Hello!
Jinkies, it's been over three months since I've uploaded the last chapter. I hope you haven't forgotten what the story is about, and that the content of this chapter will be worth your long wait. :)
While reading, you probably will come across an asterisk (*). It marks a fragment, which may be unclear due to cultural differences. You'll find its explanation in the end note.
And now – enjoy!
VerMa
Shaggy's old tactics still worked perfectly. Thanks to posing as a not too bright good soul, Fred was able to guess from his wife's behavior a lot more than he'd have learned by asking her explicitly. In this case, it was obvious for a few days that Daphne was up to something. She often hummed under her breath, almost constantly had this special, cunning-cheerful smile of hers on her face and she also walked in a different way – in fact, she almost danced around the house to this mysterious melody of hers. Yes, she definitely was scheming; and what's more, everything was going like she wanted it to go.
That left only figuring out what had she come up with this time.
x
"Daddy" Rose smiled sweetly and fluttered her eyelashes "can Jenny, Marty and Chris come here on Saturday?"
"Sure" Shaggy gave a little shrug. "I've never forbidden you to invite your friends. I don't understand why this time you approach me as if you tried to find out what I'd buy you for your birthday."
"'Cause I want to invite Jenny and the boys to a movie night... I just don't know if I can."
"Sure you can. As long as their parents agree, too."
"You're the best dad in the world" the girl declared, clinging to her father.
"I have no choice, my little princess; you deserve the best of everything" the man replied, stroking his daughter's blond curls and grinning.
x
"Can I go to Rose tomorrow?" Chris asked on Friday during the dinner.
"Of course, darling" Daphne replied immediately. "You know that you can meet with friends whenever you want."
"Now, now, be careful what you say, my dear" Fred cut in. "The kid may misunderstand you and begin wandering around the city in the night."
"I'm not a kid" Chris protested.
"Of course not, darling" Daphne gently patted her elder son's hand. "About what time you're going to Rose tomorrow?"
"Evening."
Fred looked at his wife meaningfully.
"What did I tell you? It's already starting" he said with a slight reproach. "Get it out of your head, son" he added, turning to Chris. "You can visit your friends in the morning, at noon and in the afternoon, but not in the evening."
"But, Dad" the boy moaned "Rose invited me, Jen and Marty for a movie night. She said she has movies about Batman and Superman, and that her dad promised to make a whole lot of popcorn..."
"That's Shaggy for you" Daphne said cheerfully. "I really don't see, Freddy, why you're so reluctant. After all, this isn't about a big journey to Plymouth, but a mere going to a friend who lives three blocks away. It's closer than to your parents, not to mention my old home."
"But since when an eight-year-old can wander around the city in the evening?"
"You've already forgotten what we were doing when we were kids?"
Fred sighed. Unfortunately, his wife had a point, and he was aware of this.
"Okay, you've won" he said reluctantly.
"Thanks, Dad!" Chris exclaimed, throwing himself on his father's neck.
"I knew you'd agree eventually, Freddy" Daphne said and slightly bit her lower lip for a moment.
This short change of Daphne's facial expression once again assured Fred that his wife was up to something; what was more, he was now ready to bet his entire collection of the National Exaggerator archival issues that it had something to do with Shaggy... Of course! How could he not have guessed it! She undoubtedly was trying to secretly set Shaggy up with Velma!
"Freddy, is everything alright?" Daphne asked with worry.
"I need to check if I didn't leave the keys in the ignition" Fred lied quickly and ran out of the kitchen.
He knew he'd done wrong, but he had no other choice. After all, he couldn't have told her that he'd figured out her plans, because she certainly would have denied everything... Okay, calm down. He had to ponder about what to do in this situation. It looked like the best option would be to wait calmly for the next events – and, if necessary, turn on the "big brother mode" towards Velma.
x
"Just remember: behave well and don't fight with Chris or Jenny" Velma said, smoothing her son's hair one last time, and rang the bell at the Rogerses' front door.
"Chill out, Mom" Marty shrugged slightly. "How on earth could we fight during the movie?"
