Mari & Ilna-"I suppose if we couldn't laugh at things that don't make sense we couldn't react to a lot of life."-Hobbes

Sandy-"You know Hobbes some days even my lucky rocketship underpants don't help." "Well, Calvin, you've done all you can do."

REAL Worlders-"If people sat outside and looked at the stars every night I bet they'd live their lives a lot differently." Calvin

Today's Author's notes brought to you by Calvin and Hobbes (and Bill Watterson)

Great Day (1/1)

"Are you sure this is okay?" Kaitlyn twisted her hands in her lap uncertainly as Steve pulled the truck into a space in front of the Clay Cafe.

"Why wouldn't it be?" he asked as he caught her eye in the rearview mirror.

"I don't know," she bit her lip. "If you guys wanna do something else we can," she offered.

Steve cut the engine then turned and smiled at the young girl who was sitting in the back seat beside her sister. "No way. You wanted to paint some pottery today so that's what we're gonna do. I'm looking forward to it. What about you, Cody?"

"I think it'll be fun. I'm gonna make something for Jess," he said as he unbuckled his seat belt.

"Casey?" Steve asked.

"Lots of my friends have been here and they all said they had a really good time."

"Then it's settled," Steve smiled. "It's been a long time since I took an art class though, so you might have to help me a little." He hopped out of the truck then opened the back door and helped Kaitlyn out. "Can you do that?"

"Yes," she nodded happily as she kept hold of his hand even after her feet were firmly on the ground. "I got an A in art this year."

"Excellent," Steve squeezed her hand as they reached the front of the truck where Cody and Casey were waiting. "What about you, Casey? How are your painting skills?"

"Kind of so-so," she shrugged. "But my friend Ali showed me a picture of a tie-dyed patterned peace sign plate she made here and it was awesome. I think I can handle something like that."

"Sounds like we have a fun morning ahead of us," Steve said as they reached the front door, "Let's paint."

Five minutes later they were surveying shelves of unpainted pottery that lined both sides of the room looking for just the right pieces.

"There sure are a lot of choices," Kaitlyn said with a hint of awe in her voice.

"There sure are," Steve agreed.

"I think I want this one," Kaitlyn said as she surveyed a large round plate closely. "Does this look like a good size to hold cupcakes, Uncle Steve?"

Steve picked up the plate and examined it. "How many cupcakes?"

"Twelve," Kaitlyn answered.

"I think maybe you should go with one just a little bigger." Steve pointed to one on the next shelf. "Like that one."

On the other side of the shop Cody was studying his choices carefully.

"Do you think Jess would like something like this?" he asked Casey who had already picked out the oval plate she wanted to paint.

Casey looked at the heart shaped box in his hand. "That's cool. She could keep jewelry in it."

"That's what I thought too," Cody grinned.

Having made their choices the two oldest Allen children found seats at one of several work tables that filled the center of the room. Steve and Kaitlyn soon joined them with Steve carrying both Kaitlyn's plate and two somewhat oversized coffee mugs.

"Ready to get started?" a smiling girl wearing an apron emblazoned with the Clay Cafe logo asked. She appeared to be in her early twenties and had her long dark hair pulled back in a ponytail.

"I think we are," Steve said as he and Kaitlyn took the seats across the table from Cody and Casey.

"Great," the girl, whose name tag identified her as Karly, said enthusiastically. "Have you ever painted with us before?"

"No," they all said in unison.

Karly removed several pencils from the pocket of her apron and laid them in the middle of the table. "We recommend all our new painters start off by planning out your project with pencil. It's much easier to erase then paint," she chuckled. "If you have any questions, or need anything at all, just let me know. I'm here to help. Once you're done with the planning I'll help you get your paints and you can unleash your creativity."

"Thanks," Steve smiled as they all reached for a pencil.

"Can I have some scissors?" Kaitlyn asked shyly.

"You sure can," Karly reached into the box of assorted supplies near the end of the table. "Do you need anything else?"

"Just some of this scrap paper," Kaitlyn replied as she picked up several sheets. "Thank you."

She began intently cutting circles from the paper, measuring them all against each other to make sure they were the same size. Once she had twelve she began arranging them on her plate.

She noticed Steve watching her and explained, "These circles are the cupcakes. I want to make sure I paint the design so it'll look good whether the cupcakes are on the plate or not."

