Chapter Seven: An Unfriendly Face
This story is rated blue star and suitable for all ages
“What the heck is wrong with you two?” Mart demanded as the door slammed behind Honey.
“I don’t know what we were thinking,” Jim replied, his expression puzzled. “We are in so much trouble.”
“I know,” Brian said. “My mouth just started moving and words were coming out…”
“Don’t do that,” Mart said, shaking his head. “It doesn’t work for you.”
“He’s right about that,” Dan laughed, nodding towards their damp, dishevelled state. “You two look like you’ve taken a shower in your clothes—especially you, Brian.”
“Well, it could have been worse,” Diana observed. She was more than a little surprised by the behaviour of the two oldest Bob-Whites.
“It could have?” Brian returned raising his dark brows doubtfully.
Di nodded and her lips twitched. “I almost brought cranberry juice.”
Trixie was laughing so hard that tears were streaming down her face. “I can’t believe you actually threw a jug of water all over your beloved brother Jim and your precious Brian.”
“He’s not my—” Honey began, wondering how her friend had gone from furious to elated in such a short amount of time.
Trixie hadn’t gone all that far from the clubhouse because, in spite of her anger, she knew they still had a lot to get through.
“Well, I wish I’d seen it,” Trixie said, reaching over to give Honey a hug. “I’ll bet their expressions were priceless. Anyway, I feel a lot better than I did when I ran out of there.”
“I can see that,” Honey said, her brow furrowing. “But Trixie, I feel terrible. I’ve never done anything like that before in my life!”
“Then it was about time,” Trixie said as she sank down onto a nearby fallen tree, still chuckling. “I don’t know why I let them get to me. I guess I’m used to Mart, teasing, but when it’s Brian and Jim,” she paused, thinking, Especially Jim, before continuing, “it’s not that easy to ignore.”
“They had no right to behave like that,” Honey said, as much to reassure herself as Trixie, dropping down beside her friend. She expected a little more from the two eldest Bob-Whites as well.
Trixie shrugged. “It’s not the first time and I guess it won’t be the last time either, and I really wasn’t trying to say that I thought the robbers were going to turn up on our doorstep, I just wanted everyone to know, in case…”
Honey nodded vehemently. “I know exactly what you were trying to do.”
A noise behind them made both girls turn.
“Is it safe to approach?” Jim called. He was standing behind a large spruce tree, several yards away, while Brian waited close by, eyeing both girls warily.
Trixie and Honey exchanged glances and shrugged. “I guess so,” Trixie said, and the two boys slowly made their way over to where they were sitting.
“We are so sorry, Trix,” Jim said, his face contrite. “We really didn’t mean to upset you. It was horrible of us.”
“He’s right, and I’m especially sorry that I upset you so much,” Brian added, with an apologetic nod to Honey.
Trixie laughed. “Why do I think that has a whole lot more to do with the dripping wet hair that’s plastered to your forehead than anything else?” Trixie couldn’t help but notice that Brian had come out of the incident considerably wetter than his friend.
“Because no matter how much we tease you, you really are a pretty good detective,” her brother replied, his expression appeasing.
“And we both have every reason to be grateful to your instincts,” Jim said sincerely as he took a seat on the other side of Trixie.
In spite of herself, she smiled at him as he slid an arm across her shoulders.
Brian dropped down onto one knee and held his hand out to Honey. “Are we forgiven?”
“Maybe, though I’m still mad about the dog thing,” Honey said, but she took his hand anyway.
Trixie’s eyes revealed her confusion and a grinning Jim patted her shoulder. “I wouldn’t worry about it,” he said.
“I didn’t mean, you know I wasn’t calling either one of you—” Brian broke off. “Have a heart, Honey, I know it was a dumb thing to say, and you were really smart to pick up on it so quickly.”
Trixie just shook her head. “I have no idea what you’re talking about but I can promise you and Jim we’re not about to run off searching for missing money, and we won’t see ex-bank robbers around every corner, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be aware of what’s going on around us,” she finished, keeping her tone even and professional.
“Good point,” Jim said, tugging on that sandy curl that seemed almost to be his, in a gesture he knew she found comforting.
“Are you both, okay?” Honey asked, still feeling slightly guilty about her earlier display of temper. Both young men’s shirts were more than a little damp and Brian’s black hair was still soaking wet.
