Chapter Seven – 11:00 a.m.
". . . And I told you, spring break or not, if you really want to be on that bus heading for weekend baseball camp, Thursday, your joint music class project has to be done! No arguments! Is that clear?" Carolyn said firmly as she rinsed the breakfast dishes. Martha sat at the table, finishing her coffee.
"But, Mom . . . " Candy started.
"But, nothing!" Carolyn retorted.
"Mom . . . " interjected Jonathan. "We don't know what to do now. It's not fair . . . homework over spring break? We had 'Yellow Submarine' all ready, and now Mr. Hampton has banned all Beatles songs!"
"Why?" asked Carolyn.
"He says too many kids want to sing them and the Beatles are getting ready to break up, anyway," said Jonathan, "But . . ."
"And it's NOT fair!" said Candy with a pout. "Grownups just don't like good music. Old Man Hampton said no rock and roll songs period . . . not even Simon and Garfunkel. I asked him if we could do 'Bridge Over Troubled Water' and he said no to that too . . . and their song is at number one this week!"
"Yeah, and Mom — " Jonathan continued, "Let It Be is at number three this week, and John Lennon has a single at number five . . ." his voice trailed off as he looked at his mother's face. He could tell that their arguments were getting them nowhere.
"Old Man . . . uhh, Mr. Hampton is the principal. He has the right to reject any music he doesn't see fit." Martha said. "I AM sorry for you though. I LIKE the Beatles . . . and Simon and Garfunkel! But it can't be helped. Why don't you go into the alcove and look in the piano bench? There's lots of music in there . . . if you find something that looks interesting, you work with it a little, then I'll come in and help you, okay?"
"Go on, kids!" Carolyn added, "I'm sure you can find something that you like and will work for you that adults and teachers will approve of too!"
"Okay . . ." Candy replied glumly, "C'mon Jonathan, let's go see."
Sam materialized in front of Candy and Jonathan as they walked into the alcove and looked at their sullen expressions. "So, what's with you two?" he asked.
"Hi, Captain Gregg" said Candy, with a frown. Sam smiled and knelt down in front of them.
"You should see the FACE on your face!" He said, making a similar face of his own. "What's the problem?"
Jonathan grinned at his hero in spite of himself. "Aww, Mom's just not being fair, Captain! You know that music project Candy and me . . . I . . . worked on last week?"
Sam nodded slowly, not having any idea what they were talking about — not unusual for his state.
"Well, now Old Man . . . Principal Hampton won't let us sing Yellow Submarine because it's a Beatle's song" said Candy, as she flounced onto the sofa. "He's just being a square! We worked for three days getting that song ready!"
"Yeah, and Mom says we have to have our project done or we can't go to baseball camp on Thursday!" said Jonathan, frowning.
"Bummer," said Sam. "The Beatles are pretty cool. Especially John Lennon . . ."
The children looked at each other questioningly and then back at Captain Gregg. Bummer? Cool? They looked at each other again.
"And I suppose it counts for a big part of your grade?" Sam continued smoothly. ". . . But I'm sure we can find something!" He headed for the piano, opened up the piano bench and handed them each a stack of sheet music.
"Here . . . just start looking for anything that looks remotely interesting . . . " Sam sat down at the piano and his hands started to ripple over the keyboard. ". . . Something you can sing together, huh? What about songs from musicals?"
"Musicals?" said Jonathan, rolling his eyes.
"Hey, there are some awesome songs that have come out of musicals!" said Sam, as he started playing one of his favorites.
"Hey! I know that song!" said Candy, staring at Sam again, pondering 'Captain Gregg's' choice of words. "That's The Impossible Dream! Is that from a musical?"
"Yes," Sam answered. It's from The Man of La Mancha. I think that might be a little dramatic for your purposes though . . . " Abruptly, thinking of other children's songs, he switched to the Carpenter's hit, Sing.
"Hey, that's pretty," said Jonathan. "What song is that?"
"It's called . . ." The Imaging Chamber door opened and Al strode through it in double-quick time.
"Stop playing that, Sam!" said Al, wincing.
"Why?" whispered Sam, the music covering his lowered voice as he switched smoothly to 'Shall We Dance?' from The King and I; "It's a nice song . . . especially for kids to sing . . . and this is the first constructive thing I've done since I've been here!" he added, under his breath.
"Because it hasn't been written yet! Not till next year sometime!" Al punched savagely at his handlink. "Honestly, can't you remember anything? It was written for Sesame Street in 1971 but the Carpenters don't make a hit out of it till 1973!" Al ranted. "Go back to the musicals! Just don't pick something from Phantom, or Chorus Line — Okay? Ziggy says your best bet is to find something from a musical."
"That's because I programmed her and I LIKE musicals." Sam retorted. "Ask HER if she has any ideas!"
"Sam . . ." Al said, as he rolled his eyes, "Ziggy says that's not her 'blasted' job." He slapped the handlink again. "I think she's been talking to Captain Gregg too much!"
"Are you talking to us, Captain?" asked Candy absently, still shifting through the sheet music.
"No . . . I was talking to myself . . . " mumbled Sam.
Jonathan grinned. "That's what Mom says when she's trying to make up excuses for talking to YOU in front of other people, Captain! You sure you're not talking to another ghost?"
