[. . . they love him so when he flips that dough . . .] Hey, man! A theme song for the Diner. Now, how cool is that? Where in the world did you ever find it? Right. Who else has that many records in their basement? Lou Monte? Nope, can’t say I’ve ever heard of him. Probably before my time. Had many takers on the 10 Wonderful Reasons talk? Well, don’t give up. The night’s still young. Now, what have you got for a starving friend? Hmm. Any chance you’ve got Hawaiian pizza with pineapple? Cool, man.” Beep, beep. “Wow, look at what Pete’s towing. I wonder if Eliot would let me take his scooter for a spin. Who did what? Ha ha! I’ll take my pizza to go, so I can raz George about it. I’ll be on that bench over there, waiting for my sister. I don’t think so. She promised not to buy more than we can carry home. Catch you later, man. Can you make a whole Hawaiian pizza for me to pick up later for take-out? Thanks. Hum hum, ‘it’s Pizza Boy U.S.A.’ Catchy tune.”
“Hey, man! How’s it going? Got any air-popped with nothing on it? I know, but I’m going to be sharing it with Flossie. Nah, Nanea and Janie have her in The Boutique right now, but she tires out pretty easily. Flossie, you goof, not Nanea or Janie. So . . . heard you were tooling around on Eliot’s scooter for the better part of the day . . . ha ha . . .”
“Not funny. Why don’t you just go sit on the bench and feed the chicken? Next!”
“I’d be glad to. What if I sit right over there on that bench? I already had a quick piece of pizza, so you two grab whatever you want as you’re walking around. No, not at all. Leave her on the leash, though. This place is packed, and we don’t want her to get hurt in the crowd. I thought you were buying new shoes, Janie. Oh, good. Well, get them on before you walk around much more. And you might want to finish that chocolate bar in a hurry. Harold’s selling pineapple pizza. Yep, authentic Hawaiian-bread crust, too. Nah, I don’t think so. Don’t worry about us, ’cause we’ll be fine. I even got the kind of popcorn that Flossie can eat. We’ll just sit right over there and people-watch.”
“Remember, the fireworks start at 8:30, so don’t be late or you’ll never find me in this crowd. And, Nanea, don’t forget your promise. Janie, you make sure she doesn’t buy ‘more than we can carry home’. That was the deal, right, Nanea? What? No, that’s the new theme-song music coming from Harold’s diner. Bunty didn’t have enough time to arrange for live entertainment this year. But, wait’ll you hear the song he’s playing. It’s better than live entertainment, if you ask me. Anyway, we’re going to grab the bench before someone else does. Have fun, but remember . . . okay, okay, just reminding you again . . . Come on, girl. Let’s get a seat. Benny’s got popcorn for you. She’ll be back soon, don’t worry . . .”
“Cluck.”
“Don’t worry about me, Bunty. I’m okay. No, I haven’t taken up spinning. Jerri lost her sheep necklace from last year’s Wool Week event, and she remembers having it on when she was admiring these locks. She’s out there crying, so I’m trying to find it for her.”
“Sonja, do you remember if she was looking over here? Where else would you look? She’s so sad. Eliot said that if I can’t find hers that you might have a spare in here from last year.
“Hey, Fletcher. You keep looking. If you find it, just quietly pass it to me later without letting Jerri see. I’m going to go out and give her mine that I have under my dress, but I’m going to tell her that it’s hers that you found in the barrel of locks. I sure hope she had the same color string as me . . .”
“Thank you for asking, Eliot. I’m fine now. Fletcher was kind enough to find it in Bunty’s shop where I had dropped it earlier. I’m sorry for worrying everyone, but it is a special memento of Wool Week last year. And please let me thank you again for your generosity. I’m having a time I’ll never forget. Everyone is so kind. Pardon me, George? Yes, if it isn’t too much trouble.”
“Jerri, I think you forgot your pretzel.”
“Here’s Brighton. Let’s ask her. Do you still have Wool Week souvenir mugs in the Sheep Shop? Sonja’s looking for a gift for someone, and we haven’t seen anything she likes better than the mugs. We’re hoping you haven’t run out since we were in there earlier. For real?! Let’s go, now, Sonja! Bye, Brighton, and thanks! Oh, look. Benny’s brought Flossie to the fair. Let’s buy her some popcorn. George, we’d like some popcorn for Flossie. Eh? She has her own kind of popcorn? Whatever you say. It must be a lot of work to have a Grand Champion chicken. Race you there, Sonja!”
“Say ‘thank you’, Flossie.” Cluck. “I think she’s in Bunty’s shop.”
“Do you think she’d like one of these? Well, you said you wanted something different for her. And this certainly is different. What is it, anyway?”
“It’s a ‘drop spindle’, Janie. You use it to turn that plain wool into yarn. I don’t know how, but it does. Yes, it does look a bit like a spinning top. But I think we should keep looking around. Bunty has so many nice things to buy that I’m thinking of doing some early Christmas shopping. I know, but Benny meant shopping for me. Not including presents. Besides, it’s all small stuff, so we’ll be able to carry it home. Now, what do you think about . . .”
“Zale, Patty and I are looking for the Wool Week souvenir mugs. Do you know where to find them? I hate to bother Bunty when she’s busy with a customer.”
