CHAPTER 2 - SHOP 'TIL YOU DROP

And away we go again as Lo's 1960s sitcom dream continues...

After calling her mother to get her emergency money stash from her bedroom in the penthouse, then calling the Kahuna to arrange a ride into Sunset Beach on the Whalebus, Lo took Fin with her to the hotel to rendezvous in the lobby with Lo's mother, who brought her daughter's "mad money" down with her. "It's all in there, is it?" Lo asked her mother. "I just hope George didn't go snooping in my room while I was gone and find and steal any of it."

"It's okay, dear," Mrs. Ridgemount assured her daughter. "George hasn't been in your room at all since you left the penthouse. I'd know or Rosie would know if George tried to get into your room, so he knows better."

Yeah, if that little troll knows what's good for him, Lo thought to herself about her youngest brother, followed by more canned laughter in response. Puzzled about the reappearance of the laugh track in her dream, she wondered, Okay, what is up with that laughter out of nowhere again?

"Anyway," Mrs. Ridgemount continued, "I checked your money and you have $3050 here. Is that what you had when your father sent you down to the staff house?"

Lo breathed a sigh of relief. "Yep, that's all of it," she said. Taking the money and putting it in her purse, Lo then gave her mother a big hug. "Thanks Mom, you're the best!" said a grateful Lo.

"Always happy to help, sweetie," Mrs. Ridgemount replied, responding to her daughter's hug in kind. "Hope you'll enjoy your new TV set for the staff house. See you later for dinner?"

"Sure," Lo said. "Bye, Mom," she added, waving to her mother as she and Fin turned to head to the hotel's front entrance, where the Whalebus was already waiting. "Hey, Kahuna!" Lo and Fin said together in greeting to the Kahuna as they boarded the bus, with Lo adding, "How goes it?"

"Groovy, chiquitas," Kahuna replied. "What's on tap for the two of you today?"

"Going to town to shop and hang out," Fin said. "Lo's been hearing a new TV set calling her name since the old one at the staff house died."

Raising his eyebrows in puzzlement at Fin's comment, Kahuna cupped a hand to his left ear as he leaned toward the driver's side window to listen for the TV set "calling Lo's name", followed by the laugh track that only Lo could hear. "Well, if shopping calls," Kahuna quipped as he shrugged, "you gotta accept the charges."

And there's that canned laughter again, Lo thought to herself as she heard it after Kahuna spoke, just as the Whalebus pulled away from the hotel front entrance to start the trip into Sunset Beach.

Upon arriving in Sunset Beach, Lo and Fin headed into a local electronics store on the town's main street that had the equipment the girls needed to get for the staff house. As Lo and Fin browsed the widescreen TV section, the background music playing in Lo's dream changed from 1950s sitcom music to 1960s instrumental Bossa Nova, which puzzled Lo again as she listened, but she shrugged her shoulders in resignation and decided to go with the flow of the music.

As Lo studied some of the TV sets on display, a saleswoman on duty, who recognized Lo as a regular customer, approached her. "Hi, Miss Ridgemount," the saleswoman greeted her. "Anything I can help you with?"

Lo turned and recognized the saleswoman. "Hi, Marilyn!" she said, returning the greeting. "There sure is. I'm looking for a new widescreen TV set, a good-sized LCD one - maybe a 52-incher?"

"I can go one better for you," Marilyn said, showing Lo a particular set close by. "We've got a 55-inch LCD here on special this week, for the same price as a 52-inch set. Full HD, home theatre-ready, all the works."

"Awesome!" Lo said, looking pleased with the set she was shown. "I'm also gonna need a satellite dish and receiver to go with that set."

"Then you're in luck," Marilyn said as she took Lo and Fin over to the satellite and cable receiver section. "There's also a special on for a dish with two HD receivers to hook up in two rooms, with the option to hook up an outside hard drive to get PVR functions."

"Oh, that sounds sooo cool," Lo remarked. "I'll take them."

"Great choice," said Marilyn as she headed to the cash register at the front of the store, followed by Lo and Fin. "You won't regret it either, you'll love that TV and the receivers once you get them home. Okay," she added as she checked the register to ring up the sale, "checking the account database under Lauren Ridgemount." Lo eagerly waited in anticipation of getting the new TV and satellite dish with twin receivers, but Marilyn paused a moment and frowned as she located Lo's account on the store database. "Oh, wait a minute," said the saleswoman. "It says here your store account's been suspended, under orders from your father."

Lo and Fin looked at each other for a moment, then Lo dug into her purse and pulled out her wad of money. "Will a straight cash payment work?" she said with a grin, fanning out the stack of cash to show Marilyn.

"Cash works for us too," said Marilyn, smiling as she proceeded to make the sale. "We'll have all your stuff ready for you to pick up in an hour or two, Miss Ridgemount."

"Nice!" Fin said, slapping five with a pleased Lo upon the successful purchase of the new widescreen TV and satellite dish.