Mom shot him a skeptical glance, but before she could answer, the door opened.
"Hi, Vel. Howdy, Marty" Shaggy grinned as widely as he could. "Come in quickly; while we waited for you, Scooby, Chris and the girls have tried to get the popcorn five times already... I see you, you rascals!" he added half-warningly, half-jokingly, glancing toward the kitchen door.
"Relma!"
"Aunt Velma!" having abandoned their original intention of getting the popcorn, Jenny and Chris hugged the woman and Scooby poked her hand a few times with his nose.
"Actually, I think I should go now" Velma almost automatically stroked the dog, who responded with a joyful wagging of his tail.
"Ry?" Scooby looked at her with sad eyes. (Tr.: Why?)
"Please stay" said Rose, coming up to Velma and strongly grabbing her hand.
"Stay, Auntie!" Jenny and Chris echoed their friend.
"I can't stay" Velma replied, trying to free herself from the children clinging to her. To no avail. "I wasn't invited..."
"Since when do you need an invitation to pay a visit to an old buddy?" Shaggy was surprised. "You're outvoted; you stay, unless you have some super-important plans."
"But..."
"Come on, don't make us beg. For ten years, Scooby and I haven't had a single occasion to spend an evening with anyone from the old gang... and besides, looks like the kids won't let you leave until we watch the movie."
x
After the movie, it turned out that the carpet had been covered with popcorn, which the children had secretly been throwing at one another.
"Okay, kids, go to play" Shaggy pushed aside Scooby, dozing in his lap, and jumped up from the couch. "I'll call you when supper is ready."
The children, each grabbing one more handful of popcorn, ran out of the room. After a moment, came such a noise as if a herd of elephants ran up the stairs, then the door banged and all went quiet.
"Jinkies, what a mess" Velma muttered, looking around. "I've known that Jenny and the boys in contact with popcorn can behave like three little savages, but this time they outdid themselves. Where's the vacuum cleaner?"
"Why would we need one?" Shaggy chuckled and poked Scooby a few times. "Hey, Scoob, you fancy some popcorn?"
The dog lifted one eyelid, glanced at the floor, jumped up like electrified and rushed to the popcorn kernels lying on the carpet. Shortly after, there was no trace of the mess.
"You always clean up like that?" Velma asked, having shaken off the first shock.
"Of course not. We do so only when the mess is edible" Shaggy grinned.
"Rerible rand relicious" Scooby added merrily.
"Speaking of delicious, I guess I should get started with the supper before the kids collapse from hunger" Shaggy said, grinning even wider (at this point, Velma began to wonder when his face will break in half) and winking significantly to Scooby.
"Well, and I guess I should go now" said Velma, scratching Scooby behind the ear and offered Shaggy her hand. "See you, boys. I'll come later to pick up Marty."
"No way, you must be kidding" Shaggy looked at her in surprise. "I have my honor; at the time of dinner and supper, I don't let my guests leave without a decent meal."
"You've never let your guests leave without a decent meal" Velma said, smiling slightly. "But all jokes aside, I don't want to abuse your kindness."
"You're not abusing anything, Vel. Please stay for supper. Think of it as of my thanks for taking care of Rose and a wonderful dinner."
"Ray, Relma" Scooby looked pleadingly at the woman. (Tr.: Stay, Velma.)
"It's not fair, Scooby Doo" she said after a moment. "You know I never could resist this look on your face."
"Ro rou'll ray ror rupper?" the dog made sure, wagging his tail happily. (Tr.: So you'll stay for supper?)
"I will. But, Shaggy, let me at least help you a little bit."
"If you want it, then sure, come on" the man took the woman's wrist and led her to the kitchen.
x
"Vel" said Shaggy, throwing the last portion of chopped tomatoes into the bowl with the salad "can we talk? You know... absolutely frankly?"
"I think so" Velma shrugged and with a spoon she stirred the sugar, slowly changing in a saucepan into a sticky, light brown substance. "Maybe for start you can explain to me why do you need this caramel?"
"This is the base for the sauce."
"Sauce for the dessert?"
