"C'mon, Annie. Let's go to the movies." - Grace Farrell [Annie]
*
Chapter 5: The Sound of Musicals
"-escaped the Cicero Correctional Facility early this morning, reportedly using a 60 foot rope of knotted bed sheets to lower themselves to the ground and scale the perimeter fence. Again, they are 30-year-old Ace Vasquez, Hispanic, 5 foot 9, 170 to 180 pounds; and Marshall Fletcher, 19 years old, black, 5 foot 6, 130 pounds. These men are considered armed and dangerous. If you have any informa-"
Susan frowned and gave another of the numbered buttons on her car radio an impatient poke. Stations that didn't play songs were one of her biggest pet peeves. Really, what was the point of listening to the radio if there was no music?
"Ace. Who names their kid that?"
"The parents of a criminal," Susan said through gritted teeth, aiming a final desperate jab that landed her on a country station with a catchy beat. She smiled approvingly and returned to the bothersome task of keeping her eyes on the road.
Abby squinted at the radio like the sounds it emanated were foreign and puzzling to her ears. Neither woman spoke for a moment, both forming their own unique conclusions about the musical talents of Shania Twain. Susan, drumming the steering wheel and bobbing her head, obviously approved; Abby, however, looked pained as the singer wondered -- rather blithely -- whose bed her lover's boots had been under.
"I can't believe people really do that."
"What?" Abby blinked at Susan, her eyes glassy and vacant. "Sing country music?"
"Escape using bed sheets. That's how 14-year-old girls in movies sneak out of their bedroom window. They're convicts, they could at least do something manly like... dig a tunnel with a Spork, or-- I dunno-" Susan gnashed her teeth. "Bite someone's face off and use it as a mask to get past the guards."
A tiny gasp and classic gross-out squeal ("Eeewww!") came from the backseat, reminding Susan that she needed to keep the chatter G-rated.
"You're scaring the children, Clarice," Abby said, dropping to a low, slithery tone. And turning sly as her voice, she attempted to push one of the radio buttons by leaning forward under the guise of adjusting an air conditioner vent.
Laughing, Susan nixed her friend's plan, lightly smacking her hand. "Okay, number one, that sounded more like Katherine Hepburn than Hannibal Lecter. And number two, we either listen to this, or I put in the soundtrack to Mamma Mia."
With a tragic sigh, Abby flopped back against her seat, the petulant child routine far more believable than the cannibalistic serial killer impression. "I bet Suzy would rather listen to a rock station," she said, directing the statement over her shoulder. "Am I right?"
"Huh-uh. We like country music. Shania is Bernadette's favorite."
"The doll could at least be on my side," Abby muttered.
"Cheer up, the video store's right around the corner." Susan patted Abby's knee, pretending to be sympathetic. Truth be known, she was having a ball tormenting the woman. Susan being a younger sibling and Abby being an older one, they fitted together naturally and were very familiar with what their roles entailed. Susan got to be the childish prankster while Abby, all in good fun, rolled her eyes and just barely tolerated each antic. A perfect match.
"What's the name of this place, again? Video Paradise?"
Susan shook her head. "Video Heaven. I know it's corny, but trust me, they've got a lot of good movies and they're cheap. The store is huge too, used to be a Food Mart."
Pondering the novel idea of browsing movies in a grocery store, the passengers were quiet for a moment. Susan was first to break their trend when the pleasant sounds of Shania Twain faded out and Vince Gill invaded her ears. A brief stint in Arizona with an honest-to-God cowpoke boyfriend had not made her a fan of ALL country singers.
"Ew, make it stop." She stuck her tongue out in disgust, already fishing through the cluttered console that was mounted between driver and passenger seat. Her eyes never left the road as she retrieved a jewel case, popped it open in her lap, and slid its contents into the CD player. With a sigh of relief, she handed Abby the case to look at and fast forwarded to track number six: "Chiquitita". Her favorite song on the Mamma Mia! album.
"Well, it's better than country," Abby commented, leafing through the CD booklet that featured an ecstatic bride on its cover.
A devilish grin tweaking her lips, Susan began to sing in an exaggerated, operatic style, "Chiquitita, tell me what's wrong..."
"Oh crap," Abby groaned. "I was wrong."
"I have never seen such sorrow in your eyes, and the wedding is tomorrow..."
