Wednesday, August 25, 1999: Belden, Frayne and Mangan apartment "Hey!" Twenty-three year old Trixie Belden burst through the doors of the men's apartment, closely trailed by her cousin, twenty-two year old Hallie Belden, along with their friend and housemate, twenty-three year old Diana Lynch. "Guess what came in our mail today?" Trixie exclaimed, waving the object in question above her head. Her brother, twenty-four year old Mart Belden, had been in the midst of loosening his tie. "Don't you ever knock?" he complained. "The door was unlocked," Trixie retorted. "Who left it unlocked?" Mart asked. He pulled the tie off and threw it in the general direction of the coffee table. "The guilty party would be Jim," twenty-four year old Dan Mangan called from the couch, where he was watching the evening news. "He just ran downstairs to grab our mail." "Jim's home? Good. We can wait until he gets here," Trixie said. She stopped waving the object and stared at it. "Will you at least let us get close enough for a good look at it?" Hallie asked, edging a bit closer to her cousin. To the men, she added, "She's been waving it around for hours." "Minutes," Trixie replied. "We've only been home a few minutes." "Speak for yourself," Diana said. "The mail wasn't even in when I got home today." She leaned over to look at the object in Trixie's hand. "The picture looks a bit like the old lighthouse on Cobbett's Island," she said. "Is it from Pete and Allie?" Before anyone could answer, the door opened and shut. "Hey!" Twenty-five year old Jim Frayne said, surprised. "I didn't expect a full house. I was only gone for five minutes." He walked into the apartment and dumped the mail onto the counter. "Mail call." "Please tell me my last credit card bill isn't there," Mart said. "What did you waste your money on this time?" Trixie asked. "I did not waste my money on anything," Mart told her loftily. "I simply invested in a brand new computer, equipped with..." "Oh, never mind," Trixie cut him off. "We can ooh and ahh over your computer later. Right now I want to read this." "What is it?" Jim asked. He sorted the mail and tossed a pile towards Mart. The other pile landed on the couch near Dan. "It's from Honey and Brian," Trixie replied. "They found the time to write us a postcard while they're on their honeymoon cruise?" Dan asked. This was enough to pique his curiosity. He got up off the couch, abandoning his own stack of mail by the remote, and joined the others. Everyone milled in a ring around the counter, looking at the picturesque postcard. "Apparently," Trixie replied. "Listen." Hi everybody! We're having a fabulous time! It is amazing to wake up and watch the sea! We've met lots of incredibly nice people. There's tons to do, from shows to movies to discos. We don't know where our time goes! Mart: there is more food here than we've ever seen in our lives! Today we stopped at an island and hiked a couple of miles to this lighthouse. Doesn't it remind you of the one on Cobbett's Island? It was a hot day, but the walk was worth it. Everything was so beautiful! Hope everything is well with everyone. Take care and we'll see you soon! Love, Honey & Brian "I'm drooling over the food now," Mart complained. Trixie stared at the card. "They sound like they're having such an incredible time," she said wistfully. "They certainly deserve it," Jim added softly. "I know, they do," Trixie said quietly. She heaved a small sigh. "When did our lives get so boring?" she asked. "Boring?" Jim repeated. "Ennui?" Mart threw in his two cents. "What do you mean?" Diana sounded puzzled. Trixie gestured elaborately towards the postcard. "While we go to work every day and sit at home bored every night, Honey and Brian are having the time of their lives," she said. Dan chuckled. "It's their honeymoon," he reminded her. "They'd be working just as hard as the rest of us otherwise." "That's just bias. You have to be married to have a honeymoon," Trixie complained. "Are we single people not supposed have fun times and take vacations once we're out of school?" "It hardly seems worth it to spend so much money on a vacation when there's nothing to celebrate," Mart said. "Besides, we do have fun, vacation or not," Diana added. "We went down to the metropolitan museum of art last Sunday," Hallie reminded her. "Remember?" "We went to that great new restaurant in the Village," Mart said, rubbing his stomach as he remembered. "We also went to that club for Karaoke. That was lots of fun," Diana added. "Who would have thought people still listen to ABBA?" Trixie drew circles in the air with her fingers. "Honey and Brian get Caribbean cruises, live shows and discos. The rest of us get museums, restaurants and singing. Yay," she said monotonically. Jim chuckled at his girlfriend. "You make it sound like your life is terrible," he said. "Should we be offended?" "No, it's not bad," Trixie reassured him hastily. "It's just..." she trailed off. She glanced over at the television, which had moved onto commercials. "Is this what our lives have become? Adults sitting around watching stupid commercials on beautiful summer nights?" She faced Dan. "What were you planning to do tonight?" she asked. Dan casually reached down and grabbed the television guide off the coffee table. "Manos, The Hands of Fate! is playing," he replied. The other five groaned. "I was kidding," Dan said. "I didn't make any plans." "Okay, fine. Mart?" Trixie asked. Mart tore himself away from the television commercials. "I'm going to install some new software on my computer," he replied. "How thrilling," Trixie groaned. She looked at the others. "Di?" "The usual," Diana admitted. "Writing." It was her dream to be a writer, but she also wanted to maintain her independence from her parents' wealth, which meant working a practical job during the day to pay the bills. Evenings, however, were her writing time. Everyone knew not to interrupt her after eight o'clock, unless she left her room. "Hallie?" Trixie asked. Hallie threw her cousin a sheepish grin. "I'm going to see what Mart is installing on his new computer and take whatever looks good to install on my computer," she replied. "Sure. Use me as a guinea pig," Mart grumbled. "Isn't that what brothers are for?" Hallie asked innocently. "I'm your cousin," Mart reminded her. Hallie appraised him carefully. "Physical appearances deceive, but you act like Cap enough to pass," she declared. The others chuckled. "Jim?" Trixie tried desperately. "I've gotta run a bunch of programs, so I'll have some results by tomorrow to present to the department," Jim admitted. Trixie took a deep breath and let out a dramatic sigh. "Cheer up, cuz," Hallie said. "You can hang out with me and Mart. After we install new software, we can cruise the internet for plug-ins. There's all sorts of things out there." Trixie groaned. "Great. My life has been reduced to sitting in front of the computer, glued to the internet," she said. For someone as excitable as Trixie, it almost seemed a prison sentence. "Is it that bad?" Jim asked. "The internet is a useful place." "The internet can also be a scary place," Diana said. "All those rumors. You never know what's true. I'm glad the twins are savvy enough to be skeptical unlike other teens I've known." "Speaking of which, did you ever find out if that prank was a true story? Or just an urban legend?" Hallie asked. "Which prank?" Dan asked. "Supposedly a register filled an entire class with students whose last names are also animal names," Mart replied. "As a joke." * "Animal names?" Diana asked warily. "You know. Byrd, Fox, Lamb," Mart said. "I'll have to remember that the next time I get stuck on coming up with character last names," Diana replied. Everyone laughed. Trixie continued to stare at the postcard. "Maybe we can all go on a cruise someday? All the bobwhites?" she suggested hopefully. "Sure. When I win the lottery," Dan replied playfully. "You don't play," Hallie said. She knew him better than that even before they had ever dated, and they had been together almost four years. "I've never seen a lotto ticket within five feet of you." "Then it'd be really something if I won, right?" Dan commented. Everyone groaned. "Am I the only one who is slightly restless here?" Trixie asked. "Don't the rest of you want to do something?" Mart playfully ruffled his sister's curls. "Maybe next weekend," he replied. "Do you think you can last that long?" "Actually, I have an idea," Diana said. She glanced around the room. "Mart, you don't really have to install all the software tonight, do you?" she asked. "Could it wait a day?" "I suppose..." Mart began. Diana faced Jim. "And Jim, once you start the program running, you don't have to sit and wait for results. It'll log to a file you can reference later, right?" she asked. "True enough," Jim agreed. Diana smiled broadly. "Great. Let's head over to my parents' after dinner then," she suggested. "Uh, no offense, Di, but visiting your parents isn't exactly my idea of having a life," Trixie replied. Mart glared at her. "Be nice," he said. He looked at his girlfriend somewhat nervously, hoping she was not insulted by his sister's statement, but Diana seemed to take the comment in stride. "I am." Trixie stuck her tongue out at him. "No, silly," Diana said, laughing. "We can go over there to hang out with the mountainhawks. Even though the wedding frenzy has passed, Bobby still spends most of his time there." "That's a great idea!" Hallie said, smiling. "We haven't spent much time with them lately." She raised an eyebrow. "It seems to me they are somewhat allergic to museums." "I hope it's just a phase," Mart said. "I remember feeling that way when I was in high school. But that's a great idea to go see them. I'm sure we can find something to do together." "It has been awhile since we've been over there," Dan admitted. "Kind of ironic given we live in the same town," Jim reflected. "This is exactly why as teenagers we felt so isolated from the rest of our classmates," Trixie said. "Isn't it weird that now we're the townies ignoring everyone outside of town?" She looked more than slightly guilty. "We should go see the mountainhawks." "Meet across the hall after dinner?" Diana asked. Various heads nodded solemnly. Jim glanced curiously at the postcard in his girlfriend's hand. "Why didn't we get a postcard?" he asked, gesturing to the guys. "Because Honey knew it'd be eaten by the hazardous material zone," Trixie replied, gesturing to the messy apartment the three men shared. "Your apartment isn't that much neater," Mart reminded her. "Yes it is," Hallie said. "Or at least we hide our mess better," Diana giggled. "Di!" Trixie and Hallie wailed at once. "You're not suppose to tell the other half!" Hallie added exasperatedly. "The other half?" Dan asked, grinning. Hallie smirked. "You know what we mean," she replied. Mart leaned closer to get a better look at the postcard. "It's probably just as well," he said. "The lighthouse would simply remind me of Cobbett's Island, which would remind me of all the food we had there." He paused. "Is that a picnic basket by the lighthouse?" he asked. The others peered closer. "Probably," Dan replied. "That looks like a bottle of wine sticking out of one corner." "And that could be an egg with its shell peeled," Jim added. "Maybe there are fixings for a clam bake inside," Mart sighed. "I can smell the food right now," he said dreamily. Trixie sniffed. "I smell something, too, but it isn't like food," she said. She turned towards the kitchen. "Or is it?" Five other heads turned to see a pot of something boiling wildly. "Yikes!" Mart shoved past the other adults and raced towards the pot. Donning an oven mitt, he opened the lid and stared at the contents. "Well, at least it's done," he observed wryly. "Do I want to know?" Hallie asked. "I'm out of here," Trixie said. She turned on her heels and left the apartment, closely followed by Hallie. Diana shrugged, not appearing nearly as disturbed by the pot of food her boyfriend hovered over, yet felt slightly out of place now that her housemates had cleared out. "See you in a bit," she said, before she also disappeared across the hall. The three men exchanged looks. "Is it that bad?" Mart asked. "I don't know," Dan said, crossing the room to investigate the pot his friend was stirring. "But that answers one question." "What question?" Jim asked curiously. "A pot of overcooked ramen and I-don't-know-how-old cut up frozen sausages is enough to scare people away!" Dan announced. The men laughed and hi-fived.