"No. For sausages." *
Velma turned slightly green and covered her mouth with her hand.
"Excuse me for a moment" she muttered and ran towards the bathroom, having thrust the spoon, coated with the caramel, into Shaggy's hand.
"What did I say?" the surprised Shaggy looked at Scooby, who in response just tilted his head first to the right and then to the left, as a sign that he had no clue.
Velma came back a few minutes later. She was paler than before, and her eyes were watery and puffy.
"Are you okay?" Shaggy asked with concern.
"Yes; I just wish I hadn't asked you about the caramel" Velma replied, wiping away a tear streaming down her left cheek. "Do you have any mint candies?"
The man immediately reached into his pocket and took out a small packet of hard, greenish candy, which he then handed to the woman.
"Actually... don't you prefer stomach bitters?" he asked after a moment of thought.
"Don't be silly; do I look sick?"
"Frankly? It's worse; you look like something the cat dragged in. So? Should I give you the medicine?"
"No, thanks. As far as I know you, you'd give me a megadose, and Marty and I just happened to have arrived by car. I'm not going to risk causing an accident on our way back due to the side effects of your stomach bitters. You better watch your caramel and tell me at last about what you wanted to talk to me."
"But you promise you'll tell me the truth?"
"I promise. Go ahead."
"Why didn't you tell me straightaway you were in love with me?"
Velma was silent for a moment.
"It wouldn't have changed anything" she replied finally. "You'd have married Mary Jane anyway."
"But maybe at least I wouldn't have insisted so much that you come to my wedding. It's true that I've never loved you, but I've also never wanted to hurt you. If only I had known before..."
"There's no point in the what-iffing, Shaggy. What's done, can't be undone; we can't change it now. Let's not talk about this anymore, I beg you."
It got quiet.
"Vel" Shaggy began cautiously "can I ask you about one more thing?"
"You can. What is it?"
Shaggy opened his mouth, but couldn't say anything; for suddenly, terrible screams were heard. Both adults without hesitation ran to the room where the kids played. There, they found out that Rose and Jenny were hiding under the bed, while Marty and Chris ran all over the room, pretending to shoot at each other.
"Not again" the clearly displeased Velma groaned and grabbed both boys' collars. "How many times have I told you I don't like it when you two are playing cowboys?" she asked sternly.
"One hundred or so" Chris replied after a moment of thought.
"But, Mom, this time, we weren't playing cowboys" said Marty "but the soldiers of the Civil War, about which Grandpa read to me recently."
"Seems I'll have to talk seriously with Dad" Velma muttered.
"Daddy" Rose spoke, putting her head out of under the bed "what is this strange smell?"
Shaggy quickly sniffed the air and opened his eyes wide.
"The caramel's burning!" he yelled in horror, then ran out of the room.
x
Eventually, the sausages were served with mustard and ketchup, to which Velma reacted with a soft sigh of relief. So, fortunately, no one would get an upset stomach that night.
While Shaggy, with the help of his daughter and Scooby, was cleaning the dishes after supper, Velma (not without some difficulty) convinced the three other children that it was time to go home.
"Thanks for everything, Shaggy" she said, squeezing her friend's hand. "It was nice."
"Heh. No problem" he replied, smiling with slight amusement. "But if you're going to go anywhere, I think you should first put on your shoes and jacket."
Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. Having opened it, Shaggy saw Fred.
"Hello, buddy" he said cheerfully, stepping back a bit to let his friend inside. "You fancy some chocolate to warm up?"
x
Shaggy had to be really sentimental – or totally crazy. How else could it be explained that even though his restaurant had gone bust, he somehow gathered a sum large enough that after returning to Coolsville, he'd been right away able to live in the house where he'd been growing up? After all, for start, he could have rented a nice apartment and have bought the house after developing his new business. That was what the logic indicated, anyway. But, well, he was Shaggy; he didn't always behave logically...
Thinking about it all, Fred came to the Rogerses' old-new home, in a single step skipped all three stairs to the porch and knocked. After a moment, Shaggy opened the door.
