Rupert and the Wooden Airplanes
CHAPTER 4
The next morning, while the Fox brothers went out of town to see their mother in the hospital, Rupert put on his wellies and went to town to help his mother with shopping. The warmer weather was melting the snow and had made the dirt path muddy. As he emerged from the hedges of his home he saw his friend Ottoline, at least as he knows her.
"Hello Rupert, you wouldn't mind if I made you aware of something?" she asked.
"Of course not Ottoline, I'm happy to hear anything you say," Rupert replied.
"Splendid, it's about the party at my mansion for next week, there's been a slight change to our plans."
"What would that be?" asked Rupert.
"Well it's just one small change," started Ottoline, whose face then turned cross, "You're not coming because are you no longer allowed at my mansion, do you understand?"
"Why not, what did I ever do to- HEY!" Ottoline kicked mud onto Rupert's yellow trousers.
"Don't talk to me Rupert!" she shouted as she stormed off. Rupert was confused, that was not like Ottoline at all. He soon decided that maybe she was just having a bad morning and thought nothing more of it.
As he walked along the path to town he caught sight of a dragon in the horizon. Rupert didn't know if it was real at first, but it seemed like it was flying in a stuck position. Curious, he ran towards it and saw that it was only Pong Ping flying a kite.
"Hello Pong Ping, that's a different looking dragon kite you have," he said as he arrived.
The Pekinese boy was not thrilled by Rupert's appearance, "It is the type of kite that takes great practice and concentration to fly, and I cannot have you bothering me Rupert," he said.
"Since when do I ever bother you?" asked Rupert, "You never cared about my presence before."
"It is my assumption that you would want to take hold of the kite string, and take scissors to it!" said Pong Ping in a sour tone of voice.
"Pong Ping, I would never do that you," said Rupert, "Don't you trust me?"
"You should know the answer to that question Rupert, now GO!" ordered Pong Ping. Rupert left him even more confused, first Ottoline revoked his party invitation, and now Pong Ping doesn't want him near.
Rupert continued on his way to town. The wind was strong enough not only for a dragon kite, but for blowing a few pieces of paper into a tree. Rupert looked up at the tree to see that there were drawings. They looked as if they were drawn by Gregory, which made Rupert decide to climb up into the tree to retrieve them. After getting them down, he then decided to look for Gregory so that he could give them back him, but soon enough Gregory emerged from the wood.
"Here Gregory," said Rupert, "I found your drawings in the tree since I imagine that you are- OW!" Gregory kicked Rupert in the shin. "What was that for? I was only doing something nice for you!"
"I don't believe you!" yelled Gregory, "You were going to rip them up like a meanie."
"Meanie?" wondered Rupert, "But Gregory, I've always been kind to you, haven't I?"
"Just stay away from me Rupert!" yelled Gregory as he ran off, grasping his drawings in his arms. It was at this moment that Rupert realized what was going on.
"As soon as I get my shopping done, I'm going to have a word with Bill," he said to himself, as it appeared that his new friendship to Freddy and Ferdy has caused negative rumors to circulate.
But that word would not come soon enough. When Rupert arrived in the town square the first thing he saw was Bill talking to Podgy. Curious he walked up closer to them to hear their words.
"I don't know, are you sure this is Rupert you are talking about?" asked Podgy, who was eating a sandwich.
"I know Podgy, it is hard to believe, but you should have seen how angry I was at him yesterday," said Bill, "I wouldn't tell you all this if I still thought that Rupert was trustworthy, but the fact is-
"YOU!" screamed Rupert.
Bill turned around, "Well, look who it is."
Rupert was furious. "What's the big idea Bill?!" he asked, "What gives you the right to go around town and tell lies about me?!"
"I knew it, you were fooling around with my emotions," said Podgy. His trust for Rupert was still intact, but had little idea of what was going on.
"I am not lying, I am only stating the obvious," answered Bill.
"Whatever it is you're telling others, it was certainly enough for Gregory Guinea-Pig to call me a meanie!" Rupert said back.
"I never saw Gregory all day," explained Bill, "He probably heard something from Algy about your fun-filled snowball fight with Freddy and Ferdy."
