A splendid surprise

"Oh Laurie, I can't take another step, really I can't."

"Oh, nOoO you don't. We have to get a…ah…" Laurie espied a cloth shop. "…ribbons! Ribbons for Meg!'

Jo smacked the tall fellow towering over her, whose hand was fisted up in her corners of her dress.

"Ribbons for Meg, indeed! You're up to something, I know it, yes I do. Ribbons for Meg my left foot."

Laurie had dragged her down to town and the two had been thus far to the grocerer's, where Laurie had neatly avoided bashing down a tower of cans piled up by the display window, the postmaster's office to collect an elusive package, and the theatre to see what was playing two nights hence. There Laurie had purchased four very nice printed tickets to the "Princess Bride", Morgernstern's newest musical, much to Jo's horror after catching a glimpse of the price, and Laurie's insistence at booking second row seats.

He now neatly towed her to Mr. Buntain's cloth shop and steered her to the large wall which was covered in lengths and rolls of ribbons

"Laurie, really I don't get this nonsense. Meg needs NO ribbons," and Jo stalked briskly out of the shop, trying not to snort with laughter.

"I haven't gotten anything for her! She will surely be disappointed in my lack of.."

"She needs NO ribbons, she needs NO more clothespins, NO canned peaches and she most CERTAINLY does not have a package coming in from Papua New Guinea!"

Laurie collapsed in to laughter.

"Oh, fine. It is getting late anyway. Might we head back?" And he held out his arm for her to take.

Jo grabbed it and tried to stamp on his foot, but he sidestepped it neatly, before backing in to a passing lady, who most unfortunately had an umbrella, and threatened to jab him with it.

They fled.

"Might we head back. Might we head back? I have been asking you to 'let's head back' since half past six!"

They had to stop and catch their breath, Laurie bent over, hysterical with laughter, then exploding in to hacking coughs at the dust kicked up by a vehicle which zoomed by at a considerable speed not two feet away.

After multiple thumphs on Laurie's shaking back (which, Jo did not fail to note, was deliciously – my goodness, where did that word come from? - broad, and lean. And hard. But nevermind.

Twenty minutes later they were walking down the path to Orchard House, Jo's brilliant sunflowers clearly visible from where they were standing. Laurie was sending Jo into her usual fits of laughter, and they made a lovely pair, the both of them: one giant stomping in circles in imitation of Fezzik, a character from the musical in his attempt to promote the benefits of attending the performance with him, and another long haired creature trying to hold Fezzik at arm's length with her long foot.

Wonderful pair, them two.

When they finally approached the house, Laurie out of nowhere burst in to a healthily loud rendition of 'He's a Jolly Good Fellow'.

Jo, who was in the mood for a lark, followed suit, mouth open wide and noise blasting forth.

In mid bellow of "and nobody can deny", the parlor and Beth's bedroom windows flung wide upon and a crowd of multicoloured, tousled heads stuck themselves out and struck up with fine style.

There was Beth and Hannah, waving their aprons wildly around their heads from the kitchen window from the side wall, and Amy roaring like a madwoman from the skylight, ribbons clearly visible as they fluttered about her pink face.

"FOR SHE"S A JOLLY GOOD FELLOW, FOR SHE"S…"

Meg's sleek head poked out of the parlor window, alongside Brooke's with Daisy on her father's head and Demi in danger of falling out the window, all with mouth's wide open and hands waving.

"…SHE'S A JOLLY GOOD FELLLLLLLOOOOOW!"

Marmee stood beaming benevolently at the front door and Father stood behind her with his arms wrapped snugly around her waist, both also with no apparent sense of decorum, all dignity lost as the whole house screamed the last few lines.

"SHE"S A JOLLY GOOOOOOOOD…"

Here Amy punctuated the stanza with four inhuman shrieks from the attic, and handfuls of brightly coloured streamers flew out the window.

"AND NOBODY, NOBODY, NOBODY CAN…."

Demi ran up the path, chanting along, "She's a jolly good fellow, that nobody, nodoby, noboby…"

Laurie stood the gaping Jo, stamping his foot like a piston, before grabbing Jo and whirling her in to the house, where all descended upon her.

"NOBODY CAN DENY!"