It was another beautiful sunny day in the village. Annabelle woke up early, got dressed and came downstairs where Pinocchio and Jiminy were waiting for her.
"Morning Daddy and Jiminy," she greeted them cheerfully.
"Morning Annabelle!" Jiminy replied.
"Morning princess! Before we have breakfast would you come into the workshop first?" She followed Pinocchio into the workshop and he picked her up and sat her on the edge of the workbench.
"What's wrong Daddy? Am I in trouble?" Annabelle asked worryingly.
"No, Annabelle, you're not in trouble. I just want to give you a quick check-up."
"A check-up? What's does that mean?"
"You've been alive for four weeks so you're a now month old. That's longer than when I was a puppet. So, I want to make sure your body is in good working condition."
"Ooooh, Okay." Pinocchio examined her arms, legs, head and checked her bolts and hinges and oiled them so they didn't get rusty and prevent her from walking or using her arms. He then checked for any cracks or chips but found nothing.
"Your body seems to be holding up pretty good Annabelle," said Pinocchio knocking his fist on her left arm. "I'm not sure if it's because of the fairy's magic or that you're made of sturdy wood."
"I think it's because did a great job building me, Daddy," Annabelle complimented him.
"Well, thank you, little lady. Now let's have some breakfast before you go to school."
"Ok," She smiled and kissed him on the cheek as he picked her up. After breakfast, Annabelle went to get ready for school. Figgy was excited too because she could now go to school with her as the class pet and keep all the mice and rats out. When they arrived, Miss Lorraine made a little basket bed for the kitten and some food and milk. The other students loved playing with her and Figgy made sure not to bother them during their lessons.
"Alright, everyone, I looked over your test papers and graded them. When I say your name, come up, and I'll tell you how well you did." When she finally called Annabelle s name, she walked up to the desk and the teacher gave her the paper that was now marked with a big B.
"What's this letter mean?" She asked holding up the paper.
"It means you did every well, Annabelle," Miss Lorraine explained. "Your handwriting is a little messy, but I know you're still learning to write and I can help you get better at it."
"Thank you, Miss Lorraine! I can't wait to show my daddy!" Annabelle returned to her desk and showed her paper to her friends.
"Wow, Annie! You did great!" Alex congratulated her. "I got a B too!"
"You girls did better than me. I got a C," Toby said feeling disappointed and flopped his head down on the desk. "Every time I get a C or a D! It's the Lampwick curse! I'm destined to be an idiot like my brother was!"
"Aw, don't say that Toby! You'll do better next time. I think you're a very smart boy," Annabelle told him. Toby felt more confident in himself being encouraged by Annabelle's words.
"Gee, Thanks, Annabelle. That's very kind of you to say that about me."
"If you need help Toby, maybe we can study together," Alex offered.
"Sure, Alex, that would great," Toby stated. "I always have trouble studying on my own." Suddenly all three of them felt their hats being pulled down over their faces and laughing.
"Ah, ha!" Losers!" Annabelle and her friends lifted their hats to see Andre, Thomas, and Melissa laughing at them. "Studying is for geeks and losers!" Andre taunted them.
"Buzz off, Andre!" Toby stood up and gave the bullies a threatening look.
"Or what? Lampwimp?" Andre said folding his arms trying to intimidate him. Toby didn't like the name the bully had called him and wanted to do something but Miss Lorraine saw what was going on and stood up.
"THAT'S ENOUGH!" She shouted angrily. "I will not have any fighting in school! All four of you take your seats or you'll be sitting in detention after class today!"
"Sorry, Miss Lorraine," Toby apologized and quickly sat down. The bullies hurried back to their desks and did the same. Once order had been restored, Miss Lorraine began teaching her class about the history of their town and Italy. Later, when school was over, Annabelle and Alex walked outside and saw Pinocchio with Jiminy on his shoulder and standing beside them was a young woman with long brown hair, green eyes. She wore a tan blouse with puffy sleeves with a red ribbon, a brown corset vest, a long red skirt with frills underneath, and brown flat shoes. The woman was Alex's mother Juliana who was a childhood friend of Pinocchio's.
