The Parent Trap – Chapter 4
Aunt Ruby's
"This isn't going to work. This isn't going to work." Dillon kept saying quietly.
"Sure it will. It did in the movie." Cameron answered cheerily from his spot behind the low wall in Aunt Ruby's that separated the rooms from the restaurant.
"Well whoever said that if it worked in the movie it would work here?" Dillon asked.
"You!" Aunt Lulu smacked Dillon on his back. "Now keep quiet or everything will be ruined."
Cameron giggled as Aunt Lulu and Dillon moved themselves lower behind the wall and tried their best to keep their heads out of sight of the customers. Mike had promised no one was upstairs when Cameron had asked about hiding here. That was important. The last thing they needed was someone to come down and ask why they were down here!
Putting together this plan was harder than Cameron thought it was going to be. Every really good idea he had, Aunt Lulu had said no to. Like his idea to pretend to be sick or hurt. Aunt Lulu had said Mommy would figure it out pretty quickly that he wasn't and he would get in big trouble for doing it. He had promised Aunt Lulu he wouldn't do it but he had crossed his fingers when he did it. If things started to look really bad, Cameron decided, then he would do that.
Finally Aunt Lulu and Dillon agreed to this one. Aunt Lulu had called Daddy to meet her for lunch. And then she had agreed to hang out with Cameron and meet Mommy at lunchtime when she got off work. And all they had to do was watch while Mommy and Daddy talked to each other while they waited on him and Aunt Lulu to show up.
Cameron inched his head over the wall to see if Daddy or Mommy had come in yet. He sighed when he didn't see them anywhere. He stuck his lower lip out. Of course today they were going to be late!
"What are the three of you doing?" Lucas's voice sounded above them. Aunt Lulu moved quickly and grabbed Lucas by the arm, dragging him down to the ground as fast as she could. Dillon peered over the wall to see if anyone had heard or seen Lucas.
"I think we're clear." Dillon whispered as he turned around.
Cameron looked over at Lucas, whose mouth was still covered by Aunt Lulu's hand. She slowly removed it and immediately smacked him on his chest. "What is the matter with you? You could have blown everything!"
Lucas rolled his eyes. "Sure. It's always normal to see members of my family hiding back here. I should have just let it go. Silly me. What was I thinking?" He shot Aunt Lulu a dirty look. "Lu, why are you back here?"
"Why are you? Mike said no one was upstairs."
"I wasn't upstairs. I came around back to get Maxie some more of her things since you threw her out of her room and changed the locks on her."
"Her illegal sublet and I didn't throw her out. I strongly suggested she move. And those locks were way to easy to be picked. Cameron here could do it no problem. They needed to be changed." Aunt Lulu crossed her arms in front of her chest and glared at Lucas.
"Strongly suggested? Lulu, you were chasing her down the hall throwing her stuff at her until she fell down the stairs!"
"And how is that not strongly suggesting?"
"Guys." Dillon's voice broke through. "As much fun as this is, we need to keep it down because if you keep going this way, Cameron's plan will not work!"
"Hey! I thought it was your plan!" As funny as Aunt Lulu and Lucas were, Cameron had to admit that Dillon was right. Well about the plan not being able to work part. Dillon was the one who had thought of it.
Dillon patted his head. "Its only my plan if it works kiddo."
Cameron rolled his eyes. Why did Aunt Lulu have to hang around Dillon? Sometimes he just made Cameron tired, just like he did Uncle Nik.
"Plan? What plan?" Lucas asked.
Cameron turned to explain. "We're trying to get my mommy and daddy back together. So they are both coming here to meet me and Aunt Lulu for lunch but we are going to be late. And they will have to talk to each other."
Lucas scratched his head. "Let me make sure I have this right." He paused and pointed at Cameron. "You are trying to get your parents back together." Cameron nodded. "And you called them and invited them to lunch here." Lucas pointed to Aunt Lulu and she nodded. "At Kelly's. And you'll be late and then they will have to talk to only each other instead anybody else that's eating in here right now, including Mike?" Cameron nodded again. Man Lucas asked a lot of questions!
Lucas nodded. "Yeah. That's going to work out great. Good luck with that." He tried to stand up but Aunt Lulu dragged him back down again.
"Lulu!"
"Shhh!" She put her finger up to Lucas's mouth. "Lucky just got here."
Cameron and Dillon quickly turned around and stuck their heads barely above the wall. Aunt Lulu was right. Daddy was sitting down at the table closest to the jukebox! Now all they needed was Mommy to get here.
"This is going to work!" Cameron said excitedly.
"I hope so kiddo." He heard Dillon whisper.
Lucas was wrong. There weren't that many people in Aunt Ruby's. Daddy and Mommy couldn't not to talk to each other because it would look rude. And they had both always taught him not to be rude. So really the plan was perfect.
Cameron saw Mike bring over a cup of coffee to Daddy. He hoped Mike wouldn't tell on them. He didn't think Mike would but you never know about some grown ups. They weren't close enough to hear them talking but he did see Daddy laugh at something Mike said.
"So if Liz shows up, they are supposed to talk to each other and miss the fact that they are both meeting you guys for lunch?" Lucas whispered.
"Mommy will show up. And they will talk and then it will be better." Cameron defended. "It worked in the movie!"
"The movie?" Lucas reached around Aunt Lulu and Cameron and smacked the back of Dillon's head. "Dillon! You know better!"
"Ow! It wasn't me!" Dillon protested. "Liz let him watch The Parent Trap! And then Lucky taught him how to be a con artist!"
"Lulu…" Lucas looked at her.
Aunt Lulu gestured to Cameron. "He conned us into saying we would help him with anything!"
"So you're following a five-year-old's plan?"
"Hey! It was Dillon's plan!" Cameron whispered. "Now be quiet! We'll miss something!"
They watched as Daddy checked his watch and drank his coffee. Cameron kept checking the door. Where was Mommy?
They all jumped when they heard Daddy's pager go off. When Cameron saw Daddy sigh and reach for his cell phone, he knew it was going to be bad. He prayed hard. "Please come in Mommy. Please come in Mommy."
Daddy talked on his cell phone quietly, then hung it up and looked at his watch again. Daddy opened his cell phone one more time and started to dial.
"Lulu..did you turn off your ringer?" Dillon asked.
"Crap!" Aunt Lulu whispered. She grabbed her phone and almost dropped it on the ground. She was able to flip it open and adjust the volume just before the ringer gave them away.
She scrambled to the stairs. "Hey Lucky! We're almost……..Oh ok." Aunt Lulu started to shake her head in Cameron's direction. Dillon squeezed his shoulder. Lucas rubbed his head. "Yeah. No. Sure I'll explain it to him. Not a problem. You can't help this. We'll do this another time. Yeah. Talk to you later."
Cameron watched as Daddy walked away as he was talking to Aunt Lulu. Aunt Lulu came up behind him and hugged him. "Sorry Squirt but he got called into the station. He had to go."
Cameron sighed. Of course. But Daddy really couldn't help that. He had to work. Cameron knew that. Daddy had told him that many times. It didn't mean he had to like it though.
Just then Mommy came in through the doors looking for him and Aunt Lulu. As Mommy sat down, Aunt Lulu, Dillon and Lucas moved towards the back with Cameron following. Once they got outside, Aunt Lulu knelt down and looked him in the eye. "You ok Squirt? You ready to go see Mommy?"
Cameron nodded. "Yeah I'm ok." He offered a small smile. "We'll get it right next time."
"Next time?" Lucas asked.
"Yes. Next time. Mommy and Daddy always say 'If at first you don't succeed. Try, try again.'"