“We’re fine,” Brian said, not wanting to tell her how much her uncharacteristic outburst had unsettled them. He grinned at her instead, before adding, “Thanks to Di.”
“Di?” Honey frowned, puzzled.
“Apparently, she had planned on bringing cranberry juice.” Brian glanced down at his soggy pale grey t-shirt. “My guess is that would have made this situation a whole lot worse.”
They all laughed at that and together headed back to the clubhouse.
Monday morning saw all of the Beldens up early and ready to meet their fellow Bob-Whites for the trip to school, well before their usual time. With all the extra work they had to do they had agreed to drive rather than take the bus from now until the show was finished. Trixie glanced back over her shoulder at the chaos that reigned in her room and slammed the door with a sigh. Well, she couldn’t be expected to do everything, could she? She wrinkled her nose; with a bit of luck her mother would be way too busy to even look in her room, and if not…it certainly wouldn’t be the first time she’d had to listen to a lecture after school. She and Bobby and Mart all needed to be reminded about their responsibilities occasionally, and she often wondered how Brian managed to fit everything in.
His behaviour the day before had almost been as out of character as Honey’s. The older he became, the less he teased her and he was always especially nice to Honey. Trixie grinned as she recalled her mother’s reaction to Brian’s abashed explanation for his slightly dishevelled state when they’d arrived home. He’d offered to take Trixie’s turn to set the table, once he’d changed, saying that he’d teased her unfairly. When he made it clear that it was Honey and not his more quick tempered sister who was responsible for his appearance, Helen Belden had laughed outright saying that they all took Honey’s good nature for granted. Brian, of course, had promptly agreed.
Even though he’d hurt her feelings, Trixie was almost relieved to see some cracks; near perfect brothers were difficult to live with. Her mother had gently reminded her that both her brother and Jim were facing big changes in their lives and that this might be affecting them more than they realised. However, generally speaking, Brian seemed to study constantly, do all his chores, spend time with Bobby, help her and Honey with their homework, and still keep his temper and his room neat and tidy.
As if to underscore the mental comparison she was making, her eldest brother exited his room across the hall, quietly. His wavy hair was neatly combed, his dark blue shirt was pressed, and his books carefully stowed in a backpack.
“Ready, Trix?” he asked with just the faintest hint of doubt in his voice. Trixie knew her own curls were more unruly than ever, that her sweater, which she’d had to search for through a pile of discarded clothing, was slightly wrinkled and that her papers and books were in danger of sliding to the floor in an even more disorganised heap.
“Are you sure we’re related?” she asked.
“Reasonably,” he returned with a grin.
Trixie shook her head and looking from herself to her brother smiled ruefully. “Sometimes I think it would have made more sense if Honey were your sister.”
“Not to me,” Brian observed dryly.
“I guess you have a point,” Trixie laughed, seeing the faint colour that suffused his face. “So we’re stuck with one another then.”
“Looks like it, doesn’t it?” he nodded towards the stairs and she led the way, still giggling.
There weren’t all that many students at school when they arrived, but as they went through their plans in the cafeteria, Trixie was pleased to see Nick Roberts hurrying over to them.
They all greeted the pleasant young man, and he nodded to the group before turning to face his fellow art student, Diana.
“Tell me what you think?” he asked, handing her a folder.
Di eagerly withdrew the contents and spread them across the table for all to see. Nick had prepared three different poster designs. They all incorporated both the venue and date information, and each was exquisitely drawn and very professional looking.
“How did you know all that? Trixie asked, intrigued.
“Di called me yesterday, we talked through some ideas and I got right on it.” Nick replied.
“That was smart,” Mart said and the others nodded, causing Di to flush with pleasure, as they continued to examine the young man’s work.
“Which one do you prefer?” Nick asked the admiring Bob-Whites
They all pointed simultaneously, and the gathered teenagers all burst out laughing when they realised that Trixie and Honey had chosen one design, Mart and Di another and that Jim and Brian’s fingers were aimed at the third.
Nick shook his head. “I guess it’s up to you, then,” he addressed Dan who, for some reason, had hesitated before choosing.
