The remainder of the days were not going so well, they now had two days until they would all have to go away forever.
"Just two days left." Patch sighed.
"We know..." Cherry groaned as Gerald played one of the games in the arcade.
"There's gotta be some way we can stop those bulldozers." Atticus sighed.
Cherry texted on her phone.
"This is no time for texting..." Atticus looked at her.
"I'm calling my sister..." Cherry said. "She should be able to stop this..." she then sent the message. "Now we wait..."
"Doesn't your sister take a while to answer a text because of her jobs?" Patch whispered.
Cherry realized that and cursed under her breath, but then saw her sister did respond, but it was an unfortunate message. "'Sorry, Cherry, but I'm very busy right now and can't take texts or calls, tell Dad I said hi, but I'll see you real soon!'..." she then sighed. "Great, now how can we stop those bulldozers?"
"Well, we do still have the historic landmark theory." Patch said.
"Look, guys," Gerald looked to them, not understanding Patch, so ignored what he suggested. "There's nothing more we can do. We just have to face it. In two days, this neighborhood is coming down, and we're all just gonna have to move on!"
"I think I know who can help us with the historical landmark thing..." Arnold spoke up.
"What historical landmark?" Gerald asked, not knowing about that plan. "Besides, saving the neighborhood isn't a game, it's real life, and in real life, you can't always win." he then won the game he was playing, but it wasn't enough to cheer him up about what was going to become of their home. "I mean, I can win Runaway Bus every time I play it, but that's because it's a game!"
"We know, but still we can't give up." Atticus said.
"You guys did your best..." Gerald gave a small smile.
Arnold sighed and left the arcade with his new friends. "I bet Grandma knows a historical landmark around here somewhere..."
They passed various shops which were either sold or out of business, it was a truly sad sight indeed. Sid and Stinky were sitting on the sidewalk together, seeming to stare at the pavement.
"Hey, guys, what's wrong?" Atticus asked.
"Hey, guys..." Sid muttered.
"We were just lookin' at a piece of history." Stinky explained.
"It was four years ago, me and Stinky made these hand-prints in the cement." Sid showed them.
"'Sid and Stink'," Cherry read aloud, then glanced at the boys. "Sid and Stink?"
"Well, it only says 'Stink' on account of when I was just fixin' to write the Y to finish off my name, Sid's old man came moseyin' down around the corner and we had to hightail it." Stinky explained with a nostalgic smile.
"I always thought that made it even cooler." Sid smiled.
"Yeah, we always figured it'd be here forever," Stinky sadly stood up. "But after they tear down the neighborhood, I reckon nobody will remember."
"I wouldn't give up on this just yet, guys." Patch assured them.
Stinky pet Patch on the head. "I wish you could help too, little feller... We'll catch ya later..." he then walked away sadly with Sid.
Arnold looked emotionally crushed about this, he wouldn't give up though.
They continued to return to the boarding house until they saw Mr. Green outside his shop, looking hopeless.
"He looks like he could use some cheering up." Patch said.
"Hi, Mr. Green..." Arnold walked over, looking like he was about to sulk, just seeing everyone this negative was enough to even make him look on the down side of things.
"Look, kids," Mr. Green showed them a growth chart with other names scratched in. "That was me, four-years-old. My grandfather made the mark, he was so proud of me... He used to tell me 'Marty, one day, Green Meats is gonna be your shop'. And sure enough, my father took it over, and then, when he retired, he passed it on to me. That was the proudest day of my life. I always knew I'd pass the shop on to my own son. I guess now that's never gonna happen..." he then started to cry.
"Because they're going to tear down the neighborhood?" Atticus guessed.
"No, because my son hates meat," Mr. Green frowned with a tear in his eye. "He's one of those vegetarians. We haven't spoken in years..."
Cherry and Atticus shared odd glances, yes, this was sad, but it was the opposite of what they were hoping.
"Still," Mr. Green continued with a sniffle. "I never thought I'd be the last Green to run Green Meats! Another couple of days, it's all gonna be just a pile of bricks. 'Scuse me, you guys..." he then rushed off to cry in solitude and peace.
The four then finally made it to the boarding house with the pig, cats, and dogs rushing back to be let inside.
"Grandma!" Arnold called out.
"She's still in jail..." the short man named Ernie replied, carrying a box downstairs.
