A.N. I know its been a while since I've updated but I have been very busy. With the pandemic in decline I'm looking for a new job to get me through College and hopefully out of my parent's basement. Oh and Yes I Have Seen "Silence of the Luan's" that's part of the reason this chapter took so long, and I have to say, The Best April Fools Day Episode Ever. Just for the record yes I am aware that "Fools Paradise" was season two, "Fool Me Twice" Was season three, and "Silence of the Luan" was season five. However Season four did not have an April Fool's Day Episode. So that's why I've listed "Silence of the Luan" one year after, "Fool Me Twice"
Disclaimer: The Loud House and The Casagrande's are all owned by Nickelodeon.
Chapter 6. Tears of a clown. Part 1.
Downtown Royal Woods. While nowhere nearly as big or bustling as downtown Great Lakes City. This place still had its strip malls and store fronts. On a cool afternoon a sixteen year old boy named Benny was walking with his parents. He was going to get his haircut and the place he gets it cut is in walking distance from his house. The three passed by a pawn shop. It was just an average pawn dealer they would passed by numerus times. Usually they just ignore it and pass by. Until today.
As Benny was walking pass the pawn shop he noticed something in the shop window. Benny ran up to the shop window and stared at what was on display. It was a ventriloquist dummy and not just any ventriloquist dummy. It was Mr. Coconuts Luan's trademark ventriloquist dummy. By this time not only did Benny parents know about their son's relationship to Luan, they also knew about the divorce Luan's parents were going through as well as the fact that she quit her one pastime.
Benny's parents were just as heartbroken as he was. The three attended a party were Luan preformed for Funny Business. To hear that she was closing it down permanently because of the divorce her parents were going through was heartbreaking. Benny stared at the ventriloquist dummy in the window as tears began to build up in his eyes. To thing that Luan would pawn the one thing that she hung onto for so long.
Benny's father looked down at their son and asked. "Son, do you want us to buy it?"
"He already has a puppet of his own, Mrs. Apple blossom." Benny's mother said.
"I want to buy it. But I don't want to buy it for myself." Benny said
"What do you mean?" Benny's father asked
"I know somewhere deep down inside Luan is still her funny self. I know that deep down she still wants to make people laugh. I know my Girlfriend, I've been dating her for two years now. She's doesn't want to give up comedy all together. No, I know she wants this back. I want to buy it but its' not for me. It's for her." Benny explained
Both of Benny's parents were moved by their son's feelings and concern for their friend. They walked into the pawn dealer and purchased Mr. Coconuts for him to hang onto for Luan. Like Lincoln Benny's concern for Luan and willing to help her with her problem will not be an easy one. It will be one were the two would have to understand Luan as well as the problems she is going through just to help her.
The next morning after Luna dropped Lincoln off at the middle school then she drove to the high school, Lincoln went up to his now six friends Clyde, Liam, Zach, Rusty, Stella, and Chandler. As the seven were getting ready for class Lincoln once again heard a voice call out his name behind him.
"Lincoln, hey Lincoln!" The seven stopped in their tracks they turned around and saw an older boy running up to them. Lincoln quickly recognized him as Benny Luan's boyfriend.
"Benny!?" Lincoln asked with surprise.
"You know him?" Chandler asked.
"He's dating my sister Luan." Lincoln explained.
After catching his breath Benny began to speak. "Lincoln, I'm worried about Luan. She gave up comedy all together."
Lincoln wasn't surprised. Ever since the divorce and his somewhat uncomfortable talk with her earlier Lincoln knew by now that Luan was done with comedy.
"Benny, She gave up comedy because of the divorce our parents are going through." Lincoln explained.
At that moment Benny opened up his backpack. And pulled out a ventriloquist dummy, yes it was Mr. Cocoanuts Luan trademark ventriloquist dummy. Lincoln eyes opened wide as he asked. "Were did you find that?"
"It was in a display window at the pawn dealer." Benny said
Lincoln felt hi heart sank in his chest. He knew how much that dummy meant to her. To see her give up the one thing that she loved the most in the world. True Lincoln understood that because of their parents' divorce she gave up comedy, but Mr. Cocoanuts. The one thing Luan would never part with. Lincoln was at a loss for words he didn't know what to say, or even what to think at the moment.
"Lincoln, I know how hard the divorce is for you and your family. I'm afraid that Luan is taking this divorce a little too hard. The truth is I'm worried about her." Benny explained
"We're all worried about her Benny, and we don't know what to do. If she really wants to give up comedy altogether then I guess…" Lincoln started to say just as the school bell rang. "I have to go." Lincoln said as he walked back to the school.
Lincoln was dumbfounded. For the first time the man with the plan did not have any plan for helping his sister out. He also worried about Luan knowing what the entire family is going through. Lincoln really did want to help Luan out with her problem, he really wanted to get her back into her old funny self again. But after what Benny told him with He was worried that Luan's problems might be deeper than he expected. He worried that maybe she was more depressed then she looks. What if the families divorce cased her depression? What if she was suicidal? These thoughts and fears plagued Lincoln's mind for the rest of the day. He really wanted to help Luan with her problems. Whatever it was she was going through.