Dan grinned. “Oh, the pressure—the pressure, and the power,” he said with an exaggerated shudder. He studied each poster in turn, taking his time while the others waited impatiently. Finally, he nodded and selected the poster Mart and Di had chosen.
“Good,” Nick said. “If one of you wants to come with me, we can get some run off in the newspaper office. I checked with the editor over the weekend and he said he’d be in early this morning.”
“Gee, Nick that’s terrific.” Trixie beamed at him. “That’s a huge help. We can get them up today, which is great.”
Nick shrugged but looked pleased. “I’m just glad I can do something, I’ve also designed some tickets.” He held out a couple of sketches.
“That’s fantastic,” Honey said, pushing her bangs back from her forehead, a slight frown marring her usually smooth brow. “How many seats are in the theatre anyway?”
Jim, Trixie, Dan and Brian all exchanged looks then burst out laughing.
“A small detail we’ve overlooked, “ Jim said shaking his head. “Good pick up, little sister.”
“More like better late than never,” Honey said. “I can’t believe we’ve checked on so many small details and completely ignored the most obvious thing of all.”
Trixie wrinkled her nose. “We were bound to forget at least one thing,” she said and they all laughed again.
“I think Di and I could take care of that in art today, provided you get us the numbers,” Nick said with a grin.
“That would be fabulous,” Di said, violet eyes shining. Both she and Mart pushed back their chairs. “We’ll come with you now,” she offered. Nick nodded and, waving the others’ thanks away, left with the two Bob-Whites.
After some discussion, a slightly nervous Trixie made an announcement over the school PA system before classes officially began, advising students that they could sign up for the benefit at lunch time in the school hall. She added that posters were being placed around the school and Sleepyside in general.
At twelve-thirty, Trixie and Jim were waiting for Honey to join them in the school auditorium. The other Bob-Whites had volunteered to put posters up around the school, and Brian had driven to the other side of town to place some there.
“I really am sorry about yesterday, Trix,” Jim said, taking one of her hands in his. “I don’t know what came over me.”
Trixie shrugged, Jim had already apologised twice, but her blue eyes twinkled slightly as she replied. “Moms says you and Brian are starting to go through separation anxiety.”
“Does she?” Jim’s own eyes twinkled too. “I guess she might have a point, Brian and I will miss the rest of the Bob-Whites when we go off to college.”
Trixie nodded. “And your families as well.”
“Mm,” Jim agreed. “A couple of girl detectives may be especially hard to be away from.”
Trixie smiled and looked up to see Honey hurrying into the room.
“I thought I might miss something,” she said as she sank down beside them. “Where is everyone?”
“Nobody’s here yet, sis,” Jim said indulgently. “Give them a chance.”
“Hopefully they’ll arrive any minute,” Trixie added.
“I’m not even going to think about what will happen if no-one else signs up,” Honey said fervently.
Trixie paled slightly at this, but Jim just grinned.
“I mean imagine, if it was only us and a couple of people from the country club.” Honey shuddered. “Or if people wanted to do crazy things like singing through their nose, or playing pots and pans, or standing on one leg.”
“Standing on one leg?” Jim queried doubtfully. “I thought you weren’t going to think about it,” he added, hooking a brow in his sister’s direction.
Honey nodded and looked vaguely ashamed. “I can’t even keep my promises to myself. What does that say?” she said, and the others both laughed.
Half-an-hour later, when the bell rang to signal that afternoon classes were about to start, she realised she need not have worried.
“Seven entrants,” Trixie said, taking the register sheet from Jim. “That’s a really great start.”
“It’s a good variety too,” Honey added. “We have a classical quartet, a ballet dancer, a comedian, a song and dance routine, plus a juggler and a couple of poem recitals.”
Jim started gathering his things together. “It all looks great, but we’d better get to class. We can’t afford detention at the moment.”
“Actually, I think I’d rather have detention than spend the next hour in remedial math,” Trixie said, frowning.
“It’s just algebra and it’s not remedial, it’s preparing you for applied mathematics,” Jim said with a grin.
“I agree with Trixie,” Honey said. “An hour of advanced algebra is bad enough, but Mitch Taylor too.” She wrinkled her nose. “He’s been so nasty about the benefit”
“I know he’s a pain,” Jim admitted, “but just ignore him.’
Trixie raised her sandy brows. “You ignore him. I’ll just try not to smack him in the head.”