"Oh, so it's not you telling lies? It's Algy spreading rumors?" wondered Rupert suspiciously, "Either way, it's all to your approval I'll bet."
"You have only yourself to blame Rupert," said Bill, "When I handed you those boxes, you had the chance to go to the table and courageously say 'From Bill Badger, a wooden plane for both of you!' But no, without saying anything you just let them have the boxes and then you let them butter up to you."
"I told you Bill, they didn't let me have a chance to talk," said Rupert.
"I'll bet that you had plenty of chances and you squandered them," said Bill, "Unless you told them since yesterday and I don't know about it."
"You know Bill, maybe we wouldn't be arguing like this if you had just given them the planes yourself," suggested Rupert.
"Oh there we go Rupert, changing the subject just to look innocent," said Bill, "All that was about was that I wanted to keep your supper from being burned to the ground. You saw what happened in school that day. I didn't want to have that confrontation again, especially in front of your parents."
"Okay, so I understand that you didn't want to spoil things," said Rupert, "Of course, I do remind you that the horrible thing you said to Freddy and Ferdy the day before the fire did give them reason to have raw feelings against you."
"But maybe if you didn't let them touch my ball in the first place, they never would have deflated it, and I would have no reason to say that 'break your back,' oh whatever I said," said Bill who then scratched his head, "That reminds me, you said you were going to buy me another ball, did you not?"
Rupert paused, frustrated at the fact that he was not winning this argument. He decided to try quitting before it got worse, "I have shopping to do," he said.
"Is there a football on your shopping list?" asked Bill.
Rupert sighed. "You're right, I was going to buy you one and I'm sorry I haven't yet. But you see, I can't buy you one at the moment because I spent much of my allowance on those tickets to tonight's play."
"A play? That sounds like fun, can I see it Rupert?" asked Podgy.
"Don't bother asking Podgy, he already planned his date with the Fox brothers, isn't that right?" asked Bill.
That was it, the argument was lost. Rupert had already told Bill about his plans so lying to save his friendship with Podgy would not work.
"Yes, it's true," said Rupert.
"You mean, you really are a friend of the Fox brothers?" asked Podgy, who was in sudden shock.
"Listen Podgy, all that I've done for them is no different from what I have done for you or any other friend I have, or had," explained Rupert, "I never planned on having them as house guests, but after what they have gone through, it just isn't right to make them feel as if it's something they deserved just because of who they are."
"But you made friends with the ones who always stole biscuits from my lunch," said Podgy, he was looking heartbroken, "Rupert, how could you do this to me?"
"I'm sorry Podgy, but it was the moral thing to do," said Rupert, "This doesn't have to affect our friendship."
"Friendship?! Don't you dare insult my intelligence!" replied Podgy.
"There there Podgy," said Bill as he pet him on the shoulder, "Perhaps I can cheer you up, maybe you would like to come with me to Algy's house. He has this new remote control car he wanted to show me, he'll let you give it a spin I'm sure."
"Sure, that sound's great!" answered Podgy. As he and Bill left, he made an abrupt turn toward Rupert with an angry face. "So long Rupert," he said in a mean low-pitched voice.
Rupert bowed his head in sadness. In a single day he saw his social life destroyed. He tried to proceed to the general store but couldn't. He sat down right beside a lamppost and he cried. His face was buried into his knees, never knowing a worse feeling in his life. Not until he regained his composure would he be able to complete his errand.
That evening, Rupert took a bus to Nutchester. Freddy and Ferdy met him there as their dad left them in town to see the performance of Hamlet. The three boys enjoyed the play well enough that the Fox brothers wouldn't stop their mock sword fighting afterward.
Rupert brought them to attention, "All right you two, enough of that. We need to get over to the bus stop so we can head back to Nutwood. Remember, we have to be home by ten o'clock."
"Actually Rupert, I'm starving," said Freddy, "I know an Italian restaurant around the corner that serves delicious pizza."
"It's just the thing for sitting in that stuffy theater for so long," said Ferdy, "Besides, it's only a little after eight. And there's still going to be a bus to Nutwood afterward."
