The very first Spoonerville theater was about to open for the first time next month. Peg couldn't be any more excited when she learned that The Sound of Musicwould be performed in her own small town. She'd been dropping hints to Pete to buy them the tickets for a while now, but knowing her self-centered, self-involved, self-loving husband, she was sure he'd be too thick to get her verbal and written hints.
Instead of dropping hints, she decided to drop it as it was.
"Oh, sweetie," she called lovingly as she walked into the living room.
Pete was in his usual place on the couch, yelling at the TV. "Not now, Sugar Plum," he said, gaze glued on the screen. "Your sweetie's team is about to score."
Peg turned off the TV and flung herself on Pete, wrapping her arms around his neck.
"But… but…" Pete tried to untie her arms and push her away, but Peg hung onto him.
"Petey, remember the play tickets I've been telling you about?"
Pete tried to reach out to the remote control on the table unsuccessfully. "What play tickets?"
"Why, The Sound of Music, Muffin-pie. It'll open on the fifth of next month and we need to get the best seats in the house."
"But, Peg-ems, we've already watched it more than a dozen times."
"We've watched it on TV. They say it's a whole new experience on stage. Besides, you taped your football match over it, remember?"
Pete finally managed to push her away and grab the remote. He turned on the TV and literally glued his eyes on the screen. Peg snatched the remote control and turned off the TV.
Pete turned around and tried to reason with her. "But, Peg, we don't want to be cooped up in a crowded place watching a bunch of armatures and talentless kids burst into songs every now and then."
Peg laughed. "Oh, sweetie, I WANT TO!" She gave him her best Do-What-I-Say-Or-Else glare. "I expect the tickets on my nightstand first thing tomorrow morning or it'll be you against my TONGUE. Understood?"
Pete grinned nervously. "Yes, Sweet-ems."
A faint light filtered in through the bedroom window and fell on Peg's face. She rubbed her eyes awake and turned her head toward the nightstand. The tickets were there. A bright smile plastered on her face. Pete finally came through.
She sat up and took a hold of the tickets, hugging them close to her chest. She puckered her lips and brought the tickets toward them for a sticky kiss.
Hold it right there!
Her eyes went wide with rage when she realized the tickets she was holding in her hands were not theater tickets. They were cinema tickets to the movie Mamma Mia.
"PETE!"
"Oh, hello, Sugar cubs." Pete walked into the bedroom in an apron, holding a tray decorated with a flowers. "Here is your breakfast served in bed like a princess."
Peg waved the tickets in frustration. "What are these?"
"Tickets, your majesty."
Peg rolled her eyes and folded her arms across her chest. "What happened to the Sound of Musictickets?"
"You wanted to see a musical and this is a musical. Plus, it's way cheaper."
Peg screamed on the top of her lungs, pulled on her hair, and jumped up and down on the bed. She flung the covers, jumped to her feet and walked past Pete and his breakfast-in-bed tray toward the closet. She changed into her everyday clothes and stormed out of her bedroom.
"Peg-ems, where are you going?" Pete called after her.
Peg looked at him over her shoulder. "I'm leaving and I ain't coming back until I SEE THOSE TICKECTS, DO YOU HEAR ME?"
She turned around and found PJ and Pistol in the hallway staring at her in shock. She felt a pang of guilt, but continued striding out of her house. This wasn't just about the tickets. This was about all the times she'd asked Pete to do something for her and he let her down. Every. Single. Time. He only thought of himself. He was a selfish, arrogant…
"Peg, look out!" Goofy called from his front yard.
All Peg saw was a flying hammer that went straight to her head.
Peg pushed herself back up hastily and looked around in embarrassment. Fortunately, no one was around to witness her latest moment of shame. She glared at the skateboard she'd tripped over and wondered how a toy that belonged to an aristocratic baron's kid would be lying around in the front yard. She dusted her old-fashioned clothes and her leather hat that looked pretty much like a fireman's helmet. Putting her helmet on, she really hoped the Baron wouldn't mistake her for a beggar.
She grabbed her suitcase and guitar case and took a minute to admire the Pete household. It wasn't a mansion, but it was big and lovely. "You can't stand here forever," she told herself. Reverend Mother Abbess had told her that the Baron was a widower and his children needed a governess. And the perfect governess she was going to be to those poor motherless children.