“Now that will definitely land you in detention,” Jim laughed.
“I don’t see how you can know so much about it,” Trixie noted glumly. “You never end up in detention.”
“Because I concentrate on my studies, control my much maligned and imagined red-headed temper, and…” Jim pointed to his watch as he pushed back his chair.
The two girls grinned at one another and hastily grabbed their own things. The three hurried out of the auditorium.
At the end of the school day, the seven Bob-Whites met beside the station wagon to compare notes. The others were impressed when Trixie filled them in on their progress.
“You know we need to start working out approximately how many acts, how long to allow for each act, how long for intros, changeovers, the whole thing,” Mart said.
“Sounds like the perfect job for you,” Trixie said.
“You and Jim are hosting the shebang,” Mart responded. “Don’t you think you should do some of the actual organising?”
“If Trix, Jim and Honey have offered to man the registration booth for the next couple of days and go to the theatre on Friday night or Saturday to handle the previews of the acts, then I imagine you, being so talented, should be able to use your not-inconsiderable skill to take care of the scheduling, or at least a form to put the schedule in.” Brian fixed his brother with a pointed smile.
“I’ll help,” Di said quickly, and the others smiled, knowing that Mart would agree now.
“Having appealed to both my vanity and my personal preferences, I can do little else but capitulate,” he said with a sigh.
“He couldn’t just say yes in the first place?” Trixie rolled her eyes.
“Already I have slaved over computer programmes, assisted with pre-register details at the country club, worked with the delightful Miss Lynch on her speech selection, spent my entire lunchtime getting our message out,” Mart paused to draw breath.
“And invested even more time complaining about it,” Brian said with a laugh.
The other Bob-Whites joined in, though Di gave Mart’s arm a comforting squeeze.
“You’ve done a great job, Mart,” Honey added.
“He does have his uses,” Trixie conceded, winning a grin from her middle brother.
“So, can we cruise by the theatre now?” Dan wanted to know. “I’m dying to take a look.”
“Me, too,” Di said
“Okay, I confess I can’t wait to see it either,” Brian admitted. “I guess we’ve got time to drop by, don’t we?” He looked from Jim to Trixie and Honey. The girls nodded and Jim waved the car keys with a grin.
A few minutes later, Jim pulled into a car spot opposite the new theatre, and they eagerly dashed across the street. Trixie fumbled a little with the unfamiliar lock, but in no time at all the Bob-Whites were standing the foyer of the Sleepyside Arts and Cultural Centre.
“I thought Mr. Saunders said all the carpets and walls would be covered for the painting,” Trixie said with a quick glance at Honey and Jim.
“Maybe they’re doing it in stages,” Honey suggested.
Brian, Dan and Di took in the building’s gracious proportions, and the latter gently rubbed the plush pile of the deep red carpet. “This is gorgeous,” she said.
Dan nodded his agreement. “If the rest of the place is like this, wow.”
“We can set up refreshments over here,” Honey said, indicating a bar nestled along one wall.
“Do we have to take care of that as well?” Trixie’s face said it all.
Honey laughed. “I don’t think we’ll actually have time on the night. We can probably help get things ready, but Cook and Celia both told me this morning that they’d be happy to prepare some food.”
“And I’m sure it will be the same at our house,” Di added.
“We might even talk to local bakeries and café owners,” Brian said slowly. “This is the sort of thing that gets communities working together.”
“That’s a really good idea,” Mart said, sounding surprised.
“I do occasionally have them,” Brian returned, lifting his brows, “and just to prove it to you, I’ll contact the businesses if you like.”
“That would be wonderful,” Honey said, smiling warmly at him.
Trixie nodded, relieved. Sometimes adults found her scrambled explanations difficult to follow. Brian, on the other hand, always appeared mature and steady. “Let’s go through into the theatre,” she said, dashing ahead of her friends. “Then you can have a look backstage.” She raised her hand to the double entry doors when they were suddenly wrenched open.
Gray eyes flashed angrily at her and an unshaven man in his thirties barked, “Who are you and what do you want?”
BSM:MAIN NEXT
Thanks as always go to the divine Dana, who had to deal with the fact that when I wrote this my errors were even more plentiful. hugs also to those who read and comment, old Jixsters and new. You really throw some light into my world. Trixie Belden et al belong to Random House and not to me. No profit is being made from these scribblings.