***
Video Heaven was indeed huge. The store front, with its plate glass windows and automatic doors, made for a deceptive entrance. Uninformed patrons could have easily strolled in expecting to find the usual layout of produce and other foodstuffs. Actually, they wouldn't have discovered much of a difference in the interior, either. The floor was still market standard -- slick, imitation marble. Fluorescent light fixtures still dangled overhead, threatening permanent blindness if you gazed at them for too long. Some of the original shelving was still in place against the walls, but the center of the store had been cleared and restocked with more compact, accessible racks. Now, instead of several checkouts, there was one main counter against the nearest wall. But the most important change of all: movies far and wide. Thousands of VHS tapes and DVDs lined up like soldiers prepared to go to battle. True to its name, it was a video heaven for any movie lover.
"Yo," a bored voice acknowledged the arrival of three customers.
By the time Susan, Abby and Suzy had figured out which direction the greeting came from, the female employee had already returned to watching one of several small televisions rigged to the walls, another innovation to the building. Susan figured they were meant for showing prospective movie rentals, not entertaining the help. Oh well, she didn't need assistance anyway. She took to video stores like a duck to water.
Her friend and niece in tow, Susan buzzed towards the musicals section, woman on a mission. This was her favorite aisle. From Annie to Xanadu, she had combed over the majority of these films in more than her share of Blockbusters. There was something so fetching about a world where people sang and danced their way through life.
As a kid she had wished with all her might that a nanny with a striking resemblance to Julie Andrews would come along and pull a Mary-Poppins-meets- Maria-von-Trapp on her family, filling their days with songs and joy. It would get Harry off his Barcalounger, turn Cookie into a sweet, attentive mother, tame Chloe's wild temperament, and they'd live happily ever after. That fairy tale never became a reality, but Susan had done the next best thing and tried for a part in every school musical that came along. For four years she was the biggest star in high school, portraying an array of her favorite characters on the stage -- Eliza Doolittle, Dorothy Gale, Peter Pan (Dutch-boy haircut and all), Sandy Olsson, Maria from West Side Story. Unfortunately, Broadway was not in the cards, so she'd gone to medical school and resorted to watching the Tonys each year with a bowl of popcorn and wistful sighs as her only rewards.
At least tonight she'd have some real company.
"I" was a scrimpy category, allowing Susan to spot Into the Woods almost immediately. She grabbed the box and handed it to Suzy. Elated, the little girl held it up for Bernadette to see and began explaining that "the pretty lady right there with all the curls" was the doll's namesake.
"Don't worry, she's not a really real witch," Suzy added knowingly.
Susan turned to grin at Abby but noticed that the woman was distracted by something around the "B" section. Something pretty amusing, from the looks of it. "Having fun?" Susan said, drifting over to her friend.
Abby nodded. "Look, I found a movie about Chen's handiwork in the southwest."
Susan took one look at the box Abby was pointing to - The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas - and laughed with such enthusiasm that a pair of young women who were passing by stopped dead in their tracks to watch. They were polite enough to wait until they had walked out of view before bursting into delighted giggles themselves. Unabashed, Susan continued to snicker. "I always saw Chen as more of a Kit Kat Club kinda girl, to be honest."
The joke was received without so much as a chuckle from Abby, though she wore a leftover smile from Susan's show of mirth.
"Cabaret." Susan heaved a sigh. "It's from Cabaret. Honey, we need to educate you on these things."
"Goody." Abby sounded like she would rather eat mud.
"And speaking of wanton women that sing and dance..." Susan's cheeks practically flushed with excitement as realization sunk in. "Oh my freakin' goodness!" She clapped her hands together and looked very much like Suzy had earlier asking if Abby could join them for a movie. Abby and Suzy simply stared. "I just remembered Chicago was released on Tuesday. I haven't seen it since it was in theaters. We have to get it."
"Is that the one with Bridget Jones and Catherine Zeta-Whatever?" Abby asked.
"Renée Zellweger and Catherine Zeta-Jones," Susan said, nodding.
"I kind of actually wanted to see that..."
"Me too!" Suzy chimed in.
Susan didn't pussyfoot around. Suzy was loaded down with Bernadette and Into the Woods and the Powerpuff Girls backpack she insisted on carting around, so Susan grabbed the nearest hand in sight and hurried toward the new releases with Abby stumbling along behind her. They rounded the corner in time to see the two girls that had witnessed Susan's outburst standing in front of an empty shelf, one of them holding what appeared to be the only copy of Chicago available.
"I think we can take 'em," Abby whispered when Susan's shoulders slumped dejectedly. "I get the short one, you get the tall one."
Suzy surprised all four of the adults when she pushed past her aunt and Abby, marched bravely over to the two strangers and said, "We were coming to get that."
---
Author's Note, 10-24-03: So, who'll get Chicago? Trouble brewing? The plot is getting ready to thicken, think ya got it figured out? hehehe. Stick around and see. And thanks for the reviews, guys. They do a body good.