Crabapple Farm "Hey, Moms! What's for dinner?" Mrs. Belden held up a hand to silence her youngest child. "Yes, that's true," she said to the person on the other end of the telephone line. "I know, but..." she broke off. "Let me think about it and I'll get back to you. Talk with you soon. Goodbye." Sixteen-year-old Bobby Belden waited patiently until his mother had replaced the receiver, then reiterated a teenage boy's most important question. "Hey, Moms! What's for dinner?" he asked. Mrs. Belden had been sitting on one of the tall stools next to the telephone during the conversation, but now stood. "You've been over at the Lynch's since after lunch. Whatever happened to 'How was your day?'" she asked, an amused look in her eyes. "Sorry, Moms. How was your day?" Bobby asked. "Good, and yours?" Mrs. Belden replied. "The usual," Bobby replied, waving distractedly. "Just enjoying the rest of the summer before they torture us again." Mrs. Belden laughed. "From that explanation, people would think your father and I are sending you to military school, not public school," she said. She looked sympathetic. "Is it really that bad?" "You know they say junior year is the hardest." Bobby looked around the room. "There's nothing cooking," he observed. "Your father called earlier," Mrs. Belden replied. "He needs to stay late at the bank and won't be home for dinner. I thought we could heat up some leftovers since it's just the two of us." Bobby wrinkled his nose. "Couldn't we order pizza?" he asked. Mrs. Belden started to laugh, but then sobered. She looked at the tall blond teenager. "Bobby, if I were to go out for a couple of hours, you could order pizza and fend for yourself, right?" she asked. "Of course I can," Bobby replied, slightly miffed. "I'm sixteen!" "You won't invite anyone over?" Mrs. Belden pursued. Bobby suddenly found his sneakers quite interesting. "Is it okay for the other mountainhawks to come over?" he asked. Mrs. Belden considered the request. Teenagers would be teenagers, but she had to admit the four Lynch siblings were some of the most mature teenagers she knew. She was grateful every day when she heard the news that they were nothing like the adolescents described in the broadcasts. "Just the other mountainhawks?" she asked warily. "Yes," Bobby replied. "No one else? None of your other classmates, like that guy who was here a couple of weeks ago? The one who carries his bug collection with him everywhere?" Mrs. Belden added. Bobby rolled his eyes. "That weirdo was just giving me pointers for all the standardized tests I'm taking this fall," he said. "We're not even friends! Besides, after he accidentally left a butterfly in my room, if I need his help again, I plan to meet him at the library." Mother and son shared a laugh. "It's all right for you and the other mountainhawks to order pizza, then," Mrs. Belden said. "I'll just be up at the Manor House if you need me. Don't hesitate to call, okay?" "Okay, Moms," Bobby said offhandedly. "Don't worry. Everything will be fine. I'm gonna call the others now." Mrs. Belden nodded and disappeared up the stairs. Bobby went over to the telephone and sat down in the seat that his mother had vacated earlier. Instead of sitting up straight the way his mother did, the teenager propped his legs up on the stool next to him. He twisted around long enough to punch in the familiar number, and then leaned back against the cool wall. "Good evening. You have reached the Lynch Estate. How may I direct your call?" the familiar female voice asked. "Bring everyone over. Moms is going out and I'm ordering pizza," Bobby said. He was so pleased that he was allowed to have his closest friends over while his parents were out, he forgot to tease his best friend about answering the phone like a butler. "You are not!" fourteen-year-old Amanda Lynch exclaimed. "I am, too!" Bobby retorted. "Your Moms is letting you?" Amanda demanded. "Yup," Bobby replied, grinning. "She's going to the Manor House and said the mountainhawks can gather here to eat pizza." "Wow," Amanda replied. Bobby rolled his eyes. "What's so wow? Your parents are hardly ever around when I'm over," he reminded her. "Yeah, but they leave all the servants here. They'd never leave us in the house alone," Amanda replied. "Then here's your chance," Bobby said. "Bring everyone over." "Will do. See you in a few," Amanda replied. They hung up the telephone simultaneously. Mrs. Belden came down the stairs. She had changed her clothes and fixed her hair, making her look younger than her almost forty-eight years. "All right, the important telephone numbers are right next to the phone," she said. "Police, fire, doctor..." "Moms," Bobby interrupted. "I know where all the numbers are. It's not like I've never been home alone before." Mrs. Belden nodded solemnly. "Yes, but all the previous times, it was always under half an hour," she said, doubt creeping into her voice. "This time it will be much longer." Bobby shrugged. "The numbers aren't running away,". he said. "Of course not," Mrs. Belden replied. When her son phrased her worries that way, they seemed so silly. "When should Dad and I expect you back?" Bobby asked. "Midnight? One? I could just send Dad over when he gets home." "Very funny, young man," Mrs. Belden said. "I'll be home by ten." Bobby glanced at his watch. "Maybe ten thirty," Mrs. Belden relented. "Okay," Bobby said. "And relax. Everything's going to be fine," he reassured her. His mother worried too much about, well, everything. "And if..." "I know. If anything goes wrong, you're just at the Manor House and we can call," Bobby reiterated. "I got it." "All right," Mrs. Belden replied. She paused momentarily, looking at her sixteen-year-old son. When had he grown from a baby to the young adult he was today? She swallowed. It had to happen eventually. She was not a young woman anymore. Her oldest was married, her other two were in serious relationships, and now her baby... "Moms?" "Yes, Bobby?" Mrs. Belden asked immediately. "Aren't you going to be late?" Bobby asked. "The Wheelers are always prompt about dinner except when it's the cook's night off. And today is Wednesday, not Thursday." Mrs. Belden blinked. "How did you know I was going over there for dinner?" she asked, her surprise reflected in her voice. Bobby chuckled. "You didn't cook dinner, Dad's going to be late, and you're letting me order pizza," he replied. "Come on. The detective genes didn't completely skip over me." I was afraid of that, Mrs. Belden thought to herself. "Relax, Moms," Bobby said. "Everything will be just fine." Mrs. Belden nodded solemnly and headed out the door before she could change her mind. It was one thing for Madeleine Wheeler to point out, over the telephone, that Bobby was a young adult now. It was another matter all together for her to realize it. Bobby watched as his mother left. "At last!" A grin appeared on his face. He stood, went over to the odds-and-ends drawer and opened it to search for pizza coupons. He saw a stack of proof-of-purchase tags and counted them. Darn. Not enough for a free pizza. "Yoo-hoo!" Bobby looked up and grinned as his four closest friends bounded in through the kitchen door. Amanda Lynch, dressed in her normal t-shirt, shorts and sneakers, was in the lead, followed by her twin sister Sandra, who sported a sleeveless blouse, long pleated pants and sandals. Behind the girls were their two brothers, who were the same age and in the same grade as Bobby. Larry, the taller one, had a pen in one hand while Terry, the shorter one was holding a piece of paper, squinting at its contents. Both were in loose tank tops, baggy shorts and sneakers. "Yo. Long time, no see. What's up?" Bobby asked. "Not much," Amanda replied. She glanced at the drawer. "How many proof of purchases?" she asked. The pizza place in downtown Sleepyside had a special that every sixteenth cheese pizza was free; toppings extra. The town's teenagers were quite diligent in collection. "Less than fifteen," Bobby replied, grumbling. "I have money," Terry said, pulling out his wallet. He pulled out a couple of ten dollar bills and waved it in front of the others. Larry took one of the bills from him. "Hey!" Terry objected. "Hey, what? You owe me. I've paid your club dues at the past how many meetings?" Larry reminded his twin. Terry muttered incoherently. "Right," he agreed reluctantly. "We have money," Larry said. "Everybody ante up." "What are we getting?" Sandra asked. "I figured two pizzas would be enough," Bobby replied. He glanced around at his friends. "That sound good?" "Yeah." "Toppings?" Bobby asked. He soon found out the hard way this was the wrong approach to go about ordering pizza. "Mushrooms." "Onions." "Too stringy. Green peppers." "What is this, a vegetarian pizza? I want my meat. Throw me some pepperoni and ham. And some beef and sausage." "I hate sausage!" "How about bacon?" "Real or fake?" "Whoa," Bobby said. "This Tower of Babel business is getting us nowhere." He rummaged through the drawer. "Here's a coupon for one pizza with the works, and one with two toppings." He looked at his friends warily. "Anyone allergic to pizza with the works?" "I'd prefer something else, but I'm never allergic to it," Sandra replied. "I'll just pick off the olives." "I'm not in the mood for so many toppings today," Larry said. He glanced over at his sister. "How about you three get the works while me and Sandy agree on the two toppings one?" "Deal," Terry said, nodding his head. Amanda and Bobby exchanged looks, then also nodded in agreement. "Toppings?" Larry asked. "Mushrooms," Sandra said promptly. "And pepperoni?" Larry hedged. "Done," Sandra replied. She gestured to the others. "See how easy it is to calmly reach an agreement?" "We're just better than them," Larry replied, grinning. "Don't even start," Terry said, grumbling. "All right," Bobby said, glancing at the coupons. "Do we want the two liter of soda for an additional buck?" "What do you have to drink around here?" Amanda asked, going over to the refrigerator. She opened it and stared inside. "Milk." "Somehow milk and pizza just doesn't sound right," Larry said thoughtfully. "I vote for the soda." A chorus of voices agreed. "Okay," Bobby said. "Pick up in your car or delivery?" "Delivery," Amanda said. She shut the refrigerator door. "We, the pizzas and the soda won't all fit comfortably into our car." "Who says we all need to go?" Terry asked. "If we don't all go, you'll eat the pizza during the drive home," Amanda retorted. "Let's just get delivery." "Okay, add taxes and tip," Bobby said. He scribbled some numbers. "Five bucks each. Ante up." He reached for his wallet. Three Lincolns and one Hamilton lay on top of the coupon. ** Larry gave Terry a look that said: You will pay me back. Bobby gathered the money and coupons. He headed to the telephone, picked up the receiver and dialed the familiar number. "Hi, I'd like to place an order for delivery," he said. Larry pulled the sheet of paper from Terry and wrote something. Sandra gracefully slid into the stool closest to the drawer. Amanda rummaged through the opened drawer. Terry looked bored. His eyes wandered over to the radio, but he decided turning it on while Bobby was on the telephone was a bad idea. He figured he would wait until his friend got done placing the order before suggesting they listen to music. Bobby hung up the phone. "It'll be here in about half an hour," he said. "What do we do until then?" he asked. "Play music," Terry said, gesturing to the radio. Bobby shook his head. "If we're going to have music, I want to play my new CDs," he said, standing. "They're up in my room." "You got new CDs?" Amanda asked. A few seconds later, five teenagers were scrambling up the stairs.