“I don’t know what we were thinking,” Jim replied, his expression puzzled. “We are in so much trouble.”
“I know,” Brian said. “My mouth just started moving and words were coming out…”
“Don’t do that,” Mart said, shaking his head. “It doesn’t work for you.”
“He’s right about that,” Dan laughed, nodding towards their damp, dishevelled state. “You two look like you’ve taken a shower in your clothes—especially you, Brian.”
“Well, it could have been worse,” Diana observed. She was more than a little surprised by the behaviour of the two oldest Bob-Whites.
“It could have?” Brian returned raising his dark brows doubtfully.
Di nodded and her lips twitched. “I almost brought cranberry juice.”
Trixie was laughing so hard that tears were streaming down her face. “I can’t believe you actually threw a jug of water all over your beloved brother Jim and your precious Brian.”
“He’s not my—” Honey began, wondering how her friend had gone from furious to elated in such a short amount of time.
Trixie hadn’t gone all that far from the clubhouse because, in spite of her anger, she knew they still had a lot to get through.
“Well, I wish I’d seen it,” Trixie said, reaching over to give Honey a hug. “I’ll bet their expressions were priceless. Anyway, I feel a lot better than I did when I ran out of there.”
“I can see that,” Honey said, her brow furrowing. “But Trixie, I feel terrible. I’ve never done anything like that before in my life!”
“Then it was about time,” Trixie said as she sank down onto a nearby fallen tree, still chuckling. “I don’t know why I let them get to me. I guess I’m used to Mart, teasing, but when it’s Brian and Jim,” she paused, thinking, Especially Jim, before continuing, “it’s not that easy to ignore.”
“They had no right to behave like that,” Honey said, as much to reassure herself as Trixie, dropping down beside her friend. She expected a little more from the two eldest Bob-Whites as well.
Trixie shrugged. “It’s not the first time and I guess it won’t be the last time either, and I really wasn’t trying to say that I thought the robbers were going to turn up on our doorstep, I just wanted everyone to know, in case…”
Honey nodded vehemently. “I know exactly what you were trying to do.”
A noise behind them made both girls turn.
“Is it safe to approach?” Jim called. He was standing behind a large spruce tree, several yards away, while Brian waited close by, eyeing both girls warily.
Trixie and Honey exchanged glances and shrugged. “I guess so,” Trixie said, and the two boys slowly made their way over to where they were sitting.
“We are so sorry, Trix,” Jim said, his face contrite. “We really didn’t mean to upset you. It was horrible of us.”
“He’s right, and I’m especially sorry that I upset you so much,” Brian added, with an apologetic nod to Honey.
Trixie laughed. “Why do I think that has a whole lot more to do with the dripping wet hair that’s plastered to your forehead than anything else?” Trixie couldn’t help but notice that Brian had come out of the incident considerably wetter than his friend.
“Because no matter how much we tease you, you really are a pretty good detective,” her brother replied, his expression appeasing.
“And we both have every reason to be grateful to your instincts,” Jim said sincerely as he took a seat on the other side of Trixie.
In spite of herself, she smiled at him as he slid an arm across her shoulders.
Brian dropped down onto one knee and held his hand out to Honey. “Are we forgiven?”
“Maybe, though I’m still mad about the dog thing,” Honey said, but she took his hand anyway.
Trixie’s eyes revealed her confusion and a grinning Jim patted her shoulder. “I wouldn’t worry about it,” he said.
“I didn’t mean, you know I wasn’t calling either one of you—” Brian broke off. “Have a heart, Honey, I know it was a dumb thing to say, and you were really smart to pick up on it so quickly.”
Trixie just shook her head. “I have no idea what you’re talking about but I can promise you and Jim we’re not about to run off searching for missing money, and we won’t see ex-bank robbers around every corner, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be aware of what’s going on around us,” she finished, keeping her tone even and professional.
“Good point,” Jim said, tugging on that sandy curl that seemed almost to be his, in a gesture he knew she found comforting.
“Are you both, okay?” Honey asked, still feeling slightly guilty about her earlier display of temper. Both young men’s shirts were more than a little damp and Brian’s black hair was still soaking wet.