Meanwhile at the High School Luan was walking down the halls when she came across her friend Parvana. "Luan can I have a word with you." She asked
Luan seemed hesitant at first but they did have some time before class started she agreed to talk. "Now I want you to know that as your friend I am concerned for you and your wellbeing, and if you don't want to talk about it I'll understand, but I need to ask you how you are feeling?" Parvana asked
Luan knitted her eyebrows in frustration knowing what this was about. "Does this have anything to do with the Divorce!?" She asked in a moody tone.
Parvana knew right then and there what Luan was talking about. She knew she had to use her words wisely. "Well partly, this has more to do with you and your wellbeing." She said
Luan looked a little confused. "Why would you be concerned with my wellbeing?" Luan asked
"You said you were giving up comedy and show business altogether. Do you have any different plans after you graduate?" Parvana asked
Luan looked at Parvana with a perplexed stair. "Well I assume I'll either fined a job, or go to college to further my education." She said knowing this was not a good answer.
Luan knew Parvana meant well and that she was concerned about her wellbeing. It was at that moment that Parvana spoke to her. "You know Luan you should never hold your emotions in. Especially if they are negative emotions. Believe me I know what can happen when you say your fine and you not."
This caught Luan's attention. At first Luan didn't want to hear anymore but out of both fear and curiosity Luan wanted to hear what Parvana had to say.
"What do you mean?" Luan asked.
The story Parvana told Luan is something that would stick with her the rest of her life. "Back in Middle School I had a friend named Sofia. Sofia was a shy and quiet girl, she was also heavy set and was an easy target for bully's. We were both target at middle school by some of the worst bullies imaginable. The bullying got so bad for Sofia that there were days when she didn't even come in. She always kept to herself and wouldn't even talk to anyone about."
Parvana paused for a moment. She took a deep breath and looked a little shaky, like she was on the verge of tears. "I knew something was wrong with her. I kept asking her over and over if she was alright. She'd say "Yah fine" but she would say anything ells. It was the last time I saw her alive." Parvana continued as tears began to build up in her eyes.
"She was out school for an entire week. When Saturday came I received call from a friend. She told me that Sofia was dead. I was in shock and none of us knew it at the time, but she hung herself in their parent Garage." Parvana continued with tears streaming down her face.
Luan was at a loss for words. While she was aware of depression and suicide, she never knew anyone knew anyone who was effected by it. She really did feel a great swell of sympathy for Parvana's friend Sofia. While a family being divide do to divorce was completely different form bullying, but still the very notion of suicide because of such hardships did weigh heavily on Luan's mind. After a brief moment and Parvana wiped the tears from her face Luan had to ask her something and more importantly tell her something. Before she could say a word to her the bell for the first classes rang.
"We'll talk after class." Luan said
"Alright." Parvana said as the two walked to their scheduled classes.
At the lunch hour Luan and Parvana sat together at the table. It was there that Luan decided to share a dark family secret with Parvana. Well it was more of a personal history than a secret. The Muslim girl knew her friend had the reputation of pulling a prank every now and then but she knew nothing about the extent of her April Fools frescos.
"Parvana, Do you think I'm a bad person." Luan asked in a serious and honest tone.
"NO! Of cores not! Why?" Parvana replied.
Luan took a deep breath when she confessed her April Fools history.
"Every April Fool's day. I've made it my reputation to prank the family in extreme ways. I'm not talking buckets of water splashing on people's heads, Whoopy cushions n seats pranks. I'm talking pranks that involve live skunks, garbage catapults and other insane methods."
Parvana's eyes opened wide as she looked at Luan with a look of shock and worry. Luan knew the look on her face but she continued anyway with her story.
"About three years ago I've up the ante on my pranking. I've convinced my dad to purchase land and lumber to build a fake clown camp and a fake motel in the middle of nowhere. Just to prank the entire family. I've told the entire family that I would be spending April Fool's Day at the Clown Camp. I've secretly sabotaged the van and they were stranded and had to stay at the motel." Luan started as she recalled the whole ordeal. "I've told my dad that I would go an entire year without pranking anyone. At that abandoned motel everyone got pranked in my usual fashion. Stuck to fly paper. Incased in jello, flung far and wide across the balcony, trapped in a pulled out bed, mauled by a money. Just to name a few."
Luan looked down as she continued. "Two years ago I've changed my style of pranking again. I've secretly hired actors that resembled my family. They thought they were hiring them to stand in for my pranks as they hid in the garage. I've trapped my family in the garage as the actors went around town impersonating my family and publicly embarrassing them. Making them act and behave in ways that well… you know…In the end they did brock out of the garage and rented a moving truck and said the entire family was moving to Florida. Turned out they only packed all of my belongings on the moving van. The van took off and I had to chase it around town."
