Hello!
How are you all?
I went back to school yesterday and I've already had two assessments today so that hasn't been too pleasant and I had to do netball as well which I didn't enjoy. But other than that it hasn't really been that bad.
Anyway, here's chapter 36!
The nine friends had made their way out of Blue's voodoo emporium as quickly as possible after the events that had happened and had navigated their way through the streets in an effort to find CheeChee. Eventually they stepped onto a road of large, tumble-down buildings and saw CheeChee in her yellow waitress uniform, green coat and matching cloche hat calling after a retreating car with a huge smile on her face.
"How about I sign them tonight at the La Bouff's masquerade ball?"
"You drive hard bargain, CheeChee," the two men in the car chuckled as they chugged back down the road.
"And you drive a nice car," Seacat said as the car drove past, the six boys all marvelling as the vehicle passed them.
"Stay focused," Mack snapped, grabbing Brady by the arm and propelling him over to CheeChee.
"Table for one, please."
CheeChee whipped around to see her mother, well…Struts' mother, stood behind her, holding a large copper pot with a red bow tied around it in her hands.
"Mom," CheeChee chuckled, recovering from the shock.
"Here's something to help you get your restaurant started," Struts' mother said, holding the pot out to CheeChee.
"Ok, so CheeChee's bought her restaurant and she's signing the papers for it tonight at the party-thing," Butchy checked.
"Yeah," Mack replied.
"It looks a little run down, don't ya think?" Struts asked, grimacing at the broken windows in the old building.
"I know, it's kind of a dump," Lela agreed, hopping over a rotting plank of damp wood on the path beside her.
"Dad's gumbo pot," CheeChee sighed, smiling longingly at the object in her 'mother's' hands then going up to give her a hug.
"I know, honey. I miss him too," Struts' mother cooed, the two breaking apart from their hug as CheeChee wiped away a tear and let out a little sniffle. "Come on then," Struts' mother said, changing the conversation topic to lighten the mood. "Open the door!"
"Just look at it," CheeChee grinned, pushing both of the doors open and running inside. "Doesn't it just make you wanna cry?"
A few birds fluttered out of the rafters and out through numerous holes in the roof, dust particles sprang up in clouds and a few planks of wood fell away from the roof due to too many bird wings flapping against them.
"Yikes," Brady said, glancing around the building. And by the look on Strut's mother's face, she agreed with him.
"The maitre d' is going to be over there, where you're standing," CheeChee explained, running around the room as she said everything. "And a gourmet kitchen over here." CheeChee took off her coat and hat and tossed them over the banister of a rickety wooden staircase. "And a crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling!" CheeChee spun around and gazed up at the roof, trying not to be bothered by the amount of gaps and holes.
"You're definitely your dad's daughter," Struts' mother laughed, teetering over to where CheeChee was stood. Oddly, it didn't look like she'd aged much since the nine friends had last seen her when CheeChee was six. "He used to go on and on about this run-down sugar mill as well. But look, I'm sure that this place is going to be amazing, however it's not fair that you're working so hard."
"But I can't give up now, I'm so close," CheeChee protested, interrupting her sweeping up she'd started whilst Struts' mother had been speaking. "I've got to make sure that all of Dad's hard work means something."
"CheeChee!" Struts' mother scolded, slamming the cooking pot down on a stool propped up against the staircase. "Your father might not have gotten the restaurant he always wanted, be had something more important. He had love. And that's all I want for you, sweetheart, to meet your Prince Charming and dance off into your happily ever after."
"Mom! I don't have time for dancing," CheeChee giggled, stepping away from Struts' mother and starting to sing.
CheeChee: "That's just gonna have to wait a while"
"How long are we talking?" Struts' mother asked, trying to hide the smile on her face as she placed her hands on her hips.
CheeChee: "Ain't got time for messing around
And it's not my style"
CheeChee pulled a chair up to a small table so Struts' mother could sit down. Then she pulled a piece of white cloth draped over a partly boarded up window and draped it over the table, acting like it was a table cloth.
"I want some grandkids," Struts' mother protested upon hearing CheeChee's latest comment.
"That conversation took a turn," Tanner noted, watching Seacat try to cover up his surprise at Struts' mother's comment.
CheeChee: "This old town can slow you down"
CheeChee took the folded newspaper-image of the restaurant scene out of her apron pocket and held it out so her 'mother' could see it as well.
CheeChee: "People taking the easy way"
The nine teens, Struts' mother and CheeChee herself all looked up from the picture at the room that looked like it could fall apart at any second and back down at the picture, all having very mixed feelings about it.