“We’re fine,” Brian said, not wanting to tell her how much her uncharacteristic outburst had unsettled them. He grinned at her instead, before adding, “Thanks to Di.”
“Di?” Honey frowned, puzzled.
“Apparently, she had planned on bringing cranberry juice.” Brian glanced down at his soggy pale grey t-shirt. “My guess is that would have made this situation a whole lot worse.”
They all laughed at that and together headed back to the clubhouse.
Monday morning saw all of the Beldens up early and ready to meet their fellow Bob-Whites for the trip to school, well before their usual time. With all the extra work they had to do they had agreed to drive rather than take the bus from now until the show was finished. Trixie glanced back over her shoulder at the chaos that reigned in her room and slammed the door with a sigh. Well, she couldn’t be expected to do everything, could she? She wrinkled her nose; with a bit of luck her mother would be way too busy to even look in her room, and if not…it certainly wouldn’t be the first time she’d had to listen to a lecture after school. She and Bobby and Mart all needed to be reminded about their responsibilities occasionally, and she often wondered how Brian managed to fit everything in.
His behaviour the day before had almost been as out of character as Honey’s. The older he became, the less he teased her and he was always especially nice to Honey. Trixie grinned as she recalled her mother’s reaction to Brian’s abashed explanation for his slightly dishevelled state when they’d arrived home. He’d offered to take Trixie’s turn to set the table, once he’d changed, saying that he’d teased her unfairly. When he made it clear that it was Honey and not his more quick tempered sister who was responsible for his appearance, Helen Belden had laughed outright saying that they all took Honey’s good nature for granted. Brian, of course, had promptly agreed.
Even though he’d hurt her feelings, Trixie was almost relieved to see some cracks; near perfect brothers were difficult to live with. Her mother had gently reminded her that both her brother and Jim were facing big changes in their lives and that this might be affecting them more than they realised. However, generally speaking, Brian seemed to study constantly, do all his chores, spend time with Bobby, help her and Honey with their homework, and still keep his temper and his room neat and tidy.
As if to underscore the mental comparison she was making, her eldest brother exited his room across the hall, quietly. His wavy hair was neatly combed, his dark blue shirt was pressed, and his books carefully stowed in a backpack.
“Ready, Trix?” he asked with just the faintest hint of doubt in his voice. Trixie knew her own curls were more unruly than ever, that her sweater, which she’d had to search for through a pile of discarded clothing, was slightly wrinkled and that her papers and books were in danger of sliding to the floor in an even more disorganised heap.
“Are you sure we’re related?” she asked.
“Reasonably,” he returned with a grin.
Trixie shook her head and looking from herself to her brother smiled ruefully. “Sometimes I think it would have made more sense if Honey were your sister.”
“Not to me,” Brian observed dryly.
“I guess you have a point,” Trixie laughed, seeing the faint colour that suffused his face. “So we’re stuck with one another then.”
“Looks like it, doesn’t it?” he nodded towards the stairs and she led the way, still giggling.
There weren’t all that many students at school when they arrived, but as they went through their plans in the cafeteria, Trixie was pleased to see Nick Roberts hurrying over to them.
They all greeted the pleasant young man, and he nodded to the group before turning to face his fellow art student, Diana.
“Tell me what you think?” he asked, handing her a folder.
Di eagerly withdrew the contents and spread them across the table for all to see. Nick had prepared three different poster designs. They all incorporated both the venue and date information, and each was exquisitely drawn and very professional looking.
“How did you know all that? Trixie asked, intrigued.
“Di called me yesterday, we talked through some ideas and I got right on it.” Nick replied.
“That was smart,” Mart said and the others nodded, causing Di to flush with pleasure, as they continued to examine the young man’s work.
“Which one do you prefer?” Nick asked the admiring Bob-Whites
They all pointed simultaneously, and the gathered teenagers all burst out laughing when they realised that Trixie and Honey had chosen one design, Mart and Di another and that Jim and Brian’s fingers were aimed at the third.
Nick shook his head. “I guess it’s up to you, then,” he addressed Dan who, for some reason, had hesitated before choosing.
Dan grinned. “Oh, the pressure—the pressure, and the power,” he said with an exaggerated shudder. He studied each poster in turn, taking his time while the others waited impatiently. Finally, he nodded and selected the poster Mart and Di had chosen.
