Chapter 11
The next morning Wheeler stirred awake as his alarm went off, and groaned loudly, it was 7am; surely he didn't need to be up this early, apparently the girls had other ideas though as they barged loudly into his room.
"Come on, sleeping head," Linka hailed loudly.
"Rise and shine," Gi added as both young women gripped the bed sheets and pulled them down.
Wheeler immediately curled up as the colder air hit him, and he dragged his pillow over his eyes, determined to stay in bed just a little longer. Linka carefully winked at her companion as both girls hopped onto the bed, determined to stir their redheaded friend and get going.
"On the count of three," the Russian whispered, positioning herself alongside Wheelers crouched form and curling her fingers, ready to force the man out of bed.
"One . . . two . . . three," Gi whispered back adopting a similar stance. Suddenly both women pounced on top of Wheeler. "Tickle tickle," they giggled in unison as Wheeler squirmed beneath their touch, finally he relented, and sat up.
"All right I'm up, I'm up," the young man yawned, swinging his legs over the side of the bed and stretching the last bit of stiffness from his spine.
"Go on then, quick shower and get dressed," Linka coaxed, dumping a clean T-shirt and some under shorts into his lap and giving him a forceful shove.
Rather than resisting Wheeler grabbed the clothing and stood up, stretching and yawning again before shuffling towards the bathroom to get showered and dressed. Standing in the bathroom, he stared at his reflection in the mirror and willed his body to wake up, positive that he had never even seen this hour of the morning before. He emerged 20 minutes later nearly fully clothed and heading for the dresser to retrieve his comb. As he finished tidying his hair Linka approached again and handed him a pair of jeans.
"And what am I supposed to do with those?" he enquired, accepting the garment.
"Wear them of course," Gi smiled from her position on his desk chair.
"They don't fit." Wheeler rounded back wondering exactly how the girls expected him to wear them.
"Wheeler, none of your clothes fit. That's why we are taking you shopping," Linka replied, sounding a little exasperated at her friend's stubbornness. "Anyway I have a trick to help you out," she added, indicating that he should pull his pants on.
Shrugging his shoulders, the young man obliged and pulled the trousers up to his waist, the gap between the edges of the waistband was even wider now that another week had passed and he shot a look towards the Russian as if to say well what is this bright idea then. Stifling a giggle Linka bent down so that she was level with his waist, and carefully looped a spare hair band through the buttonhole, pulling it across and placing the other end around the button. Then, tickling his bare tummy, she stood back up.
"Ta da," she smiled as Wheeler looked down at her handy work and pulled the zipper up as far as he could.
"Where did you learn that?" he asked as he looked back up and pulled his T-shirt down.
"What . . . you have never gained a few pounds over the holidays?" she winked knowing that he had over many Thanksgivings and Christmases.
"Well yeah," he smiled; it was ingenious, and it worked well as long as he left his t-shirt un-tucked to hide it.
Leaving his hut Wheeler started to head for the common room intent on getting some breakfast before he was dragged around the shops; however, the girls blocked him again.
"No time for that, Yankee, come on," Linka smiled, grabbing the surprised youths hand and gently tugging him towards the waiting Geo-cruiser.
"Hey what about breakfast, the shops aren't even going to be open for another hour," he complained, feeling a mixture of hunger and fear; he'd had no idea the girls were going to take this so seriously when they mentioned it last night, and he was already beginning to regret agreeing to go.
Once on board the geo-cruiser, Wheeler pulled his belt on, realizing that there was no arguing with the girls this morning. Knowing full well that there was no turning back, he silently reasoned that it was almost like they were possessed or something. In a minute, he soon mellowed when Gi pushed a basket onto his knee.
"In flight meal, sir," she giggled as he opened the small rectangular container and looked at the contents.
"Oh . . . th-thanks," he stuttered, momentarily stunned at the girl's resourcefulness before he retrieved an apple and offered the basket to the ladies.
"No thank you, Wheeler," Gi answered with a shake of her head.
"We already ate; that is yours," Linka added, carefully steering the solar powered craft en route to the city.
"Thanks," Wheeler smiled and felt himself relax a little. It was obvious the girls just wanted to get the shopping done early before the crowds set in.