"And, we'll pay for it. Look, our dad gave us fresh pounds," Freddy showed Rupert the money.
Rupert sighed, "All right, but we're not taking any home."
The three boys went to the restaurant which was open until eleven on Saturday nights. They ordered one pizza with anchovies and another with pepperoni that they would share. Freddy and Ferdy each had three slices while Rupert hardly touched his first piece.
"Tasty pizza, isn't it Freddy?"
"Oh yes Ferdy, mmm," Freddy caught attention of fact that Rupert wasn't eating. "Rupert, you haven't eaten your first slice, you should hurry up if you want seconds."
"Not hungry," said Rupert as he pushed his plate away and rested his head on his forearm.
"But Rupert, we bought this for you, it's our token of gratitude for taking us to that great play," said Freddy. In acknowledgement, Rupert peeled the anchovy off his slice and ate it, but then sighed without saying anything.
"What's wrong Rupert, didn't you want to have fun tonight?" asked Ferdy.
"I planned on having fun Ferdy," replied Rupert, "but right now I can only think of how different it would have been if only I told you something sooner about those wooden airplanes."
"That's why we bought two pizzas. One for the play, the other for the planes you gave us," said Ferdy.
Rupert knew the time came to explain, "There's something you both need to know, those planes were not my present. That night when I said that a salesman came to the door, it's because I was afraid to mention Bill's name right away. He's the one who bought them for you."
"Don't be silly Rupert," said Freddy, "I know it's hard to accept him for an enemy now, but we all know that badger isn't nice enough to do such a thing."
"That isn't true, I've been his friend for a long time, and aside from some disagreements he never has been someone that would be ignorant of someone's needs," explained Rupert, "And I've been trying to tell you the truth about the planes ever since you got them, but with any chance that I had to say anything you guys wouldn't let me. And now Bill thinks that I took credit for your presents and because of that he no longer thinks of me as a friend. Then today, rumors spread around town that I can no longer be trusted only because I befriended you both. I lost all my friends in a single day."
"Don't blame us Rupert, we promised we wouldn't get in the way of your other friendships," replied Ferdy.
"But you also said that anyone who is friends with you two will also have the same enemies as you as well," said Rupert, "And I wonder, do you know how many enemies you have, and have you ever reflected on why?"
"Well, we once thought of you as our biggest enemy," started Freddy.
"And we always believed that anyone that's your friend would be our enemy as well," added Ferdy.
"But I guess if you are our friend now, they can't be our enemies anymore can they," said Freddy, "Gee Rupert, Ferdy and I thought we were being nice to you, we didn't know we gave you trouble instead."
"Well see that's just it, you two have always caused trouble. Not just for me but for everyone. That's why you have enemies," said Rupert, "And even if I had been there to stop your mischief in the past, that doesn't mean that I'm the only reason you have enemies."
"But what I don't understand is exactly what we did to keep you from telling us that Bill bought us those airplanes?" asked Ferdy.
"It was your kindness to me that kept me from saying it," said Rupert, "Because after the horrible morning of the fire, I had to rethink the way I saw you. You both needed to have someone that cared about you, a friend. And maybe the reason why you two never knew friendship before was because you never knew how to have compassion for those other than yourselves and your family."
"But if Bill gave us the planes, then he's the one we should calling a friend, not you," said Freddy.
"I still bought you the tickets to see Hamlet, didn't I?" said Rupert, "and unlike Bill I wasn't the one that had my ball stepped on and deflated. Don't you remember that?"
Freddy and Ferdy looked at each other as they suddenly realized something they had not thought of before. As wrong as it was for Bill to say a bad thing about their mother, it was their actions that caused Bill to get angry with them in the first place. Furthermore, if Bill had enough heart to show sympathy to them in spite of what happened the day before, then he certainly could not have meant the things he had said.
Suddenly, a nearby clock tower rang for it was nine o'clock. The last bus to Nutwood would take off in fifteen minutes so after paying for their pizza they quickly went over to the bus stop so they wouldn't be late getting home.