Lynch Estate With six people, two cars were needed to get to the Lynch Estate. In an unspoken agreement, Trixie had taken the wheel of the car that the women rode in while Jim had taken the wheel of the car the men rode in. Both cars parked in the Lynch driveway. The men held back and let the women go first, as Diana still had a key. "Hello?" Diana called, opening the door. "Larry? Terry?" The others squeezed past her, leaving the summer night for the lit foyer. "Mandy? Sandy?" She shut the door behind her. "Anybody?" Within seconds, Harrison had entered the foyer. "Good evening, Miss Diana. Your brothers and sisters are dining at Crabapple Farm," he said. "Do you need them to return home?" "No, that's all right," Diana reassured him. It figured the one time the bobwhites came out unannounced, the mountainhawks had gathered at Crabapple Farm instead of at the Lynch Estate! "Are my parents home?" "No, they've gone out to dinner at the country club tonight," Harrison replied. "Would you like me to page them?" "No, thank you," Diana said politely. Harrison looked more than a bit confused. "Is there anything with which I could help you?" he asked. "Not that I can think of at this moment," Diana replied. "But thank you for asking. I'll let you know if we need anything." "Very well," Harrison said. In another moment, he had slipped from the room as easily as he had entered. "We should have called first," Hallie said. "It never occurred to me," Diana admitted. "What do we do now?" Trixie asked. "Well, as much as I'm sure Mart wouldn't object, I'm not up to going to Crabapple Farm," Dan said. "I've already eaten, and I don't need to feel guilty for refusing when Moms offers us food." "There's nothing that says we can't just stay here," Diana said. "They'll probably come back after dessert. The pool table is here, and you know how many hours they can spend at it." "Why don't we take advantage of that now?" Dan suggested. "While we wait for the mountainhawks to return and challenge us to a game?" "All six of us?" Jim asked dubiously. "That's probably pushing it," Trixie said. "I'll sit the first game out if someone will play table tennis with me." She looked at her boyfriend, oblivious of everyone else's smirks. "You're on," Jim replied. "Can the four of us share nicely?" Hallie asked, after Trixie and Jim had left the foyer for the game room. "I'm sure we can, but as long as I'm here, I want to look for some older photo albums," Diana said. "Now that we have a scanner, I'd love to make online photo albums for the bobwhites and mountainhawks." "I'll come with you," Mart said. "I guess that just leaves you and me," Hallie said, looking at Dan uneasily. She had only lived in Sleepyside for a few months; visits had not counted for much, when it came to improving her ability to play pool. "You are so much better than me at this game." "Does it matter?" Dan asked. "Nobody's keeping score." Hallie immediately felt guilty. "You're right," she said. She had spent so much of her life in competition, she sometimes still fell into her old ways. "Besides, you can give me pointers." Diana grinned. "We will be back in a bit," she said. "If the mountainhawks arrive earlier than we do, whistle for us." With that, she and Mart disappeared upstairs. Dan and Hallie slowly wandered into the room with the pool table. "Do you want to break?" he asked. Hallie looked thoughtful. "No, I'll take my chances," she said, heading towards the end with the pool balls and triangle. Dan picked a couple of cues off the wall. "Since we don't know when the mountainhawks will return, I was thinking of stopping by to see Uncle Bill in a bit," he said. "Would you like to come with me?" Hallie looked up, surprised. "Are you sure he would be all right with that?" she asked cautiously. "Why not?" Dan asked honestly. Hallie ducked below to retrieve the triangle. "I'm not known for getting along with family, not even my own," she said. "I'd like to think those days are over," Dan replied. "The past is always closer than you think," Hallie said. She began to stack the balls into the triangle. "It's a scary thought." "What is?" Dan asked. "Your only living relatives disliking me," Hallie replied. "They have known Trixie much longer. Everyone knows we didn't get along." She continued placing balls inside the triangle. "I think that's an exaggeration," Dan said. "Remember the summer I visited with Knut and Cap?" Hallie asked. "By the time I made it to Mr. Lytell's store to pick up some groceries for Aunt Helen, our fight was front page news." "Okay, maybe Sleepyside is a small town and news travels fast," Dan admitted. "A bunch of stickybeaks." "I hate it," Hallie said. "So do I," Dan replied. "Let's move to Manhattan." "Okay," Hallie agreed immediately. They laughed simultaneously. They could not easily pick up and move with their families in Sleepyside, but it was nice to fantasize. "How are Knut and Cap?" Dan asked. "Heard from them lately?" "I never hear from Knut," Hallie said. "But Gloria writes. Her latest said my parents are on their grandparent quest again." She shook her head. "Sometimes I wonder if it'd be better if they knew. Probably not. They'd find bones to pick either way." "I'd like to think, were my parents here today, they wouldn't be like that," Dan said. "But to be honest, I wouldn't care if they were that way, as long as they could be around." Hallie raised an eyebrow. "Would you oblige with their wishes?" "No way," Dan said. He paused, and when he spoke again, his voice was much softer. "I'm twenty-four," he said. "By the time my father was twenty-four, I was six years old." "Wow," Hallie spoke just as softly. "That's scary." "Isn't it?" Dan asked rhetorically. "It's strange enough that Flip will be three in a few months, and he's only my cousin. I can't imagine how my parents must have felt." "I'm sure they were happy to have you, even if it wasn't under the circumstances they would have liked to raise a family," Hallie replied, as she removed the triangle from the pool table. Dan managed a small smile. "I hope so," he said. As she crossed the room, he handed her one of the cues. He took a shot and sent the pool balls flying around the table. One ball hovered fairly close to a hole, but refused to fall inside. "I give my parents a lot of credit for taking on the responsibility of a child." "I'm glad it didn't happen to us, but I'd like to think if we'd been in the same situation, we could have done the same," Hallie said. "I believe you would have. It's me I doubt." "You'd have done it," Dan said. "You're good with Flip and Coey." "It'll be twenty years before I'm ready for my own," Hallie said. Dan chuckled. "Uncle Bill is eight years older than me," he said, resting his cue against a wall and moving out of the way. "He just used to act twenty years older. He's better now." "Really?" Hallie asked. "Would I go out of my way to see him otherwise?" Dan teased. "Yes," Hallie replied. Dan chuckled. "You know me too well," he said. His family was important enough to him that no matter what, he would visit. He took a deep breath. "Uncle Bill isn't smothering you, is he?" "Not yet," Hallie said. "He doesn't know me well enough yet. I'm debating if keeping it that way is the solution." She glanced around at the balls. "Nothing sunk?" she asked, surprised. "Nope," Dan replied easily. "It's my lucky day," Hallie replied, circling the table to find an easy shot. "I thought you might clear the table before I got a turn." She took aim and sunk a solid yellow ball. "Solids." Dan watched as she missed the next shot. He circled the table to take a shot and sank one ball. "How about Cap?" he asked. "Has he run screaming from the city yet?" He missed his second shot. Hallie laughed. "Amazingly, no," she replied. "Love is pretty powerful, isn't it? Never thought he'd last." Her brother had not only moved across the country to live with his now wife, but he had also moved into a big city. Hallie might have gone to school across the country, but even now she lived in the countryside. "Neither did the rest of us, to varying degrees," Dan admitted. "I figured they'd move north in no time. But they're happy in the city and that's all that matters. How's his degree coming?" "If all goes well, he will have his master's degree by next May," Hallie replied. She shook her head in amazement. "After our parents' comments, I never thought I'd see the day Cap got a degree." "He's already got one," Dan said quietly. "Even more amazing," Hallie replied. She circled the table and took a shot. "Maybe we could go visit them?" she suggested. Thankful for making her first shot, she continued around the table. "Oh?" Dan asked casually. Hallie took a second shot and missed. "Trixie did say our lives were fairly boring," she remarked. "Maybe over the next long weekend we could drive up to Boston for a visit." Dan circled the table and took a shot. "Didn't we promise to be around for the Labor Day barbecue at Crabapple Farm?" he asked. "Honey and Brian will be back from their cruise by then." "That's right," Hallie admitted. "So much for that getaway. No wonder Trixie says we're all grown up and boring." She paused. "When's the next three-day weekend after Labor Day?" "Columbus Day," Dan declared. He sunk another ball. "How about then?" Hallie asked. "Would you come with me over to Uncle Bill's tonight?" Dan asked. He took aim, but distractedly missed his shot. He kept his voice light, but knew she could read between the lines. "You drive a hard bargain," Hallie replied, as she took another shot and sunk the ball. He would not hold any decision against her, but his analogy did prove his point. "It's a deal."