CheeChee: "But I know exactly where I'm going
I'm getting closer and closer every day"
Sunlight burst through the windows and holes in the ceiling, temporarily blinding the nine teens, however when their vision returned, the scene had totally changed and an orange light was covering everything. There were two rather hunky looking young men stood either side of a glass panelled door.
"What just happened?" Lela asked, noting that her surroundings had changed. But no one got the chance to answer her because CheeChee had started to sing again.
CheeChee: "And I'm almost there"
The door was opened and CheeChee stood there in an elegant white dress that pretty much made Seacat drool. CheeChee shrugged off a rather extravagant white feather boa and took her hat off, handing one each to the two boys at the door.
CheeChee: "I'm almost there
People down here think I'm crazy"
In the space of a few seconds, CheeChee tested some wine, straightened another hunky guy's bowtie, topped a piece of cake with a strawberry and signed a menu.
CheeChee: "But I don't care"
CheeChee tucked the quill she used to sign the menu into her hair and sauntered off in the opposite direction, still grinning uncontrollably.
CheeChee: "Trials and tribulations
I've had my share"
CheeChee straightened the ladder for someone, who was struggling to clean a massive chandelier, in one smooth move as she passed them.
CheeChee: "But there ain't nothin' gonna stop me now
'Cause I'm almost there"
CheeChee stepped along a line of even more hunky boys, placing a white flower in each of their suit pockets before they stepped forward and started to lay tables.
CheeChee: "I remember Daddy told me"
CheeChee wandered into the kitchen and tasted a pot of soup a chef was preparing, she grimaced before adding a few ingredients and letting the chef taste it to note her improvements, which he found to be perfect.
CheeChee: "Fairytales can come true
But you've gotta make 'em happen
It all depends on you"
CheeChee had moved across to another station in the kitchen where a different chef was chopping up a variety of vegetables and decided to speed the process up a bit by helping him out and chopping the vegetables at lightning speed.
CheeChee: "So I'll work real hard each and every day
Now things for sure are going my way
Just doing what I do"
CheeChee had grabbed a bowl of whipped cream and she was adorning a large spread of desserts with the topping, all the puddings now looking delicious.
CheeChee: "Look out boys I'm coming through
And I'm almost there"
CheeChee pushed past the hunky waiters and opened the doors to the restaurant, the crowd gasping with delight as they poured inside.
CheeChee: "I'm almost there
People gonna come here from everywhere
And I'm almost there
I'm almost there"
About four of the waiters had picked CheeChee up and had carried her up to the top floor of the restaurant where she picked up a glass of champagne and made a toast. She then tottered over to the staircase and slid down the banister, jumping off at the bottom and hopping onto a dessert cart beside a chef decorating a cake, who she stole a cherry from. CheeChee handed a napkin to a little boy covered in spaghetti and added some extra sauce to a dish being prepared, all whilst riding on the dessert trolley. CheeChee took the feather quill from her hair and tucked it into the hat of the man who was playing the piano as she delicately jumped off dessert cart.
CheeChee: "There's been trials and tribulations
You know I've had my share"
The orange lighting faded and the scene returned to what it had been like before, CheeChee's white dress had turned back into her yellow waitress uniform and Struts' mother was still sat by the table in the corner. However, she didn't stay seated for long, because CheeChee grabbed her hand and lead her off around the room.
CheeChee: "But I've climbed a mountain, I've crossed a river
And I'm almost there
I'm almost there"
CheeChee and Struts' mother were ripping the wooden boards away from the windows, sweeping up cobwebs and throwing away all of the scrap pieces of wood, CheeChee singing the entire time.
CheeChee: "I'm almost there"
CheeChee sung her heart out and let rip on her last note, letting it fill the empty building as Struts' mother added the finishing touches to her tidying. They grabbed their coats and with that walked out of the door, arm in arm with big grins on their faces.
The nine friends were once again left alone, not really knowing what to do. The door slammed behind CheeChee and Struts' mother, the sound echoing through the building and causing one of the pillars at the bottom of the stairs to topple over, making Lela squeak in surprise.
"Well…what now?" Brady asked.
"I guess we're going to a party," Mack replied, remembering the frequent topic of Pearl's masquerade ball.
I hope you liked it! I know it's not the longest chapter in the world but I'm definitely making them a lot longer from now on. :)
The song I used in this chapter is called Almost There from The Princess And The Frog (of course).
I know I say this every chapter (if you're reading this then let me know if you still like these little question things, should I carry on doing them?) but I want to say thank you to everyone who reads, reviews or sends me PMs because you're all absolutely wonderful!
Thank you for reading!
-cherrygorilla