The Lost Lloyd
Chapter 4 - It Takes Two to Tie-Dye
The bell has rung and school is over for the weekend. Rhonda rides alone in the front seat of the bus, and is still shellshocked by the day's previous events.Rhonda: (thinking) I have never been so humiliated in my LIFE! I just know that I will be telling this to a therapist in a few years. (out loud) And where the heck is Nadine? She should should be comforting me! Ohh, that girl is impossible!
The bus stops and Rhonda gets off in front of her house. No sooner does she shut the door when the doorbell rings. Rhonda sighs and turns around to look in the little peephole. Through it, she can see Rima's magnified brown eyes.
Rhonda: What do you want?
Rima: (through door) I'm going to make some tie-dye t-shirts with your class!
Rhonda: (confused) What??
Rhonda opens the door to see the her entire class standing behind her sister
Rhonda: What's going on? Why are THEY here?
Rima: I told you, Rhonda - the class and I are going to the City Park so I can teach them how to make tie-dye tshirts. I just need to get the materials.
Rima enters the house, pauses, then turns to Rhonda
Rima: You know...you're free to come, too. We...I'd like for you to join us.
Rhonda: Thanks, but I think I'll pass.
Rima: (disappointed) Oh. Okay. But if you change your mind...
Rhonda: I doubt it.
Rima: Okay. I just thought you'd like to come. I mean, I know how much you like fashion and stuff like that...
Rima heads down the hall and up the stairs. Rhonda goes into the living room, sits down on the sofa, and turns the big screen tv on. A while later, Rima appears with a handful of things, exits the house, re-enters, then re-exits again with a large tub, this time shutting the door behind her. Rhonda looks out the window, then gasps in surprise. She doesn't care about all the stuff that everyone seems to be carrying down to the City Park, but amongst the crowd, she finds Nadine, holding 2 jugs of dye and talking to Rima. Rhonda throws the remote to the ground and yells in anger.
Rhonda: (yells) Nadine! You big traitor!! At the Pataki house, Helga slams the door to her room and growls in frustration
Helga: I can't stand it! Every time she comes to my school she makes me look like a complete fool! Is she TRYING to ruin my life? Doesn't she KNOW how dangerous she is to my SANITY? I mean, what did I do to deserve this?!
Helga sighs and makes her way across her room to her closet and slowly opens the door. Inside, her closet seems normal, like any other 9 year-old girl's, but this anything but an ordinary closet. Tucked away behind Helga's clothes, shoes, and other belongings, veiled behind a curtain, there stands a small shrine built in the likeness of one certain football-headed boy, Arnold. In case you hadn't realized it yet, Helga has a bit of an obsession with Arnold. Helga unveils her shrine and looks down upon it with admiration
Helga: Hello, Arnold; you're looking well today. I'm sorry that you had to witness that embarrassing episode with my sister Olga today. Sometimes she completely forgets who's giving the presentation and who's the prop. Sometimes I wish I could just STRANGLE her with my bare hands...! (sighs) But why am I telling you all this? Of course, YOU know how I feel , and someday, you'll come out and say how you feel, too. Oh, my beloved...
Helga swoons and takes out a little pink and a purple pen from behind the Arnold shrine. As she writes in her little pink book, Helga hears someone enter her room. Helga quickly exits the closet and closes the door with the purple pen still clenched in her hand. Unsurprisingly, it's Olga who had entered the room, and Helga is not at all pleased with her intrusion
Helga: What are you doing in my room?!
Olga: Oh, hi baby sister! I was just looking for a white shirt that I could borrow. You wouldn't happen to have one in your closet, would you?
Helga: NO, so GET OUT!!
Olga: Okay, then. I'll see you later tonight. Bye!
Olga exits the room and Helga gives a great big sigh of relief
Helga: Well, at least she didn't go in my closet. I wonder what she wanted the shirt for?
Helga leaves her room and secretly descends down the staircase to look into the living room, where Olga is talking to Rima.
Olga: Here, Rima. I'm sure that Mummy and Daddy won't mind if we use these white shirts. I asked Helga, but she said she didn't have any.
Rima: Oh well, this should be enough. We'd better get going if we're going to finish these tie-dye t-shirts for everyone before sundown.
