in your eye,”
Wildcat said wonderingly. “‘Course, both would be sticky, and
why would you want mud or marshmallows in your eye?”
When
the judge went to the lake to wash off his glasses, Rebecca glared at
Baloo across the fire. The big bear simply shrugged and calmly
crammed a handful of toasted marshmallows in his mouth.
Cape
Suzette
The
Cunninghams’ Apartment Building
That
Evening
The
stars were twinkling in the velvet sky and moonlight glinted off of
the rushing waterfall when the grey Chevrolette pulled into its
reserved parking space.
Rebecca
got out, opened back door, and gathered sleeping Molly in her arms.
“I’ll take her up, Baloo. You and Kit get the other stuff.”
While
Rebecca, Molly, and Mr. Tannenbaum rounded the building, Baloo opened
the trunk. He handed the near-empty picnic basket to Kit. Then, he
pulled out another basket filled with buckets, shovels, blankets; it
was crowned with a large beach ball. Lugging their awkward loads,
they crossed the parking lot to the elevator.
As
the glass elevator made its ascent, Baloo said, “Just think, kiddo.
By this time tomorrow, it’ll be just you, me, an’ the Sea
Duck. We’ll be happy. We’ll be free. It’ll be great!”
Kit
gazed out over Cape Suzette, aglow with a halo of electric lights.
The thought of leaving the people he loved and the only home he’d
ever known prompted him to mutter gloomily, “Yeah, great.”
Noticing Baloo’s utter astonishment, he said with forced
enthusiasm, “Great, Papa Bear. It’ll be...great.”
Molly’s
Room
Rebecca
was perched on the edge of the canopy bed with Molly on her lap. She
was carefully pulling a nightgown over the little girl’s head.
The
movement roused the little bearess from sleep. “Mommy?” she said
drowsily, holding out her arms while her mother threaded them through
the sleeves.
“What,
honey?” Rebecca buttoned up the nightgown.
“Can
we go back to Lake Flaccid?” Molly asked, crawling under the
covers. “It was fun there.”
“Maybe...someday,”
she said vaguely.
“With
Baloo and Kit and Wildcat? I like it when we do stuff with them.”
A
shadow passed over Rebecca’s face as she drew the coverlet up to
Molly’s chin at the thought that had just come to mind. If they won
the contest, Baloo and Kit would no longer be around. All of a
sudden, $50,000 and free advertising didn’t seem so important
anymore. “Of course they can come with us.” She caressed, then
kissed her daughter’s soft little cheek with an affectionate,
“Goodnight, Pumpkin.”
Rebecca’s
Bedroom
Baloo
whistled ‘Put on a Happy Face’ while spreading his blankets out
on the floor.
“You’re
in a good mood tonight,” Rebecca said from the closet where she was
hanging up her robe.
“You
betcha.” He grinned. “You should be, too. By this time
tomorrow, we’ll both be the proud possessors of fifty thousand big
Uslandian buckeroos.”
Instead
of being filled with elation at the thought of all that money,
Rebecca’s heart sank. “How are you so sure we’ll win?”
He
plopped into his ‘bed’ and pulled the blanket up to his chin.
“Mr. T. seemed to be havin’ a good time today.”
“How
could you tell?” she said skeptically as she wound the alarm clock.
“He didn’t smile once.”
“He
was grinnin’ inside. I could tell.”
Rebecca
got into bed and turned off the light above Baloo’s head. “You
know,” she said slowly, “today was fun.”
“Really?”
“Yes,
really.”
Chuckling,
Baloo shook his head in disbelief.
Rebecca
switched off the other light, leaving them in darkness save for a few
pale moonbeams peeking through the crack in the drapes.
“What,
no work tonight?” Baloo asked through a yawn.
“Well..." she said reluctantly, "I
figure one day off wouldn’t hurt.”
He
grinned again. “There’s hope for you yet, Becky, an’ that’s
no lie.”
She
laughed softly. “Even if everything else about us is. Goodnight,
Baloo.”
“Sleep
tight, Beckers.” He rolled over on his side and closed his eyes
with a tired sigh.
Long
after Baloo was dreaming about the easy life, Rebecca lay awake,
thinking.