Crabapple Farm "Good evening. You have reached Crabapple Farm. How may I direct your call?" Amanda said upon grabbing the ringing telephone. Her brothers groaned and Bobby playfully ruffled her hair on his way towards the box that still held half a pizza. Ever since Amanda was a little girl, she had tried to imitate the butler when answering the phone. It had become such a habit she did not even realize how silly she sounded, at least, to the other teenagers. "Good evening." The voice on the other end sounded puzzled. "This is Mr. Belden," he finally said. "Who is this?" "Hi Mr. Belden, it's Mandy Lynch," Amanda replied. "Oh, hello Mandy," Peter Belden replied. "Is my wife there?" "No, she's up at the Manor House." Amanda paused in the telephone conversation to take another bite of pizza, ignoring the tomato sauce sliding down her chin, despite her twin throwing her a napkin. "You wanna talk with Bobby?" she asked, still chewing. "Yes, please," Mr. Belden said. Amanda slid down in her seat enough to kick Bobby's chair and gesture to the phone. Grumbling, he came over to take it from her hand. She finally took the napkin and wiped her chin, ignoring the shocked look from her sister. Who cared how neat or messy she was? She was with her siblings and, well, Bobby might as well have been one of them. "Yo, Dad," Bobby said, half a slice of pizza still in his hand. "What's up?" He took the telephone around the corner into the dining room to avoid the noise in the kitchen, so he could hear his father's words more clearly. He was careful not to drop the slice of pizza. "Why did we come here?" Terry suddenly asked. "We were invited for pizza," Amanda reminded him. "Yes, but there's nothing to do here," Terry said. "No ping-pong. No pool tables. No tennis courts. No nothing." "No supervision," Amanda pointed out. A sly smile appeared on Terry's face. "Oh yeah," he said, giving the rest of the party a knowing nod. "Don't even think about it," Larry warned. "Think about what?" Sandra asked. "With him? We're better off not knowing," Amanda replied. "No problem," Bobby said, walking back into the kitchen. "Yeah, I'm fine. Stop worrying so much. Okay, bye Dad." He hung up. "What was that all about?" Sandra asked. Bobby shrugged. "I have no idea. Dad sounded all weirded out that Moms left me alone and wanted to come home, but I convinced him we were fine," he said. "So what are we going to do now?" "We were just talking about that," Larry said. "Lack of supervision is your friend," Terry said. Bobby raised an eyebrow. "This is the first time I've been left alone for more than half an hour," he said. "If I screw up, they'll never leave me alone again. Don't screw up here." "Why don't we play football or something?" Larry suggested. "We just ate," Amanda said. "Some of us are still eating." "We could just sit outside," Sandra suggested. "The clouds seem to have moved away. The sunset will be pretty." "The sun won't set for awhile," Bobby said. "By then we won't be able to play football," Larry added. "I didn't say we have to do everything at once," Sandra said. "Like Terry said, there's not as much to do here." "Sorry my home isn't so entertaining," Bobby said. "It's all right. We prefer the lack of supervision any day," Amanda said cheerfully, and her siblings all nodded in agreement. "We could take the radio outside," Larry suggested. "Good idea," Bobby replied. "Are we done here?" "Just about," Amanda said, popping the last bite of pizza crust into her mouth. "I can't believe we have leftovers." "That's because Sandy didn't eat much," Larry said. "I'm not as active as the rest of you," Sandra replied. "Sometimes I wonder if you're a teenager," Terry said. Sandra frowned. Instead of responding, she busied herself with closing the box that had three slices of pizza remaining. "Is everyone done with the soda?" she asked quietly. "Pour me a bit more?" Bobby requested. Sandra nodded and unscrewed the cap. "Anyone else?" she asked. Her two brothers shook their head and drained their cups. "Me," Amanda added. "Please." Sandra filled the two cups and then took both the pizza and the soda to the refrigerator. "There's a lot in here," she commented. "There always is," Bobby said. "Moms actually doesn't cook a miracle every day. She stocks up over the weekend. Besides, everyone comes over for dinner Friday night." "Will Brian still do that now that he and Honey are married?" Sandra asked. "Or will they just go to her parents' place?" "Good question," Bobby said. "I don't know. They won't be back yet this Friday. I guess we'll find out next week." "Hey, what's this?" Terry asked, holding up what he had found while scrounging through the pile of mail on the counter. Bobby looked over his friend's shoulder. "Hey! I didn't know Brian and Honey sent us a postcard," he exclaimed. "Don't you check your own mail?" Amanda asked. "Nope," Bobby said. "Moms tells me if there's something." "No such guarantee in our home," Larry said, grumbling. "If we're not on the lookout, who knows where the servants misplaced it?" He made two quotation marks as he said the second to last word. "Don't your parents get on their case if they do?" Bobby asked. "No, because they miraculously don't manage to lose any of the real stuff like bills," Terry replied, the tone of his voice even more cynical than his twin's. "Just our stuff." "Speak for yourself," Sandra said quietly. She disliked adults putting down teenagers as much as teenagers putting down adults. "My catalogues and magazines have always arrived." "Like Harrison would read Seventeen?" Amanda pointed out. The teenagers fell over in fits of laughter. It was hard enough imagining the prim and proper Lynch butler doing anything casual, but the thought of him reading a magazine, especially one whose intended audience was adolescent female, was beyond reality. "I'd like to see that," Larry smirked. "Heck, I'd pay to see that," Terry replied. "With what? The money you owe me?" Larry demanded. "Time to change the subject," Terry said cheerfully. "Who wants to go outside and breathe the fresh free air?" Everyone laughed again. "Are we always going to be this goofy?" Sandra wondered aloud. "I hope so!" Amanda declared. She finished her drink and slammed the cup on the counter. "Dibs on not taking out the trash!" she called, springing up from her chair and dashing towards the door. Sandra squealed and followed her sister. Larry and Terry were not far behind. "Aww, man," Bobby groaned as he stood. He finished his last slice of pizza and closed the empty carton to take outside. Larry and Terry had been coming over to Crabapple Farm since they were six years old. Even Amanda and Sandra had been regular visitors in the past couple of years. All of the Lynch twins knew the place as well as anyone who lived there. It was no surprise that by the time Bobby had thrown out the trash, equipment was strewn across the lawn. "You know what you need?" Terry said, tossing a basketball. "What?" Bobby asked offhandedly. "A basketball court," Terry replied. Bobby pointed towards the driveway. "There's a hoop right there." His siblings had taught him to play basketball on that hoop. "Not enough place in the driveway to play," Terry said. "Unless you want to risk breaking a window," Larry replied. "Then we won't play," Bobby said. "No breaking windows." He stared at all the equipment. "This place looks like an obstacle course," he said. "Did you leave anything in the garage?" "Very funny," Amanda said. "Your garage isn't that messy." "That's because we just cleaned it last summer," Bobby replied. "It takes at least four years to become a disaster zone." "So what are we doing?" Terry asked. Four pairs of eyes looked at Bobby. "What?" he asked. "This is your home," Larry said. "And you are the oldest," Amanda replied. Bobby might have been only three and a half months older than her brothers, but he was more than two years older than her and her twin. "Okay," Bobby said. "I vote for being lazy." Everyone laughed. "Seriously," Bobby replied. He went up the steps of the porch and brought some blankets from behind the swing. "We just ate. And the night is still young." He threw some blankets to his friends. "It's looking overcast again," Sandra said. "It's looked like that most of the day," Larry added. Bobby shrugged. "If it rains, we can go inside." He laid one of the blankets on the floor and his friends did the same. "Sounds good," Amanda said. Soon, the five teenagers were sprawled across various blankets. "It's good to be a teenager, isn't it?" Bobby asked. "What do you mean?" Terry asked. "We can't do half the things the bobwhites can do. I wish we were their age." "Yes, but they don't get summer vacation," Bobby replied. "That's true," Larry said. "Even if it isn't endless." "But they don't usually work after hours," Amanda said. "When school is in session, we have homework. They never do." "There's advantages and disadvantages to both sides," Sandra said. "That's the nature of life. There's no perfect place to be." "I disagree," Terry said. "Really?" Amanda said. "You want to be old forever?" "Nah," Terry said. "I want tonight to last forever." "That doesn't sound too bad," Bobby admitted. "No supervision. It's like being an adult without being an adult." "But we don't get paid," Larry said. "Who cares?" Terry asked. "We live off of Mom and Dad's money. That's one thing I'll miss when we grow up." There was a lull in the conversation as the teenagers watched the clouds move across the overcast sky. "What do you think it'll be like when we are adults?" Sandra asked. "Maybe we will be like the bobwhites," Amanda said. "Living in Sleepyside Commons in apartments across from each other. Running back and forth to borrow stuff from each other." "Honey and Brian don't live on that floor," Bobby said. "Because they're married," Amanda said. "But we're already all related except for Bobby," Terry scoffed. "And by the time we are adults, we probably will all be related," Larry said. "You know Di and Mart will get married someday. Which means none of us will ever move from those apartments." "Why not? It's not like we won't get married to other people," Sandra said. "Don't you think each of us will get married someday?" There was another silence. "Could we change the topic please?" Terry asked. Snickers echoed through the group. "Don't mind them," Amanda said. "You know how boys are." "That's men to you," Terry said. "Whatever," Amanda replied. "I don't think it'd be bad to get married someday," Bobby said. "Moms and Dad are happily married. But that's so far away. It's hard to think of anyone married before they're twenty-five." "You said it," Larry replied. "I'll miss living here when we're adults," Sandra said. "Even if we're just in Sleepyside Commons. It's not the same as living out here, away from the rest of the town." "I don't know," Amanda said. "I don't like that we're isolated." "But we wouldn't be," Bobby said. "We'd each have a working car and could go wherever we wanted, whenever we wanted." "Just like the bobwhites," Larry said. A breeze picked up, tossing the branches of the nearby trees. "You know what's strange?" Bobby asked. "What?" Amanda asked. "The bobwhites never come out here," Bobby said. "I mean, Brian, Mart and Trixie come for dinner on Friday night, but that's it." "It's true," Larry said. "Whenever we see them, we always end up meeting them somewhere in town." "But that's because they have their own place," Terry said. "We could still invite them over," Sandra said. "Mum and Dad would never object to Di stopping over." "True," Amanda said. "Maybe we should do that." "But not tonight," Bobby said. "Not when we have Crabapple Farm to ourselves. Because who knows when it'll happen again?"