“Sonja, here they are! Nanea’s buying one right now. Hi, Zale! Do you like my new shoes? Yes, they’re so beautiful that I’m never going to change them. They fit me perfectly, too. Toni has this really cute little foot-measuring thing. You just put your foot in it, and she pushes some slides, and Bob’s your Uncle! Just the right size. What ‘spression? I don’t know, but I heard someone say it once and everyone laughed. Nanea, don’t you think this cute little lambie is just what I need to go with my new shoes? I thought so, too. I’m going to get my picture drawn before we eat. Just in case I spill something on it, you know? No, maybe we should eat first. That chocolate wore off a while ago. Oh, I don’t know. I’ll meet you down where they’re drawing the pictures, okay? Nice shop, Bunty! Just put my change in the RBST can!”
“Sit still, Janie. You sure do wiggle a lot. Are you sure you don’t want me to hold that chocolate bar for you? No, it’s not in the picture, but you don’t want it to melt on your pretty dress. I’m almost done here. That sure is a lot of hair to get into one portrait. Is that all you eat? Chocolate, I mean. Well, maybe you should have pizza or something a little more . . . um . . . nourishing. Now, sit still, and I’ll be finished in . . . sit still, Janie! Voila! Finished! Bob’s Your Uncle? What does that mean? Well, I don’t think it’s funny. Boy, that’s probably the cutest portrait I’ve drawn all day. You should come over to the house some time, Janie, and let me do a real portrait. Some time when you aren’t riding on a chocolate wave. No, Janie, there is no such thing as a chocolate wave. It’s just an expression. Yes, like Bob’s . . . oh, go on with you . . . Bethany, I think I need a break!”
“Sure, Henry, but this’ll be my last one for a bit. Have a seat! This won’t take long at all. I’ve never performed in front of an audience before. I feel so honored. I sure do hope the two of you aren’t art critics.” Giggling. “Seriously, though, Bethany will be right back to take over. She’ll have plenty of time to do both of you. Pardon me? Vesey! I can’t help it. Henry has all those cowlicks! I think it’s an adorable picture and looks just like you Henry. Wanna see? Why not? Okay, here Vesey. Henry, are you sure you want Vesey to store it in the back room at the diner? I don’t know. It might get grease or sauce on it. Well, it’s your portrait! Bethany!”
“Does anyone else hear someone hollering, ‘Bethany’? I don’t know, but that’s the second time I’ve heard it. Must be Harold’s music that sounds like that. So, what’s in the bag, Patty? And you got that where? Oh, Toni, I need to find the time to visit The Boutique. I need to take a present home for a special friend. Have you got any locally made items? Okay, I’ll be over as soon as I can. I need to check on Bunty, but I’ll try to get there before the fireworks start.”
“FIREWORKS? What fireworks? They’re having fireworks here tonight? How did I miss that announcement? No, my subscription lapsed, and I haven’t been in to renew it, yet. A poster, too? Boy, I really need to get around more. So, tell all. Who’s doing the fireworks, and where do you see them? Amazing! I’ve never seen fireworks at the beach before. What gave Eliot the idea for fireworks, anyway? Well, it doesn’t really matter, because everything Eliot arranges is A#1. Pete and Mina, you say? Well, that’s another award-winning combination. What time do the festivities start? I know they’ve started already, but I mean when do the fireworks start? 8:30 it is, then. Boy, am I glad you mentioned that. I figured on leaving in another half hour or so. I think I’ll go back and look at all the shops again. Want to see the portrait of me that Livie did? Okay, I’ll meet up with you later.”
“Hi, Lori! Did you know that there are going to be fireworks tonight? Just wanted to make sure you didn’t leave early. I bet you read the Gazette every morning, don’t you? Oh, nothing. I think I need to get up earlier in the morning. You know, “early bird catches the worm” and all that. Yeah, well, I know I’m not making any sense. It’s because I don’t read the Gazette . . . Uh-huh, bye bye.”
“Did I miss something, Eliot? Weird. And she’s usually such a level-headed girl. Oh, nothing. Hey, Sun-Ho! Got anymore of that raspberry lemonade? I’ll take a cold one, please. Thanks!”
“Hey, Benny, did you know your chicken was just eating popcorn? Right. Flossie. I forgot. Is it okay for her to eat that popcorn? Her own kind? Wow, living in the city makes for a great loss of experience, I think. Hi and bye, Nanea! Nice gift wrap.”
“Wow, good girl! That was some fast shopping. Now that you’re finished with that, would you like to take Flossie for a walk, or do you just want to wait around for the fireworks? Yeah, we could do that. But where are you going to hang those big portraits in our house? Okay, just let me finish my pop, and I’ll meet you down there. I forgot about that. Well, why don’t you just get your portrait done, and I’ll try to find time later for mine? We’ll take turns sitting with Flossie. Oh, she’s fine. She ate a lot of popcorn and then seems to have roosted for the night. She looks like she’s people-watching, but I think she fell asleep a while ago. Have fun, and don’t forget to have a bite of food somewhere. I think Harold even has a Poi pizza. No foolin’. I heard him telling someone. Well, ask him when you’re down there having your portrait drawn. Aloha . . . Hey! Do you wanna leave your packages here? Nanea! Oh, well, Flossie. It’s just you and me again.” Cluck. “Go back to sleep. The popcorn’s all gone.”