“But...”

“Make something up. You’re good at that.”

“I’m goin’. I’m goin’.”

“While you’re at it, put these on the table.” She handed him the salt and pepper shakers.

“Add a little spice to your life?” He held them over the pot of spaghetti sauce.

“Out!”

“Sheesh! Shouldn’t ya be nicer to your hubby, Honeylips?”

He was rewarded with a glare.

A Half Hour Later

Rebecca, spearing a dainty bite of chocolate cake with her fork, glanced out of the corner of her eye at Mr. Tannenbaum who was seated on her right. The judge’s behavior had been the same throughout the entire meal - take a bite, then write a comment on the clipboard. It was making her curious as well as more than a little nervous.

At long last, Mr. Tannenbaum put down his fork and wiped his mouth with his napkin. “That was tasty, Mrs. Cunningham.”

Her spirits rose. Then, just as quickly, they fell when he made a hasty note on his clipboard.

“Yeah,” Baloo belched. “Not half bad, Beckers.” He ran his large pink tongue around the outside of his mouth with a loud slurp.

Rebecca shot him a fierce reproving look across the table.

The pilot’s eyes dropped to his plate. He murmured contritely, “Excuse me.”

Rebecca wanted to scream with frustration when she noticed the large blob of sauce peeping out from beneath Baloo’s plate; it was obvious that he was trying to conceal it. Her best lace tablecloth - ruined! She glared at Baloo, then said pleasantly, “Why don’t I give you a little tour of the apartment, Mr. Tannenbaum, especially since you’ll be staying with us for a while?”

“All right.” He gathered up his clipboard and pen, rose from his chair, and followed her.

Baloo and the cubs did likewise.

“You have a nice home, Mrs. Cunningham,” he said tersely, taking in every minute detail of the apartment from the art deco on the doors to the very dirt in the potted plants with his shrewd eyes.

“Why, thank you.”

“It should be nice. All our profits go into it,” Baloo muttered.

Rebecca jabbed him in the side with her elbow. “This is the kids’ room,” she said, opening the door at the end of the hallway.

Mr. Tannenbaum stood in the doorway, looking at the room containing a frilly canopy bed, a doll house, a miniature tea table, as well as the plethora of stuffed animals, dolls and girlish toys. “Bothof the children sleep here, including the young man?”

Fingers crossed behind his back, Kit stepped forward. “Yes, sir. That side of the room is mine. I don’t have much stuff, because...” recalling one of his recent vocabulary words, he concluded, “because I’m a minimalist.”

The judge frowned over his pince-nez at the mattress that had been hastily tossed in the corner. The pillow and bedclothes were heaped on top of it in a confused jumble.

“I see. Is that your bed?” He pointed to the mattress with his pen.

Kit nodded. “It’s not usually that messy. I was in a hurry to get to school this morning. To study. Big test today.”

After jotting down a note, Mr. Tannenbaum said sanctimoniously, “Try to be neater in the future.”

“Yes, sir.”Kit had to stifle a laugh when Baloo, his mouth in a tight line, mimicked writing something in the palm of his hand. It was a perfect imitation of Mr. Tannenbaum.

After shooting a death glare at her pilot over her shoulder, Rebecca led the judge down the hall. She opened a door on her left. “This is the bathroom.”

“The room with the bath,” Baloo added, receiving another dirty look from his boss for the witless witticism.

“I see,” Mr. Tannenbaum said, writing a comment on the clipboard. He clapped it to his body and gave Molly an annoyed look over his pince-nez when she tried to sneak a peek.

“Why can’t I see his clipboard? He got to see my room,” Molly said irritably, arms crossed.

Rebecca hushed her daughter with a stern look. She hid her mounting irritation under a facade of pleasantness when she said, “And this is the master bedroom.” She opened a door across the hall from the bathroom.

“Hm-hmm...” Mr. Tannenbaum murmured when Rebecca flipped on the light. His scrutinizing gaze flitted around the meticulously neat room. “Definitely a woman’s touch.”

Rebecca’s fingers gouged into Baloo’s arm to prevent him from making a snide comment. “A really strong woman’s touch,” the big bear mumbled.

“The living room, dining room, and kitchen you’ve seen,” Rebecca said, shutting the bedroom door.

Molly added, “And the waterfall.”

Rebecca smiled at the little girl. “Yes, Pumpkin, he saw the waterfall. That’s it, Mr. Tannenbaum. That’s our home.”

Baloo loudly cleared his throat, prompting another death glare from Rebecca.

“Just make yourself comfortable in the living room, Mr. Tannenbaum,” Rebecca said brightly, ushering him towards the sage green couch. “Baloo and the kids will keep you company while I clear the table. It’ll only take a second. Then, maybe we can all play a board game. We have checkers, Monopolize...”