“Good,” Nick said. “If one of you wants to come with me, we can get some run off in the newspaper office. I checked with the editor over the weekend and he said he’d be in early this morning.”
“Gee, Nick that’s terrific.” Trixie beamed at him. “That’s a huge help. We can get them up today, which is great.”
Nick shrugged but looked pleased. “I’m just glad I can do something, I’ve also designed some tickets.” He held out a couple of sketches.
“That’s fantastic,” Honey said, pushing her bangs back from her forehead, a slight frown marring her usually smooth brow. “How many seats are in the theatre anyway?”
Jim, Trixie, Dan and Brian all exchanged looks then burst out laughing.
“A small detail we’ve overlooked, “ Jim said shaking his head. “Good pick up, little sister.”
“More like better late than never,” Honey said. “I can’t believe we’ve checked on so many small details and completely ignored the most obvious thing of all.”
Trixie wrinkled her nose. “We were bound to forget at least one thing,” she said and they all laughed again.
“I think Di and I could take care of that in art today, provided you get us the numbers,” Nick said with a grin.
“That would be fabulous,” Di said, violet eyes shining. Both she and Mart pushed back their chairs. “We’ll come with you now,” she offered. Nick nodded and, waving the others’ thanks away, left with the two Bob-Whites.
After some discussion, a slightly nervous Trixie made an announcement over the school PA system before classes officially began, advising students that they could sign up for the benefit at lunch time in the school hall. She added that posters were being placed around the school and Sleepyside in general.
At twelve-thirty, Trixie and Jim were waiting for Honey to join them in the school auditorium. The other Bob-Whites had volunteered to put posters up around the school, and Brian had driven to the other side of town to place some there.
“I really am sorry about yesterday, Trix,” Jim said, taking one of her hands in his. “I don’t know what came over me.”
Trixie shrugged, Jim had already apologised twice, but her blue eyes twinkled slightly as she replied. “Moms says you and Brian are starting to go through separation anxiety.”
“Does she?” Jim’s own eyes twinkled too. “I guess she might have a point, Brian and I will miss the rest of the Bob-Whites when we go off to college.”
Trixie nodded. “And your families as well.”
“Mm,” Jim agreed. “A couple of girl detectives may be especially hard to be away from.”
Trixie smiled and looked up to see Honey hurrying into the room.
“I thought I might miss something,” she said as she sank down beside them. “Where is everyone?”
“Nobody’s here yet, sis,” Jim said indulgently. “Give them a chance.”
“Hopefully they’ll arrive any minute,” Trixie added.
“I’m not even going to think about what will happen if no-one else signs up,” Honey said fervently.
Trixie paled slightly at this, but Jim just grinned.
“I mean imagine, if it was only us and a couple of people from the country club.” Honey shuddered. “Or if people wanted to do crazy things like singing through their nose, or playing pots and pans, or standing on one leg.”
“Standing on one leg?” Jim queried doubtfully. “I thought you weren’t going to think about it,” he added, hooking a brow in his sister’s direction.
Honey nodded and looked vaguely ashamed. “I can’t even keep my promises to myself. What does that say?” she said, and the others both laughed.
Half-an-hour later, when the bell rang to signal that afternoon classes were about to start, she realised she need not have worried.
“Seven entrants,” Trixie said, taking the register sheet from Jim. “That’s a really great start.”
“It’s a good variety too,” Honey added. “We have a classical quartet, a ballet dancer, a comedian, a song and dance routine, plus a juggler and a couple of poem recitals.”
Jim started gathering his things together. “It all looks great, but we’d better get to class. We can’t afford detention at the moment.”
“Actually, I think I’d rather have detention than spend the next hour in remedial math,” Trixie said, frowning.
“It’s just algebra and it’s not remedial, it’s preparing you for applied mathematics,” Jim said with a grin.
“I agree with Trixie,” Honey said. “An hour of advanced algebra is bad enough, but Mitch Taylor too.” She wrinkled her nose. “He’s been so nasty about the benefit”
“I know he’s a pain,” Jim admitted, “but just ignore him.’
Trixie raised her sandy brows. “You ignore him. I’ll just try not to smack him in the head.”
“Now that will definitely land you in detention,” Jim laughed.