"But I thought they were just gonna keep her for one night..." Arnold remembered.
"She keeps trying to escape," Ernie explained. "She thinks it's a game... Fourth time they had to put her back."
"Wow." Atticus said.
"Mr. Hyunh," Arnold came to the Vietnamese man of the house. "Have you seen Grandpa?"
"Oh, Arnold!" the man had tears in his eyes. "We may never see each other again!"
"Hey, Mr. Hyunh," Oskar poked his head in his room as he cried. "Can I help you clean out your 'refridgetator'?"
"Well, at least this can't get worse." Patch said.
It just did. Arnold opened his bedroom door and there were boxes everywhere and his grandfather was taking down his alarm clock.
"Grandpa, what are you doing?" Arnold demanded.
"Uh, packing your stuff, short man." Grandpa replied like it was obvious.
"But you haven't sold the house yet!" Cherry said to him.
"Please don't tell us that you have sold the house, please don't tell us that you have sold the house." Atticus begged.
"Oh, you kids, it's only a matter of time now..." Grandpa tried to break this down to them gently. "Everyone else has sold. Sheck owns the whole block now, except for us. I have to sell."
Arnold sighed. "I can't believe this isn't happening... Grandpa, isn't there a historical landmark or something that can save our neighborhood?" he then asked, using Patch's suggestion, but not explaining where he got it from.
"Well, I was born in this house..." Grandpa explained as he took out an old book from a box, giving it to his grandson and his friends to look at. "My dad got it in the 1890's, over 100 years ago, won it in a card game from a man his dad had fought in The Tomato Incident."
"The Tomato Incident?" Arnold asked.
"Have you forgotten your medication?" Cherry deadpanned, thinking maybe Arnold's grandfather was making up loony stories.
"Nope, The Tomato Incident is the real deal!" Grandpa reassured her as he looked through his old photos, about to tell them the story of this estranged incident involving fruit mistaken for vegetables. "Oh, yes, the Tomato Incident, now that was a good story."
"Yay, a story!" Cherry beamed.
Atticus, Arnold, and Patch looked at her oddly.
"I never had a grandfather before, leave me alone." Cherry glanced back at them.
"Anyways, please continue, sir." Atticus said.
"You see," Grandpa cracked the book open to show very old memories before he was even bore. "The Yanks won territorial rights to this land after the Pig War, but until then, we still paid taxes to the British Crown, on all sorts of goods... Including tobacco, meats, and vegetables. The whole town was in a snit over the new tomato tax. The Brits were adding a nickel on every tomato! People were up in arms, spoiling for a fight."
"What happened?" Cherry asked.
"The Tomato Incident, young lady!" Grandpa reminded her. "My grandpa and his neighbors turned over a cart full of British tomatoes on this very street! Soldiers were sent to arrest him, by order of the Colonial Governor, Archibald von Sheck!"
"Von Sheck?" the others asked.
'Maybe he's related to that evil man.' Patch thought to himself.
Grandpa wondered that himself, but shrugged it off for now. "Anyway, von Sheck's men attacked the neighborhood," he then continued his little story for them. "But the locals used Guerrilla Warfare... They made a barricade of upturned vegetable carts and fought back with whatever they had! And they were tomatoes..." he then smirked at that. "They were British tomtaoes... Which were small and hard, and really hurt if you got hit with one."
"So, you won then?" Atticus highly assumed.
"Correct," Grandpa nodded. "That did it. The Red Coats were in full ignominious retreat, and that's why we eat American tomatoes, you kids... Although I had one the other day that came from Chile... Very juicy."
"Grandpa, did that really happen?" Arnold asked.
"Of course it happened," Grandpa replied casually. "I sliced it up and put it in a sandwich."
"No, no, no," Cherry waved her arms. "This is the answer you guys need!"
"Yes, little lady, yes!" Grandpa smiled in excitement. "Juicy tomatoes from Chile! ...Why didn't I think of that?"
Cherry face-palmed. "One of you tell him for me before I say something I regret."
"Arnold, you better tell him." Patch and Atticus said the the football-headed kid.
"The Tomato Incident," Arnold prompted his grandfather. "If that battle took place right in front of the boarding house, this whole neighborhood should be a national landmark!"
"Well, there probably was a document that declared this block a historic sight once..." Grandpa suggested.