“Candy Cane Land,” Molly chimed in, naming her favorite board game. She sat down on the blue, round parlor sofa and picked up her doll Lucy.

The judge said curtly, “I’m not much for board games.”

“Cards?”

“I’m not much for cards.”

“Is there a radio program you’d like to listen to? We get wonderful reception here.”

“No.”

Kit, sitting beside Molly, checked his watch. It was time for this week’s new episode of Space Riders, his favorite radio program. Once again, he was missing it, because of one of Baloo’s and Rebecca’s crazy get-rich-quick schemes.

“Oh,” Rebecca said, perplexed as to how to entertain her uncooperative guest. “Well...in that case, we’ll just share some riveting conversation.”

“Rivetin’,” Baloo murmured sullenly, plopping down on the couch beside the judge. He wished that he was at Higher for Hire, taking an after-supper snooze in his comfortable armchair.

“Don’t bore him with air pirate stories!” Rebecca whispered into Baloo’s ear.

“Then what am I s’posed ta talk to him about?” Baloo whispered back.

“I don’t know. Anything but flying.” She hurried across the room to clear the table.

“Anythin’ but flyin’. Flying’s all I know,” Baloo grumbled under his breath. He cleared his throat nervously and turned to Mr. Tannenbaum. “So, how ‘bout them Sox?”

Later that Night
Molly’s Room

Kit was curled up in bed. As he waited for sleep to claim him, his drowsy eyes wandered about the unfamiliar room - at Molly’s canopy bed, at the blocks and stuffed animals scattered across the floor, at the miniature tea table, finally at the doll house. From his vantage point, the soft light from the Danger Woman nightlight shone through the windows of the dollhouse, making it seem like a real house.

He smiled, recalling the warm feeling that he had gotten while watching Miz Cunningham tuck Molly into bed. It had reminded him of that night, six months ago, when they had first come to Higher for Hire.

Fixing his gaze on the baseball cap that was on the floor beside his mattress, Kit’s smile widened. The past six months had been the best in his life. After years of searching, he had finally found a place where he belonged.

His smile faded when he remembered the contest. If they won, Baloo would get enough money to buy back the Sea Duck and then pilot and navigator would leave Higher for Hire, leave the Cunninghams, leave Wildcat. Life wasn’t fair. Just as things were perfect, they had to change. And all because Miz Cunningham had entered them in some stupid contest.

His reverie was interrupted by a loud whisper: “Kit, are you asleep?”

Kit peered through the darkness to meet Molly’s shining brown eyes. “No,” he murmured.

“Ya wanna know something?”

“What?”

“This is kinda fun, like a slumber party.”

“Yeah.” He grinned, closing his eyes.

After a momentary silence, Molly whispered, “Kit?”

“What?” He opened his eyes to look at her.

“Me and Lucy wish that we could stay a family forever and ever.”

“Me, too, Molly. Me, too,” Kit whispered.

In the next room, Baloo spread blankets out on the carpeted floor beside Rebecca’s bed. “We ain’t never gonna get through this week.”

“We probably already blew it, thanks to your slip-up at dinner.”

“How was I s’posed ta know pink was your favorite color?” Baloo crawled into his ‘bed’. He pounded the pillow with his fist a few times before laying his head on it with a tired sigh.

Rebecca, clad in a nightgown and purple robe, opened her closet where almost every article of clothing was some shade of pink or purple. She pulled out her fuzzy pink slippers and put them on.

“Don’t be so obtuse, Baloo.”

“Hey, I ain’t that fat!” Baloo said, sitting bolt upright.

Smiling at his ignorance, she got into bed and arranged papers, ledgers, and an adding machine around her.

“Oh, man, how long is that gonna take?”

“As long as it takes. Go to sleep, Baloo.”

“I can’t sleep with the light on,” he whined.

“Youcan’t sleep with the light on?” she said incredulously. “This from the man who can sleep in his hammock, under the Sea Duck’swing with the sun full in his face?”

“Yeah, well, lamplight’s different.”

Rebecca, pencil in hand, thumbed through her ledger. Then, with a sigh of exasperation, she turned off the lamp right above Baloo’s head. The lamp on the other side of the bed was still on.

Grinning, Baloo lay back down. “Thanks, Becky.”

“Anything to keep you from complaining. Now, go to sleep!”

A few minutes later, Baloo said, “Why’d ya got so much work anywhoo?”

“I do this every evening. I would do it at my desk in the living room, but Mr. Tannenbaum is asleep on the couch.”

“Why not wait ‘til ya get to Higher for Hire in the mornin’?” Baloo asked through a yawn.

“You think a cargo