The New Arrivals

Angela was expecting only one dummy the next week, but what she got was a disaster waiting to happen. Henry Bauldwell walked into the hotel one whole second before Jacob Mokeler. Henry was a tall plump man with greying sideburns and steel green eyes. Behind him walked two erect dummies. The one to the left was more robust than the one of the right, but they were identical twins all the way through. The dummy Jacob brought with him was hanging on for dear life to Jacob's shirt.

"My they look sweet," Angela cooed. "follow me."

Angela heard mutterings and curses from behind her, usually she just heard silence as the footsteps that she and her follower took to get to her office. Slappy and Wally scurried away as fast as they could when they saw Angela leading a group of two men and three angry dummies into her office. Hugo and Arnie huddled together in their play pen, listening intently. Henry sat down first, the chair creaked under his weight. The more robust of the identical twins plopped on the couch, and his slimmer twin sat beside him. Jacob sat in a chair closest to the play pen, the dummy he was holding slowly released his shirt and turned around.

"Now, first thing we need to know is the basic's." Angela said, she kept her eyes on the twins sitting on the couch.
"Like what type of basic's do you need?" Henry asked, he glanced out from his left eye at the dummies on the table.
"Like names, ages and anything else that would be of some help in this case." Angela explained.
"You have all that on the fax." Henry coughed.
"I'm trying to make sure the information is accurant," Angela sighed. "no offense."
"I understand, the robust one is Zoltar and the skinny one is Jigsaw." Henry sighed deeply. "Both are five years old."
"What type of STD does the one dummy..." Angela started.
"Zoltar," Henry put in.
"What type of STD does Zoltar have?" Angela asked, she was constantly glancing at the two dummies sitting on the couch. One was doubled over, as if he was in pain and the other dummy was sitting close by, he was patting his brother on the back, comforting him as best as he could. When he saw her looking at them, he snarled.
"From what I saw, genital warts." Henry sighed.
"How'd he get it?" Angela asked.
"Look lady, either you want them or not," Henry yelled. "I don't know how he got it, he had it when I got him."
"Alright, sign the contract and papers and the transaction will be complete." Angela said, she talked through pressed and angry lips.

Henry signed the contract and scribbled his name on the papers that he had brought with him. Angela took the yellow sheet of paper from the original and gave it to Henry who stuffed it into his pocket. Angela escorted him out and wished him a good day. On the way back, she walked into Wilbur and Miss. Lucy, who were going out to pick oranges. Wilbur was wearing a black and yellow checkered shirt and black slacks, his shoes were yellow. His dirty blond hair was combed back out of his blue eyes.

"We're about to get a few more." Angela cooed.
"We can't wait to see them." Miss. Lucy exclaimed sweetly in her honey-like voice.
"Before we do though," Wilbur said in a sweet school-boy tone. "they need to go through isolation."
"That's right Wilbur," Angela exclaimed. "you'll be able to see them in five days."
"I cannot wait." Miss. Lucy exclaimed, she jumped up and down excitedly.

Angela was amazed at how well behaved the twins were, usually when an owner of a dummy left without his wooden friends they'd run back and forth calling his name. Zoltar was lying down now, his feet were propped up on Jigsaw's stomach and his head was resting gently on the arm of the couch. Angela walked over and placed a pillow where his head was, he lifted himself up long enough for her to do this. Jigsaw stared at her as if she had grown a second head, as if asking her who she was.

"Okay Jacob, you can come forward." Angela said. "You can leave him in that chair."

Jacob did as she suggested, but when he tried to remove the dummy from his shirt the dummy screamed. Angela stood up and walked swiftly toward the struggling pair. She wrapped her hands around the dummies overalled waist and gently removed him. When he was finally sitting in the chair on his own, he was looking at Jacob and shivering. Angela slowly walked away, she didn't turn her back to the grieving dummy.

"That is lesson one," Angela sighed, she knew this wasn't going to be easy. "he passed."
"Here are the papers, I'll sign them and be on my way." Jacob exclaimed, he wanted out before trouble arroused.
"Wait a minute, we need information here." Angela insisted. "Age, name and physical health."
"His name is Fats, he is six years old and his health is fine." Jacob answered quickly.
"Has he had any illnesses I need to know of?" Angela asked, she was looking at the dummy who was watching Jacob closely.
"He's had the flu, that's about it." Jacob sighingly answered.
"When did he get it and how did he get it?" Angela pressed on.
"He got it three months ago, poor nutrition and a lack of excersize." Jacob sighed.
"You may now sign him over to me." Angela said. "Nice doing business with you."
"Same with you ma'am." Jacob laughed slightly.

Jacob left slowly, when Fats saw his shadow wasn't no longer within his reach he started crying and screaming. Angela quickly said goodbye to Jacob and rushed back to her office were she pushed Fats back into the chair and held him down. He struggled with her for a few minutes and then collapsed in a heap. She patted his head and picked him up, she slowly walked to a guarentine room and placed him in a bed, she had to pry his hands from her shirt collar.

"This is going to be harder than I thought." Angela sighed to herself.

Jigsaw and Zoltar were totally different stories. Angela carried, with great difficulty, Zoltar to the hospital and examination room, Jigsaw followed closely behind her, he was constantly bumping into stuff, Angela was worried that he was blind in his right eye. When she reached the examination room, she had to be extremely careful. Placing hospital gloves on, she undressed Zoltar and checked him. The condition was much worse than Henry had told her. She had to mark on her calender that Zoltar needed three surgeries.

Jigsaw was totally blind in his right eye, she had to schedule a surgery for him about three days in advance. When she removed him from the table, he looked at her as if he was undecided as to if she were a friend or an enemy. She led both twins into a double room and left them alone with a tray full of nutritious food. Noodles, apple slices and milk were all ready for them, Fats was eating mashed apple slices and cooked carrots. He needed a little encouragement, as he didn't know if it was good or not. When he discovered it was tasty, he gobbled it up.