At that moment Luan looked down and she began to tear up. "Last Year, My family locked me downstairs in a reinforced cage my sister Lisa built. I told them I was done with pranking, But as I was in that cage prank traps started going off all over the house. Lisa's Bunker, The Garage, even Vanzilla all had prank traps in them. I didn't set a single Prank trap that day. Turned out our baby sister Lily was the one who set all the traps." Luan paused for a moment as she began to shake. She was doing everything possible to fight back tears. "Mom and Dad were very furious with both of us. They grounded me for a the next ten years and Lily until she was seventeen. On top of that we have to make weekly visits to Aunt Ruth's for the next five years as part of our punishment." Luan finished as she brock down crying.
Parvana just sat back with her eyes wide open, and a look of shock and fear on her face. In all the years she knew Luan she always knew that she had an upbeat and zany personality. She was known for her jokes and stand up humor, and yes she as known to pull a few pranks every now and then. However In all that time she never knew Luan had a reputation for going over the edge when it came to pranking. For a , moment or two Parvana was at a lost for word on what to say about Luan.
"Luan I…I had no idea you took April Fool's day so… so seriously." Parvana said trying to find the right words.
At that moment tears started streaming down Luan's face. "Don't you get it. I'm the reason my parents are divorcing. It's all my fault. They would never have divorced if I didn't prank them all those times." Luan said as she broke down crying.
At that moment Benny came over to the table. After seeing his girlfriend crying he had to ask. "Luan are you alright?"
"NO I'm not." Luan said as she continued shedding tears.
Parvana who heard Luan's story from the start and now knew the full reason why Luan quit career all together just sat back with a serious look. However Benny was unsure of the whole story asked. "Does it has anything to do with the divorce?"
Luan looked up and Benny with tears pouring down her face and cried out. "IT'S ALL MY FAULT! IT'S ALL MY FAULT!"
Benny felt and overwhelming swell of sorrow for Luan as she cried out blaming herself for her parents' divorce. He wanted to let her known that her parents divorce was not her fault and blaming herself won't help them in any way. Unlike Parvana though he did not know the whole story about Luan's pranking's and history Benny was unaware of the whole story. He knew nothing about her Aril Fools Day frescoes.
After a few minute Luan got up and ran for the bathroom. Benny just stood there silent until. Parvana asked. "Benny Can I talk with you for a minute."
It was at the moment that Parvana told Benny all about her history on April Fools Days. Everything about her pranks and how her family suffered for it. Everything from the fake clown camp and the motel incident, to the stunt performers and how she pad them off to publicly embarrass her family. Even last year when her baby sister Lily began pranking the entire family just like she did. Benny was at a lost for words. Shure Luan did prank him on occasions, but not in the same way she pranks her family on April Fools Day. This was a lot for both of Luan's friends to take in.
As the day was drawing to a close Lincoln was waiting for Luna and the rest of his sisters who were going to pick him up in Vanzilla. As he was waiting he gets a text message on his phone.
(Lincoln are you there?) -?
Lincoln didn't recognize the number and he didn't know who it was.
(Who is this how did you get my number?)-Lincoln
After a moment or two.
(It's Me Benny, We've talked earlier today about Luan.)-Benny
(Hey Benny How's it going?)- Lincoln
(Me and Parvana had a long talk with Luan today. We had no idea she went overboard with April Fool's Day Pranks.)- Benny
Lincoln shivered at the thought of all of Luan's April Fool's Day Pranks as well as the events of last year.
(Oh Yah! There were a tone of bad memories from April Fools Day's)- Lincoln
(She believes that they are the reasons your parents are going through the divorce. She believes her pranks are the reason your parents are divorcing.)- Benny
Lincoln bit his bottom lip as he paused for a moment.
(I Don't Know what to do. She gave up comedy all together. I want to help but I don't think she wants us to bother her.)-Lincoln.
(Me Parvana and some of her other friends are planning an intervention to see if we can help her out.)-Benny
This made Lincoln worry.
(AN INTERVENTION! She's not addicted to anything is she?)-Lincoln
(NO, At least I don't think so. But she is bottling up her emotions which could lead to addictions, or something worst.)- Benny.
(What do you have in mind?)- Lincoln
(Me and the rest of Luan's friends will be gathering at your house some time over the weekend. We'll talk with Luan together and hopefully get her back to her old funny self again.)- Benny
Even though Lincoln and his friends may be relieved that Luan would no longer prank anyone anymore. However Lincoln still missed her jokes and her standup comedy. His mind went back to the one time when Luan overhears him and the rest of her sisters saying negative things about her. She was going for the Junior Comedians Competition at the 'Chortle Portal' after a brief moment of publicly embarrassing himself on stage. Luan went up and shown him how a professional comedian does it.
(Is there anything I can do to help?)- Lincoln
(Of Course Just be there for her and remind her of good times that do not involve pranks.)-Benny
Lincoln did remember a lot of good times were pranks were not involve. From him being her helper with funny business. All the way to her jokes, her actual good jokes. Lincoln truly believed that Luan can be her old funny self again with the help of her friends.
(Alright Benny. Our address is 2727 Rock Road in the town of Squirrel Ville. See you this weekend.)-Lincoln
After the final text message was sent Vanzilla pulled up. Lincoln jumped inside and the Loud siblings drove off.