“I don’t see how you can know so much about it,” Trixie noted glumly. “You never end up in detention.”
“Because I concentrate on my studies, control my much maligned and imagined red-headed temper, and…” Jim pointed to his watch as he pushed back his chair.
The two girls grinned at one another and hastily grabbed their own things. The three hurried out of the auditorium.
At the end of the school day, the seven Bob-Whites met beside the station wagon to compare notes. The others were impressed when Trixie filled them in on their progress.
“You know we need to start working out approximately how many acts, how long to allow for each act, how long for intros, changeovers, the whole thing,” Mart said.
“Sounds like the perfect job for you,” Trixie said.
“You and Jim are hosting the shebang,” Mart responded. “Don’t you think you should do some of the actual organising?”
“If Trix, Jim and Honey have offered to man the registration booth for the next couple of days and go to the theatre on Friday night or Saturday to handle the previews of the acts, then I imagine you, being so talented, should be able to use your not-inconsiderable skill to take care of the scheduling, or at least a form to put the schedule in.” Brian fixed his brother with a pointed smile.
“I’ll help,” Di said quickly, and the others smiled, knowing that Mart would agree now.
“Having appealed to both my vanity and my personal preferences, I can do little else but capitulate,” he said with a sigh.
“He couldn’t just say yes in the first place?” Trixie rolled her eyes.
“Already I have slaved over computer programmes, assisted with pre-register details at the country club, worked with the delightful Miss Lynch on her speech selection, spent my entire lunchtime getting our message out,” Mart paused to draw breath.
“And invested even more time complaining about it,” Brian said with a laugh.
The other Bob-Whites joined in, though Di gave Mart’s arm a comforting squeeze.
“You’ve done a great job, Mart,” Honey added.
“He does have his uses,” Trixie conceded, winning a grin from her middle brother.
“So, can we cruise by the theatre now?” Dan wanted to know. “I’m dying to take a look.”
“Me, too,” Di said
“Okay, I confess I can’t wait to see it either,” Brian admitted. “I guess we’ve got time to drop by, don’t we?” He looked from Jim to Trixie and Honey. The girls nodded and Jim waved the car keys with a grin.
A few minutes later, Jim pulled into a car spot opposite the new theatre, and they eagerly dashed across the street. Trixie fumbled a little with the unfamiliar lock, but in no time at all the Bob-Whites were standing the foyer of the Sleepyside Arts and Cultural Centre.
“I thought Mr. Saunders said all the carpets and walls would be covered for the painting,” Trixie said with a quick glance at Honey and Jim.
“Maybe they’re doing it in stages,” Honey suggested.
Brian, Dan and Di took in the building’s gracious proportions, and the latter gently rubbed the plush pile of the deep red carpet. “This is gorgeous,” she said.
Dan nodded his agreement. “If the rest of the place is like this, wow.”
“We can set up refreshments over here,” Honey said, indicating a bar nestled along one wall.
“Do we have to take care of that as well?” Trixie’s face said it all.
Honey laughed. “I don’t think we’ll actually have time on the night. We can probably help get things ready, but Cook and Celia both told me this morning that they’d be happy to prepare some food.”
“And I’m sure it will be the same at our house,” Di added.
“We might even talk to local bakeries and café owners,” Brian said slowly. “This is the sort of thing that gets communities working together.”
“That’s a really good idea,” Mart said, sounding surprised.
“I do occasionally have them,” Brian returned, lifting his brows, “and just to prove it to you, I’ll contact the businesses if you like.”
“That would be wonderful,” Honey said, smiling warmly at him.
Trixie nodded, relieved. Sometimes adults found her scrambled explanations difficult to follow. Brian, on the other hand, always appeared mature and steady. “Let’s go through into the theatre,” she said, dashing ahead of her friends. “Then you can have a look backstage.” She raised her hand to the double entry doors when they were suddenly wrenched open.
Gray eyes flashed angrily at her and an unshaven man in his thirties barked, “Who are you and what do you want?”
BSM:MAIN NEXT
Thanks as always go to the divine Dana, who had to deal with the fact that when I wrote this my errors were even more plentiful. hugs also to those who read and comment, old Jixsters and new. You really throw some light into my world. Trixie Belden et al belong to Random House and not to me. No profit is being made from these scribblings.