"Daddy! Daddy! Look how good I did!" Annabelle ran to her father and showed him the paper. Both he and Jiminy were amazed when they saw the grade on it.
"Good job, Annabelle! I'm very proud of you!" Pinocchio rewarded her with a big hug.
"Great job, kiddo!" Jiminy congratulated her. "Keep this up and you'll be a real girl in no time!"
"You did very well too, Alexandra dear," said Juliana hugging her daughter.
"Thanks, mom. Toby didn't do so well, so I offered to help me study." Alex explained.
"That's very kind of you, Alexandra." Juliana seemed very proud of her daughter.
"Hey, Julie! Since the girls did so well on their tests, how about we all go out for dinner together and celebrate?" Pinocchio suggested.
"That sounds like a fantastic idea, Pinocchio." Juliana agreed.
"Yeah!" The girls both cheered.
"You and Alex go home and get ready and we'll come to get you around dinner time."
"Alright then," Juliana replied. Alex noticed that her mother was looking at Pinocchio in a mesmerizing way and smiled thinking perhaps she liked him. After walking together back to town, Juliana and Alex went home to get ready to go out for the evening. But as they left, Annabelle felt something in her wooden heart that she hadn't felt before. She looked at Pinocchio and felt like something was missing. On the way home, Pinocchio noticed she was rather quiet since Alex and her mother left.
"What's wrong, Annabelle, Princess? Aren't you happy about how well you did on your spelling test?"
"Daddy? How come I don't have a mommy like Alex and Toby?" Pinocchio was very surprised by the question.
"That's because you weren't born the same way as your friends were. I made you from a piece of wood, the same way your grandfather made me."
"How were they born then?"
"Huh...well...?" Pinocchio wasn't sure how to explain to her where real people come from. Seeing his friend was having trouble, Jiminy stepped in.
"You see, Annabelle. When real people fall in love, they get married and have a baby. The baby grows up into a child and eventually becomes an adult."
"Oh! Then how come Alex doesn't have a daddy?"
"Because her father Eugene abandoned them!" Said Pinocchio looking angry and disgusted. "The first two years after I became a real boy, Julie and I were the of best friends and she looked after me like a big sister. But when we got older, She met Alex's father. They dated for about two years, but when she found out she was having a baby, Eugene said he didn't want to be a father and ditched her for another prettier girl."
"What a heartless jerk!" Jiminy stated.
"Poor Alex," Annabelle felt sad for her friend that her father didn't love her or her mother. "How could he do that to them?"
"Some people in this world are heartless and selfish, Annabelle," Jiminy explained. "They have no conscience and don't take responsibility for their actions. That poor woman was abandoned and left to raise her daughter all on her own. I can't imagine how hard that must have been."
"Julie and I didn't talk very much after that. I made other friends and became interested in being a woodcarver like my father. But I still saw her once in a while and she brought Alex to the shop many times in the past. I'm glad she's been doing alright raising her daughter on her own."
"Hey, Daddy?" Annabelle asked.
"Yes, Annabelle?" Pinocchio replied.
"Do you think maybe I could have a mommy?" Pinocchio didn't know how to respond to Annabelle's question.
"Those kinds of things take time, Annabelle," Jiminy answered for him. "Your father can't just get married. He has to get to know a girl and fall in love with her first."
"Do you love Alex's mommy daddy?"
"Well...I..." Pinocchio blushed as he tried to think of what to say. "We're just friends, Annabelle. But if you'd like I suppose you can think of her as a mommy."
"Okay!" As they walked the rest of the way home, Pinocchio thought about when he was younger and his relationship with Alex's mother and all the good times they spent together. He also thought about Annabelle wanting a mother and perhaps she would make a good mother figure for his puppet daughter. When they got home, Pinocchio put on an old light brownish suit that belonged to Geppetto and combined his hair.
"How do I look Jiminy?" Pinocchio asked.
"Like a handsome devil, Pinoke!" Jiminy replied giving him a wink and a thumbs up.