"Hello, buddy" he said, letting Fred inside. "You fancy some chocolate to warm up?"
"No, but thanks... Oh!" at this point, Fred noticed Velma, who was trying to get dressed; her task wasn't easy because of the four children clinging to her. "What's going on in here?"
"What? Don't you see?" Velma muttered, detaching Chris, who then immediately clung back to her. "I'm trying to get Jenny and the boys back home."
"Then why did you take off your shoes?" Fred raised one eyebrow.
"Because somebody" Velma quickly cast a glance at Shaggy, Scooby and the children "persuaded me to stay for the movie and the supper... By the way, can anyone help me get free?"
"Oops... sorry, Vel" Shaggy said, pulling away Rose and Jenny.
x
When Fred and Chris came back home, Daphne almost instantly took the boy aside and began to speak with him in hushed voices. Fred, in the meantime, picked up Jerry, who having been released by his mother, toddled over to his father for the ritual kiss goodnight. Carrying his son to the room to put him to sleep, the man heard his wife's (somewhat muffled) joyful squeal. At this point, he lost his last bits of hope that maybe she wasn't planning to secretly matchmake Velma and Shaggy. Daphne was great in the game of feigning but she had one weak point – when she was in strong emotions, such as anger or excitement, she lost control over herself and unwittingly betrayed her intentions. And so, it was almost certain that this movie night at the Rogerses' home had been her idea, and Scooby and the kids made Velma stay there not by coincidence. True, Shaggy also had contributed to this, but he couldn't be blamed; he had no clue what was at stake. And what if Daphne's plan fails...?
Oh brother, what a mess. He had to contact Madelyn and Joe as soon as possible and, with their help, make an emergency plan.
x
On Monday, about one in the afternoon, Daphne straightened up, slightly shook her right hand and smiled slyly. She'd spent the last three hours on writing two, in fact – short, messages, but the effort paid off. She was absolutely sure that no one would recognize her handwriting – especially since those concerned (as well as Fred, Madelyn and Joe) still didn't know a thing about her plans.
Now she only had to find a way to deliver the items to the recipients quickly, yet discreetly.
x
"Sorry, Auntie, but it's uneffortable" Marty shook his head.
"What?" Daphne was surprised.
"Uh... impossible to do."
"Oh, you mean unenforceable... But why do you think so?"
"Because today Mom is tutoring this rich dimwit, Johnny Longworth, in Math, and I have to wait for her at Aunt Madelyn's home..."
"So you'll come back together, and most probably late" Daphne finished. "It doesn't matter; I'll handle it" after these words, the woman turned to Rose. "Can I trust you that your dad will find this envelope no later than tomorrow after work, honey?"
"Relax, Aunt Daphne" the girl replied, grinning; at this point she looked like a small, golden-haired copy of her father. "Scooby and I'll definitely think of something."
x
Late in the night, when Marty was already asleep, Velma broke away for a moment from checking the exercises completed by Johnny Longworth whom she was tutoring in mathematics, and opened the envelope, the contents of which intrigued her from the moment when she'd found it in the mailbox a few hours earlier.
It turned out that in the envelope was a note, saying:
Hello, Velma.
I'd love to get to know you better. Come to the "Da Pietro" restaurant this Thursday, at 8 p.m. Put on a little black dress and a pearl necklace.
See you there,
Your secret admirer.
PS – At the entrance, tell the waiter your name.
Velma couldn't believe her eyes. SHE would have a secret admirer? She? A single mother in her (early, but still!) thirties? No, it had to be some kind of silly joke...
"Ah, what the heck" she said to herself finally. "I just will go to this restaurant and check it out; I only need to borrow the necklace from Mom."
x
"Look, Daddy" Rose said the next afternoon, pointing to the lifted plastic flag at the mailbox, standing next to their property. "I think we got a letter; maybe it's from Granny and Grandpa?"
"We'll check" Shaggy said, opening the box and pulling an envelope out of it. "Ha! That's strange; no stamps or return address" he stated after a moment.
"Cool! A mystery!" the girl cheered. "Will we call Grandpa and ask him to help us solve it?"
