"You're staying at the Corp." Heinz echoes. "And these little "
"Angelica and Susie will be staying with you."
"They're sharing a room." He folds his arms. "And the others?"
"Chuckie and Kimi have relaties they're staying with, so relax Heinz."
This seems to ease his mind. Thinking about it, three kids should be a lot easier to handle than five. Two of them Vanessa and Angelica can probably be handled with a credit card and a day off. The polite one, though he shudders since she reminds him of Roger.
Susie and Kimi are standing by the couch, watching the exchange. Charlotte hands Heinz a cup of coffee while he processes everything. Chuckie stays on the couch texting someone, probably Tommy or Lil. Angelica is on the opposite end with her eyes closed, listening to music.
"Alright, Heinz. I'll let you figure it out. Chuckie, Kimi, we're leaving."
Charlotte pours the remainder of her coffee in a thermos she pulls from her purse. She grabs her belongings and heads out the door, blowing kisses to her daughter. Angelica obviously can hear. Without opening an eye, she 'catches' the kiss and blows her mom another. Susie hugs Chuckie and Kimi as they leave.
Heinz then takes a gulp of the coffee Charlotte had prepared. He gags at the taste then pours the rest down the drain. He sighs as he turns to the kids, walking into the hallway and calling for the girls to follow him. Susie eagerly does so, while Angelica trudges as if it were a huge deal. The man leads them to a room opposite Vanessa's. It is cluttered but has a bunk bed.
"What bed do you want, Angelica?"
"In this Podunk apartment?" She scoffs. "You can take the top, Carmichael."
Susie is shocked by the offhanded insulting generosity from the girl who conned throughout their childhood for cookies and Cynthia merchandise. Heinz leaves the girls be as they unpack. Susie climbs to the top bunk and begins to sort her things. Angelica, on the other hand, locates her favorite doll, curls up with her, and falls asleep in an instant with her headphones lying on either side of her head.
An hour or so later, Heinz returns to the grils' bedroom. Angelica is still asleep and Susie is stanking a small bookcase. He steps in, pushing Angelica's dropped suitcase more toward her bed. He gives the bottom bunk a small kick, causing Angelica to glare at him.
"Hey, what's the big idea?"
Unfazed by this, he answers. "Thought you girls would want some dinner."
"What are we having, Dr. Doofenshmirtz?" Susie asks politely.
"It's hmm. You actually said my name right, doctorate and all."
"Yeah, Angelica tells me you're a doctor. So is my mom."
"Uh-huh. We're having linguini."
Susie jumps off the top bunk, eagerly following Heinz to the kitchen. Angelica hides Cynthia in her pillowcase and follows. Norm is back in the kitchen, sitting opposite Dr. D. Susie sits next to Norm and Angelica sits beside her. There is a courtesy knock on the door, followed by a key turning in the lock.
"Vanessa, just in time for dinner!" Heinz cries. "Set your things down and meet our guests."
"Oh, Daaaad," She complains, pulling out her earbuds. "You didn't invite Perry to din Oh. Real guests."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Heinz snaps. "Perry the Platy"
"I know, Dad. Hey." She points to the blonde. "Angela, right?"
"Actually, it's Angelica." She corrects her cousin. "I haven't seen you since I was seven."
"Yeah, yeah I was nine. Damn, that was a long time ago. Who's your friend?"
"My name's Susie Carmichael." She answers after taking a drink of orange juice.
"Little like Uncle Roger, huh, Dad?"
He visibly shudders. "Yes, now take your seat."
Chuckie and Kimi take a seat at their dinner table. Due to their (on Chuckie's side) cousin living alone, his boss and boss's son has dropped in for dinner. It is simply salmon and salad.
"So, you two in middle school?" The teen in a gray tracksuit asks.
"She is." Chuckie points to Kimi, who elbows him. "I'm a freshman."
"So, you in sports?" Kimi asks, indicating said tracksuit.
"Oh, no. I just wear this for comfort."
"Fantastic meal, Carl." His boss speaks up. "monty and I love fish, don't we son?"
"Yeah. We used to go fishing a lot." He smiles.
"Thank you, Sir." Carl replies cheerfully. "Sounds like fun."
"We tried to go fishing one time." Kimi speaks up. "But Chuckie fell off the boat.
"Plus there was one time my dad went fishing with the other parents but they thought a wild boy ate me."
"What!?" Carl and Francis stare at him as if he were a lost cause.
"That's a joke, right?" Monty asks.
"No." Chuckie shakes his head. "Happened when I was a toddler and we were stranded on this deserted island that wasn't exactly deserted."
The meal continues with strange stories like this, stemming from OWCA (without fully revealing the source), inators, the boys' inventions and back to Yucaipa.
Dinner is over and Norm is doing the dishes. Vanessa is already in her room and Heinz is in his. Angelica and Susie are talking in the living room, draped over the couch.
"You've gotta can it with your goody-good business, Carmichael."
"It's called being polite, Pickles. Nothing wrong with that."
"Here it is. You remind him of his brother."
"So?"
"His brother, Carmciahel. The one he wants to send back to their home country. The one he wants to take over office. He doesn't realy like his brother, Sooz."
"Okay, so I dress down and stop using manners?"
"And, did you bring your ipod?"
"Yes ?"
"Great. You need to download better songs."
It is the next morning. The kids are going to school today. Maybe there are more family connections in this town? What happens when Perry meets Angelica and Susie? Review and I'll write more.