Landing in a convenient place Linka fished a small piece of paper from her pocket and examined it.
"Ok . . . first we go to Bloomingdales; then J.C. Penney's; then on to Macy's; and finally we go to Sear's in Brooklyn," the Russian quietly muttered to herself while Wheeler looked on with a bemused smile.
"And you know where all these places are and how to connect to them I suppose?" he asked, realizing that Linka was proposing to go around half of New York City just to get him some bigger pants.
"Roughly, why?" she questioned, watching him.
"No reason," he shrugged, "so what's the address for the first point of call?" He was clearly trying to glance over her shoulder.
"1000 3rd Avenue at 59th Street . . ." the blonde read aloud after she popped open one of the Geo-cruisers compartments, retrieving her pocket map of the city.
"Ok well that's right near Central Park," the redhead informed his female friends, then resting his hand on Linka's shoulder; "I think I can find my way around, princess."
The wind Planeteer smiled shyly in return. "Da, of course, sorry. I had forgotten that you grew up here."
The three Planeteers exited the solar craft and started strolling casually for their first point of call, with Wheeler pointing out a few things and making them laugh with silly jokes all the way. It wasn't long before they arrived at one of the biggest shops Gi had ever seen
"Oh, wow! How are we supposed to find anything in here?" the overwhelmed Asian exclaimed, scanning at the many racks and displays. In the distance a large escalator indicated there was much more to be found above them.
"Easy . . . By looking at the floor plan," Wheeler grinned, handing the Thai a small folded leaflet with maps of all the store's different floors and an index to help customers identify the area they required.
Quickly finding the men's department Linka and Gi encouraged Wheeler to find some pants he liked so that they could get him something comfortable for the coming months. With childish giggles ringing from their pink smiles, the girls then pushed him into the changing room to try them on. After a few minutes he emerged to show them the result.
"They look good on you, Yankee," Linka complimented thoughtfully, admiring the dark blue jeans he had put on.
"They are miles too big. I could fit a whole other person in these with me," he whispered, fixing the Russian with a steely gaze.
"You have got a whole other person in their with you, and I suspect you will grow into these quicker than you think," the blonde countered making Wheeler flush with embarrassment.
"You can always wear a belt for now," Gi added, also believing the jeans would be a good fit for Wheeler now and for a few months to come as his pregnancy progressed.
After changing back into his own clothes Wheeler glanced at some of the tops that were available, and he selected a few more items to purchase before leaving and heading west for the next shop.
It was late afternoon by the time the little group returned to Hope Island, and Wheeler immediately flopped onto the sofa leaving the bags and packages where they fell.
"You have had a good day, my friend?" Kwame curiously wanted to know, looking at the many bags at his friend's feet.
"I am totally exhausted, my man. Take some friendly advice; if the girls ever offer to take you shopping you might wanna politely refuse," Wheeler groaned from his prone position, making the black Planeteer laugh heartily.
At that point the girls walked in with Cheshire cat grins on there faces, and Linka quickly leaned over the sofa, tickling the redheads tummy,
"Awww. Get off!" he replied jovially trying to roll away from her outstretched fingers and failing miserably.
After a light dinner that was prepared by Kwame and Ma-Ti, the Planeteers settled down and discussed their various exploits from earlier in the day. Everyone was forced to break into loud rings of laughter as Wheeler managed to describe the shopping trip as a terrible ordeal and throw in several exaggerated gestures before dramatically collapsing against a pillow and imitating a perfect swoon.
"Oh Wheeler," Ma-Ti commented between giggles, "you make it sound like a chore"
The South American glanced across the room and tried not to laugh again as Wheeler adopted his favorite English Lord accent and replied, "Dear boy, you have no idea. These fair young maidens dragged me through half of the United States in search of the Holy Pants."
The effort to keep a straight face was a happy failure as the five 'teers collapsed in simultaneous laughter.
After a few minutes Kwame composed himself and spoke, "What shall we do this evening, my friends? It seems too nicer evening to spend it indoors watching TV,"
The other Planeteers agreed that nights like this were not made for watching the tube, and they all trudged outside for a rousing game of Frisbee.