Lynch Estate "You know what this means, don't you?" Trixie asked. "What?" Mart asked. "If you miss this shot, and Di makes her next shot, it will mean the women have won all the games tonight," Trixie said. "I still can't believe I won a game," Hallie said. "You don't play nearly as bad as you think," Dan replied. Mart frowned. "Hey, where are the mountainhawks?" he suddenly asked. "Shouldn't we go find them?" "Very funny," Trixie said. "Take your shot." Mart missed his shot, but Diana sunk the black ball in her turn. "Be grateful we're not so juvenile that we would say something like girls rule, boys drool," Trixie said, grinning. "This is not fair," Jim objected. "Why not?" Trixie demanded. "The women have been practicing here since the men went away to college," Jim replied. "Of course you play better." "I certainly haven't," Hallie replied. "I've only lived here for a few months. And visits don't count in terms of practice time." "Besides if you'd been here, you'd have known we'd spent our years studying while you were at college," Diana replied. "Twenty-four seven?" Mart asked suspiciously. Trixie and Diana exchanged glances. "You don't ask what else we did senior year, we won't ask you," Trixie replied with a smirk. "I didn't do anything," Jim said. "Honorable man," Diana muttered. Jim rolled his eyes. "Should we go find the mountainhawks?" "Actually, Hallie and I are going to stop by to visit Uncle Bill," Dan said. "Where should we find you later?" "Probably here," Diana said. "I can't imagine why we'd stay at Crabapple Farm. We'd wear out our welcome." "Actually, Moms would love to have us all there," Mart said. "She really misses having a crowd around." "She's had the mountainhawks around all night," Jim said. "But this is Moms," Trixie said. "She loves crowds that are big enough to break into baseball teams. I bet she wants a dozen grandkids." "She's not getting all of them from me!" Mart exclaimed. "One six-year-old Bobby was quite enough, thank-you-very-much." "Aren't twins genetic?" Dan asked with a grin. "Fraternal, yes, but identical, no," Diana replied. "Yes, I've checked. The only explanation I have for my siblings is that my parents were already in their thirties." "Uh-oh," Trixie said. "So the trick to avoiding identical twins is to have kids earlier? I'm still helping Bobby with his homework!" "Then we'd better get this visit in before school begins for the mountainhawks, shouldn't we?" Jim teased. "Right," Dan said. "Hallie and I will meet the rest of you back here in a couple of hours or so." "And if you end up going anywhere, please leave a note and a car," Hallie said. "I'm not up to a two mile walk in the dark." "Only your brother is that crazy," Mart scoffed. "That's birdbrain for you," Hallie said, as she and Dan left. Trixie and Jim waited for Mart and Di to put away the pool cues. Dan and Hallie were out of sight by the time the remaining four stepped out into the summer night and started towards Crabapple Farm. "I wonder how much food Moms is feeding them to keep dinner going for so long," Trixie commented, rubbing her stomach. The gesture was not missed by her almost-twin. "Is someone else thinking about dessert?" he asked. "I wouldn't be the only one," Trixie replied. "No, you wouldn't," Jim said. "Are you sure there would be dessert left between Bobby, Larry and Terry?" Diana asked. "Mandy eats a lot, too." "It's Crabapple Farm," Trixie said. "There's always food." Conversation lapsed momentarily as the adults continued walking. "I'd forgotten how beautiful it is here," Diana said. "It is rather peaceful," Mart admitted. "We should come out here not only to see everyone, but also to walk." "It's certainly preferable to walking around town," Trixie said. "Sleepyside may still be a small town, but downtown still has its fair share of cars," Jim admitted. "More than you'd ever see on Glen Road," Trixie said. "Why don't we make a pact?" Diana asked. "Every Wednesday night, come here after dinner to walk around, visit people." "I like the idea, but Wednesday is close to Friday," Trixie said. "And we're out here on Fridays." "So why the rush today?" Mart asked. "I don't know," Trixie admitted. "I just felt stifled for some reason." Her pace slowed down. "And you were right, Di. We needed to come see the mountainhawks tonight." "You feel it, too?" Diana asked. "Big Sister Radar," Trixie said. "What's it saying?" Jim asked. "That we need to see the mountainhawks," Trixie said. At the men's groans, she added, "I didn't say it was logical." "At least it's a nice night," Mart said. "I don't know about that," Jim said, looking up at the sky. "It's been overcast most of the day. What if it rains?" "Then we run to Crabapple Farm," Trixie said. "I doubt it'll rain soon. It's just a muggy summer night." As the four adults rounded the corner, they saw a familiar figure coming towards them. "Hello Miss Trask!" Jim called. "Hello Jim, Trixie, Mart, Di," Miss Trask greeted them warmly. "How are you this evening?" she asked. "Fine," Trixie said. "We were just..." she trailed off. Miss Trask chuckled. "You were on your way to Crabapple Farm?" she asked. At Trixie's guilty nod, she smiled. "I don't expect you to stop by to see me," she replied. "But we should," Trixie said. "I mean, not that we feel obligated to see anyone, it's just we live right here, yet we never come here, and it's like when we used to complain our classmates forgot about us over the summer, except now we're the ones on the outside, and we haven't forgotten about you, and..." She broke off, embarrassed. "I see some things never change," Miss Trask said. "It would be lovely to have all of you around more often, but I understand your lives are very different now than they used to be. I certainly didn't spend much time with my family when I was in my twenties, or even my thirties." Her face clouded over. "But I won't bore you with those details." "Nonsense," Jim said. "You'd never bore us. But if you don't want to launch into a tale right now, we understand." He looked around at his fellow bobwhites. "Don't we?". "Of course," Mart said loftily. "But some day I'm sure Miss Trask will have a story or two to tell us." "Yes, I will," Miss Trask said. "But not tonight." She paused. "You should know that your mother is dining at the Manor House and your respective siblings are at Crabapple Farm," she said. "Alone?" Trixie asked. Miss Trask nodded. "They are fourteen and sixteen," she said. "I'm sure you remember that age." "Too well," Diana replied. "Thank you for letting us know." "You're welcome," Miss Trask replied. "Have a good evening." She easily disappeared into the night. The four adults exchanged looks. "That explains why Big Sister Radar was on alert tonight," Diana said. "It explains why they never returned after dinner," Trixie added. "I can't blame them," Jim said. "As wonderful as your parents are, all teenagers feel smothered. It's not an easy place to be, stuck between childhood and adulthood." "Sometimes I wonder how we made it out of our teens in one piece," Diana said. "I suppose we shouldn't go over to see them right now. They might think we're checking up on them." "Is it so bad to check up on them?" Mart asked. "Don't you remember what it was like to be sixteen?" Trixie asked. "Junior prom?" Diana added softly. Mart flushed. "You're right. If Moms trusts them, so should we," he said. "On the other hand, we came out here to spend time with them. It seems silly to go back without saying hello." "True," Trixie admitted. She glanced at her watch. "Moms isn't likely to stay too long after dinner," she said. "Once she gets back to Crabapple Farm, we can go over and see the mountainhawks." "Assuming they stay there," Diana said. "Why don't we go back to the Lynch Estate now?" Jim suggested. "When Dan and Hallie get back from visiting Regan, if the mountainhawks still haven't returned, we can drive down to Crabapple farm together. If it looks like we're interrupting, we will just say hi, make plans to meet up at another time, and go home." "That's a good idea," Trixie said. Her posture, however, did not reflect any belief behind her words. Instead of appearing as if she were ready to return to the Lynch Estate, she stepped on the roots of a tree, and looked up at the cloudy sky. Matters with her younger brother used to be black and white; when had they turned to shades of gray? "You're as worried as I am," Mart chided. "I helped raise Bobby," Trixie said defiantly. Her brother did not question her sentiments; due to Mrs. Belden's more traditional views, Trixie had always been given a bigger share in taking care of Bobby, while her older brothers did more of the outdoor chores. "But the mountainhawks aren't little kids anymore. We can't treat them as such." "We'd only risk alienating them," Diana said. Her voice reflected that her experiences with her younger brothers and sisters were similar. "Let's go back to my parents' house." Reluctantly, the four adults turned around. At first, all of them sloughed together, but then Diana squared her shoulders and took the lead. Mart walked faster to keep up with his girlfriend. Jim walked with them, until he realized how far behind Trixie and fallen. Then he fell back to walk with her. "Trix?" he said softly. "Yeah?" Trixie replied. "I'm proud of you," Jim said. "Don't think I don't know how hard that was to do," he added gently.
