The Name Says it All!
Jeannie sat on the couch, deep in thought. She glanced anxiously at the clock, and then resumed her blank stare. She sighed.
"Watcha doin'?" asked Gabby loudly, jumping up from behind the couch. Jeannie jumped.
"Oh, Gabby, do not scare me like that! I was wondering how to tell Anthony about the baby!" Jeannie told her.
"Oh! I'll tell him for you!" Gabby said.
"Oh, no, that is all right. I would rather tell him myself," said Jeannie.
"Okay..." Gabby said, sounding suspiciously insincere.
"Gabby...you must promise not to tell him! Or anyone!" Jeannie told her warningly.
"Okay...I'll try. When is he coming home?" Gabby asked.
"Tomorrow!" Jeannie said.
"Can we give him a welcome home party?" Gabby asked.
"Why do you want to?" Jeannie asked.
"I love parties!" Gabby said excitedly.
"Well...I believe we can...Who should we invite?" Jeannie asked.
"Well...Dr. Bellows! I like him!" Gabby said.
"Gabby, Dr. Bellows thinks that you are, as he put it, very peculiar!" Jeannie said.
"Yeah, I know. But I still like him! Let's see...I want to invite Dr. and Mrs. Bellows, my friend Peter, my sister..." Gabby said, counting on her fingers.
...........................................................................
Theme Song!
............................................................................
"Wait! Wait! We must make it a small party!" Jeannie said.
"Okay...well...Dr. and Mrs. Bellows, and my friend, Peter!" Gabby said.
"Who is this Peter?" Jeannie asked.
"My friend from school. Peter!" Gabby said simply.
"You boyfriend?" Jeannie asked suspiciously.
"No, my best friend. He's my best friend!" Gabby said. "I want you to meet him!"
"Well, okay. We will invite Dr. Bellows, Mrs. Bellows, Peter, oh, and we can not forget Major Healey!" Jeannie said.
"Oh, I love parties!" Gabby said.
"Me, too!" said Jeannie.
"Can Peter come over and help plan?" Gabby asked.
"Well...I do not see why not!" Jeannie said.
"YES!" exclaimed Gabby.
Gabby and her friend Peter were walking back to the house. Peter was around the age that Gabby looked. His dusty blonde hair looked slightly messy, but not in a bad way. He had piercing blue eyes.
"Come on, Peter! You have to meet Jeannie!" Gabby said.
"Chill, Gabby! What's the rush?" Peter asked, out of breath from keeping up with Gabby.
"I don't know! I just want to have the party!" Gabby said.
"Its twelve o' clock, Gab. The party's not 'till five!" Peter said.
"Yeah, I know. Hey, I have a secret!" Gabby said.
"Gab, have you taken your medicine today?" Peter joked.
"I don't take medicine!" Gabby said, bouncing.
"Then that's your problem!" Peter said.
"Shut up! I have a secret!" Gabby said.
"I don't care!" Peter said.
"Don't you want to know what it is?" asked Gabby.
"No."
"Well, okay!" Gabby said, looking around.
"Fine! Tell me!" Peter said.
"My sister's having a baby!" Gabby yelled.
"Please calm down, Gab!" Peter said.
"Don't tell anyone! My sister wanted to announce it at the party!" Gabby said.
"Gabby, what is wrong with you? Your so hyper!" Peter said.
"I'm just excited! A baby AND a party!" Gabby said. She skipped ahead.
"Jeannie Gabrielle Grangullah!" Peter screamed. Gabby had told the class that her last name was Grangullah. It wasn't a lie, either. Her official "family title" was Grangullah. It meant "Generation of the Favorites Genies". Of course, Gabby didn't tell them that!
"Come on, Peter! We're there!" Gabby said. They went to the front porch. Gabby went to the front door.
"Hi, Jeannie! We're here!" she yelled loudly.
"Gab, what is wrong? You've been acting crazy!" Peter said.
"I already told you. I'm excited!" Gabby said.
"Ok...whatever..." said Peter.
They stepped into the house. Jeannie strolled into the living room.
"Jeannie...this is Peter. Peter, Jeannie."
"Wait...I thought your real name was Jeannie!" said Peter.
"Well...it is."
"You are both named Jeannie?" asked Peter.
"Yep!" answered Gabby.
"Well, you two came here to work...so help me work!" said Jeannie.
Peter and Gabby started to work with the streamers. They worked allday on making everything perfect.
