CHAPTER 2: THE SEARCH BEGINS

Peppermint Patty was heading for Sparkyville. It would be a two-hour drive, so she left before 10 AM. As she drove down the freeway towards her destination, she started thinking about her past in Sparkyville. She thought about the times she and Marcie went to Tiny Tots concerts or when they went on nature hikes. She thought about how she and Charlie Brown sat under the oak and talked about life. It was then she thought about what transpired between them and led to their blowup…

Some years ago…

Charlie Brown's phone ringed. He went to answer it, only to be greeted by an angry Peppermint Patty. He wondered what was her issue now.

"Chuck I failed my test today!" she fumed, not missing a beat. "And it was YOUR fault!"

"MY fault?!" exclaimed Charlie Brown. "You know what Patty, I don't care to hear the reason why it was my fault and instead, give you some cold hard facts. In spite of your delusions of grandeur it was NOT my fault you failed your ol' test! You failed because YOU DIDN'T STUDY! NOTHING MORE, NOTHING LESS!"

"But Chuck, I-"

"BUT NOTHING! I'M SICK AND TIRED OF BEING YOUR SCAPEGOAT, PATTY! I GET ENOUGH OF THIS FROM LUCY, VIOLET, AND THE OTHERS, DO I HAVE TO GET IT FROM SOMEONE WHO'S SUPPOSEDLY MY FRIEND?! WHY DON'T YOU TAKE SOME FREAKING RESPONSIBILITY FOR ONCE IN YOUR LIFE?!"

"Chuck, just listen to-"

"I'm done listening, Patty. I am only going to say this one time and ONE TIME only. Until you can take responsibility for your grades and not use me to blame your problems on, don't call me ever again. Goodbye!" And Charlie Brown slammed the phone down on the receiver. Sally watched the whole thing.

"Wow, big brother!' she said in awe. "I never thought you had it in you!"

"Quite frankly, Sally, neither did I," said Charlie Brown, now calmed down. "If Peppermint Patty liked me like she says she does, she wouldn't blame me for her problems, like the other kids do. I can take responsibility if I mess up; why can't she?!"

"Maybe some folks are unable to," suggested Sally.

"Maybe, but she either has to find herself another patsy to take the blame for her failing tests, or learn to take responsibility for what she does! Because I am done with being her blame buddy. As I said, I get enough of this from the others. If she was truly my friend, she wouldn't act like they do from time to time!"

Back to the present

Patty thought about that day. She teared up anytime she went back to that. It was the worst day ever for her. She knew she went too far with him. Whether it was the "Ha-Ha Herman" game, or blowing up over the Thanksgiving dinner after she forced herself onto the Brown's, or during the trip to France when she callously remarked that a story about Charlie Brown's grandfather was wasted on him. She definitely had a tendency to put her foot in her mouth, sandal and all. No wonder he distance himself from her for this long. She wouldn't want anything to do with herself, either. Her pushiness aside, she also played mind games with him rather than be direct about her feelings for him. He would never know how she really felt about him due to her own stupidity. She was determined to finally make things right with him. But first she needed to find him first.

She arrived in Sparkyville around noon. The town had grown since she last lived there. More modern buildings and more chain stores. She didn't swell on the change of scenery, though. She was on a mission. The first place she went to was the Brown's home. The neighborhood had changed drastically. The streets were cracked and the neighborhood looked more dilapidated than she remembered. She walked up to the house and knocked on the door.

"WHO IS IT?!" yelled a man from behind the door.

"Uh, does the Browns still live here?" Patty asked meekly. The door opened up to reveal a burly African-American man with huge muscles and wearing a tank top and workout pants.

"You must mean the barber who used to live at this house," the man said. "He had a wife and two kids. Right?"

"That's them! I was friends with the son. Any idea where they moved to?"

"No clue, lady. I think both kids had moved out before they did. I heard about the parents moving down to Florida or some shit. I think one of their neighbors still live in this area. Van Pelt I think their name is."

"I know them, too. Thanks for your help."

"Yeah, good luck." And the man watched Patty walk away. He checked her out as she was hooping in her car.

"Chick is fine as hell," he said to himself.

Patty continued to the Van Pelt house. She went and knocked on the door. She was surprised to see Linus was, in fact, still living there. He didn't look too much the same, though. He had put on some weight and was pretty rotund. He wore a beard that was lacking in whiskers.

"Peppermint Patty?" he said, surprised to see her there.

"How have you been, Linus?" she began.

"Okay, I guess," said Linus. "My parents moved out and to a new neighborhood. They left me the house here in the old neighborhood. Lucy's living in New York City, and Rerun is in the Navy. How about you?"

"I guess I'm okay, for a high school dropout," Patty lamented. "Working at some dive in Leeville, rooming with someone, and still single as all get-out. I had some boyfriends and dated. But all were jerks and assholes. None were like him."

"Charlie Brown?"

"Yes, Linus. I miss Chuck so much. That's part of the reason why I'm here. Do you know where he could be?"

"Have you asked Sally?"

"I didn't want to bother her or get her involved, despite her being his sister. I'm afraid she might tell me to not contact him after all that went down before I moved away."

"Well, I still talk to him from time to time, but he has a very busy schedule in his job. Plus he's always on the move in his line of work. You see, he's a big rig driver."

"Chuck drives semis?"

"Yeah, he pretty much lives out of his truck. When he's near his parent's home in Florida, he will crash there. His mail also goes to their house. Or when he's near where Sally is, he'll stay at her place."

"Where does she live at?"

"San Francisco. She's a realtor out there."

"Do you have Chuck's number, Linus?"

"I do, but he's very selective about who has it. I would give it to you, but after what had happened, I'm not sure if he'd want you to have it after all this time. I harbor no resentment towards you, Patty; I'm just thinking about how he would feel. Your best bet is to get in contact with Sally and have HER give you his number, if she's willing. The worst that could happen is that she tells you 'no'."

"I understand, Linus."

"Anyway, while you are in town, you want to get some coffee? I know of great café downtown."

"Why not?" And Patty and Linus went downtown to the café to have some coffee. They caught up more there. Linus told her, for what it was worth, he hoped things would work out for the best between her and Charlie Brown."

NEXT CHAPTER: TRY BABY SISTER