"Yeah," added Candy, "Like Elroy Applegate?"
Sam grinned weakly and changed the subject, since once again he hadn't a clue as to what the children were talking about.
"How about this one?" He grabbed a piece of music with Mary Martin dressed as Peter Pan on the cover.
"Say, that's a good song, Sam." interjected Al, who had continued to watch the proceedings with interest. "It's called I Won't Grow Up."
"Sounds like a song you would appreciate, Al!" Sam muttered as he scanned the music and began to play. "Candy, Jonathan — I'll sing a line, and then you repeat it, okay?"
"Right, Captain Gregg!" they chorused.
GLGLGLGLGLGLGLGLGLGLGLGLGLGL
Martha glanced up from the sink, where she was finishing the breakfast dishes and looked at her employer. "Mrs. Muir, Is that the piano I hear, or is it the radio?"
"Hmm . . . What Martha?" Carolyn said, looking up from the newspaper she was reading.
"Alcove . . . Piano . . . Four different songs in the last five minutes. No mistakes. Can't be the kids doing it — Candy doesn't play that well yet. Let's go see!" Martha hung the damp rag over the sink and Carolyn put down her newspaper and they went to the alcove door – surprised at what they heard, and saw, to say the least — The Captain, and her children, were at the piano — singing!
Sam gestured for Candy to stand beside him on one side and Jonathan to position himself on his other side in front of the keyboard, where they could see the music, then he pointed to where he was on the sheet music, as he continued to sing:
As the trio launched into the second verse. Carolyn smiled in wonder and stared — first at the ever-dignified Captain Gregg singing I Won't Grow Up, and then at her children and finally back at Martha, who looked just as fascinated as she did.
"Is it just me, Martha, or has the Captain been behaving very strangely today?" Carolyn asked her, as they continued to listen to the Captain and the children.
Martha glanced back at Carolyn. "You're right, Mrs. Muir . . . and this is the strangest!" she shrugged. "I don't know . . . did you two have a disagreement, or anything last night? Any reason for him to so drastically change his behavior?"
"No . . . not really . . ." Carolyn spoke softly, so as not to interrupt the trio. "You know things got a little strange while Mom and Dad were here, what with Claymore pretending to be the Captain and the 'wedding' or, almost wedding, or whatever it was, but . . ." She looked at her friend. "Actually, things have been great lately! The Captain and I have been working on his Memoirs a good deal you know, and we haven't been bickering or anything! Everything has been fine — right up until we all returned from Mom and Dad's dinner. We were outside, Claymore gave me the pearls, and had left. I thanked Captain Gregg because I knew he was really responsible for the gift, and he said if he were alive that the pearls would be diamonds and emeralds and there would be palaces . . . " she broke off, blushing and smiling at the memory, and continued. "Then I told him that if he were alive Gull Cottage would BE a palace."
Carolyn sighed and shrugged at her housekeeper. "I think I must have scared him, or something, maybe. He was acting a little strangely when I said good night to him later up on the balcony . . ." Carolyn broke off her sentence and they both turned to watch the three finish the song.
Candy and Jonathan burst into cheers around the piano and collapsed over the keyboard, laughing as Sam chuckled at their antics. Carolyn and Martha applauded from the doorway as they came into the room.
"That's good, Sam!" said Al, as he punched some more buttons and showed Sam the flashing cubes on the handlink, "Ziggy says that song takes the school all the way to the music finals and wins a thousand-dollar grant for the school!"
"Thanks, Captain!" Candy said, grinning. "This is perfect!"
"So what'cha think, Mom?" said Jonathan, giving Carolyn a hug.
"Captain Gregg taught it to us!" beamed Candy. Smiling at the two women she added, "I didn't know Captain Gregg could play the piano, Mom!"
Carolyn gazed at the Captain. "He hasn't. Not for a long time . . ." She paused, trying desperately to put her finger on what was different, other than the obvious carefree actions of the otherwise dignified seaman, and what she had just witnessed. "Not since Claymore performed the wedding ceremony for Harvey Dillman and Gladys Zimmerman that night here almost two years ago." She turned to Candy; "That's before you and Martha knew about him, honey, but you remember, don't you?"
Candy nodded, and then went to join her brother at the window to look at the sheet music again.
Carolyn gaze shifted back to Captain Gregg. "That was wonderful, Captain! But what . . ?"
"I don't suppose that's why I'm here?" Sam was whispering to Al. "For this?" He paused. The familiar feeling . . . the tingle that always came right before a 'leap' didn't come. "Guess not . . . " he muttered, and turned to Candy and Jonathan. "You were great!" Sam exclaimed, speaking to the children, thereby cutting off Carolyn and stopping her from completing her sentence. "Of course, this is only a rough idea! You two will have to practice singing it . . . echo the words back and forth to each other. Just work with it — you'll be fine. I'd love to sing it with you but I can't!" He smiled at the two. "I wish I could!" Sam looked at Carolyn hesitantly, "Well . . ." he paused, knowing that he had to get away and talk to Al, "I guess I need to . . . go keep watch or something for a while now . . . " and slowly, he vanished.
Carolyn gazed at the spot he had vacated. Something IS bothering him. And it MUST have to do with last night! I'll wait . . . she thought to herself. And talk him this afternoon, or tonight — ALL night, if I need to! This has got to be cleared up!