She rang the bell and waited. The door opened with a little tweak revealing a tall good-looking man dressed in a grey Austrian costume.
"I'm the new teacher," Peg said. "Are you Baron Von Pete?"
"Ah-yuck, guessed wrong! I'm Hans Goof, the butler."
"How do you do, Hans?" Peg stretched out her hand to greet him. Her life was almost shaken out of her body by his overenthusiastic handshaking.
Hans Goof took her suitcase and guitar case and ushered her inside. Peg looked around at the cozy house and immediately felt at home. She tilted her head and blinked at the largest TV she'd ever seen in her life hanging from the wall.
Suddenly, she heard lazy footsteps behind her and a smug voice saying, "I see you're admiring my TV."
There he was – the Baron!
A large, fat man in a purple robe and the cockiest smile she'd ever seen. "I'm glad you've come, Fraulein…"
"Peg," she filled in and extended out a hand.
Baron Pete ignored her hand and walked toward the big screen. "Yes, biggest TV in the market. Best used-car salesman ought to have one of these."
Peg blinked. Wasn't he supposed to be a submarine captain? She grimaced, planted her hands on her hips and tapped her foot on the floor as she listened to Baron Pete go on and on about his giant TV.
Eventually, Peg cleared her throat.
Baron Pete raised an eyebrow at her, apparently annoyed that she interrupted him. "What?"
"Can I just meet the children?"
"Right. I suppose that's what you're here for," he muttered under his breath. Out of his pocket, he took an odd-shaped, ornamented brass whistle, on which he piped a series of complicated trills.
Peg grinned. "I'm guessing it takes so long to call all the seven children by name."
Baron Pete threw her a look. "Seven?"
Led by a sober-faced little girl marched the three children down the stairs all dressed in blue sailor suits. Peg blinked when two boys and a girl stood before her. "Where are the rest of them?"
Baron Pete put the whistle back in his pocket. "Rest of what? I've only got three children."
"You couldn't call threechildren by name?" Peg asked indecorously.
Ignoring her again, Baron Pete walked toward the biggest kid of the three. "This is my oldest Rupert. And we call him PJ." Then he nodded at the thinner boy. "This is my second son, Werner, and we call him Max." Then he gestured at the little girl. "This is my youngest Johanna and we call her Pistol."
Peg shook her head. "The nicknames hold no resemblance to the birth names."
"Children, here is our new teacher, Fraulein Peg."
"We're happy to meet you, Fraulein Peg," three voices echoed in unison. Three perfect bows followed.
Peg smiled and bowed herself and down fell the ugly helmet, rolling on the floor and landing at the tiny feet of little Johanna – eh, Pistol. A giggle escaped the little girl's mouth followed by a gale of laughter.
"Pistol," Baron Pete warned. He snapped his fingers to PJ.
The boy, who looked remarkably like his father, fetched the helmet and handed it to Peg.
"Now, children, go back to your rooms and get ready. I want you on your best behavior tonight," Baron Pete said. The children obediently marched back up the stairs.
"Hans!" Baron Pete shouted.
The butler arrived at once and saluted him. "At your service."
"Take Fraulein Peg to her room."
"Okey dokey, Petey."
Baron Pete shot him a death glare.
"Oops, I mean, sir."
Baron Pete walked toward the TV while Hans Goof started to lead Peg toward the kitchen.
"Wait a minute," Peg said. "My room is over there?"
"You're gonna share the basement with Hans," Baron Pete said absentmindedly, turning on the TV.
Peg squinted her eyes at the sharp lights coming from the screen. "What?"
"We don't have enough rooms." Baron Pete glanced at her, eying her hideous outfit in disdain. "Oh, and could you please wear something my grandma didn't wear? We're expecting an important guest tonight."
"This is the only outfit I have," Peg muttered.
Baron Pete slipped his hand into his robe and pulled out a wallet. He threw it at Hans Goof who caught it easily. "Go buy her something pretty."
Hans Goof disappeared, leaving dust behind him. After Peg's second cough, he was back at the same spot he was standing in a couple of seconds ago holding a fancy paper bag. "Here's your new dress, Fraulein Peg. Now follow me to the basement."