"You look, nice daddy," said Annabelle. Pinocchio noticed her dress looked a little dirty and her yellow clogs were muddy and needed to be washed.
"Annabelle! I think you ought to wear something different than that same dress and shoes you always wear!"
"Huh? What's wrong with what I'm wearing?" Annabelle said looking at her clothes and shoes.
"You are going out to eat in a public place, Annabelle," Jiminy added. "You should wear something nicer than that blue dress and those wooden shoes. A real girl should always look presentable in public."
"But I don't have anything else to wear!" Realizing his daughter needed new clothes, Pinocchio thought perhaps he should buy her a new outfit.
"I think we should go to the tailors and buy you a new dress and shoes, Princess," Pinocchio suggested.
"Okay, daddy. Can I still wear my old dress and shoes tomorrow?"
"Sure you can. I'll wash your dress and clean your clogs, so you can keep wearing them okay?"
"Okay. Thanks," Pinocchio then took Annabelle to the tailor shop where there were lots of different kinds of clothes and dresses and shoes. The tailor was an old friend of Geppetto's. Pinocchio visited his shop many times to buy new clothes as he grew out of his yellow shirt and red overalls he wore as a puppet and a few years after becoming human.
"Well, well! If it isn't Pinocchio!" Said the tailor cheerfully. "How may I help you?"
"This is my new daughter Annabelle, Mister Luciano. We're going to dinner with Miss Antonio and her daughter and she needs some new clothes." The old man looked at Annabelle and wasn't at all surprised that she was a living puppet because he knew her father used to one.
"Hello sir," Annabelle greeted him with a bow and curtsey.
"You must be Geppetto's little granddaughter. Come with me and we'll if we can find something that will suit a lovely girl like you." She followed him into the back where there were lots of fancy-looking suits and dresses, and shoes. "Is there anything in particular in a particular color you'd like?"
"Well..um..do you have anything pink?"
"Ah-ha! I have just the perfect outfit. Right over here!" He showed her a small beautiful pink dress with frills, puffy sleeves, and matching oversized pumps with ribbons on them, and a hat with a flower on it. When Annabelle saw the outfit, her eyes widened with amazement.
"Wow! It's so pretty!" She ran over and admired how pretty the outfit looked.
"You like that outfit little lady?" Luciano asked.
"I do! Can I try it on?" Annabelle asked.
"Sure. The changing over is over there." The man pointed to the room close to the window. He took the outfit and shoes off the mannequin, gave them to Annabelle and she went into the changing room. In a few minutes, she opened the door and came out wearing the dress, hat, and shoes which were a little difficult to walk in.
"How do I look?" She asked doing a twirl. It felt awkward walking in shoes with heels, but it didn't seem to bother her at all.
"You look beautiful, young lady!" Said Luciano winking his left eye. Annabelle then ran out to show Pinocchio.
"Daddy! Daddy! Look at me!" She twirled and danced around showing off her the dress.
"Wow, Annabelle! You look beautiful in that outfit! You look much more presentable now." Pinocchio said in approval.
"Then can I have this one! Pretty please!" Annabelle pleaded.
"How much for the dress sir?" Pinocchio asked Luciano.
"Normally that outfit is 10 coins. But because since I go back with your father, Pinocchio, and your daughter looks lovely in that dress, I'll only charge five coins for it."
"Thank you, sir! I truly appreciate this." Pinocchio paid the man for the dress and Annabelle danced around with the room happily.
"Thank you, daddy! You're the greatest daddy in the world!"
"Your welcome my little princess." Pinocchio knelt and hugged her tightly. "You should thank Mister Luciano for selling you the dress too."
"Okay. Thank you, Mister Luciano, sir!"
"You're welcome, little wooden lady." He said delightfully. When they returned home, Annabelle immediately showed Jiminy her new outfit.
"Do you think my dress looks beautiful?" Annabelle asked.
"You look like a proper young lady, Annabelle," Jiminy stated.
"Hehe! Thanks, Jiminy. Though the shoes are a little hard to walk in."
