CHAPTER 2: WHILE MY GUITAR GENTLY WEEPS

At Birchwood School, Schroeder was wrapping up the day's rehearsal. Things were finally going smoothly for the blond-haired maestro. All of the acts were finally getting in line and no longer complaining, though Sally would often find some other "issue" she may have more often than not, but that was just her personality. Other than that, things were going much better than before. And now that Snoopy and his brothers have been added as part of the show, there were no more disruptions from the beagle and his brethren.

As he was heading out of the auditorium Schroeder heard a guitar playing in the hallway. It wasn't an electric guitar, but one he could enjoy. It sounded like Mexican music and it sounded nice to Schroeder. He followed the sound and wondered where it was coming from. When he reached the room where it was, which was the music room, he was shocked to see Dolores playing the music. She was obviously playing the music her family enjoyed. He was astounded by her playing. While many of his friends, Charlie Brown included, could play instruments, he never knew Dolores could play anything. He continued to watch her play until she stopped. She was surprised to see Schroeder clapping.

"Dolores, that was great!" he said with a smile. "How come you didn't tell anyone you could play guitar?"

"I never shared this part of me with anyone before," said Dolores. "I didn't think my friends would like it."

"Well many of them like it when I play Beethoven," Schroeder responded. "So I know they will like your guitar playing. How would you like to be a part of the Christmas show?"

"Me? Aren't you booked up pretty tight?"

"Well I do have my acts already set. What I was thinking was I just made Snoopy and his brothers the hype men, or beagles, to help get the show started. You can provide some music for their dancing as the show is beginning. You can also be part of the pit orchestra that I set up for the show. I am the director of both the show itself and the music. What do you say, Dolores?"

Dolores thought about it for a second. Then she said, "I guess I can do it, Schroeder. When do you want me to start?"

"You can come to the auditorium tomorrow," said Schroeder. "We'll set up things there."

"Okay, gracias."

"You're welcome."

Sometime later, Charlie Brown was on the phone with Peppermint Patty. She was talking about finding out that Penelope Hawkins, star of "Sandra on the Side" was both in Sparkyville and homeless.

"THE Penelope Hawkins?!" asked a bewildered Charlie Brown.

"That's right, Chuck," said Peppermint Patty on the other line. "She actually used to be from here before moving out west to star on 'Sandra on the Side'. But when that show was cancelled and finding out her manager swindled her money that she made on the show, they tried to sue him. While they won their suit, they didn't get even half of what was owed back, because the manager blew it all anyway. So they ended up back here and eventually homeless."

"Wow, that's bad," said Charlie Brown. "What are the odds of a big TV star from here in Sparkyville hitting it big just to lose it all before they can do anything with it?"

"I know. I was thinking about possibly helping her and her family by maybe organizing a pledge drive to get them back on their feet a bit."

"That's a great idea, Patty. I could talk to the gang about possibly coming up with a little bit of money and even talk to our parents about chipping in to help."

"You'd do that, Chuck?"

"Absolutely. Ordinarily I couldn't do anything right, but I think I could pull this one off."

"You really are a good guy, Chuck. Frieda's one lucky girl to have you as a boyfriend."

"Thank you. You are a great girl too, Patty. And a great friend."

"Thanks, Chuck. You have become a bit more assertive in the past couple of years. Anyway, I'll talk to later, pal." And Charlie Brown hung up the phone. Sally walked in.

"Who was that, big brother?" she asked.

"It was Peppermint Patty," he responded. "You remember the show 'Sandra on the Side'?"

"Oh yeah! I loved that show!"

"Well it turns out Penelope Hawkins, the star of the show, is from here in town. A kind of like our cousin Trevor, she became famous overnight, but ended up losing it all to a greedy manager. Her family ended up moving back here and eventually became homeless."

"Oh my gosh! How did Patty know that?"

"Well you know the soup line she and Marcie were volunteering at? Penelope came in and got some soup from them. She ended up telling them about what happened to her. Anyway Patty talked about organizing a pledge drive for her and her family. I said I could talk to the gang about getting some money together and even talking to our parents about helping out."

"That's a good idea, big brother. You may not be the greatest person in the world, but even I have to admit, you do have your moments."

"Thanks, Sally. Anyway, I'm going to call Frieda, and then maybe get a hold of Linus and see if he can arrange something." And Charlie Brown began to put the plan into action.

NEXT CHAPTER: HELPING HANDS