Scene 13: A Dirty Kitchen
Nick's favorite holiday has always been Halloween. Not only is it a great day of fun and candies, where everyone can dress up and play games, but it's also Nick's birthday! And although he's always enjoyed the lavish celebrations, Nick oftentimes is jealous of the ceremony. Why can't he just have a day where they celebrate his birthday and just his birthday..? Shelly has always suspected this. So this year, Shelly plans on making this the absolute most perfect day for her little brother!
This will be the first time Shelly takes on such a big task on her own. She recruits Munchlax to help out in the kitchen. Meanwhile, her parents have taken Nick out to the city to prepare for the big birthday/Halloween bash they have every year. While Axel takes his son to pick out whatever gift he wants, Cleo sticks to the shopping for the party. After lunch at Nick's favorite restaurant, Cleo takes Nick to the costume designer they hired to make his outfit. They have a few last minute fixes and head home.
"And that's why we have to make sure everything is perfect by the time they get home!" Shelly looks to Munchlax, dumping the heavy bag of flour on the counter. She wipes her brow. After explaining it to Munchlax, Shelly understands her given situation. Shelly takes a deep breath, rolling up her sleeves, "All right! Let's do this!" Munch-munch-munch! He grabs at the supplies, "Hey! Don't eat that!" Shelly pulls the large bag of chocolate chips away from Munchlax.
Hours and hours pass of Shelly and Munchlax putting the ingredients together, mixing the badder, creating the decorations, putting out a little oven fire, and constantly pulling Munchlax away from the sweets. Shelly pulls out the last layer of the cake. She's actually quite surprised with how well Munchlax decorates. She was worried he might just eat it all, but Munchlax seems to have a good eye for detail. Shelly is standing atop the counter, putting the final touches to the cake when they hear the door open. Taken by surprise, Munchlax's arm twitches and he knocks Shelly.
"AH!" Shelly topples over the cake and on top of Munchlax. The whole kitchen is a mess. Cleo comes into the kitchen, "Sweetie! We're home!" She stops at the entrance of the kitchen as Nick runs up the stairs, "Mamma! I'm gonna change into my costume for the party!" Cleo sees the kitchen and doesn't respond. Axel calls back to his son and stops at the sight of the kitchen.
"Shelly? What happened?" Cleo runs around the kitchen island and tries to help her daughter. Shelly sniffles, "I just… I just wanted to make the perfect cake for Nick's birthday..!" She wipes at her nose, leaving some badder. Cleo's shoulders slump. She pats Shelly's head. Axel takes a piece of cake out of Munchlax's hand and tastes it.
"Well, now! This is delicious! I'm sure Nick is going to love it!" Shelly wails, " 'Love it'!? It's completely destroyed!" Cleo smiles at her, "Shelly, Sweetie, what have I told you about messes in the kitchen, huh?" Shelly looks up at her mother. Cleo boops her dirty nose, "A dirty kitchen is the perfect seasoning for love!" She laughs at the confused look on Shelly's face.
"What I mean is: although the kitchen is a mess, your heart is full of love. And that's the most important ingredient in any great recipe. And Nick will know that." Shelly takes her mother's words seriously. She stands.
"Ok!" Shelly looks around at the cake mess. She nods. "We can fix this, right Munchlax?" He stuffs a piece of cake in his mouth as a response.
Axel and Cleo start decorating the house and yard for the party. Nick has always enjoyed setting things up. Slowly, as the sun starts to go down, guests start making their way up to the sea villa. Nick has some friends from the city and the neighboring homes, each of them bringing in gifts and happy wishes. After about an hour of partying, Nick finally notices that someone is missing. He walks around looking for her, but then she goes to his mother.
"Hey, Mamma? Where's Shelly?" She giggles. Cleo turns Nick around to the back door. The lights go out and a spotlight appears. Shelly and Munchlax are pushing a large cart. They swipe away the sheet and reveal a crazy looking birthday cake, two-times the size of Nick himself. There's a single birthday candle lit atop. Nick looks her over. Shelly is covered in cake and dyes and powder, but she's all smiles. Shelly steps up to her brother, "Sorry I'm late. We had a bit of trouble with the cake!" She pulls him forward in front of the crowd.
"Happy birthday, Nick!" He looks around. This is the first time someone's put all the attention on him for the Halloween party. Usually, it's all about the party itself.
A chorus of "Happy Birthday" is sung throughout the crowd. Nick feels almost like crying, but he refuses to show these emotions in front of his friends. He wipes away the almost-tears and gives his big sister a big grin, "Thanks, Sis! This is amazing!"
"I'm glad you like it! You know I love you and this is all I can do for your birthday..!" She turns to look at him, "You're my little brother… And you know I'll always love you, right?" She takes his hand. Nick nods, "I love you too, Sis." Nick blows out the candle and the party continues. Shelly tries to pull Nick into a hug, but he shoves her away, not wanting to get his new costume dirty. Everyone laughs.