Chapter 22
As soon as he got back to Tracy Island, Gordon got some wheels turning. Em had outlined the basic plan, but he had a few details to add to make it perfect. It was just as well not to tell Em yet, she would just worry. He certainly wasn't going to tell his family, someone would probably try to talk him out of it.
He made his first phone call. "Lady Penelope? Gordon here. Gordon Tracy. I need a favor….No, it doesn't involve a practical joke on anyone. It is kind of important and ..uh .. you can't tell anyone I asked."
After Gordon outlined his needs he had to endure a lecture from the lady outlining what would happen to him if he used the information the wrong way.
"By the way," Gordon said at the end of the tirade, "How do I initiate an audit of someone?"
"Gordon!" He had to endure another lecture.
Lady Penelope was the easy part of the deal, next was Father and the rest of the family.
Thanksgiving was the Tracy family's most treasured holiday. Gordon had always been the one to flaunt traditions, but even he felt a quiver of trepidation and almost sorrow that he would be deliberately missing it this year.
Luckily, the subject came up naturally at the dinner table.
"So, Marie, do you have any Thanksgiving traditions?" Granny asked.
"Well, let's see, snipe hunt in the morning, rubber boot throwing in the afternoon…just the usual Southern Thanksgiving rites."
"I tole ya hunny, " Virgil drawled in a broad southern accent "Me an' mah brothers done cleared all the snipes off Tracy Island last year."
After the snickers died down, Marie mentioned the usual pumpkin pies and trimmings.
"I ah…need to be somewhere else for Thanksgiving." Gordon said in an overly loud voice. The silence around the table was deafening.
"Now Gordon…" Jeff began.
"You just had some days off." Scott looked suspicious.
"It is a matter of honor."
"It sounds like a girl to me." John said sitting back in his chair with a grin.
"Is it? " Granny looked interested. "How nice Gordon. What's she like?"
"I'm not at liberty to discuss it right now. But it is something I owe someone" He got a mulish look in his face that caused his family to sigh. It was the same mulishness that got Gordon over his accident. It was the same mulishness that made him good at rescues. It was also the same mulishness that sometimes was a pain in the neck for anyone else. Because they loved him they forgave him for it.
"Is this the one we talked about?" Marie asked and wiggled with happiness. She loved happy endings.
"Sort of …I'll explain it all to you later." Gordon said hastily and went back to eating his meal without even making a big show of eating his brussels sprouts which usually invoked a performance worthy of an emotion packed scene from a daytime soap opera.
Whenever possible Gordon called up Em on the vid.
"You sent me flowers and chocolate." Em looked at him accusingly.
"Just taking care of details." Gordon waved a hand expansively. "Details are important. Someone once told me that. I think it had to do with filling the teacher's lounge with ping pong balls when we were sophomores."
"Yeah, but no one is looking." Em looked tired and Gordon thought he saw a bruise on her cheek, though it could be chocolate.
"I leaked the news to the society column of several local newspapers. Did you hurt yourself?" Gordon pointed to his own cheek.
"Number five wrench and don't change the subject. Don't get too carried away by this, it's going to end in a few weeks."
"Sooo, enjoy the chocolates." Gordon said smoothly. He had no intention of letting her go after this, but she wasn't ready to hear it now. Her attitude towards him was cool, but the few kisses he had from her…well he hoped that she still loved him, because he wanted her in his life. If he was honest with himself, he always wanted her in his life. All the chasing after different women was just looking for Em.
"By the way, another little detail I've arranged is an appointment with a hairdresser and a dress shop in town."
Em turned him off. He waited patiently for about ten minutes and called her again.
"You swine." She hissed.
"Tell me you have something in your closet that will put your sister's eyes out and I'll cancel the appointment."
"I have a 'Jones the Plumber' catsuit in pink latex and my old prom dress. Waddaya think?" Em grimaced. "But in the interest of equity and not wanting to look like a frump I accept."
"You were always sensible, dearest." Gordon smiled.
"Dearest?"
"Just practicing. To be sensible." Gordon grinned. "Take care of that cheek, dearest." A satisfying conversation from Gordon's point of view.