Crabapple Farm "Don't you think it's getting too dark to play ball?" "We could paint it fluorescent green!" "Eww!!!" Sandra watched as the four other mountainhawks ran around tossing a football. Although many times, they had tried to explain the rules to the strange version of the game they had invented, she never remembered. She used her clothing as an excuse to opt out of the game. Instead, she sat on the porch swing, watching as the others got muddy. Partially through the game, she had realized that everyone else had forgotten about the postcard when they had raced outside to avoid taking out the garbage. She called the notion out to the others and with Bobby's consent, went and fetched the card herself. She stared at the photograph of the ocean, slightly mesmerized. "Heads up!" Sandra looked up and shrieked, ducking to the side as the muddy football sailed over and hit the back of the swing. "Watch it!" "I was watching it!" Terry insisted. "It's the wind that took it over there. Not my fault at all." "You okay?" Larry called. "I'm fine," Sandra said. She glanced at the swing. "The swing, however, isn't. You'd better clean this up." "I suppose it's time to end the game," Bobby said. He dashed up the steps to the porch and examined the stain. "Do you think I need soap or will a damp paper towel be enough?" "Both," Sandra replied. Bobby raced into the house. With their host no longer playing the game, the other three Lynchs collapsed on the steps. "I need new sneakers," Terry said, pulling off his right shoe. "This one's digging into me." "Didn't you get that pair for your birthday?" Amanda asked. "Yeah," Terry said. "How sneakers last over four months is beyond me. I should have gotten replacements last month." "Mine are just fine," Larry said. "That's because you wear your old ones half of the time," Terry replied. "My old ones are toast." "And this is not your fault, how?" Larry asked. Bobby returned out on the porch and started wiping the muddy spot on the swing. "I'm glad Moms isn't here to see this." "Then you'd better hurry," Amanda said. "She's on her way back." "What?" Bobby exclaimed, looking up. Sure enough, his mother was making her way down the hill from the Manor House. "I suppose we should clean up the rest of the yard," Larry said. "Wait!" Sandra called. "She stopped walking." "Where did that limo come from?" Terry asked. The five teenagers watched as a shiny black limousine pulled into the driveway of the Manor House. The unknown chauffeur got out of the driver's seat and went around the car, where he opened the back door. Mrs. Belden, looking somewhat nervous, got into the car. The driver closed the door and slipped behind the wheel. "Where are they going?" Amanda asked. "I don't know," Bobby said. "But I'm following them to find out." "On what?" Sandra asked. "Your jalopy broke down last week, remember?" With the flurry of wedding preparations, Brian had not had the chance to take a look at the old car before he and Honey had left for their honeymoon. Although he had promised to look at it as soon as he returned, that did not help them right now. "We could run back to the Lynch Estate and take our car," Larry said. He and his twin brother had received a brand new car to share when they had turned sixteen last April. "We don't have time," Bobby said. "Look! The limo is moving!" Abandoning the half-clean swing, he jumped to his feet. "I'm taking my bike," he said. "Cover for me if my Dad gets home." "You're not doing this alone!" Amanda yelled, also jumping up. "They're chasing a limo on bike?" Terry asked. "Are they crazy?" Larry shrugged. "Limos may not go that fast on country roads," he said. "But what will we say if Mr. Belden arrives?" "I don't know," Sandra replied. "You think of something while I clean up the rest of this swing." "I'd rather do the cleaning," Terry said. "I know," Sandra replied. Meanwhile Bobby and Amanda had raced to the garage. "You don't have to come," he said, as he put on his bicycle helmet. "Yeah, right," Amanda said. "Who's going to bail you out if you need it? She looked around the garage and grabbed a random bicycle helmet that miraculously fit. "Whose bike is this?" she asked. "Moms'," Bobby replied. "Good," Amanda said. "She won't miss it." In another moment the two teenagers tore out of the garage on the bikes. For some reason, the limo was stopped in front of the Manor House. They ducked behind some trees, waiting for the vehicle to move. As soon as it started down Glen Road, they resumed pedaling. "Stay behind me," Bobby said. "Two bikes together are too conspicuous." "Like a bike chasing a limo isn't crazy enough?" Amanda retorted. She chose to heed her friend's advice anyhow, and dropped back. Bobby pedaled slowly behind the limousine, hoping he was too far behind to be noticed in the rearview mirror. He briefly wished his sister were here; she had always been the investigator, but as he had told his mother earlier this evening, the detective gene had not skipped him. Now was the time for him to put his knowledge to use. The limousine cruised leisurely down Glen Road, signaling a turn at the end. Then it picked up speed. After what felt like an eternity, it pulled up to the entrance of the Sleepyside Country Club. A man who had been standing by the front door of the club came forward and opened the back door of the limousine. Two women climbed out. Bobby pulled his bike behind some bushes. Between the fog of the summer night and the distance between him and the entrance, he could not be absolutely sure who the other woman was, but he was positive the curly haired one was his mother. He took a moment to wipe the sweat from his brow; chasing a limo on bike was not easy! Amanda pulled the bike she had been riding behind the same bushes. "Now what?" she whispered to her best friend. "Now we go inside and investigate," Bobby said. He looked around and found a bush that was a bit denser. "Let's leave the bikes under this bush," he said. "They should be safe." They stashed their bikes and helmets under the thickest bushes. As Bobby started for the front, Amanda clapped a hand on his shoulder. "Wait a minute," she said. "You're going to the front door?" "Yeah," Bobby said. "Have you forgotten what you're wearing?" Amanda asked. Bobby glanced down at his t-shirt and shorts, then back up at the entrance to the fancy country club. "Good point," he said. "I'll sneak us through the back," Amanda said. Bobby raised an eyebrow at her. "And you know about this secret back door entrance how?" he asked. "It's not a secret," Amanda replied. "It's the kitchen entrance. If you'd been allowed to roam this place as a kid, you'd know it, too." She walked along the bushes. "Blend in as well as you can," she said. "Don't let the valet parking guy see you." "Okay," Bobby said. He would not have admitted it aloud, but he was really glad his best friend had come along with him. They made it in through the kitchen entrance undetected. In front of them, beyond the curtains, they could hear the hustle and bustle of the kitchen staff. To their right was a small broom closet. Amanda opened it, reached inside and pulled out something, which she thrust at Bobby. "Put it on," she said, grabbing something else. Bobby held up the shirt and pants which she had given him. It looked like a waiter's uniform. "Huh?" he asked. "Haven't we been through this before?" Amanda asked. "You can't go marching through the kitchen in normal clothes." "Right," Bobby said. "But what about my clothes?" Amanda held up the shirt in her hands and glanced at the one in Bobby's hands. "This is bigger," she said, trading their uniforms. "It'll fit over the rest of your clothes." "If you say so," Bobby said, as he started putting on the shirt. It was rather large and folded over his t-shirt. "Then what?" he asked, pulling the pants on over his shorts. "There will be a stack of trays by the door," Amanda said. "Take one, go out into the dining room and look for a table just vacated. Just look busy cleaning up. Go as slow as you need." "Are you sure this will work?" Bobby said skeptically. "You have a better idea?" Amanda asked. She had managed to put on the uniform shirt over her t-shirt and the pants over her shorts, but her hair was all over the place. "Got a rubber band?" "No," Bobby said. "Shoot," Amanda groaned. She opened the closet again. "Our sneakers stand out," Bobby said. "I don't see any replacement shoes," Amanda replied, looking in the closet. "Or any rubber bands." She closed the closet door. "I'm sure my hair is breaking some health regulation." "Braid it," Bobby said. "It won't stay without a rubber band," Amanda replied. "Sure it will," Bobby said. In another moment, he had reached for her hair, and was brushing through it with his fingers. Amanda turned around slightly. "What are you doing?" she hissed. Bobby put his hand on her head and turned it back to face away from him. "Don't move," he said. "I can't braid your hair if you do." Amanda was silent for only a moment. "Where did you learn how to braid hair?" she asked, not hiding her surprise. "You don't want to know," Bobby said, as he finished the braid. "There. It should stay in by itself." "What did you do?" Amanda asked suspiciously. "It's a five strand braid," Bobby said. "Stays in much longer." "It'd better," Amanda replied. She straightened her uniform. "You ready to infiltrate?" she asked. "Ready as I'll ever be," Bobby replied. Perhaps it was because it was a busy night, but nobody seemed to notice extra waiters helping to clear the tables. While Amanda stayed out of the way, Bobby chose tables that would let him see what was going on in the rest of the club. He kept searching the crowds for the familiar face but his mother was nowhere to be found. Bobby had decided that perhaps something had gone wrong with his investigation and he should just give up when the band began to play. As he left his latest table, he saw the flash of curly blond hair that almost caused him to drop his tray. Luckily, a patron had been close enough that he thought he was to blame and helped steady the tray. Amanda was there when Bobby returned to the kitchen. "I think we've cleared every table," she whispered. Bobby nodded. "I saw my Moms," he said. "Where?" Amanda asked. "She was going towards the dance floor," Bobby said. Amanda nodded. "Well, the forks, spoons, knives, plates and napkins are over there," she said. "You set the tables closest to the dance floor and I'll do the ones in back." "Thanks," Bobby said. He headed towards the clean silverware. The upbeat music encouraged many patrons to dance, and even as he set a table fairly close to the dance floor, Bobby found that he could not see his mother. He could only fiddle so much with one table before he appeared suspicious, so he ducked back into the kitchen to retrieve more silverware, then started for a second table. Although the second table he was setting was further from the dance floor, it allowed him to see a certain portion of the dance floor that he had not been able to see from the previous table. As the upbeat song came to an end, a slower song began to play, and some of the patrons moved off the crowded dance floor. He continued to set up the table slowly, watching as people moved back to the tables, hoping to catch another glimpse of the familiar blond curls. By the time it had become apparent that all who had intended to leave the dance floor had already done so, Bobby had finished setting the second table. He shook his head in bewilderment. Soon, he was setting a third table. There had been no clean glasses when he had picked up the silverware, so he thought he would have to return for them. He was surprised when Amanda appeared at his elbow with them. "Thanks," he whispered. He pretended to concentrate on arranging forks, but kept an eye on the dance floor. "Any luck?" Amanda whispered, as she slowly arranged the glasses. "Not since the first glimpse," Bobby said. "Maybe she left?" Amanda suggested. "Maybe," Bobby said. He looked up after setting a knife down. And then he saw them. His mother was dancing with a man in a suit. Both were partially hidden behind one of the columns.