"It won't be necessary" Shaggy chuckled. "Everything will become clear when we open the envelope... but first let's have dinner, okay?"
After the meal, Rose ran to the hall, only to come back with the envelope, previously found in the mailbox, which she then shoved into the hands of her father.
"Open it! Maybe it's something cool!" she exclaimed excitedly.
Shaggy took his daughter onto his lap, so she wouldn't notice that he was almost suffocating with suppressed laughter, then he reached for the knife, wiped it in a napkin and slit the envelope open. Out of it fell a small piece of paper with the following message:
Hello, Mr. Rogers.
I've read about you on the Internet and you really impressed me. I'd love to meet you in person. I currently am in Coolsville due to professional matters. I therefore ask you to come to the "Da Pietro" restaurant on Thursday, at a quarter to eight p.m., and give the waiter your name. You'll recognize me after a little black dress, a silver bolero and a red brooch.
Regards,
Anna.
PS – Please put a red rose in your buttonhole.
x
"Thanks again for agreeing to take care of Rose and Scooby" Shaggy said on Thursday evening, squeezing Fred and Daphne's hands.
"It's nothing. That's what buddies are for" Fred smiled.
"Besides, Rose needs some contact with her peers" Daphne cut in "and Jerry and Scooby are really hitting it off."
"I'd have to be blind to not to notice it" Shaggy replied half-jokingly, watching his friends' son, sitting on the back of the dog, totally the same way as Rose had used to do it. "Okay, I'm off; I have only ten minutes left" he added, glancing at his watch.
x
"Are you sure that you know what you're doing, baby?" Mr. Dinkley asked, lowering his voice to a whisper, so that Marty wouldn't hear.
"Yes, Dad" Velma answered. "Actually, I think it's just a poor joke, but I'll check it out just in case. Oh, heck, it's already five to eight. I must go. Bye."
"Be careful" her father said, firmly squeezing her hand.
"Don't worry, nothing will happen to me" she replied, then left the house.
"I do hope so" the man whispered, watching his elder daughter until she turned around the corner of the building at the end of the street.
x
Shaggy took another sip of his coffee and looked at his watch. He didn't know who this Anna whom he was to meet was, but her behavior was very inappropriate. She was almost half an hour late. Since he was already somewhat bored, he decided to only wait another five minutes; in case she didn't show up, he'd just pay for the coffee and go home, stopping at Fred and Daphne's place on the way to get Rose and Scooby.
Then, he heard footsteps of two people; one of them was undoubtedly a woman, because the clatter of heels was quite strong. The man looked through the openwork folding screen, separating his table from the rest of the room, and indeed – he saw a silhouette of a woman, clad in a short black dress. However, she wasn't the one he was waiting for; he understood this when she sat down at a table – nearby, but nonetheless located behind the screen.
"Excuse me" he heard suddenly.
Having looked up, Shaggy saw the waiter who served him.
"What happened?" he asked.
"We've just found a note from the person whom you were to meet. She requests in it to tell you that, for important reasons, she had to leave earlier than planned, and as compensation, offers you a dinner at her expense."
"Thank you for the information, but..." at this point, Shaggy paused because he saw with a corner of his eye that the woman sitting behind the screen had gotten up from her seat and headed toward him.
She didn't notice him; probably because as she was passing, he was obscured by the waiter. However, before she disappeared behind the bathroom door, Shaggy had managed to see that she had dark hair tied up in a bun, a nice, although not very strong, waistline and very pretty calves.
"Do you have any comments to tell me?" the waiter asked finally.
"No, why?" Shaggy replied absentmindedly.
"You used the word 'but'."
Shaggy slightly shook his head and thought about it.
"Indeed" he admitted after a moment. "I was going to ask for the bill, but I think I'll wait a little more. Do you by any chance know if this lady is waiting for someone?"
"Even if I do, I can't tell you. In my line of work, discretion is essential."
x
Velma arrived ten past eight. When the waiter led her to the table, she noticed that no one was waiting for her. Well, apparently she wasn't the only one late. Assuming, of course, that she hadn't been stood up...