"You'll get used to them after wearing them a few times, Princess," Pinocchio assured her. A few hours later, it was time for their dinner engagement with Alex and Juliana. Annabelle could hardly wait to show her new outfit to her friend.
"You two have a good time tonight!" Jiminy told them as they got ready to leave.
"You sure you don't want to come to dinner with us, Jiminy?" Pinocchio offered.
"Nah! You guys go and enjoy yourselves, I'll stay here and catch up on my reading."
"I'm going to stay here with my Dad and keep him company, Annabelle." said little Figgy curling up next to old Figaro.
"Okay. See you all when we get home!" Pinocchio and Annabelle walked through the town and soon arrived at Alex's house. Pinocchio knocked on the door, and Alex greeted them. She was wearing a green dress, a hat, and matching Mary Janes heels.
"Why Annie! you look beautiful!" She said admiring the puppet girl's new outfit.
"So do you, Alex!" Annabelle replied. Alex's mother appeared wearing a lovely green dress with short sleeves and a green waste corset and a pearl necklace. Pinocchio starred at her memorized by how beautiful she looked.
"How do I look, Pinocchio?" Juliana asked smiling and winking.
"You look lovely, Julie." He answered making her blush. Alex saw how Annabelle's father looked at her mom and could tell what they were thinking but Annabelle didn't understand.
"So where are we going?" Alex asked.
"Why don't we try that new restaurant that just opened in the market?" Juliana suggested. "I heard from Claudia and Roman that the food there is spectacular."
"Sounds good to me," Pinocchio agreed and they started walking together through the village. The girls held their parent's hands as they walked alongside each other.
"You look very nice, Miss Juliana," Annabelle said to her friend's mother.
"Why, thank you, Annabelle sweetie," Julianna replied with a smile.
"Hey, mom! Did you know Pinocchio used to be a puppet?" Alex asked her mother.
"Yes, I did. Your grandmother and I saw him at Stromboli's puppet show when I was a young girl," Juliana explained. "He looked so adorable singing and dancing on stage."
"I don't like to talk or think about that, Julie," Pinocchio said thinking how silly and foolish he looked performing on stage when he was a puppet.
"I'm sorry, Pinocchio. I didn't mean to upset you," Juliana apologized.
"That's alright, Julie, I don't like thinking about Stromboli and what he did to me after the show was over. He then used Annabelle to try and capture me again. I'm just glad he's in jail now."
"Me too, daddy," Annabelle agreed. "I hope they catch mister Honest John and Gideon too."
"I hope I never see those two crooks again either," Pinocchio stated. They continued walking until they arrived at the restaurant and walked inside. It was a fine establishment with tables and chairs and pictures of different places in Italy. A female waitress walked over and greeted them.
"Welcome to Alfredo's restaurant," She spoke with an Italian accent. "Please have a seat." She showed them to a table, and they all sat down. Pinocchio and Juliana sat on one side while the girls sat on the other side. The waitress then gave them a menu.
"Can I get you folks anything to drink? Shampain, or wine?" She asked.
"No thanks. Just water please," Said Juliana.
"Some milk for the girls please?" Pinocchio told the waitress.
"Okay. I'll be right back. Feel free to look at our menu." The waitress walked away and Pinocchio and Juliana looked at the menu deciding what to kind of food to order.
"What do you think Julie? Pizza, Spaghetti, or do you just want a salad?"
"I think I'll have a salad. The girls can have whatever they'd like." Juliana replied.
"You girls want pizza?" Pinocchio asked.
"Yes! I love pizza!" said Alex.
"What's Pizza? Is it food made out of animals?" Asked Annabelle.
"No silly! It's just bread with cheese and tomato sauce and it's delicious! Though they sometimes put pepperoni on it and that's made from pigs."
"Pigs! Yuck! Sounds gross!" Alex was surprised by her friend s reaction.
"Annabelle doesn't like food made from animals, Alex," Pinocchio explained remembering how she behaved when they had dinner at Lampwick's house.
"Oh! I'm sorry. Then we just won't get pepperonis. That okay, Annie?"