Lynch Estate "Could someone close that window?" Diana asked. "The wind keeps blowing my hair in my face when I'm trying to shoot!" "Sure," Trixie said, crossing the room towards the window. But instead of closing it, she stared outside. "Trix?" Jim called. Trixie did not reply. Instead, she dashed for the front door. "What the heck?" Mart asked, chasing after his almost-twin. Diana abandoned her pool cue and went after the Beldens. "What's going on?" she asked, as the trio congregated outside. "I just saw a limousine," Trixie said. "Is that so surprising?" Mart asked. "Followed by two bikes," Trixie added. "Okay, that's a bit strange," Diana said. "But enough to warrant racing out here like there's a fire?" "It was Bobby and Mandy," Trixie said, as Jim joined them. "What?" the other three exclaimed. "I'd recognize my brother anywhere," Trixie said. "And I'm fairly confident I'd recognize his sidekick, too." "Even in the dark of the night?" Mart asked skeptically. "By the light of a full moon, yes," Trixie replied. The others glanced up. Despite the fog of the summer night, the clouds had moved enough to reveal a full moon. "I think we should go after them," Trixie said. "How?" Jim asked. "They're already long gone." "Let's go down to Crabapple Farm," Diana said. "If it was Bobby and Mandy, the others may still be there. They must have answers." "They'd better," Trixie said, starting into the night. "Hold on," Mart said, clapping a hand on his sister's shoulder. "What happened to waiting for Dan and Hallie?" "We could leave a note," Diana said. "I think this is too surreal to explain in a note," Jim said. "What if I wait on the porch for them?" "You don't mind?" Mart asked. "I wouldn't put it that way. Let's just say I wouldn't make any of you volunteer to stay," Jim said. Trixie smiled gratefully at her boyfriend. "Thank you," she said. "Anytime," Jim replied, returning her smile. Trixie, Mart and Diana set off for Crabapple Farm. Despite the light of the full moon, it was night, and much darker than it had been when they were walking earlier. "I'm sorry I ever made fun of you for carrying that," she said, as Mart shone a flashlight ahead of them. "Apology accepted," Mart replied easily. It seemed to take forever but they finally reached Crabapple Farm. They could see the silhouettes of three teenagers on the porch, two in the swing, and one sprawled on the steps. "Hello!" Diana called out. There was some whispering. "Di?" a male voice called. "No, it's your other Big Sister," Diana replied as she got closer. "Why are the three of you sitting outside?" The only response was silence. Trixie came up behind her friend. "We already saw Bobby and Mandy chasing a limo," she said to the teenagers. "Give it up." "Let's go inside," Mart said, turning off his flashlight. The teenagers reluctantly went inside, followed by the adults. Trixie switched on the kitchen lights and immediately started getting glasses out of the cupboard. Mart brought the cookie jar over to be placed in the middle of the kitchen table, helping himself to a couple of homemade molasses cookies along the way. Larry, Terry and Sandra all sat down in chairs around the table, but nobody reached for the cookies. Larry stared at his shoes as if they were the most interesting objects in the world. Terry looked sullen and defiant, glancing alternately between the walls and the cookie jar. Sandra appeared to be on the verge of tears. Diana could not help feeling sympathetic to her sister, and came up behind her to gently smooth her hair. "We simply want some answers. You're not in trouble," she reassured her. "Not unless you tell us Bobby and Mandy have run off to join a cult and you didn't even try to stop them," Trixie said, setting glasses of water around the table. "So what gives?" "What makes you think anything's going on?" Terry asked. Trixie raised an eyebrow at him. "Considering the one person who actually lives in this house is missing?" she asked. Terry returned his defiant glare to the wall. "I don't think Bobby and Mandy want us to tell you," Larry said. "Can't you wait for them to get back?" "What makes you think they'll get back?" Mart asked. From the sudden look of worry on the three teenagers' faces, it was apparent that this possibility had not crossed their mind. "If they're in trouble, we want to help," Diana said. "I wouldn't know where to begin," Sandra said softly. "How about the beginning?" Trixie suggested, doing her best to keep her voice light. Sandra often startled easily. "We were outside," Larry relented. "Playing ball. Terry threw the ball and muddied the porch swing, so Bobby went to clean it and we saw your Moms coming back from the Manor House." "Only she didn't come back," Sandra said. "She left in a limo. Bobby and Mandy wanted to find out where the limo was going so they took off on a couple of bikes to chase it. Trixie closed her eyes, realizing that she could have very well have done the same thing at that age. "Did it occur to you to call the Manor House and ask?" she asked, knowing the answer. "Why don't we do that right now?" Mart suggested, heading for the telephone. There was no response from the teenagers as he dialed. "Do you think something's happened to them?" Sandra asked in fear. "I don't know," Diana said softly. "Can you sense if Mandy is all right?" she asked. Perhaps due to their twin status, Sandra and Amanda could often sense the other's feelings. Sandra nodded. "She's okay," she said. "What about Bobby?" Larry asked. "I don't know," Sandra said, her face falling. "Hello, this is Mart Belden," Mart said into the telephone. "Hi Miss Trask. I've been told my mother left the Manor House in a limo. No, I just need that information. Thank you. Good night." "Where are they?" Terry asked immediately. Mart folded his arms over his chest. "Wouldn't you like to know?" "We're sorry if we sound ungrateful," Larry apologized. Mart glanced at Terry, who had resumed staring at the wall, and then to Larry and Sandra. "Moms is at the country club," he said. "That's not too far away. Bobby and Mandy probably followed them there," Trixie said. "I wonder if they decided to stay." "No, we didn't," a female voice said as two figures came into Crabapple Farm. "Sorry for running out like that," Amanda added. "I'm just glad you're okay," Sandra said. Bobby came in behind his best friend. "What are you doing here?" he asked, noticing his sister, brother and brother's girlfriend. "Believe it or not, we wanted to spend time with you, but when we heard you were on your own, we didn't want to crash," Mart said. "That, of course, was before we saw you chasing a limo on your bikes." "Where were you?" Amanda asked. "At the Lynch Estate," Trixie replied. She glanced at her younger brother. "I trust you saw Moms at the Country Club?" Bobby's eyes widened. "How did you know?" he asked. "I called Miss Trask and she told me," Mart said. "I'm sure if you had called, she'd have done the same." Bobby looked away from his brother. "So what? I ended up with the same information," he said roughly. "Apparently you did," Trixie said. Her voice softened. "I'd have thought you would be more excited about investigating." "I was," Bobby said quietly. "Then what's wrong?" Trixie asked. Bobby swallowed. "Moms was dancing," he said. "Is that all?" Terry said. "You look like..." he trailed off as various eyes glanced at him. "Never mind." "I'm going to my room," Bobby said abruptly. The room was briefly silent. "Obviously there's more to the story than that," Trixie said. "What did he leave out?" "I don't think he'd want me to say," Amanda said. "He's kind of embarrassed." She looked up at Trixie. "But if you asked, he'd tell you. I know he would. And he probably needs someone now." Trixie nodded. "I'll be upstairs," she said, leaving the kitchen. There was another moment of silence. "Why don't we get you home?" Diana suggested. "I don't think Bobby's up for company any more." "That's probably for the best," Sandra said. "Let me take a minute to run up and tell Trixie the plan, then I'll go with the rest of you," Mart said. "We'll be waiting on the porch," Diana said. The door to Bobby's room was just cracked opened, but the voices were loud enough to clearly carry into the hallway of the second floor. "She was dancing with a man," Bobby was saying. "I couldn't see his face because he was behind a column. So I freaked. But then Mandy pulled me to one side and I saw it was Dad." Mart did not often lose his temper, but those words set him off, and he burst into the room. "What do you mean by that?" he asked angrily. "Of course it was Dad! How could you even think otherwise?" Trixie gasped. "Mart!" she exclaimed. Mart immediately realized how harsh his words were when he saw his younger brother fighting back tears. "I'm sorry," he said. "Look, I'm going back to the Lynch Estate with everyone else." "I'll join you there later," Trixie said. "Call first," Mart said. "I'll send Jim to get you." Trixie looked surprised, but then nodded. "Okay," she agreed. Mart rejoined the group on the porch and they started walking back towards the Lynch Estate. The teenagers took the lead, while he and Diana stayed far behind, just as they had when they were babysitting years ago. "When did the world turn so gray?" Mart asked. Diana looked at him quizzically. "What do you mean?" she asked. Mart shrugged. "Remind me to tell you later," he said. Diana looked curious, but simply nodded. "I'll remember."
Belden, Belden and Lynch apartment "You never knew how lucky we were, did you?" "No, I guess not," Mart replied from where he laid on the floor of the apartment his girlfriend shared with his sister and cousin. "I never realized how much Sleepyside had changed either." "I'm glad it has," Diana said. "You don't want to be safe from all those problems?" Mart asked. "We were never safe. The problems have been here all along." Diana replied from where she was sprawled on the couch, her head resting on a pillow. "Do you know what I overheard whenever I was dragged to some garden party? People didn't start having affairs once we left Sleepyside. It was just never talked about before." "I guess," Mart said. "But neither of my parents would ever have an affair. They just wouldn't." He knew how inane the words sounded on their own, but he simply could not accept otherwise. "It would be quite out of character for them to," Diana agreed. "All the same you can't fault Bobby for thinking along those lines," she said. "He's seen it too often among his classmates." "Wasn't it better when we were kids?" Mart asked. "When everyone had two parents who lived together? When we were always sheltered from the horrible parts of reality?" "And where would that leave us now?" Diana asked. "Where would we be if we automatically thought all marriages ended in happily ever after, with no work whatsoever put into it?" "Naive," Mart admitted. "But is it so bad to be kept innocent a little bit longer? You can't treat a baby as an adult." "No, you can't," Diana said. "But it's not fair to treat an adult or even an adolescent as a child either." "It's not like we talk down to them," Mart said. "Of course not," Diana said. "We want what's best for them. And sometimes we just wish we could protect them from everything bad. But we won't be around forever to do that. It's better to teach them to protect themselves. Even if they make mistakes along the way. Even if it hurts us when they get hurt. It's better in the long run." Mart glanced up. "You were always the wise one," he said. "No, I wasn't," Diana said. "I just grew up because there were so many other little ones. And with four little ones, it was hard to keep an eye on everyone at once. Which meant sometimes they got in trouble and made mistakes. But they're still turning out okay." "I'm surprised you don't have any gray hairs," Mart said. "It's because they've been dyed red," Diana said. "The day you see me become a redhead is the day the teens have pushed it too far." They were still chuckling when the door opened. "Don't you have your own place to crash?" Trixie teased her almost-twin. Mart sat up. "Where's Jim?" he asked. "Checking the results of the program he ran earlier this evening," Trixie replied. "Don't worry. He was a perfect gentleman who watched me walk in before he even closed his door." "Okay," Mart replied. He stood up, and when Diana moved so that she was not taking up the entire couch, he sat down at the other end. "Is Bobby okay?" he asked. "I should call and apologize." "It's a bit late for phone calls, isn't it?" Trixie asked. Mart glanced at his watch. "It's not even ten," he said. "And when was our curfew in high school?" Trixie reminded him. "Right," Mart said. "I trust Moms and / or Dad returned before you left their home?" he asked. "Give the man a prize," Trixie said. Mart smirked, but then sobered. "I'll call and apologize tomorrow then," he said. "I really was out of line." "I'm glad you see the error of your ways," Trixie said. She gazed at her housemate. "Perhaps you had some assistance?" "Oh, good, my job is done," Diana said, standing up. "Seriously, Trix, he figured it out himself. But this is as good of an excuse as any for me to say good night. I'm exhausted." "You could have kicked me out earlier," Mart said. Diana rolled her eyes. "You wanted to talk with your almost-twin and she wanted to talk with you," she said. "You know us too well," Trixie said. "I like it that way," Diana said. "Night." "Night, love," Mart said. "Night, Di," Trixie said. After her housemate left the room, she sat down on the vacated spot on the couch. "Bobby must be mad at me," Mart said. "Actually he's more worried that you're mad at him," Trixie said. "Not at all," Mart said. He shook his head. "I thought only the redheads were supposed to have tempers." "Nah, all the stubborn ones do," Trixie said. "If there's anyone who's stubborn, it's me. And you have many of the same genes." "Generally I don't regard that as a bad thing, but in this case, I wish we both didn't have those genes," Mart said. "I've had moments like that, too," Trixie admitted. The almost-twins lapsed into a brief silence. "Trix?" Mart asked. "Yes?" Trixie replied. "If we'd been sixteen and saw Moms dancing with a man, would it have even occurred to us that it might not be Dad?" Mart asked. "I don't know," Trixie admitted. "But I must say there was some strange déjà vu when I found out Bobby had gone after the limo." "You could see yourself doing that at his age?" Mart asked. "I could see both of us doing it then," Trixie said. Mart looked almost wounded by her reply, but then nodded ruefully. "You're right," he admitted. They shared a laugh. "It's scary, isn't it?" Mart asked. "What is?" Trixie asked. "That Bobby even thought about something like that," Mart said. "We were so naive at that age. Nobody in Sleepyside was even divorced. It was like some kind of fairytale here." "But it wasn't," Trixie said. "Everything was underground. Now it's all in your face. Kids have to grow up a lot faster now than we ever had to when we were kids." "It's kind of sad, isn't it?" Mart asked. "Maybe," Trixie said. She kicked off her shoes and turned so she was sitting sideways and facing her brother. "But it also prepares them for adulthood. Like it or not, we can't shelter them forever. Once they're let loose in the big, bad world, we can just hope we've taught them well enough so they can independently stay on the right track." "I suppose," Mart said. His sister's words meshed with what his girlfriend had said earlier. He looked at her suspiciously. "When did you grow up and get so wise?" he asked. Trixie laughed, but then sobered. "Hollyton," she admitted. "You don't talk about that much," Mart said. "I'm not exactly suppose to tell you all the details of when I was undercover," Trixie said wryly. Mart chuckled. "Point taken," he said. "But what did it teach you? Or is that part of the classified information?" "Well..." Trixie said slowly. "Probably not the generic stuff." "You know how people always say if they knew then what they know now, they would have acted different in the past?" she asked. "Sure," Mart said. "I felt that way to some extent," Trixie said. "I already knew the in and out of high school. I'd already done it, and that part was a piece of cake to handle. But what I hadn't realized was that we had gone to a special school in a special time. Other high schools aren't like the one we went to, when we were there." Mart nodded. "I wish Bobby could have had the chance to grow up when we did," he said. "It can't be easy now." "It wasn't easy for us either," Trixie replied. "But we made it, didn't we? We all turned out okay." "I suppose," Mart said, offering a wry grin. "Do you think Bobby will turn out okay, despite how much harder these years will be?" "That all depends," Trixie said. "On what?" Mart asked. "On whether all of these worries you currently have about him are the same worries you had about me when I was his age," Trixie replied. She even managed to keep a straight face. Mart was taken slightly aback by the question, but then laughed. "You're right," he said. "Bobby will turn out fine." "He's a Belden," Trixie added. "We're built to last." "Yes, we are," Mart agreed. Another silence lapsed between the almost-twins, but unlike the days of their youth, when they often tried to compete with one another, it was a comfortable silence. "Hey, Mart?" Trixie asked. "Hey, what?" Mart asked. "Remember how earlier this evening I was saying that our lives had become so boring?" Trixie asked. Mart laughed. "Do you still feel that way?" he asked. "Well, I'm still unsure how exciting our lives are on their own," Trixie said. "But when you take into account that most of the bobwhites are Big Sisters or Big Brothers, it seems there will always be some kind of excitement around the corner." Mart chuckled. "Bobby will make us old fast," he said. "I doubt it," Trixie said. "Oh?" Mart asked. "What makes you say that?" "I think Bobby's antics are what keeps us young," Trixie said. "Because as long as he's going through some of what we have, it means we can't forget what it was like to be a teenager." "That's true," Mart agreed. "In fact, sometimes I still feel like a kid," Trixie said. "I know what you mean," Mart said. "Except isn't it strange that we're both awake and Di is the one asleep?" Trixie grinned. "Not that I'd speak any differently, but it's nice to have the chance to talk, just the two of us." "I understand," Mart said. "We should do it more often." "You know where I live," Trixie replied. She glanced at the coffee table, where the postcard they had received earlier now laid. "What will Brian and Honey think about what happened tonight?" "They will likely be glad they managed to miss it," Mart said. The almost-twins' laughter echoed into the endless summer night.