À propos – she had to make sure that the wind hadn't made her hair stand up. Having rummaged for a moment in her purse, she pulled a mirror out of it. Unfortunately, it turned out to be too small for her to properly assess the situation. Therefore, she got up from her chair and walked quickly toward the restroom. On the way, she got a feeling that the guy (with a corner of her eye, she saw a suit sleeve, so it had to be a man), from whom she'd been separated with a screen, was staring at her; however, she chased that thought away with a quick shrug.
A few minutes later, when she left the restroom, said guy was so engrossed in studying the menu that he didn't even notice her walk past him. Having returned to her table, the woman discreetly beckoned to her waiter.
"Excuse me, sir" she said softly "has a man asked about me?"
"You mean the one who booked the table for you? He has just called and said that due to health problems he's unable to meet you tonight. Do you wish an aperitif or a starter?"
Velma quickly flipped through the menu. The prices made her dizzy. After a short hesitation, she gave back the menu to the waiter and, turning red like a tomato, almost whispered:
"A coffee is enough. A plain, black espresso without sugar."
The waiter didn't comment on this with a single word. He simply bowed and went to the table behind the screen; probably to take the order from the menu-reading enthusiast. Well, that's just life: some people can eat dinner at elegant restaurants, while others lose their jobs and are forced to watch every penny. But why did the latter situation happen to her, who had to make a living for herself AND her child?
She shook off these gloomy thoughts upon hearing a strange shuffling. It sounded as if someone were folding the screen. Having turned around, she saw that this indeed was the case; she also encountered the gaze of the man who was sitting at the previously hidden table.
This man was Shaggy.
x
The restroom door opened. Shaggy quickly leaned over the menu, so that the graceful stranger wouldn't consider him to be a lout or a psycho. When she went past him, and sat down at her table, he moved on to watching her through the openwork screen. It was all the easier because she sat with her back to him. He saw her call over the waiter, and heard their conversation; taking into account that all this was going on close to him, it wasn't hard... who do we want to fool, anyway? He was flat out listening in. He was lucky that no one caught him on this.
Meanwhile, the woman quickly looked through menu and ordered a coffee. Judging by the fact that her voice was barely audible, she had to be really embarrassed. Therefore, Shaggy called over the waiter.
"Excuse me" he said softly "can I ask you to remove this screen? I don't like feeling isolated."
The waiter just bowed and disappeared into the kitchen. Soon, a tall muscleman showed up, quickly folded the screen and took it out of the room. However, it wasn't without the characteristic shuffling, which caught the attention of the woman from the nearby table. When she turned around, their eyes met and then, Shaggy got stunned.
The mysterious stranger was Velma.
x
For a few seconds they both stared at each other in silence. Eventually Shaggy blinked, rose from his seat, walked over to Velma and smiled at her.
"Hi. Can I sit here?" he asked, pointing to an empty chair.
"Hi. Of course you can" Velma replied, smiling back.
They got quiet again. After a while, Shaggy said:
"You look beautiful."
Velma blushed slightly.
"Thank you. You look very smart yourself" she whispered. "What are you doing here, anyway?"
"I had an appointment with someone, but it didn't work out" the man shrugged. "Good thing that this person at least offered to pay for my dinner... why are you laughing?"
"I sure hope this person is rich" the woman giggled "because otherwise, as far as I know your appetite, they're in for going bankrupt."
"I can't help it that I have a fast metabolism" Shaggy retorted, grinning again. "It runs in our family. You better tell me why YOU are here."
"I got a message that someone wanted to meet me here, but I've found out..." Velma paused because the waiter showed up.
"Your coffee" he said, putting a cup on the table and marched away, not even waiting for 'thank you'.
"What have you found out?" Shaggy asked so the conversation wouldn't stop.
"That I was stood up" Velma answered. "I can't say I didn't expect it, but still..."
"It made you sad?" the man guessed.
"Well... yes, a little bit. You know, that person left in my mailbox a note signed 'Secret admirer', so I guess I eventually began to delude myself that someone could actually be interested in me" the woman confessed, wincing a bit.