After the electronics store, Lo and Fin next visited a nearby ladies' clothing store, where Fin bought an outfit of a sleeveless shirt and tights similar to what she usually wore when off-duty from the hotel's housekeeping services, except in shades of blue instead of green, while Lo acquired three new dresses, including a teal-colored one that she chose to wear out of the store after paying for it. To Lo's chagrin, however, because of her dream being in black-and-white, she could only see the colors of her new dresses in shades of grey. Following that, a hungry Lo and Fin then went off to get hot dogs and frozen lemonades for lunch at a burger and hot dog stand close to the pier extending from Sunset Beach's waterfront boardwalk, where the girls then went to people-watch as they ate.

After swallowing a bite of her cheese and relish-covered hot dog, Fin remarked to Lo, "Great choice of TV for the 'roach motel', Lo, and good call on getting satellite too. Reef and the guys really dig their sports on TV, so they're gonna love you for getting all that new hardware. In fact," she added, "I love you for it already because it means now I'll get to watch surfing competitions and beach volleyball when they come on."

"So then," Lo said in a wry tone, "how much will you, Emma and Kelly love me when you also get to watch your favorite movies and TV shows in sensational widescreen?"

"A lot," Fin answered as she and Lo then laughed. As they continued talking, Lo and Fin caught the attention of two boys carrying surfboards as they passed by along the boardwalk, and the boys smiled and waved at the two pretty girls who were eyeing them from the pier while walking by. After waving back to the two surfers, Lo and Fin then turned back to the waterfront to watch the activity on the water when they spotted someone familiar windsurfing on the water near the pier. "Hey, Ripper!" the girls said, calling over to the Australian surfer and fellow Surfer's Paradise staffer.

"G'day, mates!" Ripper called back from his windsurfer board as he spotted Lo and Fin, then prepared to land his craft on the beach. "How's it goin'?"

"Since when did you take up windsurfing?" Fin asked Ripper as he came up to meet the girls on the pier. "Whenever we see you on the waves, it's usually on your regular board."

"Just something I thought I'd give a shot," Ripper said. "It ain't that bad and I picked up on it right quick, but it can't beat surfin' the old-fashioned way. So how come you sheilas aren't out hitting the surf yourselves?"

"The old TV set back at the staff house just died on us, so we've been out TV shopping," Lo explained. "I just bought a 55-inch widescreen and two satellite receivers, so now we'll be able to watch all the shows we like once we get everything set up."

"Oh, strewth!" Ripper exclaimed, sounding thrilled. "Good on ya, love. Now I'll be able to watch Aussie rules when it's on."

"Don't forget the surfing competitions," Fin added.

"Yeah, that too," Ripper said with a chuckle. Just then, he and the girls spotted another familiar figure approaching on a windsurfer board.

"Hey, isn't that Reef out there windsurfing?" Fin wondered aloud.

"Yeah, that's him," Ripper confirmed. "You never know what kind of garbage the tide'll wash in 'til you see it," he added, drawing laughter from Lo and Fin and, once again as Lo quickly noticed, activating the laugh track.

"Hey Ripper, ladies," Reef called over to the group as soon as he saw them on the pier. "Check me out! You're lookin' at the new king of the windsurfers in action!"

"Really?" Fin called back to Reef as she made a show of looking around where he was. "I don't see him anywhere, but as soon as he shows up, let me know!" she added, making Lo and Ripper laugh.

"Joke all you want," said Reef, brushing off Fin's barb, "but take a look at these killer moves!" As Reef proceeded to show off and grandstand on his windsurfer board for the girls and Ripper, though, a seagull flying overhead in the area positioned itself over the cocky surfer's head and "dropped a bomb" that landed with a splat on its intended target, startling Reef and causing him to fall off his board and land in the water. Upon seeing this, Lo, Fin and Ripper all began to laugh out loud at Reef's expense, and Lo did not even mind at that point when the canned laughter in her dream joined in.

"I think I can speak for everyone here when I say I never get tired of seein' that happen," Ripper said as he saw a chagrined-looking Reef resurface and spit out water while Lo and Fin continued laughing.

"No argument there," Lo agreed. Checking the time on her watch, she then turned and said to Fin, "Hey, our new TV and satellite should be ready to pick up at the store by now. Wanna head over there now while I call Kahuna to come get us?"

"You do that, love," Ripper said to Lo before she and Fin said their goodbyes to him and prepared to go back for the new TV. "I'm gonna hit the water again and sail back to the Office. See you back at the hotel."

Lunch and a shopping spree for the girls, plus appearances by our favorite Aussie dude Ripper and the always-cocky Reef, who I included here mainly to make the butt of jokes. Just a few items to lead up to what's coming next chapter when Lo and Fin get the satellite dish back to the staff house to install. That chapter gets interesting as a couple of familiar adversaries also make an appearance.

Thanks for the reviews so far, and keep 'em coming.