Lynch Estate She was not surprised to find him here. In the two months before his brother's wedding, he had dozed off on her floor several times, having come to escape the 'W' talk, as he termed it. Although his brother had married last Saturday, she figured tonight's incident was enough to drive him to his recent safe haven. "You awake?" she asked. "Is that a problem?" he asked. "No, it's good," she said. "You can get this stupid braid out of my hair. I don't want to wake Sandy." Bobby smirked. "I told you it'd stay in," he said. He had been curled up on the floor, but now sat up. "You win," Amanda replied. "Sit," Bobby said. "I can't reach the braid." Amanda sat down in front of her best friend. She could feel him unwinding the strands from the braid. "Where did you learn to do this?" she asked. "Not exactly common guy knowledge." "You'll be sorry you asked," Bobby said. "I'll take that risk," Amanda replied. "Okay," Bobby said. "Jess taught me." Amanda was not too surprised by the revelation. She was fairly sure one of Bobby's ex-girlfriends must have taught him, as his sister was not someone to mess with hair. "Why?" she asked. "She liked it when I braided her hair," Bobby said. "And you learned it for her?" Amanda asked. "I was young and foolish then," Bobby said. "But I don't think it's a bad thing to know. Other girls might like it, too." "Or need it," Amanda replied. "But I swear, after what happened tonight, I'm carrying rubber bands with me at all times." Bobby laughed. In another moment, he had untangled her hair. "Okay, the dread braid is gone," he said. "Thank you," Amanda replied. She leaned over and rubbed her hair vigorously. "I think the braid cut off circulation." "Your hair isn't alive," Bobby said. "My head is," Amanda replied. She straightened, leaving her hair in the jumbled mess, and turned around. "Did you talk with your parents?" she asked. It had been several hours since she had left. "Yeah," Bobby said. "And?" Amanda asked. Bobby squirmed. "After I told Dad that Moms was at Manor House, he called there. Apparently Mr. Wheeler had called to say he had just got off work and was on his way home, too, and suddenly they had the brilliant idea to all meet at the country club instead." "Gosh," Amanda said. "Who thought parents could be spontaneous?" "Weird, isn't it?" Bobby asked rhetorically. "In fact, they had apparently just missed your parents." "I was wondering why I didn't see them there," Amanda replied. "But they didn't get home until much later." The two teenagers exchanged looks that started out confused, but then turned to horror. "I don't want to know," Bobby said. "New topic, now," Amanda said. Bobby reached up and hit the radio alarm clock. The radio was playing a song, not a commercial, so he left it on. "Do you think it was dumb of me to think Moms might have been..." he trailed off. "Not at all," Amanda said. "It happened to Jess, didn't it?" "It sure did," Bobby said. "But Mart got so mad." "I'd never seen him that mad either," Amanda admitted. "It was scary," Bobby said. "But then I felt like... like I'd somehow betrayed everyone for even thinking that." "That's ridiculous," Amanda said. "Is it?" Bobby asked. "Do you really believe they've never had a bad thought about you?" Amanda asked. "I'd bet you our club dues that each of them has gotten in trouble for something you did and took awhile to forgive you for it." "I know they have," Bobby said. "I was a brat." "Glad you outgrew it," Amanda said. Bobby pulled open the closest drawer and peeked inside. "Where are your cards?" he asked, confused. "Pocket," Amanda replied, pulling a deck of cards out of her back pocket. She started shuffling them. "Did your parents ask questions?" "Yeah," Bobby said. Amanda dealt the cards, knowing he would answer in his own time. "Trixie kind of covered for me," Bobby said. "She's really good at coming up with excuses off the top of her head. She even convinced them the six glasses of water were for her and the five of us, and that the only reason they were untouched was because she had just refilled them." He picked up his hand and started sorting cards. "Smooth," Amanda said. Bobby's sister always seemed to know the answers to, well, just about everything. Amanda aspired to be like that one day. She picked up her own hand of cards. "Definitely," Bobby said. "We sat in the living room for awhile and Trixie somehow fended all the attention off of me and asked them about the country club instead. After awhile I said good night." "And came here?" Amanda asked. "No," Bobby said, drawing a card from the deck. "I waited until half a hour after they'd gone to bed." "Do you think they'll notice you're gone?" Amanda asked, as she continued to sort her hand of cards. "I don't know," Bobby said. "It's the first time I've tried since last Saturday." He put a card down. "What are you going to tell them if they ask?" Amanda asked, as she drew a card and added it to her hand. "I'll cross that bridge when I get to it," Bobby said. He paused for a moment. "You know what we were saying before? About us growing up and living in apartments across from one another and that we will be just like the bobwhites are now?" he asked. "I remember," Amanda said, putting a card down. Bobby drew another card. "Well, we won't," he said. "'cause we're the babies of the family. We won't have anyone to look after. We won't stop by to check up on anyone." "They didn't stop by to check up on us," Amanda said. "How do you know?" Bobby demanded. "Because if they had, they would have showed up long before they saw us tearing off on our bikes," Amanda replied. "I suppose," Bobby said, putting a card down. Amanda drew a new card. "Why don't you believe it?" she asked. Bobby shrugged. "I'm the baby," he said. "Nobody trusts me." "Your Moms trusted you tonight, didn't she?" Amanda asked, as she put a card down. "She didn't even come back to check up on you before she went to the club. She could have done that easily." "I guess," Bobby said, drawing a card. "Do you really think we're going to be here forever?" he asked. "I can't think of any other place I'd want to be," Amanda said. "Why?" she asked, trying to keep her tone guarded. Bobby put a card down. "I don't know," he said. "It's just that all my life I've been left out because I'm the baby. My brothers and sister got to go so many places and I never did." "We go places, too," Amanda said. "We go to Rosewood Hall." Bobby seemed to brighten at that comment. "That's right, we do," he said. "Do you think someday we can go by ourselves?" "The bobwhites go to Cobbett's Island and Mead's Mountain on their own," Amanda said, as she drew a card. "I don't see why not." "That'd be cool," Bobby said. "It definitely would," Amanda said. She put down a card. The game continued in silence for a bit, as each teenager was lost in his or her own thoughts. It had been over two years ago since they had stated playing this particular card game, and it had gotten to the point where both of them could do it without much thinking, and neither cared enough about the results to keep score. They heard a pitter patter and stopped momentarily to look out the window. It had begun to rain outside. As they finished the current game, they abandoned the cards. Without the need to exchange words, they went upstairs to one of the spare bedrooms, which had enormous picture windows. They did not turn on the light; the full moon outside was enough. Bobby watched the storm outside, then turned to his best friend. She reminded him so much of his sister sometimes. When Trixie still lived at Crabapple Farm, they used to watch storms together. He really missed that when she had gone to college. But now there was someone else with whom he could watch storms. "Mandy?" he asked. "Yeah?" Amanda asked. "Do you think we'll all still be friends when we're grown up?" Bobby asked. "The way the bobwhites are?" "As long as you don't regress to your elementary school ideas of what girls are like," Amanda said. Bobby rolled his eyes. "Not likely," he replied. "Then, yeah, we'll be friends," Amanda said. "Ten years from now, I bet we'll still be sitting around watching storms." "I hope you're right," Bobby said. "Here's to crazy summer nights."
* For interested parties, here is the documentation regarding the urban legend about animal last names. [scene]
**Abraham Lincoln appears on the five dollar bill. Alexander Hamilton appears on the ten dollar bill. For more information about United States currency, please visit the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. [scene]