Non-Participation II - Twenty One.
We'd spent the day relaxing in the sun. Trixie even tried her hand at swimming in the pool. When she'd stripped off her robe, she revealed herself to be wearing a very demure, one piece, bathing costume. Much to Gordon's relief.
We were heading back inside, to get changed for dinner, when Virgil finally emerged from his room. He looked a lot more refreshed and was now sporting a green blob in his hair.
"So who startled you this time?" I asked.
"Huh?" I indicated the paint. He ran his fingers through his hair and sheepishly looked at the paint on them. "No one. I can only blame myself. Must have been when that fly was buzzing around."
"Well go wash it out." A voice from behind us made us turn. "I'm not going to have a son at the dinner table with us, looking like a parrot."
"Yes Father." Virgil turned to go and then stopped. "By the way I've finished."
Jeff's face lit up "You have? That's great. When can I see it?"
"I've got the paint dryer working on it now. Should be totally dry by the time we've finished dinner."
"Perfect." Jeff was in a genial mood. "Come on Chris, time for dinner."
I was hoping to get the opportunity to ask Virgil what it was that he was painting, but was foiled by Jeff guiding me into the dining room.
It was the best dinner we'd had on Tracy Island in days. We were all relaxed and happy. No cares, no callouts, no crises.
Trixie flirted with the Tracy Boys, and they flirted back. Much to her pleasure.
I tried to get Brains to explain again what he'd done to my house, and by the end of it was still confused. I decided to wait until I got home.
Mrs Tracy told Jeff off for bringing his newspaper to the table.
Jeff told Gordon off for reaching for the salt.
Gordon complained that Scott had more than his fair share of the dessert.
Scott blamed Virgil for the fact that his coffee was too cold, when in fact it was John who'd poured it for him.
Brains was staring into middle distance, dreaming up some new contraption, while absentmindedly spooning his sugar onto the table cloth. Kyrano slid Brains' mug over so that it would receive the sugar.
Tin-Tin, Trixie and Mrs Tracy discussed the latest gossip in a women's magazine.
In other words it was a normal dinner in the Tracy household.
After dinner Trixie and I offered to clean up. We'd been here long enough to know where everything went and how the dishwasher was operated. We felt it was time we did something to earn our keep.
Everyone else quickly vanished from the dining room.
"I could get used to living here." Trixie admitted as she put away the last plate.
I wiped down the table. "Well make the most of it. We've still got at least one day here."
Scott appeared at the door. "We're all in the lounge if you would care to join us.
I put away my cloth and followed Scott and Trixie out the door.
Everyone was in the lounge.
"Good. You're here." Jeff stated. "Make yourselves comfortable."
We did.
"You've probably be wondering why Virgil's been locked away in his room for these last few days." Jeff said. "Well it hasn't been because I've confined him to quarters." I wondered if he'd guessed my thoughts of two days ago. "We wanted to say thank you to you both, for what you've done, and to make amends for what happened to you."
"It wasn't..." I started to say, but he held up his hand and I stopped.
"We thought we'd like to give you something to show our appreciation. So Virgil's been working on Trixie's gift. Virgil..."
Virgil stepped forward. It was then that I noticed that an easel was set up. The canvas that was displayed on it was facing away from us, so that we couldn't see the picture on it. Virgil blushed slightly and said "It was a bit of a rush job, so I hope it's okay." He pushed a button and the easel rotated so that the canvas was now facing us.
Trixie gasped.
It was a portrait. A portrait of herself, from about forty-one years ago, and her Ryan.
She stood and moved slowly towards it, not taking her eyes from it.
"Is it okay Trixie?" Virgil asked anxiously. "We got Brains to scan some of the photo's you had in your house, and Scott did one sitting so that I got the light just right, and..."
He was nearly knocked off his feet when Trixie threw her arms around him in an embracing hug, before turning back to gaze at the picture. "Oh Virgil! It's just wonderful. It's just how I remember him. I can't believe how much it looks like a photograph. You're wonderful." She turned back to the assembled group. "You're all wonderful. To think of this... To do this for me... Thank you." A single tear rolled down her cheek, and she turned back to the painting.
'Nice one guys!' I thought to myself.
Jeff cleared his throat. "Now Chris. We had more trouble thinking about what we were going to do for you..."
"You don't have to do anything." I told him.
He ignored me. "...Then a couple of the boys mentioned something that you seemed quite keen on doing."
I tried to rack my brains to work out what that was.
"How would you like to see Thunderbird Five?" he concluded.
I was dumbfounded. Thunderbird Five? He was asking if I would like to see Thunderbird Five? I knew Jeff wasn't too keen on using the International Rescue craft for 'joyrides' so being offered this opportunity was special. Very special.
"Oh, Jeff!" I eventually managed to gasp. "I'd love too. It would be... be..." I couldn't think of a suitable word. "...magic!" was all I could come up with. "Thank you!"
"Good. John and Scott will take you tomorrow. 9am sharp! If you are agreeable."
"Oh yes!" I nodded so emphatically that I pulled a muscle in my neck.