*
Chapter 5: The Sound of Musicals
"-escaped the Cicero Correctional Facility early this morning, reportedly using a 60 foot rope of knotted bed sheets to lower themselves to the ground and scale the perimeter fence. Again, they are 30-year-old Ace Vasquez, Hispanic, 5 foot 9, 170 to 180 pounds; and Marshall Fletcher, 19 years old, black, 5 foot 6, 130 pounds. These men are considered armed and dangerous. If you have any informa-"
Susan frowned and gave another of the numbered buttons on her car radio an impatient poke. Stations that didn't play songs were one of her biggest pet peeves. Really, what was the point of listening to the radio if there was no music?
"Ace. Who names their kid that?"
"The parents of a criminal," Susan said through gritted teeth, aiming a final desperate jab that landed her on a country station with a catchy beat. She smiled approvingly and returned to the bothersome task of keeping her eyes on the road.
Abby squinted at the radio like the sounds it emanated were foreign and puzzling to her ears. Neither woman spoke for a moment, both forming their own unique conclusions about the musical talents of Shania Twain. Susan, drumming the steering wheel and bobbing her head, obviously approved; Abby, however, looked pained as the singer wondered -- rather blithely -- whose bed her lover's boots had been under.
"I can't believe people really do that."
"What?" Abby blinked at Susan, her eyes glassy and vacant. "Sing country music?"
"Escape using bed sheets. That's how 14-year-old girls in movies sneak out of their bedroom window. They're convicts, they could at least do something manly like... dig a tunnel with a Spork, or-- I dunno-" Susan gnashed her teeth. "Bite someone's face off and use it as a mask to get past the guards."
A tiny gasp and classic gross-out squeal ("Eeewww!") came from the backseat, reminding Susan that she needed to keep the chatter G-rated.
"You're scaring the children, Clarice," Abby said, dropping to a low, slithery tone. And turning sly as her voice, she attempted to push one of the radio buttons by leaning forward under the guise of adjusting an air conditioner vent.
Laughing, Susan nixed her friend's plan, lightly smacking her hand. "Okay, number one, that sounded more like Katherine Hepburn than Hannibal Lecter. And number two, we either listen to this, or I put in the soundtrack to Mamma Mia."
With a tragic sigh, Abby flopped back against her seat, the petulant child routine far more believable than the cannibalistic serial killer impression. "I bet Suzy would rather listen to a rock station," she said, directing the statement over her shoulder. "Am I right?"
"Huh-uh. We like country music. Shania is Bernadette's favorite."
"The doll could at least be on my side," Abby muttered.
"Cheer up, the video store's right around the corner." Susan patted Abby's knee, pretending to be sympathetic. Truth be known, she was having a ball tormenting the woman. Susan being a younger sibling and Abby being an older one, they fitted together naturally and were very familiar with what their roles entailed. Susan got to be the childish prankster while Abby, all in good fun, rolled her eyes and just barely tolerated each antic. A perfect match.
"What's the name of this place, again? Video Paradise?"
Susan shook her head. "Video Heaven. I know it's corny, but trust me, they've got a lot of good movies and they're cheap. The store is huge too, used to be a Food Mart."
Pondering the novel idea of browsing movies in a grocery store, the passengers were quiet for a moment. Susan was first to break their trend when the pleasant sounds of Shania Twain faded out and Vince Gill invaded her ears. A brief stint in Arizona with an honest-to-God cowpoke boyfriend had not made her a fan of ALL country singers.
"Ew, make it stop." She stuck her tongue out in disgust, already fishing through the cluttered console that was mounted between driver and passenger seat. Her eyes never left the road as she retrieved a jewel case, popped it open in her lap, and slid its contents into the CD player. With a sigh of relief, she handed Abby the case to look at and fast forwarded to track number six: "Chiquitita". Her favorite song on the Mamma Mia! album.
"Well, it's better than country," Abby commented, leafing through the CD booklet that featured an ecstatic bride on its cover.
A devilish grin tweaking her lips, Susan began to sing in an exaggerated, operatic style, "Chiquitita, tell me what's wrong..."
"Oh crap," Abby groaned. "I was wrong."
"I have never seen such sorrow in your eyes, and the wedding is tomorrow..."