Rima and Olga gather up the materials as Helga goes up the stairs and back into her room. She closes the door and rolls her eyes.
Helga: (scoffs) Tie-dye tshirts? How juvenile. You wouldn't catch me dead in those tacky things, let alone making one.
Helga walks over to the window and peers outside. She spots Arnold in the crowd and swoons, but then she spots Lila next to him, holding his arm. Helga growls and gets so mad that she breaks she pen that was still in her hand simply by squeezing it.
Helga: Usurper! I can't leave Arnold alone with that red-headed harpy! I better follow him just to be safe. But first...I better go wash my hand.
Helga exits her room and heads for the bathroom, holding her hand in front of her so that she wouldn't get purple ink on herself. Later on, at the City Park, as the shirts are being dried after beingd dipped into dye, the kids relax by staring up at the sky or just by listening to nature. Away from the others are Rima and Sheena, who are hanging their t-shirts on several tree limbs to dry.
Sheena: This was such a great idea, Rima. I just love tie-dye!
Rima: I gathered as much, Sheena. You seemed like the peace-loving type when I first saw you.
Sheena: Well, I've always been infatuated with the 60's. It seemed like such a free-spirited decade that didn't have any worries.
Rima: Oh, don't be fooled, Sheena. The 60's were literally PACKED with worries, from presidential controversy to the war in Vietnam. Of course, don't get me wrong; hippies and peacemongers were completely against the fighting.
Sheena: So, what you're saying is that the 60's were not free of hate, but that they preached peace and love better than any other time?
Rima: Right on, Flower Girl. You know, you're pretty wise for a kid.
Sheena: (blushes) Thanks.
Rima: Man this place is beautiful. It's such a relaxful outlet from the hustles and bustles of city life. You must be happy to have such a wonderful park.
Sheena: (sadly) Mm-hmm...
Rima: What's wrong?
Sheena: (sighs) Nothing. It's just that half the park is being torn down.
Rima: (shocked) What?!
Eugene: It's true; this big corporation talked the city into selling over half of the park. Development is supposed to start on Sunday.
Rima: That's horrible!
Eugene: I know, but there's nothing we can do about it...(sighs) no one ever listens to kids...
Rima: Oh, really?
Rima stops hanging the shirts and walks over to the other students to make an important announcement.
Rima: Listen up, everyone! I've just been told of what they're planning to do to this park, and let me just say that I don't like it one bit! Therefore, I have come up with a little plan of my own! Tomorrow, we'll come back here and protest against the ploys of the MAN! Now then, who's with me?
Everyone cheers. Olga smiles and claps her hands together in excitement.
Olga: Oh, goody! What a splendid idea! I just know that it'll be oodles of fun!
Eugene: Alright, you can count me in!
Sheena: Me, too!
Harold: Yeah, me three!
All of the kids agree to join Rima in the event and they all get together to set up their idea. Meanwhile, hiding in one of the nearby trees, Helga has been sitting on a limb and has heard everything.
Helga: Hm...aha! That's it!
Helga rubs her hands together and smiles mischeviously. She starts to laugh when suddenly she slides off the sturdy limb and onto the ground.
Helga: Ow...stupid tree... Later on that night, in the kitchen of the Lloyd household, Rhonda is searching for something to eat while talking on the phone with her father.
Mr. Lloyd: (on phone) I'm going to be a little late coming home, precious, so be a good girl and tape "Wall Street" for me, okay?
Rhonda: Okay, daddy.
Mr. Lloyd: (on phone)Where's your sister - I'd like to talk to her for a minute.
Rhonda: I don't know; she's upstairs doing some weird hippie stuff, and I doubt that she wants to be disturbed.
Mr. Lloyd: (on phone) Alright; never mind, then. Your mother called earlier - she said that she should be home by Sunday evening.
Rhonda: (quietly) Do you think that Rima will be gone by then?
Mr. Lloyd: (on phone) I'm not sure, sweetheart. She hasn't given your mother and I any leeway on when she was planning to leave. I think that she may plan on going by the end of next week.
Rhonda: (quietly) I hope so. I don't know how much more of her I can take.
Mr. Lloyd: (on phone, laughing) Oh Rhonda, don't worry! I'm sure that you and Rima will get along fine for the next few days. Who knows? You may even miss her when she leaves.