End
of part 5
It’s
Dough Contest
part
6
The
Cunninghams’ Apartment
Saturday
Morning
Day
6
Rebecca
awoke to the symphony of Baloo’s snores, something to which she had
surprisingly grown accustomed to. She removed the pink earmuffs, got
up, gathered her clothes, and went to the bathroom. A few minutes
later, the clothed bearess returned. She hung up her nightgown in
the closet, then made the bed. Just as she was about to leave, she
glanced at Baloo. An affectionate smile crept to her lips. His
snoring was ruffling the bedskirt. She pulled the blanket over his
shoulders and patted him gently on the chest, then quietly stepped
out.
Kit
was already in the kitchen, eating a bowl of Cheery-Os.
Rebecca
squeezed his shoulder with a smile on her way to the coffee pot. To
her surprise, a pot of steaming hot coffee was already on the stove.
“Thank you, sweetie.”
“No
problem, Miz Cunningham.”
She
sat down beside him, full mug in hand. She added a spoonful of sugar
to the coffee and slowly stirred it. “Last day,” she said,
taking a sip.
“Yeah.
I can’t believe we made it.”
“Where’s
Mr. Tannenbaum?” Rebecca was amazed that the judge wasn’t in the
living room, poring over his clipboard.
“He
went out about five minutes ago. Said something about heading to the
Chamber of Commerce to go over his results with Mrs. John D.
Rockefeather.”
“So...we’ll
know today.”
“Looks
like it.”
A
troubled frown creased Rebecca’s forehead. “Mind if I ask you a
question, Kit?”
“Sure.”
“What’s
Baloo planning on spending his $50,000 on?”
Kit
shrugged. “Buying back the Sea Duck, of course.”
“Of
course.” Rebecca absently took another sip of coffee.
“I
don’t want to leave Higher for Hire.” He drove the last soggy
Cheery-O around the bowl with his spoon.
Rebecca
sighed, chin propped on her hand. “I don’t want you to go, you
or Baloo.”
“What
can we do?” Kit said dismally. “If we win, Baloo will take his
money, buy back the plane, we’ll leave, and I’ll never see you or
Molly again.”
“I
know, Kit. I know.” To herself, she added, “Oh, I wish I’d
never entered us in this stupid contest...”
They
sat in silence for a few moments, mulling over their predicament.
Finally,
Kit said, “The only way to stay together is if we lose. Right, Miz
Cunningham?”
Rebecca
hesitated. Last night, she’d decided that there were more
important things than money; ergo, they’d have to forfeit the
contest. Still...fifty thousand dollars and a year of free
advertising was a lot to give up, especially after all they had gone
through to earn it.
“Right,
Miz Cunningham?” Kit repeated pointedly.
Exhaling
slowly, she nodded in agreement. “We’ll have to prove to Mr.
Tannenbaum that we’re not a family.”
“Yeah,
but how? He thinks we are,” the boy said glumly.
Rebecca
tapped her fingers against the coffee mug. After a few minutes, a
sparkle came to her eyes. “How about...?”
At
the same time, Kit said, “What if we...?”
They
looked at each other. Simultaneously, they said, “Are you thinking
what I’m thinking?”
Higher
for Hire
An
Hour Later
Kit
sat cross-legged on Baloo’s bed, watching as the pilot crammed
everything he owned into a duffel bag and a suitcase. “Are you
sure you should be doing this, Papa Bear? We haven’t won yet.”
“Don’t
be such a spoilsport, kiddo. Mr. T. basically said we were the
winners.”
“When?”
“He
didn’t so much as say it as look it, if ya know what I
mean.”
“How
could you tell?”
“I
just could. Hand me that lamp, will ya?”
Kit
picked up the hula girl lamp from the night stand and gave it to him.
Baloo unceremoniously dumped it in the suitcase and piled clothes on
top of it. He pushed the lid down, but because it was so full, it
wouldn’t latch. Finally, he sat on the suitcase and latched it
with a click, a crunch, and a triumphant grin.
“I
just think you shouldn’t count your money ‘til it’s hatched,
that’s all.”
As
if he hadn’t heard him, Baloo said, “Start packin’, partner. I
wanna make prop wash just as soon as I hand Becky that check-eroo.”
“Okay.”
Smiling to himself, Kit got his suitcase from the closet and started
to load the contents of his dresser drawer into it.
He
didn’t get very far, for a few minutes later Molly tore into the
room. Breathlessly, she said, “Mr. Tannenbaum is here, and he’s
got a really big envelope.”
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