"Then maybe we can find it," Arnold was happy again. "We've still got two days. We can show the document to the mayor and she'd stop the bulldozers. They couldn't tear down these buildings ever!" he then looked out the window with high hopes for everyone he knew in town to be back in business.
"Yeah!" Patch yipped happily.
"Sir, don't sell the boarding house," Atticus added with Arnold's little plan. "We're gonna track down the document and save the neighborhood!"
"You're all a bunch of bold kids!" Grandpa smiled to them. "And I'm with you all the way!... But you better hurry before the bulldozers knock down the whole kit and caboodle..." he then walked out of the room.
Cherry sat on the floor, reached into her backpack, and got out her laptop to find some research on where they could find a document to save the neighborhood.
"Is there anyplace we can go that might have the document?" Atticus asked. "Or maybe even it's location?"
"I'm working on it..." Cherry said as she now had her eyes mainly focused on the screen as her fingers worked at the keyboard.
"Don't take too long." Arnold said to her.
"I never let anything come in my way when it comes to WiFi..." Cherry droned, very focused and deeply in thought as she researched possible locations for the document they would hope for.
"Well, hopefully, it won't take too long." Patch said.
"It shouldn't as long as I got a good connection..." Cherry said as she still looked at the screen, looking zombified, but she still heard them.
"Is she okay?" Arnold asked in concern for Cherry's behavior.
"When she's on her computer, she can be like that." Atticus told him.
"Okay, I can't find a traceable place, but it says someone named Mr. Bailey can help." Cherry said after she found a proper search.
"Of course, he'll be able to help us out into finding the document." Arnold said, hitting his forehead.
"Does Mr. Bailey know a lot?" Atticus asked.
"Oh, yeah, definitely," Arnold smiled. "He helped me find Mr. Hyhun's daughter as my Christmas present for him."
"Cool, well, then, I guess we know where we're going tomorrow then." Patch smiled.
"I just wish my sister would answer..." Cherry sighed as she shut her laptop. "We'd be done with this in like two seconds."
"I'm sure that she'll find out somehow." Patch said,
"I just hope we have this mess cleared up by then..." Cherry sighed. "'Hey, sweetie, how was your summer?' 'Oh, I tried to save a neighborhood from being tore down, but no one could help... Ya know how it is'..."
"She's probably just busy, what does your sister do anyway?" Arnold asked.
"She won't tell me..." Cherry sounded distant. "She used to visit all the time when I was a little kid... I also think she's jealous of me because Dad loves my mom more than he ever did hers and Tom's."
"Wow." Patch said.
Cherry shrugged. "She doesn't get along with my mom that well."
"Your mom?" Patch tilted his head. "Don't you and your brothers and sister have the same mom?"
"Oh, that's right, you probably wouldn't understand this..." Cherry said to him. "Patch, some people have half-siblings... You see, before my dad met my mom, he was already married to a different woman and they had kids together and since I have the same dad as them, that makes them my half-brother and half-sister, but we have different moms. And then when my dad met my mom, had me and my other brother, we became their half-siblings since we still have the same dad, but different mom... Does that make sense?"
"Yeah, I think so." Patch said.
"I swear, when I was a kid, it was complicated..." Cherry replied.
"So, when can we see Mr. Bailey?" Arnold asked.
"He says as soon as possible, he would see what he could do and we can meet him about this whole neighborhood fiasco," Cherry explained. "I hope this works, I just wanna know who sent me that email and why they took us to a neighborhood that's gonna be TURNED INTO A PARKING LOT!" she suddenly shouted, sounding irritable, then rubbed her eyes. "Sorry... I get stressed if I stay in one place for too long."
"It's alright, I'm sure that everything is going to work out." Atticus said.
"Think your friend might wanna come with?" Cherry asked.
"Who, Gerald?" Arnold replied. "Probably."
"Well, we'll need all the help we can get..." Patch shrugged. "Hopefully nothing stands in our way."
"I'm sure that we won't have anything getting in our way." Atticus said.
"Better not..." Cherry said and then slammed her laptop shut for the night.
"Well, we better get some sleep." Atticus said.
"How can you people sleep at a time like this?" Cherry asked.
The others looked to her strangely, but they did get sleep. Even though the world was ending for them, they could still sleep, Arnold called his friend Gerald and arranged for him to come with them to see Mr. Bailey about finding the document they needed.
'Hopefully this will work.' Patch thought to himself.