Later that day, all was ready. Streamers hung on the ceiling. A huge banner that said, "Welcome home, Anthony!" was strung along the back wall. A large cake sat on the dining room table. Everything was perfect.
Gabby stood by the window, waiting for the car to roll down the driveway.
"He's here!" she shouted. Everybody (Jeannie, Peter, Dr. and Mrs. Bellows, and Gabby) hid. They heard the sound of a key in the lock. The door swung open.
"Welcome back!" everybody cheered. Tony looked shocked. So did Roger, who was behind him.
"Hey, Tony, old pal!" Gabby said, going up to Tony and Roger.
"Who is this?" asked Roger.
"Didn't I tell you the whole thing in detail?" Tony asked.
"You mean this is...OH, GREAT! From the way you let on, I thought she was a potential date!" Roger said, greatly exasperated.
"Who is he?" asked Gabby, helping herself to a cookie.
"Major Roger Heeley."
Suddenly, Gabby cracked up laughing.
"What's wrong?" Roger asked.
"I was...I was... I was wondering if you had any good card board lately!" Gabby said, her voice cracking with laughter. Roger looked embarrassed.
"Actually, no, I haven't."
Jeannie finally made her way to Tony.
"Anthony!" Jeannie said, hugging him.
"Hello, Jeannie. I missed you!" Tony said. He kissed her.
Gabby rolled her eyes.
"I have to see enough of this with Jennifer and Harvey!" Gabby said.
"What are you talking about?" Jeannie asked.
"Jennifer Keeling and Harvey Borman. They kiss in the hall all the time!" said Peter, coming over to them.
"Who is this?" asked Tony.
"This is my friend Peter."
"Your boyfriend?" Tony asked, winking.
"No!" Gabby said.
People scattered and mingled. Gabby went up to the Bellows.
"Hello, Dr. Bellows," Gabby said politely.
"Oh. It's you," Dr. Bellows said dryly. "You're the one who eats paper."
"I was just kidding! Roger is the only one who eats paper...well, he eats cardboard..." Gabby protested.
"Yes...I'm sure he does," Dr. Bellows said dryly.
"Hello, Gabby, dear. What's new?" asked Mrs. Bellows.
"Well...I wasn't supposed to tell people this, but since you're special...Jeannie is going to have a baby!"
"A baby? Really?" asked Mrs. Bellows.
"Yeah...but don't ask her about it. She wanted to make a special announcement...you know."
"Well, all right," said Mrs. Bellows.
Gabby wandered away. She stopped to get some chocolate out of a bowl. She spotted Roger on the couch.
"Hi, Roger," Gabby said.
"Hi, Abby," Roger said.
"Gabby."
"Gabby, sorry," Roger said.
"So, how was the mission?" Gabby asked.
"It was fine...well, actually, it was like jail..." Roger said.
"How was it like jail?"
"We had to get up at five in the morning, did drills all day, ate what tasted like your sister's shredded cardboard, had to go to bed at eight, and could never leave the base!" Roger said.
"Oh...that does sound like jail," said Gabby. "You're close friend of the Nelsons' right?"
"Yeah...I've been friends with Tony for years...why?" asked Roger.
"Well...I have a secret, and I'll tell it to you because you're such a good friend of the Nelsons. Jeannie is going to have a baby!"
"Wow! Really? That is great!" Roger said.
"But don't talk to Jeannie about it! She wants to announce it to everybody!" Gabby said.
"All right..." said Roger.
Peter came up and sat on the couch beside Gabby.
"Gab, I'm bored!" Peter said.
"Yeah...this isn't the best party in the world...do you want to go outside?" asked Gabby.
"Sure...why not?" asked Peter.
"That your boyfriend, Gabby?" asked Roger.
"Nah. Peter's my buddy!" she said.
Just then, Jeannie stood up.
"I have an announcement to make! Well, I do not know how to say this, so I will just be blunt...Anthony and I are going to have a baby!" she said.
Tony stood up, with a chocked look on his face.
"Really? Wow! I'm going to be a father!" he said, still shocked.
"Oh, wow, that's great!" said Roger, in completely fake surprise. "That is so cool! I'm so surprised!"
"All right, who told?" asked Jeannie.
"Well, since you brought it up, Gabby told me because I'm such a good friend and all..." he said.
"What? Gabby told us, too!" said Mrs. Bellows.
"She told me 'cause I'm her best friend!" said Peter.
"Uh...oops!" said Gabby.
"Well, I guess her name fits her...she really is...gabby!" said Tony.