When I wrote this late last week, I didn’t know as much of the story as I do now. It’s gotten a little bigger, so there will be more than a weekly entry. How much more I don’t know yet. I do know where the girls just took an unscheduled trip to. That was awesome, unexpected, and a few weeks away.
Maybe, I don’t know. This story isn’t mine. I write it down. However, I feel like I put together something special for Maddisun’s first experience with the jukebox. It harkens… haha. Someone said that in screenwriting class on Sunday. Anyway, it was the very first thing Mouse ever said to Maddisun.
=j
Previously on A Maddisun Tale...
10:00 PM
Samantha came down from the stage to greet Maddisun.
“I’m sorry, if I didn’t get that out of my system it just would have escalated. I hope you don’t mind. Charlie, may I introduce the band?” -Samantha, a little flush from the show but also blushing a little. Charlie nodded and Samantha turned to the stage as Penny and Jessie came down, wearing their Pink Ladies jackets and Maddisun shirts. Penny struck first. “Hey sexpot soul mom, here’s a sharpie, maybe the rock star will sign your tits.”
Maddisun grabbed the Sharpie out of Penny’s hand, but Jessie stepped in to bring some reason.
“Hi, I’m Jessie. Nice to meet you finally Maddisun.”
Over the mic, Mouse had an announcement.
“FINALLY! THE ROCK STAR HAS COME TO THE DINER!”
“As you can see, and hear, we’re all happy you’re here Maddisun. Hi, I’m Penny, Charlie’s daughter.”
Charlie dug something out of his pocket and then held out his hand. There was a dime in it. Maddisun smiled, dug into her front jeans pocket, and held out a closed hand. “What, this won’t work?”
She opened her hand to reveal the gold nugget Mouse had given her at The Heatley in Vancouver last year.
“At some point tonight, I’ll show you where I found that, and don’t worry about getting back to Toronto in time, we have a few tricks up our sleeve. Come on inside and take a load off, Dreamboat Annie. Let’s say hi to Bumblebee.” -Charlie, handing the dime to Maddisun and waving everyone in. Maddisun notices that the worn and grimy dime is from 1989.
As the gang came into the diner, the jukebox speaker crackled. Penny chastised Bumblebee. “Hey, let a girl drop a dime now and then!”. Hands on her hips, right foot still counting the beat. “And?” Penny, feigning annoyance.
“Here.” Samantha, coming in behind Maddisun.
“We” Bella, skating in while Charlie held the door.
Everyone was waiting for Charlie to say go, but then they saw what he had already started to see.
“Go ahead you show off.” -Charlie walked in and closed the door behind him.
Magically, all around them, the diner started to change. Instantly, they found themselves in the formal dining room of a fabulous Dutch castle.
Large paintings of aristocratic couples adorned the windowless room. Each appeared to be painted during a formal sitting, but then they all got up together and began dancing with their partners from painting to painting, circling the room. A candle chandelier lit itself, and then the candle sconces along the walls lit one by one. Finally, the candelabras on the large dining table in the center of the room lit. There was magic all around them, swirling like fairy dust, and everyone turned to see each other’s new attire. Penny and Jessie got in the mood first and began dancing, their gowns made of opposing royal blue and white. Samantha still somehow ended up with a ball gown that could barely contain her, it was red with black sleeve gloves. Charlie was in a black tuxedo with a red vest, and top hat. Bella was in a ballgown so white it shined like silver, and Maddisun was draped in shimmering gold with a sheer almost translucent red shawl that appeared to be woven from rubies making it look like her dress was on fire as she waved her arms studying the shawl. Mouse and Amanda seemed to be wearing parade military uniforms, and somehow Mouse still outranked Amanda. “Leftenant” -Amanda. “Captain.” -Mouse, as the two of them stepped towards each other to dance. Bella came up to Maddisun, curtsied, and asked for her hand. Samantha got on her toes to see over Charlie’s shoulder. “You can cut in when we pass by them, but are you gonna dance with Maddisun or Bella?” -Charlie, looking down at Samantha peeking around his shoulder.
“Shh. Let a girl dance and make up her mind.” -Samantha.
As Maddisun and Bella approached, Samantha made her move.
“Excuse me Maddisun, but Miss Bella’s boyfriend isn’t around tonight to be uncomfortable with me dancing with her, may I cut in?” -Samantha
“But of course.” -Maddisun, stepping over to Charlie’s extended hand.
As Bella and Samantha danced away, Charlie led Maddisun to the jukebox. “Just so you know, in all the time I’ve been here, this is the only time Bumblebee’s done this on a day that wasn’t Halloween. Clara told you, I presume?”
“Yes, but, how could I believe her until now?” Maddisun looked at the jukebox as Charlie pointed behind it. As she came over to see, she noticed the plug from the jukebox was plugged into a power strip that the lights and small disco ball over it were also plugged into, but the plug end of the power strip was lying there on the floor, attached to nothing.
“I love how all this feels perfectly normal!” -Maddisun
Charlie extended his hand and they joined everyone as they danced around the large dining table. Samantha, unfortunately, waited too long to make her move. As the song faded, so did the scene, and Samantha was standing with Bella next to the window booth at the end where Monique, Alice, Ed, and Sheriff Joey Stongbull were sitting. The Sheriff stared down Samantha, and as her hand slowly moved from where it didn’t belong, the Sheriff channeled his predecessor. “Uh-huh.”
Laughter caught fire around the diner for quite a while as everyone caught on.
“That was amazing. Where am I?” -Maddisun
“Not Kansas, but a rabbit hole in back makes this all a little wonderland.” -Bella
“Oh! Penny-Vision all makes sense now!” -Penny
“Penny… Vision? Really?” -Jessie
“I second Penny Vision.” -Charlie
“You’re her Dad it doesn’t count!” -Jessie
“How can you, out of all of us, deny her a great name, Twisted Metal.” -Charlie
“No fucking way!” -Cash and Lyra, who had just come in to find the bathrooms, recognized that Jessie could very well be that teenage bank robber in Austin that got away. “Jinx you owe me a coke!” -Cash and Lyra.
“Cash, Lyra, hi, I’m Isabella Flannagan. Our little secrets here are safe with you two right?” -Mouse, approaching the two teenagers. “How about a picture with Gummy Bear Crucifix?”
“Deal!” -Cash and Lyra, who just looked at each other.
“It should stop once you leave. You’re always welcome back of course.” -Mouse, who’d gathered Jessie and Penny for the picture. Bella took one with each of their phones.
“Thank you! Which way are the bathrooms?” -Cash
“Straight through the kitchen, then left and on the right.” -Mouse
It was 10:15 PM