"Hey, don't you feel bad about it" Shaggy put his hand on his friend's shoulder. "This fool doesn't know that he's wasted the chance to meet a unique woman... Now, what do you say for having dinner together?"
This time, Velma turned as red as a tomato, looked down and nervously bit her lower lip.
"I don't have enough money" she muttered after a moment.
"It's no big deal; it's on me."
"On you? or rather on the person with whom you were to meet?" Velma looked doubtfully at Shaggy.
"I invite you, so I pay. Easy" Shaggy shrugged.
x
Meanwhile, in the Joneses' house, while Fred was telling Chris and Rose incredible stories about aliens and monsters (seems that he'd never grown out of the secret reading National Exaggerator), and Scooby was playing with the little Jerry, Daphne, watching her younger son, was waiting impatiently for a message from her informant.
At one point, her cell phone rang. The woman quickly left the room and looked at the display; seeing a familiar number, she hastily went to the upper floor and answered the call.
"Hello, Marcus" she said. "How's our experiment?"
A few minutes later, Scooby's sensitive ears caught Daphne's squeal – joyful, though barely audible due to the distance. So, fortunately, everything went like she'd predicted.
x
About half past nine, Shaggy and Velma left the restaurant.
"Thanks for everything" the woman said, squeezing her friend's hand. "If you weren't there, I probably would have been in a nasty mood now."
"Don't mention it, Vel" the man grinned. "Hop in, I'll drive you home" he added, pointing to a dark green car, parked nearby.
"I'd love to, but I have yet to get Marty from my parents' house."
"What's the problem?" Shaggy shrugged. "I'll drop you by your folks' place, and then I'll drive you and the kid home. It's late; you shouldn't walk around the city by yourself."
x
It was Monday, October 4. This afternoon, about midway between dessert and supper, Rose came out of her room, went down into the living room, where her father and Scooby watched the TV news, and with a pained expression, she announced:
"I can't do the math homework. This multiplication and division is all Greek to me."
"You want me to explain it?" Shaggy guessed, turning off the TV.
"Uh-huh" the girl nodded.
Half an hour later, Shaggy had to surrender. So what if he wasn't all that dumb in mathematics, if he couldn't pass his knowledge?
"Well, what are we gonna do, Scooby Doo?" he asked, looking helplessly at the dog, who lay on the carpet beside Rose's bed, watching the fruitless efforts of his master.
"Rutoring" Scooby opined.
"So you know someone who certainly will be able to help?" Shaggy asked ironically.
"Relma" the dog said shortly. "Or rer rad." (Tr.: Velma. Or her dad.)
Shaggy pondered about it. He remembered very well that when he'd been fourteen, he'd been slacking because of his several-week-long crush on a girl from his class, and as a result, he was threatened with getting F's in math and physics. It was then that his parents asked Velma's father for help. Mr. Dinkley had the habit of venting his anger on (always the same) cushion from the couch, whenever someone didn't understand something in spite of repeated explanations. After the first three meetings, the poor cushion had almost been ripped to shreds; later, probably due to Mrs. Dinkley's intervention, all cushions had disappeared from the couch. Fortunately, about that same time Shaggy, surveyed at home by his parents, had begun to gradually comprehend what do all these equations with x do; and then, to his slight surprise, he discovered that the physics wasn't so scary either. So, after all, Mr. Dinkley had done a great job, making the student threatened with F's finish the semester with B's – but the 'basic work' was something that Velma was doing better, combining her father's extraordinary intelligence and her mother's boundless patience.
"All right" Shaggy said finally. "I'll call Velma right away and ask her if she could find some time tomorrow afternoon."
* – Sausage in caramel sauce is a part of Polish cuisine. My family thinks it's very tasty, but I strongly support Velma in this case, because frankly, I feel sick from mere smell of the "specialty". :/
Oh, one more thing – this year, I have to write my bachelor thesis; so it's unlikely that the next chapter appears quickly, because I'll be forced to create it "by fits and starts".
See you next time!
VerMa