We'd spent the day relaxing in the sun. Trixie even tried her hand at swimming in the pool. When she'd stripped off her robe, she revealed herself to be wearing a very demure, one piece, bathing costume. Much to Gordon's relief.
We were heading back inside, to get changed for dinner, when Virgil finally emerged from his room. He looked a lot more refreshed and was now sporting a green blob in his hair.
"So who startled you this time?" I asked.
"Huh?" I indicated the paint. He ran his fingers through his hair and sheepishly looked at the paint on them. "No one. I can only blame myself. Must have been when that fly was buzzing around."
"Well go wash it out." A voice from behind us made us turn. "I'm not going to have a son at the dinner table with us, looking like a parrot."
"Yes Father." Virgil turned to go and then stopped. "By the way I've finished."
Jeff's face lit up "You have? That's great. When can I see it?"
"I've got the paint dryer working on it now. Should be totally dry by the time we've finished dinner."
"Perfect." Jeff was in a genial mood. "Come on Chris, time for dinner."
I was hoping to get the opportunity to ask Virgil what it was that he was painting, but was foiled by Jeff guiding me into the dining room.
It was the best dinner we'd had on Tracy Island in days. We were all relaxed and happy. No cares, no callouts, no crises.
Trixie flirted with the Tracy Boys, and they flirted back. Much to her pleasure.
I tried to get Brains to explain again what he'd done to my house, and by the end of it was still confused. I decided to wait until I got home.
Mrs Tracy told Jeff off for bringing his newspaper to the table.
Jeff told Gordon off for reaching for the salt.
Gordon complained that Scott had more than his fair share of the dessert.
Scott blamed Virgil for the fact that his coffee was too cold, when in fact it was John who'd poured it for him.
Brains was staring into middle distance, dreaming up some new contraption, while absentmindedly spooning his sugar onto the table cloth. Kyrano slid Brains' mug over so that it would receive the sugar.
Tin-Tin, Trixie and Mrs Tracy discussed the latest gossip in a women's magazine.
In other words it was a normal dinner in the Tracy household.
After dinner Trixie and I offered to clean up. We'd been here long enough to know where everything went and how the dishwasher was operated. We felt it was time we did something to earn our keep.
Everyone else quickly vanished from the dining room.
"I could get used to living here." Trixie admitted as she put away the last plate.
I wiped down the table. "Well make the most of it. We've still got at least one day here."
Scott appeared at the door. "We're all in the lounge if you would care to join us.
I put away my cloth and followed Scott and Trixie out the door.
Everyone was in the lounge.
"Good. You're here." Jeff stated. "Make yourselves comfortable."
We did.
"You've probably be wondering why Virgil's been locked away in his room for these last few days." Jeff said. "Well it hasn't been because I've confined him to quarters." I wondered if he'd guessed my thoughts of two days ago. "We wanted to say thank you to you both, for what you've done, and to make amends for what happened to you."
"It wasn't..." I started to say, but he held up his hand and I stopped.
"We thought we'd like to give you something to show our appreciation. So Virgil's been working on Trixie's gift. Virgil..."
Virgil stepped forward. It was then that I noticed that an easel was set up. The canvas that was displayed on it was facing away from us, so that we couldn't see the picture on it. Virgil blushed slightly and said "It was a bit of a rush job, so I hope it's okay." He pushed a button and the easel rotated so that the canvas was now facing us.
Trixie gasped.
It was a portrait. A portrait of herself, from about forty-one years ago, and her Ryan.
She stood and moved slowly towards it, not taking her eyes from it.
"Is it okay Trixie?" Virgil asked anxiously. "We got Brains to scan some of the photo's you had in your house, and Scott did one sitting so that I got the light just right, and..."
He was nearly knocked off his feet when Trixie threw her arms around him in an embracing hug, before turning back to gaze at the picture. "Oh Virgil! It's just wonderful. It's just how I remember him. I can't believe how much it looks like a photograph. You're wonderful." She turned back to the assembled group. "You're all wonderful. To think of this... To do this for me... Thank you." A single tear rolled down her cheek, and she turned back to the painting.
'Nice one guys!' I thought to myself.
Jeff cleared his throat. "Now Chris. We had more trouble thinking about what we were going to do for you..."
"You don't have to do anything." I told him.
He ignored me. "...Then a couple of the boys mentioned something that you seemed quite keen on doing."
I tried to rack my brains to work out what that was.
"How would you like to see Thunderbird Five?" he concluded.
I was dumbfounded. Thunderbird Five? He was asking if I would like to see Thunderbird Five? I knew Jeff wasn't too keen on using the International Rescue craft for 'joyrides' so being offered this opportunity was special. Very special.
"Oh, Jeff!" I eventually managed to gasp. "I'd love too. It would be... be..." I couldn't think of a suitable word. "...magic!" was all I could come up with. "Thank you!"
"Good. John and Scott will take you tomorrow. 9am sharp! If you are agreeable."
"Oh yes!" I nodded so emphatically that I pulled a muscle in my neck.