"I wonder where the conference organizers have put us up," Wheeler commented as he jumped and caught a particularly high throw from Ma-Ti and sent the small disk whizzing back towards Gi, who missed and fell in the sand laughing.
"I do not know; they said accommodations would be provided to us for 3 days, but they did not mention where we would be staying," Linka retorted, diving for one of Kwame's famously low Frisbees and catching it perfectly.
"Probably a youth hostel of some kind. Why do you want to know? Is it that you think you deserve luxury now that you're expecting, Wheeler?" the Thai girl snickered, throwing the disk back towards her American friend.
"No, of course not... oof!" Wheeler countered, landing on his bottom as the Frisbee sailed between his legs. "I was just thinking it might be nice to stay in a decent hotel for once. You know . . . one with room service, massages, pieces of chocolate on the pillow, the whole 9 yards," he added, returning a few minutes later from having retrieved the plastic flying saucer.
They happily played for a while longer until the rapidly darkening sky made it difficult to see, so they called it a night and dropped the neon green toy into the large bin that housed the rest of their outdoor playthings. They all linked up arm in arm and then trudged inside to find another game to play around the kitchen table.
"I think maybe we should go to bed early tonight; we've got a mando busy day tomorrow," Wheeler commented after an hour of playing The Game of Life slipped by.
Kwame, Gi, Linka, and Ma-Ti all looked incredulously at Wheeler, who had never been known to suggest getting an early night in the six years they had known him. "What?" he retorted, seeing their faces. "I just assumed you would want me to get up before noon . . . which, given recent events, requires an early bedtime for me and Junior," he quickly covered patting his stomach. His excellent poker face was successful in hiding his true M.O. to get an early start so he could check into the hotel and then split soon after so he could pick up a surprise he had in store for Linka. After all, he wind Planeteer wasn't supposed to know about his little well intended shocker until the next night.
The next morning Wheeler awoke at 6.30am and retrieved a hot drink from the kitchen before putting his walkman in his pocket and setting it to play as he began packing for the next few days, remembering to hide a map of Russia away in the zippered front of his bag so Linka wouldn't suspect anything. The young blonde was certainly surprised when she called for him at 7:30am and found him nearly finished packing and dancing around his room, singing quietly and obviously in a great mood. Approaching him from behind, she tapped him on the shoulder, gaining his attention and causing him to turn and grab her hands quickly and spin her on the spot and make her giggle before pulling the headphones down and rest them around his neck.
"Morning, princess," he winked as Linka stood, blushing slightly.
"Morning, Wheeler, you seem to being in a good mood," she commented, watching him with a big smile on her face.
"I feel great and Chicago is such a cool city. Did you know it has a 7 storey mall?" he bubbled, continuing to pack shower gel and other essentials in a small toilet bag after wandering to the bathroom with a definite bounce in his step.
"Really?" Linka couldn't think of anything else to say as she mentally made a note to tell Gi about this and plan a visit as soon as a free moment presented itself.
"OK . . . I'm all done," the redhead announced, zipping his luggage and heading for the door. "Time for breakfast," he added, putting a gentle hand across the still stunned Russians back and pushing her towards the common hut. He silently mused to himself, 'well at least her nerves weren't getting to her yet.'
Having checked to see that they had everything they needed and ensuring their commitments on the Island were covered for the next 3 days, the five eco-heroes left for
Chicago, Illinois. Arriving at the agreed meeting point the Planeteers where quickly greeted by a small bespectacled man in a smart suit.
"Good morning, Good morning!" he beamed, shaking hands with the five young heroes. "Your accommodation is all set up and ready for you, 2 adjoining doubles at the Hilton on Michigan Avenue," he added as he glanced down at his list and ticked a box to say the five eco-activists had arrived.
"Sorry . . . did you say the Hilton?" Wheeler stuttered unsure if he had actually heard right.
"Why, yes sir, the Planeteers are the guests of honor. Everything is prepared, no expenses spared," the small man confirmed these awesome tidings before politely bowing and turning to deal with some other guests.
"What is so special about the Hilton?" Linka asked looking at Wheelers stunned features.
"It's only . . . like one of the . . . best hotels in Chicago," the redhead stammered, still not quite believing what he had heard.