Rhonda: (under her breath) Yeah, fat chance...
Mr. Lloyd: Well, I've got to go now, cupcake. Ciao!
Rhonda: Bye, daddy.
Rhonda hangs up the phone and sets it on the receiver. She then goes into the refrigerator and takes out a carton of milk. She gets a glass from the cupboard and pours herself a tall glass of milk, but when she takes a sip, she cringes immediately and spits it out
Rhonda: Ugh! Spoiled milk! Rima!!
Rhonda runs upstairs and to the room where Rima is meditating with the sounds of New Age music pulsating from her radio. Rima doesn't see her, but Rhonda talks anyway.
Rima: Rima, what's the big idea with leaving a carton of spoiled milk in the fridge from someone to drink? Are you nuts?!
Rima flexes her legs and looks at Rhonda.
Rima: That wasn't spoiled milk that you drank, it was my soy milk.
Rhonda: Why do you need soy milk? You're not lactose intolerant.
Rima: No, but I'm a vegan; I don't eat anything that comes from an animal - it's just wrong.
Rhonda: What's so wrong about it? If you ask me, it's wrong that they would ever let anyone invent something so repulsively horrid!
Rima doesn't respond; she merely flexes again. Rhonda gives her a funny look.
Rhonda: What are you doing?
Rima: Tai-chi. It helps relax the muscles and calm the nerves - you should try it sometime.
Rhonda: Are you trying to say that I'm not calm?
Rima: All I'm saying is that you can use a little work with your temper.
Rhonda: What?!
Rima: There, see what I mean?
Rhonda: (scoffs) I don't have to put up with this!
Rima: That's okay, you'll learn how to do this eventually in school.
Rhonda: What are you talking about?
Rima: I talked to Sunchild today...you know, your teacher...and he said that he'd be delighted to have me as a student teacher for his class.
Rhonda: D-Does that mean...?
Rima: Yep. Starting next week, we'll be classmates. Groovy, huh?
Rhonda screams at the top of her lungs and runs out of the room. Rima simply flexes again.
Rima: Huh...all that over a little exercise - she must be more excited than I thought...
Rhonda races into her own room, slams the door and leaps into her bed, crying and throwing a fit.
Rhonda: WHY? WHY? WHY? Why do bad things ALWAYS happen to good people? More importantly - why do bad things always have to happen to ME?!
While Rhonda throws her little tantrum, she hears something hit her window. She looks up from her pillow just in time to see a second pebble bounce of the glass. Rhonda walks over to the window and finds Helga outside on the sidewalk.
Helga: Rhonda! Rhonda!
Rhonda: (opens window) What?! What do you want?!
Helga: Listen, I've gotta talk to you - it's urgent!
Rhonda: (groans) Can't it wait until tomorrow?
Helga: No, we need to talk NOW!
Rhonda: Fine, just come inside and meet me on the patio. And don't let Rima hear you!
Five minutes go by and Rhonda and Helga make it to the patio. Rhonda gives the perimeter a quick scan before shutting the slide door behind her.
Rhonda: Okay, I don't think she heard us. Now, what on earth is so important that you had to bother me at my maison?
Helga: I think I may have a plan to get rid of Rima and Olga.
Rhonda: Thank goodness! For a minute there, I was beginning to get worried! So what's the plan?
Helga: We're going to the City Park.
Rhonda: What kind of plan is that?!
Helga: Will you shut up and let me finish?!
Rhonda: Sorry!
Helga: Criminy...Anyway, Rima and Olga are going back to the City Park tomorrow to protest about some sort of big corporations planning on tearing down half the park, and OUR job will be to make sure that everything goes wrong...
Rhonda: Hmm...why do I get the feeling that I've heard about this before...?
Helga: Never mind that! Now, are you in or are you out?
Rhonda: Okay, okay -- I'm in.
Helga: Good. Now, we don't have much time, so we're gonna have to work this out tonight; but with my brains and your resources, we shouldn't have any problems. Now, then...
So Rhonda and Helga go over the entire plan overnight in the patio of Rhonda's hous with nothing more than the moon to shine light on their insiduous designs.
End of Chapter 4!