Chapter 26.
Day Five of the vacation started bright and sunny. All of the teens were with Chuck Statorowski having their breakfast in the dining room at the Petersham Hotel. After their return from the Isle of Wight – via Dover – the previous evening, all of them had enormous appetites and were digging into their breakfasts with barely concealed gusto. Not just the exertions of the drive, but also the fact that the mini-bus had gotten a flat tire on the way back and their waiting over an hour and a half for roadside assistance had resulted in them getting back to the hotel too late for dinner. That probably contributed to why they were enjoying their breakfast so much.
"So have you all decided what you're going to do today?" Chuck Statorowski asked.
"Yeah, Mr. S", Eddy replied, "The guys are going to be taking the underground and we'll be going to Piccadilly first".
"Good place to go to", Mr. Statorowski said with a nod, "So what about you girls?", he asked next whilst looking at Lindsay.
"We're going to the Richmond Spa for a well-deserved and long-overdue servicing of our hair, nails, and basically anything else we can think of", she concluded with a giggle, "after all, we're not only here on vacation, we gotta keep looking good for our men!"
The other girls nodded and made approving sounds at that. Marie leaned over to Edd, who was still eating his breakfast.
"If your jaw doesn't hit the floor when you see me after the makeover, Oven Mitt, I'll be suing the salon", she whispered into his ear in a semi-seductive tone. Edd put down his fork and turned to face his girlfriend.
"Marie", Edd whispered back to her, "I'm sure that they will do a wonderful job on your nails, hair, and makeup. But as I told you; you'll always be beautiful to me regardless of what you're wearing and how you style your hair. They would be attempting to make perfection out of something already perfect".
Marie's eyes teared up some with joy at what Edd had said. She quickly kissed him on the cheek.
"Hey Marie", May said with a smile, "I'm not sure that the breakfast table is a good place for doing that!" Lee looked at her younger sister with an annoyed expression.
"Would you rather be wearing your breakfast instead of eating it?", Marie retorted half-jokingly. May stuck her tongue out at her playfully in response.
"Okay, you two", Lee interjected, "save your energies for the rest of the day. I'm looking forward to being at the spa and the last thing I wanna put up with is youse two snapping at each other!"
"Just was well we're not going there with you at the spa", Eddy opined, "if we're gonna end up hearing all of this!"
Kevin, Ed, Johnny, and Jimmy chuckled in agreement at that comment. The girls were not so amused.
"Oh, so you boys think that we're a brigade of gripers, huh?" Nazz said to Kevin. Kevin raised his hands in a mock surrender gesture.
"I never said anything, Doll", he replied defensively.
"You didn't have to", Nazz shot back, "that smirk of yours said volumes!"
"People", Mr. Statorowski interjected, "we're here to enjoy our time here in the UK, and then later on in France. Let's not start a great day by snapping at each other. Okay?"
"So what are you going to be doing today, Mr. Statorowski?" Jimmy asked. He had noticed that Sarah was going to start speaking to him in a not-so-friendly manner and he wanted to deflect the conversation away from the 'boy-vs-girl' spat that had been developing.
"Well, I'm going to be dropping in on a couple of friends of mine, plus get the tickets for me, Tiffany, and those of you going to the cricket international tomorrow", Mr. Statorowski replied, "which reminds me: I need to know which of you will be going. Ed and May I know about, but anyone else?"
"What do you think, Oven Mitt?" Marie asked Edd, "You wanna watch some cricket? It might be fun".
"It might also be boring", Kevin piped up, "I've heard that a one-day game is almost literally that!"
Ignoring Kevin, Edd turned to Marie and said, "If you want to go and see it, then I will come along with you. We're here not only to sight-see, but to enjoy new things. Cricket would qualify for that".
"Better add Double-Dee and me to the list, Mr. Statorowski", Marie said. Mr. Statorowski nodded.
"Better drink lots of coffee then", Kevin suggested. Nazz gave her boyfriend a vexed look.
"Don't knock what you haven't tried, Kevin", Nazz said, "I'm thinking about going too. It might be boring, but at least I will be able to say that I gave it a go! Put me down for a ticket as well please", she asked Mr. Statorowski.
"Make it two then", Kevin said not overly enthusiastically, "Nazz has a point".
"Okay, Mr. Statorowski said, "Lee? Sarah? Eddy? Johnny? Jimmy? Rolf?
"Rolf will go as well. This son of a shepherd is going to be away from my sweet Schmetlokin today, but Rolf does not want it to be two days in a row!", Rolf replied. Lindsay smiled and gave him a thumbs-up.
"That's the spirit, Rolf!", Lindsay said, "you'll enjoy it. I promise!".
"What do you think, Eddy?", Lee said to her boyfriend, "Looks like everyone else is getting in on the act".
"Why not, Babe?" Eddy replied, "It may not be as exiting as baseball, but we'll be watching it together and that's what counts!"
Lee smiled at that. Eddy was really caring for her and was willing to be able to put aside his doubts about the game in order to make her happy.
"Jimmy?" Sarah said to Jimmy. In order for her not to get back to any possibility of arguing about the 'boy-vs-girl' thing, Jimmy nodded.
