red one.

Minnie pays for her shopping and they exit the Woolworths.

On the way back, Minnie explains putting two and two together.

Putting two and two together means making a conclusion from two bits of information, says Minnie.

Prawny had two bits, says Terence.

What were they? asks Minnie.

Some prawns had heads and some didn't, says Terence.

And what did he conclude? asks Minnie.

Ask him, says Terence.

Minnie asks Prawny.

Prawny doesn't like to say what he concluded in case it is wrong.

What I would have concluded, says Minnie, is that some people like prawns without heads and shells, for convenience, while others enjoy the process of shelling.

Do they? says Prawny.

Yes, but you needn't think about that, says Minnie, Let's keep looking for parrots.

A good suggestion.

And there is one now, poking its head out of a hole in a street tree.

Look, says Minnie. A superb parrot. They're quite common.

Yay! says Terence. We spotted one. Come down, parrot!

The superb parrot had been about to begin a late breakfast of eucalypt flowers, but comes down as requested.

Yes? says the parrot.

Guess who this is? says Terence, holding up Prawny.

Prawny is embarrassed, now he knows what a real parrot looks like.