DM Margo Alone Chapter 9

A year later, the family was going to go away for Christmas again. This time they were going to Tampa in Florida. Margo was playing with her talk girl she'd got last year for Christmas when Lucy came in. ''Have you packed all your things honey?'' she asked. ''Yes Mom'' said Margo. ''Oh and did you see what Grandma sent you for the trip?'' Lucy asked. ''What? '' Margo asked.

''An inflatable alligator to play with in the pool'' Lucy said handing it to Margo. ''Nice'' Margo said, then she had a thought, ''Mom why do we have to go to Tampa? There's no Christmas trees in Tampa!''. ''Margo, what is it with you and Christmas trees?'' Lucy asked.

"They're my favourite kinds and they remind me of nature," Margo replied with a sweet smile, putting her arms behind her back, ''Plus how can you have Christmas without a Christmas tree Mom? It was bad enough there weren't any at Miss Hattie's or Mr Crumble's!''.

'Maybe you could decorate a palm tree instead?'' Lucy suggested. ''It's not the same Mom'' said an unconvinced Margo. Dru came in. ''Lucy do you know where the batteries are for this camcorder?'' he asked. ''Put it in the charger'' Lucy replied. Dru did, but he accidently unplugged the alarm clock that was set to wake them all up the next morning in the process! '

'Oh Margo'' said Dru, ''You'd better go and put your choir uniform on, you don't want to be late for the Christmas pageant''. Margo knew her tie which was part of her uniform was in the bathroom where Gru was having a shower. ''But my tie's in the bathroom and Dad's having a shower in'' Margo protested, ''he said that if I saw him naked, I'd grow up never feeling like a real lady whatever that means''. ''I'm sure he was joking'' said Dru, ''Just run in quickly and don't look at him''.

Margo headed to the bathroom still holding her talk girl, she could hear Gru singing while he showered. Margo peeked through the door, there was steam everywhere, and she could feel her tie hanging on the door handle. She could hear music playing from the radio and her dad was singing along to the song 'Happy'' performed by Pharrell Williams.

Margo was amused and started to record her dad on her talk girl. Suddenly Gru pulled back the shower curtain and spotted her! ''HEY! YOU LITTLE SPY! WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE! SHOW SOME RESPECT!'' he roared, ''GET OUT OR I'M GONNA FREEZE YOU INTO LIKE AN EXTINCT WOOLLY MAMMOTH!''. ''Eek!'' shrieked Margo as she ran out with her tie.

She got changed into her choir uniform and they set off for the Christmas pageant being held at town hall. ''Margo's solo is comin' up'' Lucy whispered to Dru after the choir had sang a few carols, ''Tell Gru''. They listened to Margo singing until she felt she that her voice might give out. Afterwards, Margo had a drink and refreshed her voice. ''That's better. I thought I was gonna lose my voice!'' Margo said, sipping her drink.

''Well you did really to get so far honey'' Lucy said, ''You have a voice like an angel!''. She kissed her daughter on the cheek. ''Now we need to get home and have an early night'' said Gru. 'We got an early start tomorrow''. Gru didn't know that Dru and accidently unplugged the alarm clock on reset it. In the morning, the family overslept again and once more they heard the taxi driver ring the doorbell meaning the taxi was there to take them to the airport!

''WE DID IT AGAIN!'' screamed Gru and Lucy. Like last year, Edith was first up, dressed and ready and raring to go ahead of everyone else. She was getting very impatient with. After rushing about and getting dressed very quickly, they all got into the taxi, Dru and Lucy sorted out the boarding passes. Dru and Lucy were sorting out said boarding passes for everyone including the minions. Lucy got to her own pass and Margo's.

''Where's Margo?'' Lucy asked worriedly. ''Here I am!'' said Margo climbing into the taxi and taking her boarding pass, ''I'm making sure you don't leave me behind like last year!''. Lucy breathed a sigh of relief. The taxis drove to the airport. When they got there, Margo noticed the batteries in her talk girl were dying. ''Mom, I need new batteries!'' she said to Lucy. ''Not now honey'' said Lucy, ''We gotta hurry to catch the plane, here take this bag for me please''.

As everyone rushed through the airport having checked in their baggage and gone through security, Margo stopped to change the batteries in her talk girl. She found some new batteries in the bag Lucy had given her. When she was done, Margo ran after her family once again.

''Mom wait!'' she shouted, thinking she could see Lucy's turquoise overcoat in the distance. What Margo didn't see was that there was another woman wearing the colour coat and thought it must be Lucy. While the real Lucy and the rest of the family ran down the right turn, Margo ran down the left turn after the woman wearing the same turquoise overcoat.

Lucy and the others ran towards their boarding gate. ''Here we are! This is our one!'' shouted Lucy. No one noticed they'd lost Margo! Meanwhile Margo was approaching one of the other boarding gates unaware of her mistake and ran past the lady collecting the boarding passes and accidently knocked them all onto the floor losing her own boarding pass in the process.

''I'm sorry'' apologised Margo. ''That's all right'' replied the lady, ''Are you on this flight?''. ''Yes'' said Margo, ''And so is my family. I don't wanna be left behind like last time''. A man came out from the jet bridge. ''We have to close up, the plane's ready to go'' he said. ''This young lady dropped her boarding pass'' said the lady. ''This plane can't leave!'' Margo protested, ''This happened to me last year and nearly spoilt my Christmas''.

''You sure your family's on this plane?'' askes the man. ''Yes'' said Margo, ''My mom ran right in here before I bumped into this lady''. ''Ok, board her'' said the man, ''And make sure she locates her family before you leave her''. ''Come on then'' said the lady taking Margo onto the plane.