"That's very clever," Steve said sincerely. "I don't think I ever would have thought of that."

Kaitlyn beamed.

Casey paused, pencil poised over her plate. "I'm not sure whether I should do a straight peace sign or a wavy one."

"Why don't you sketch it both ways and see which one you like better?" Cody suggested.

"Good idea," she smiled.

Kaitlyn pointed to the heart box in front of Cody. "Is that for Jess?"

"Yeah, do you think she'll like it?"

Kaitlyn nodded. "She'll like it cuz you made it for her."

"Thanks," Cody blushed. "What color should I paint it?"

"Pink," Kaitlyn answered just as Casey said, "Yellow."

Cody chuckled as Kaitlyn looked at the box, her face a mask of concentration. "You could paint yellow on the outside and pink on the inside."

"Hey, that's a great idea. Thanks.".

"And put her name on it," Kaitlyn said as she returned to working on her own design. "That makes it more personal."

Steve smiled at Cody over Kaitlyn's head.

"Are you making coffee mugs for you and Catherine?" Cody asked Steve.

"I'm gonna try."

Twenty minutes later, once their designs were completed in pencil, Karly escorted them to the paint wall and helped them pick out their colors. She squeezed their chosen shades onto small paint palettes, gave each a cup of water and pointed out the large selection of brushes in the middle of the table. Once again she told them she was available if they needed any help at all.

"Are you making that plate for someone else or are you gonna keep it?" Steve asked as he watched Kaitlyn begin to apply a pale blue base coat.

"Megan and Chloe's mom is having a baby," she said. "Do you know them?"

"No, I don't think so," Steve replied.

"They live down the street from us in the blue house," Kaitlyn told him. "We're having a party for her in June. I'm gonna bake some cupcakes for the party and then she can keep the plate."

"That's very thoughtful," Steve said. "I'm sure she'll love it."

Kaitlyn smiled and went back to her painting. "Good thing we made the pencil lines dark so they show through the first coat."

Forty-five minutes later Cody and Casey's projects were complete and Kaitlyn was putting the finishing touches on her flower design.

"That looks really nice," Kaitlyn said as she glanced at Steve's mugs. "Aunt Catherine is gonna love those."

"I want to put her name on hers," Steve smiled, "like you said, to make it more personal, but I can't get the letters right."

"Here," Kaitlyn reached for a different brush, "Try this one. The bristles are shorter so it'll be easier to make letters."

Steve tried the new brush. "Hey, you're right. It looks much better with this one. Thanks!"

"You're welcome," Kaitlyn smiled brightly. "I'm really glad we came here, Uncle Steve."

He winked at her. "Me, too."

After they were all finished painting they cleaned up their area and Karly placed their projects on a large tray.

"We'll fire these for you and you can come back and get them next week. Does that sound okay?"

"Sounds good," Steve smiled. "Just let me know when they're ready and I'll come by and pick them up."

He paid the cashier and then turned to Cody, Casey and Kaitlyn. "What do you say we go get some lunch?"

They sat at one of the outdoor tables at a small family-owned restaurant up the street from the Clay Cafe happily re-living their adventures in painting over burgers and fries. Casey and Kaitlyn then filled Steve in on all the excitement surrounding the last few days of school and their plans for the summer.

"If I make the softball team I'll have practice twice a week plus I'll have to spend a lot of time working on trying to catch up to the girls who have been playing for years," Casey said.

"You'll do great," Cody nodded confidently. "You're a natural athlete."

Steve said as he finished the last bite of his burger. "I didn't know you were trying out for softball."

"I wasn't planning to," Casey admitted. "The coach of the softball team comes to track practice and meets sometimes because a few of the girls who do track and field play softball too. One day she told me she thought I should try out for next season."

"That's great," Steve said. "She must have been impressed by you."

"That's because she didn't know I never played softball before," Casey snorted.

"Don't sell yourself short," Cody said. "We've been practicing in the backyard every night," he told Steve proudly.

"And?" Steve asked.

"My fielding's not too bad but I'm still having trouble hitting," Casey sighed.

"I might be able to help you with that," Steve offered. "What do you say we head over to the batting cages when we're done here and work on your swing?"

"Really?" Casey asked excitedly. "Are you sure?"