"Add us to the list then, Mr. Statorowski", Sarah said.
"I'd better make it unanimous then and say yes as well", Johnny said, though wondering quietly if he was making the right decision. Still, regardless of how the game might turn out, he really didn't want to spend time alone…
"That's the spirit, Johnny!", Ed piped up, "Now we are all going to the game!".
May smiled at her boyfriend. Both of them had enjoyed their introduction to the game back on Day Two of the trip and were looking forward to seeing how top-level players perform at the international level.
"Great!", Mr. Statorowski said, "Makes my job a lot easier. So we'll all be at the Oval tomorrow".
"But don't forget that we've still got today to get through", Lindsay reminded them, "and as out appointment at the salon is in an hour, I'd think we'd best be getting ready to go. Right, girls?", she rhetorically asked.
"We'd better get going as well, Guys", Eddy said in regard to the boys. "That breakfast has got me all fueled up and ready to go!"
"Me too, Dork", Kevin confirmed, "I wanna make the most of today, that's for sure!"
"Well then", Mr. Statorowski said as he pulled out from his back pocket a wad of banknotes, "I'd better get you your spending money".
Giving them each fifty pounds, he said, "I'll still be expecting you all back here by six PM for dinner, right?" All present nodded. Mr. Statorowski then pulled a cellphone out of his pocket and gave it to Edd.
"I picked this up last night", he said to Edd, "it's local only, but it my cell phone number - and Tiffany's – are already programmed in on it. Any problems you boys may have, you call. Okay?". Edd nodded.
"Right, then have fun all of you", Mr. Statorowski said as he stood. The teens did likewise.
"Oh, Before I forget", Mr. Statorowski added, "Rolf, a quick word".
As Rolf stayed with Mr. Statorowski, the others started to leave the dining room. Edd wondered what Chuck had to say to Rolf, but the voice of his girlfriend pulled his attention away.
"Have fun, Cutie", Maire said to Edd as she headed out of the dining room with the other girls.
"Do have an enjoyable time at the Spa, Marie", Edd replied.
"Come on, Sock-head", Eddy said, "The subway awaits, and we've got a day to kill and money to spend!"
Briefly nodding to Eddy, Edd looked back at Marie.
Marie smiled and waved. Edd waved back, then blew a kiss. Marie reciprocated with a blow-back-kiss as well. Rolf then joined the other boys with a smile on his face and a cellphone in his hand. Whatever Chuck had to say, it sure made Rolf happy, she thought.
Marie watched as the boys headed out of the hotel. As they did so, Lindsay cleared her throat, which pulled Marie's attention back to the girls who had congregated in the hotel foyer.
"Okay, Ladies", Lindsay said with glee, "we are going to have the works: sauna, full facials, hair styling, makeup and nails. Unfortunately, due to Daddy's request, no masseuses but the boys are going a good enough job at that!"
"Aw, why can't we, Lizzy?" Lee playfully asked, "What your Dad doesn't know won't hurt him!".
"The spa session is being paid for on his expense account, and the receipt will show what we've bought there, LeeLee. He sees 'massage' added to the bill and he'll go ballistic. I kinda like to be like able to keep the expense account open", Lindsay explained.
"Well, far be it for me to have the money supply cut off", Lee said, "but I guess we'll still be able to kill a fair amount of time with the rest of what the spa has to offer!"
"As far as I'm concerned, they can take all the time on us they want", Nazz said, "after all, if what you say about this place is true, Lindsay, I think I'd like to spend a few hours with their TLC. Right, Girlfriend?", she asked Marie with a smile. Marie smiled and gave her friend a thumbs-up.
"Okay, less talk and more fun", May spoke up in her nasally voice, "I want Big Ed to be totally impressed with my makeover, and the sooner we get there, the better!"
"Right on, May!", Sarah said. This would be the first time for her getting a full beauty makeover and spa treatment, so Sarah was really enthused at the prospect.
At that, the girls headed out. As the Richmond spa was only a short distance away from the hotel, the girls were going to walk it. The guys were already heading in the other direction to the Underground entrance in order to catch their tube ride to Piccadilly.
"Don't forget that after Lunch, that Rolf, Johnny, and Jimmy will be breaking off to see the Grand Poohbah", Rolf said, "Mr. Statorowski told me that he had already called him and will be expecting us at two P.M."
"So that explains why he had that private conversation with you, and gave you a cellphone as well", Edd said, "and the Grand Poohbah of the Brotherhood of Urban Rangers so readily agreed to a short-notice greeting?"
"When one has the 'Hairy Chest of Resilience Badge', Double-Dee", Jimmy explained, "and Rolf is one of the only two currently living recipients of the badge – it does gain several privileges in the Urban Rangers. Meeting up with the Grand Poohbah is one of them".
"In fact, the Grand Poohbah himself – Lord Payton-Bowell – is the only other living holder of that badge. He earned it over half a century ago", Johnny added.
"And this son of a shepherd can't wait to see him", Rolf said with glee.
"Let's get on the tube", Eddy said as they reached the entrance to the Underground. He didn't want to be reminded of the badge and his failed attempt to earn it. He had spent a while in hospital with Rolf recovering from the injuries incurred from that day…