***
Video Heaven was indeed huge. The store front, with its plate glass windows and automatic doors, made for a deceptive entrance. Uninformed patrons could have easily strolled in expecting to find the usual layout of produce and other foodstuffs. Actually, they wouldn't have discovered much of a difference in the interior, either. The floor was still market standard -- slick, imitation marble. Fluorescent light fixtures still dangled overhead, threatening permanent blindness if you gazed at them for too long. Some of the original shelving was still in place against the walls, but the center of the store had been cleared and restocked with more compact, accessible racks. Now, instead of several checkouts, there was one main counter against the nearest wall. But the most important change of all: movies far and wide. Thousands of VHS tapes and DVDs lined up like soldiers prepared to go to battle. True to its name, it was a video heaven for any movie lover.
"Yo," a bored voice acknowledged the arrival of three customers.
By the time Susan, Abby and Suzy had figured out which direction the greeting came from, the female employee had already returned to watching one of several small televisions rigged to the walls, another innovation to the building. Susan figured they were meant for showing prospective movie rentals, not entertaining the help. Oh well, she didn't need assistance anyway. She took to video stores like a duck to water.
Her friend and niece in tow, Susan buzzed towards the musicals section, woman on a mission. This was her favorite aisle. From Annie to Xanadu, she had combed over the majority of these films in more than her share of Blockbusters. There was something so fetching about a world where people sang and danced their way through life.
As a kid she had wished with all her might that a nanny with a striking resemblance to Julie Andrews would come along and pull a Mary-Poppins-meets- Maria-von-Trapp on her family, filling their days with songs and joy. It would get Harry off his Barcalounger, turn Cookie into a sweet, attentive mother, tame Chloe's wild temperament, and they'd live happily ever after. That fairy tale never became a reality, but Susan had done the next best thing and tried for a part in every school musical that came along. For four years she was the biggest star in high school, portraying an array of her favorite characters on the stage -- Eliza Doolittle, Dorothy Gale, Peter Pan (Dutch-boy haircut and all), Sandy Olsson, Maria from West Side Story. Unfortunately, Broadway was not in the cards, so she'd gone to medical school and resorted to watching the Tonys each year with a bowl of popcorn and wistful sighs as her only rewards.
At least tonight she'd have some real company.
"I" was a scrimpy category, allowing Susan to spot Into the Woods almost immediately. She grabbed the box and handed it to Suzy. Elated, the little girl held it up for Bernadette to see and began explaining that "the pretty lady right there with all the curls" was the doll's namesake.
"Don't worry, she's not a really real witch," Suzy added knowingly.
Susan turned to grin at Abby but noticed that the woman was distracted by something around the "B" section. Something pretty amusing, from the looks of it. "Having fun?" Susan said, drifting over to her friend.
Abby nodded. "Look, I found a movie about Chen's handiwork in the southwest."
Susan took one look at the box Abby was pointing to - The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas - and laughed with such enthusiasm that a pair of young women who were passing by stopped dead in their tracks to watch. They were polite enough to wait until they had walked out of view before bursting into delighted giggles themselves. Unabashed, Susan continued to snicker. "I always saw Chen as more of a Kit Kat Club kinda girl, to be honest."
The joke was received without so much as a chuckle from Abby, though she wore a leftover smile from Susan's show of mirth.
"Cabaret." Susan heaved a sigh. "It's from Cabaret. Honey, we need to educate you on these things."
"Goody." Abby sounded like she would rather eat mud.
"And speaking of wanton women that sing and dance..." Susan's cheeks practically flushed with excitement as realization sunk in. "Oh my freakin' goodness!" She clapped her hands together and looked very much like Suzy had earlier asking if Abby could join them for a movie. Abby and Suzy simply stared. "I just remembered Chicago was released on Tuesday. I haven't seen it since it was in theaters. We have to get it."
"Is that the one with Bridget Jones and Catherine Zeta-Whatever?" Abby asked.
"Renée Zellweger and Catherine Zeta-Jones," Susan said, nodding.
"I kind of actually wanted to see that..."
"Me too!" Suzy chimed in.
Susan didn't pussyfoot around. Suzy was loaded down with Bernadette and Into the Woods and the Powerpuff Girls backpack she insisted on carting around, so Susan grabbed the nearest hand in sight and hurried toward the new releases with Abby stumbling along behind her. They rounded the corner in time to see the two girls that had witnessed Susan's outburst standing in front of an empty shelf, one of them holding what appeared to be the only copy of Chicago available.
"I think we can take 'em," Abby whispered when Susan's shoulders slumped dejectedly. "I get the short one, you get the tall one."
Suzy surprised all four of the adults when she pushed past her aunt and Abby, marched bravely over to the two strangers and said, "We were coming to get that."
---
Author's Note, 10-24-03: So, who'll get Chicago? Trouble brewing? The plot is getting ready to thicken, think ya got it figured out? hehehe. Stick around and see. And thanks for the reviews, guys. They do a body good.