"Well you got your wish then; after all, you said you wanted to stay in a decent hotel. Come on." Gi pulled Wheeler's arm and motioned to the others that they should get settled in ready for the conference that night.
As they entered the grand reception area of the Hilton, the other Planeteers suddenly understood what Wheeler had meant; this place was seriously posh, and they all felt slightly under-dressed in their jeans and t-shirts.
"Welcome to the Hilton, Planeteers," the man on reception beamed, instantly recognizing the five youths who stood before him, "if you would just care to sign the register. You are on the 5th floor rooms 542 and 543." He handed Wheeler the two keys as the redhead bent over to add his name to the four previous signatures. "Peter will bring your bags up for you momentarily," he finished, politely bowing to the group, and ushering them towards the expensive looking elevators that were located nearby.
"Er . . . Thank you," Kwame stammered, feeling rather overwhelmed by the whole experience; he had never seen such a big and fancy building in all his life.
Entering their respective rooms the Planeteers felt like they had come into another world. Everything from the crisp sheets to the wide screen TV exuded class and sophistication, something that few of them had ever really experienced in their young lives. Wheeler carefully sat on one of the enormous beds and immediately sank backwards as the soft mattress seemed to swallow him whole.
"Oh wow, that's it. I'm staying here," he murmured, kicking his shoes off and resting his feet against one of the banisters. It wasn't long before they heard a quiet knock on the interconnecting door and the girls entered.
"So what do you think?" Linka asked quickly ascertaining that the boy's room, like theirs, had no expenses spared when it came to decoration.
"Well Wheeler seems to be enjoying himself," Ma-Ti spoke up, pointing to the bed where Wheeler had apparently dozed off again.
"Are you having a good time, Yankee?" Linka carefully climbed onto the bed beside him, stirring him from his relaxing state of sleep.
"I feel like I've been eaten by a giant marshmallow," the redhead whispered quietly, yawning and pushing himself back upright. After glancing at his watch, the American realized that he had better get a move on if his secret surprise was going to work; and he quickly stood up.
"Anyone need the bathroom?" he enquired, grabbing his suitcase from where the bellboy had left it a few minutes earlier and pulling some clothes out.
"You are getting ready now?" Linka asked, feeling slightly puzzled because there was still 4 hours before the meeting was to take place.
"I have a few things to do before we gotta be there, so this is my only chance to change," he shrugged, wandering into the grand bathroom and thinking that this room was almost as big as his whole hut on Hope Island. Reemerging a few minutes later, Wheeler turned in front of his friends to model his new clothes.
"Will this do?" he asked, wanting their honest opinions on his outfit.
"You look good," Gi complimented, admiring his combination of stone colored chinos with a dark blue shirt and white t-shirt underneath.
"Da, very handsome," Linka agreed from her curled position on Wheelers bed, where she had been reading through her speech once more, trying to remember all the details and calm her self before the big event.
"Thanks, guys. Well I will see you there," he replied, pulling his shoes on and carefully winking at Kwame to say he was going to fetch the surprise now.
"You are not going with us?" Linka asked, suddenly feeling a little alarmed; after all, she wasn't sure she could do this without him and his moral support.
"Relax, Babe, I'll be there just like I promised," the daddy-to-be smiled again and left the room, heading for the roof where they had parked the Geo-cruiser after having checked in earlier.
"Where is Wheeler going?" Linka asked once she knew that her firey friend had left.
"I do not know, Linka," Kwame lied, carefully avoiding the Russians eyes and concentrating on his book, afraid of giving the game away.
"He is probably meeting a friend or something, Linka, he knows people in most parts of the United States," Ma-Ti added as he flicked through the TV channels, trying to distract the blonde's attention.
"Da, I suppose you are right," Linka swallowed nervously and returned to her notes.
"Don't worry. He'll be there Linka. After all, he promised you," Gi tried to comfort her friend, but Linka still felt tense and nervous about her speech that was now just a few short hours away.
Upon lifting off into the air, Wheeler quickly set a course for Linka's hometown and headed for the small mining settlement. After an hour, he saw the familiar countryside loom below him; and he dropped lower, looking for the farm house that Linka's remaining relatives called home.