"Absolutely." Steve pushed his plate with a few fries remaining towards Cody. "Danny will be sorry he missed it. He loves the batting cages."

"It's exciting Grace's cheerleading team made the finals of their tournament," Kaitlyn said. "But it's too bad that means they couldn't come today."

"That's right," Steve smiled. "But they'll come along next time. So how about we work on Casey's batting for a while then afterwards we'll stop for ice cream?"

"YAY!" Kaitlyn bounced in her chair excitedly.

Kaitlyn and Cody sat on the long, wooden bench behind the batting cages, animatedly discussing ideas for building a bigger, better obstacle course in the yard over the summer while Steve positioned himself directly behind the cage, watching closely as Casey took her swings against the pitching machine, connecting on about one out of every four balls.

"See, I told you. I can't hit," she said dejectedly as the machine powered down and she turned to face Steve.

"That's not true at all," Steve scoffed. "Cody was right. You're a natural athlete. You just need to fine tune your swing a little."

"You really think so?"

Steve stepped into the cage and picked up a bat. "Absolutely. Let's go over some of the basics."

"Ok," Casey said eagerly. "That'd be great."

Steve spent the next fifteen minutes going through the mechanics of a good swing step-by-step. He broke it down and made sure Casey felt comfortable with each action before he added another.

"Ok," he said after they'd practiced each component, "let's put them all together."

Casey's face was a mask of determination. "Grip close to the knob of the bat," she said. "Knuckles lined up. Feet a little wider than shoulders, weight slightly more on back leg, square up to the pitcher."

"Perfect," Steve said encouragingly.

"Hands away from chest," Casey continued. "Forearms make a V. Lead with the elbow, front leg straight, back leg slightly bent, hips forward, extend your arms and follow through."

"You got it!" Steve said as he watched her execute a perfect practice swing. "Ready to take a few pitches?"

"I think so," she said resolutely.

He cocked an eyebrow at her. "You think so?"

"I know so!" she grinned.

Steve put some money in the machine and stepped out of the cage. As he waited for the first pitch he looked over his shoulder and couldn't help but smile as he saw Kaitlyn leaning against her big brother, talking excitedly, while Cody listened intently to every word.

As the pitching machine whirred to life he turned his attention back to Casey, yelling encouragement and an occasional direction.

She faced twenty more pitches and they both smiled as the machine once again powered down.

"That was a lot better," Casey said excitedly. "I hit way more than half of them."

"Not only that," Steve smiled, "but you made solid contact."

Casey beamed. "It felt a lot better swinging this way. More natural."

"Excellent. How about you try a few more rounds of pitches?"

Casey grinned. "Let's do it."

By the time she finished Cody and Kaitlyn had joined Steve at the back of the cage and all three clapped loudly when Casey hit eighty percent of the pitches in her last round.

"Great job!" Cody said.

"You're really good, Casey," Kaitlyn said sincerely.

"Thanks," Casey smiled. "Who knows, I just might make the team after all."

"When are tryouts?" Steve asked.

"Two weeks," she replied nervously.

"You keep practicing your fielding with Cody every night and I'm sure we can fit in a few more trips to the batting cages before then."

"Thanks, Uncle Steve," Casey smiled.

"Now what do you say we go get that ice cream?" Steve said.

"YAY!" Kaitlyn cheered. "This was a great day."

"It sure was," the others all agreed.

"Uncle Steve," she asked as they headed for the truck, "are you gonna tell Aunt Catherine about the coffee mugs you made or are you gonna surprise her when you pick them up?"

"What do you think I should do?" Steve asked.

"Surprise her," Kaitlyn said confidently. "It can be like a one month anniversary present."

Steve grinned. "That sounds like an excellent idea. A surprise it is."

THE END

If you are not on the REALMcRoll email list and would like to be, drop us an email at realmcroll at yahoo dot com with "Add me, please!" in the subject line. You'll get updates, contests, and fun McRoller games.

Looking for links to all the REAL World McRoll stories in one place? Check out our Tumblr page

mcrollintherealworld dot tumblr dot com.

In addition, one of our AWESOME REAL Worlders, katydid13, has created a community on here on fanfiction dot net that brings all of the REAL World stories, and all of Mari, Sammy & Ilna's pre-universe stories in one place. You can find it at

community/McRoll-in-the-Real-World