"Okay. I'm sorry for being rude Alex." Annabelle apologized. After several minutes, the waiter came back and served them their drinks and asked them what they would like.
"We'll have a pizza with no pepperoni and two salads." Said Pinocchio.
"Okay. We make the best pizza in Tuscany. It'll be ready in a few minutes." They waited for about ten minutes and the waitress arrived with a large pizza and two salads. She cut the pizza into twelve slices and everyone took one or two pieces. Annabelle stared at her plate for a few seconds then finally picked up the slice and tried it.
"Mmm! This is yummy!" She said taking another bite.
"I knew you'd like it, Annie." Said Alex eating her slice.
"How is Annabelle able to eat if she's a wooden puppet, Pinocchio?" Juliana asked.
"To tell the truth, Julie, I was just as surprised as you," Pinocchio replied. "I suppose that's just the way the fairy made her. I can barely remember what I was like when I was a puppet. I can't remember if I was able to eat or not since it's been so long."
"She's a very sweet girl. Alex has changed so much since she met her."
"Really? How so?"
"Before, Alex was having trouble fitting in at school and making friends and always hated wearing her glasses because other kids bullying her. But now she's become more independent, sociable, and helpful towards others."
"I suppose it's because she made a friend that likes her for who she is. Annabelle seems to look up to Alex like a big sister."
"Like how we used to be when we're kids remember?" Pinocchio thought back to when he was a boy and how he met Juliana. After Jiminy had left Pinocchio looked up to her as an older sister and for advice the same way Annabelle looked up to Alex.
"Yes, I remember. Those were the days."
"Pinocchio...I'm sorry I stopped being hanging out and playing with you after I fell in love with Eugene," Julianna said sadly and regrettably. "I was growing up snd becoming a woman. I never imagined I'd be having a child at a young age and raising her alone after Eugene abandoned me and left town to marry Cristina. But I'm glad to see you're doing alright and that you're a father now."
"It's alright, Julie, I completely understand. I went through some hard times myself growing up. Especially after losing my father last year. I wasn't sure how I was going to manage to live on my own, but I found a way to move on. Then Jiminy came back, and Annabelle came to life. Things have gotten better. Oh, and may I ask you a favor?"
"Certainly! What is it?"
"Well...Annabelle asked me on the way home if she could have a mother so...um...could you maybe be her godmother?"
"You want me to be her godmother?!" Juliana was surprised by his request.
"I know I already asked you to let Alex help keep Annabelle safe. But Annabelle needs someone to act as a mother figure. Since you and I are childhood friends, I couldn't think of anyone else to be her godparent than you." Juliana was flattered by Pinocchio's words. In Italy, being a godparent and having a godchild was a great honor.
"I'd be honored to be Annabelle's godmother, Pinocchio," she answered with a smile.
"Thanks, Julie. I appreciate this." Pinocchio was truly grateful to his friend.
"What are you two talking about?" Asked Annabelle overhearing their conversation.
"Just grown-up things, princess," Pinocchio told her then he and Juliana started eating. After everyone finished Pinocchio paid for the food and they walked back to Alex's house.
"That was a fantastic dinner, daddy!" Said Annabelle happily.
"Yes, thank you, Mister Pinocchio," said Alex politely.
"Your welcome, Alex," Pinocchio replied.
"I had a very good time too, Pinocchio." Juliana smiled at him. "Maybe we could have lunch together next week while the girls are at school?" She said giving him a wink.
"Sure we can, Julie. I'm glad you enjoyed yourself. Come on Annabelle let's go home."
"Okay. Bye Alex! Bye, Miss Juliana! I had a great time!" Annabelle gave them both a hug.
"Goodnight, Annie. I'll see you tomorrow."
"Goodnight, Pinocchio. You two Annabelle." Pinocchio and Annabelle then started for home. Along the way, Pinocchio thought about Juliana and how happy he felt that she agreed to be Annabelle's godmother. He also thought about how beautiful she looked and hoped to spend more time with her in the future.
end of chapter 12