As he landed Mishka strolled toward him and waved a friendly greeting, "How are you to being, Veeler?" he asked. His Russian accent was much heavier than Linka's, which had faded somewhat over the years but still colored her words in a way that Wheeler found very attractive.
"I'm Ok, you and grandma about ready?" he asked as the young man slapped his back and led him to the house.
"Almost, grandma is trying to decide on her outfit, maybe now you are here she will get a move on," he smiled, leading the American into the small farmhouse as Linka's grandmother came through muttering in Russian.
"Hello, Veeler," she interrupted herself momentarily and glided over to him and wrapped her arms around the young man in a tight hug. "Ah vy poluchaete tolstenkimi," she muttered, pulling away and waving her index finger at him in a scolding gesture as Linka's older brother burst out laughing.
"What did I do?" Wheeler asked, looking at Linka's sibling with a quizzical expression highlighting his confused features.
"Nothing, Veeler, she says you are getting porky," the Russian answered back with a chuckle.
"It's not my fault, grandma; Linka's cooking is too good. I can't seem to keep the weight off," the redhead argued playfully, making Mishka snigger again.
"Da, that sounds right. She has inherited grandma's cooking skills" he happily commented. "Ouch" he added recoiling as the older woman hit him on the arm and muttered some sort of gentle reprimand in Russian to her grandson before ducking back into her bedroom.
Wheeler glanced at his watch, growing aware that time was passing and that he only had a couple of hours to get back, help his Russian guests book into their hotel and get to the large lecture hall of the Northwestern University in time for Linka's speech. At that point, Linka's grandmother finally emerged from her room dressed in a smart black evening dress and her best jewelry.
Being the property of a relatively poor family, the jewels were inexpensive ones that had been passed down over many generations and their sentimental value was far higher than any monetary price. Because of this, they were saved for only the most special of occasions.
"You look beautiful, babushka," Mishka muttered, bowing low and offering his arm to the old woman in a polite gesture.
"Thank you, Mishka," she smiled in return accepting his arm and following him outside where Wheeler had already started the Geo-cruiser up and set the course on the navigator, ready to return to Chicago.
An hour later, they landed and the two guests booked themselves into a modest hotel in the city center, dropping off the few personal possessions that they required for the 3-day trip. Then all three set off towards the University at a gentle pace. As the group passed a local flower shop Wheeler pulled Mishka aside.
"Hey what's the best flower to give for good luck in your country?" he asked, causing the Russian man to smile.
"A single red rose is considered to be one of the luckiest gifts in Russia, symbolizing a strong desire for the recipient to be happy and fortunate in their greatest challenge," the young blond replied with a grin as Wheeler quickly ducked into the shop and bought a single red rose and a small card wishing Linka good luck. He really hoped she would like it as they set off once again and arrived 15 minutes before the conference was due to begin.
Once Wheeler had settled his guests in the audience, he quietly went backstage and knocked on the star dressing room door.
"Who is it?" Linka called, a nervous tension sounding in her voice.
"Only me!" Wheeler called back as Gi opened the door for him. "Told you I'd make it," he grinned as Linka rushed into his arms and squeezed him tightly. "This is for you, for good luck," he offered, pulling away and presenting the blonde with a delicately wrapped red rose.
"Thank you . . ." she smiled, unsure what else to say, her sparkling eyes giving him the reassurance he was after.
"Well I had better get back to my seat. See you afterwards princess," he sighed quietly, giving her one last hug and a gentle kiss before turning to go back to the auditorium.
A few moments later, the lights dimmed and a smartly dressed gentleman approached the podium.
"Good evening ladies and gentlemen" he began "I would like to take this opportunity to welcome you all to this, the 50th annual convention for the protection of birds worldwide. Tonight, a special guest speaker is going to tell you about the state of conservation and how we can help, please give a big hand for Linka Piatikova!" he stepped away from the microphone as the auditorium burst into welcoming applause.
Linka, taking a deep breath, stepped forward onto the stage. Blushing slightly the Russian carefully made her way to the central podium and placed the few notes she carried on the stand in front of her. Smiling out at the audience for just a moment, she quickly spotted Wheeler and allowed herself to relax a bit, 'Remember Linka, just talk to me,' she could hear his words in her head, and she began delivering her speech.