As soon as he got back to Tracy Island, Gordon got some wheels turning. Em had outlined the basic plan, but he had a few details to add to make it perfect. It was just as well not to tell Em yet, she would just worry. He certainly wasn't going to tell his family, someone would probably try to talk him out of it.
He made his first phone call. "Lady Penelope? Gordon here. Gordon Tracy. I need a favor….No, it doesn't involve a practical joke on anyone. It is kind of important and ..uh .. you can't tell anyone I asked."
After Gordon outlined his needs he had to endure a lecture from the lady outlining what would happen to him if he used the information the wrong way.
"By the way," Gordon said at the end of the tirade, "How do I initiate an audit of someone?"
"Gordon!" He had to endure another lecture.
Lady Penelope was the easy part of the deal, next was Father and the rest of the family.
Thanksgiving was the Tracy family's most treasured holiday. Gordon had always been the one to flaunt traditions, but even he felt a quiver of trepidation and almost sorrow that he would be deliberately missing it this year.
Luckily, the subject came up naturally at the dinner table.
"So, Marie, do you have any Thanksgiving traditions?" Granny asked.
"Well, let's see, snipe hunt in the morning, rubber boot throwing in the afternoon…just the usual Southern Thanksgiving rites."
"I tole ya hunny, " Virgil drawled in a broad southern accent "Me an' mah brothers done cleared all the snipes off Tracy Island last year."
After the snickers died down, Marie mentioned the usual pumpkin pies and trimmings.
"I ah…need to be somewhere else for Thanksgiving." Gordon said in an overly loud voice. The silence around the table was deafening.
"Now Gordon…" Jeff began.
"You just had some days off." Scott looked suspicious.
"It is a matter of honor."
"It sounds like a girl to me." John said sitting back in his chair with a grin.
"Is it? " Granny looked interested. "How nice Gordon. What's she like?"
"I'm not at liberty to discuss it right now. But it is something I owe someone" He got a mulish look in his face that caused his family to sigh. It was the same mulishness that got Gordon over his accident. It was the same mulishness that made him good at rescues. It was also the same mulishness that sometimes was a pain in the neck for anyone else. Because they loved him they forgave him for it.
"Is this the one we talked about?" Marie asked and wiggled with happiness. She loved happy endings.
"Sort of …I'll explain it all to you later." Gordon said hastily and went back to eating his meal without even making a big show of eating his brussels sprouts which usually invoked a performance worthy of an emotion packed scene from a daytime soap opera.
Whenever possible Gordon called up Em on the vid.
"You sent me flowers and chocolate." Em looked at him accusingly.
"Just taking care of details." Gordon waved a hand expansively. "Details are important. Someone once told me that. I think it had to do with filling the teacher's lounge with ping pong balls when we were sophomores."
"Yeah, but no one is looking." Em looked tired and Gordon thought he saw a bruise on her cheek, though it could be chocolate.
"I leaked the news to the society column of several local newspapers. Did you hurt yourself?" Gordon pointed to his own cheek.
"Number five wrench and don't change the subject. Don't get too carried away by this, it's going to end in a few weeks."
"Sooo, enjoy the chocolates." Gordon said smoothly. He had no intention of letting her go after this, but she wasn't ready to hear it now. Her attitude towards him was cool, but the few kisses he had from her…well he hoped that she still loved him, because he wanted her in his life. If he was honest with himself, he always wanted her in his life. All the chasing after different women was just looking for Em.
"By the way, another little detail I've arranged is an appointment with a hairdresser and a dress shop in town."
Em turned him off. He waited patiently for about ten minutes and called her again.
"You swine." She hissed.
"Tell me you have something in your closet that will put your sister's eyes out and I'll cancel the appointment."
"I have a 'Jones the Plumber' catsuit in pink latex and my old prom dress. Waddaya think?" Em grimaced. "But in the interest of equity and not wanting to look like a frump I accept."
"You were always sensible, dearest." Gordon smiled.
"Dearest?"
"Just practicing. To be sensible." Gordon grinned. "Take care of that cheek, dearest." A satisfying conversation from Gordon's point of view.