Chapter 2: The Relatives' Arrival
As Arthur came home from school, he parked his car on the street in front of his house. When he walked inside, he saw his mother who was now wearing brown shoes instead of boots. She was carrying cleaning supplies in her hand and was cleaning the house while they were at school during a break from working on the computer.
"How was school?" asked Jane.
"It was fun," said Arthur. "We were watching videos and tons of other fun stuff."
"That's nice," said Jane. "Make sure your room is clean and organized before your Aunt Loretta and Uncle Bud and your cousins arrive."
As Arthur walked upstairs, he walked into his room and organized everything just in time for Cousin Ricky to stay in his room with him during Christmas break. He dusted his desk, the dressers, and the other surfaces in his room.
About five minutes later, D.W. came home from school on the school bus.
"Hello!" called D.W.
D.W. then walked into the living room below her and Kate's room where her mother was working on the computer. They had the same computer with the same inputs and outputs since, but upgraded the operating system to Windows 98 when Arthur was in middle school. They also had the same Elbozonic CRT television, but replaced their old black VCR with a black VCR/DVD player twin.
"How was school?" asked Jane.
"It was fun," said D.W. "We watched some videos in different classes."
"That's nice," said Jane. "Now make sure your room and Kate's is clean and organized before your Aunt Loretta and Uncle Bud and your cousins arrive."
D.W. then walked upstairs to her and Kate's room. In their room, there was a white bunk where the bunk beds had purple sheets and purple pillows where Kate had the top bunk and D.W. had the bottom bunk. They had the bunk since Kate was five years old. Before they had the bunk, Kate was switched from a crib to a small bed at the age of two, and then the small bed and D.W.'s old bed were traded in for the bunk.
D.W. organized everything just in time for Cousin Mo and her sister to stay in her and Kate's room with them on Christmas break.
In thirty minutes later, Kate arrived home from school on the school bus. Then she walked inside and went upstairs to her and D.W.'s room.
Meanwhile, in Arthur's room, Arthur found a red brochure in his shelf. On the brochure, it said: LAKEWOOD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL Christmas Concert, and below those words was a clipart of the Christmas tree below that name, and below the art of the Christmas tree said December 14th, 1995. Then he opened up the brochure and read through the grades of students and the songs they were singing. In the kindergarten section, the songs were "Frosty the Snowman" and "Jingle Bells". In the first grade section, the songs were "Up on the Housetop" and "Over the River and Through the Woods". In the second grade section, the songs were "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" and "Let it Snow". In the third grade section, the songs were "Here Comes Santa Claus" and "It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas". In the fourth grade section, the songs were "Silver Bells" and "Winter Wonderland". In the fifth grade section, the songs were "Suzy Snowflake" and "O Christmas Tree". In the teachers section, the songs were "The Twelve Days of Christmas" and "Jingle Bell Rock". In the all school section where all of the classes are together, the songs were "We Wish You A Merry Christmas", "Nuttin' for Christmas", "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus", "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas", "Santa Claus is Coming to Town", and "Auld Lang Syne". After reading the brochure, he thought about watching the video. He found the VHS cassette in a case that was labeled LAKEWOOD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL Christmas Concert, and those words was a headshot clipart of a tan cat, a brown bear, and a white rabbit all wearing winter coats and mittens and Santa hats singing out of a book, and below the art on the cover said December 1995.
"This really brings back the memories from when I was in Mr. Ratburn's third grade class," Arthur said to himself.
Arthur walked out of his room and down the stairs and into the living room below his sisters' room. His mother was not at the computer anymore, and the cupboard was closed up. He turned on the TV and the video player. When the screen showed up, it was blue. He then took the VHS cassette out of the case and put it into the VCR. When he took the cassette out of the case, the label on the cassette had the same words but excluded the illustration. After putting the cassette into the VCR, the word "PLAY" in white showed up on the screen. In the next three seconds, the screen changed to black in a flash.
In ten seconds after Arthur started playing the video, the perspective of the stage showed up on the screen, and there was a backdrop featuring the outside with snow on the ground, a tall Christmas tree, two white street lamps with red ribbons, and Santa Claus on the sleigh up in the sky. In front of the backdrop were a set of black risers. In eight three seconds after the picture showed up, the logo which said Lakewood Elementary School Christmas Concert, December 14, 1995 showed up. In eight seconds afterwards, the logo disappeared in a flash. Miss Krasny who was the music teacher at the elementary school came onto the stage and announced the guests the Christmas concert, and after describing the concert, she told the guests to not talk, eat, drink, take pictures, or make videos, and last she told the guests to sit back and relax and enjoy the concert. She was wearing a red and green short-sleeved Christmas dress with a Christmas tree on it, and white high-heel pumps.
Arthur then picked up the remote to the video player and fast-forwarded to the third grade scene of the concert. While he was fast-forwarding, the kindergartners were wearing Frosty hats and dressy clothes; the first graders were wearing houses over their dressy clothes and chimneys for hats, and the second graders were wearing reindeer hats, red balls on their noses, and dressy clothes. The second graders were walking off of the stage to the right. Then came the third graders walking from the left of the stage who were all wearing Santa hats and dressy clothes. The first class that came were Mrs. Fink's students who stepped up the platform to the third row in the rear, then came Miss Sweetwater's students who stepped up to the second row in the middle, and the last were Mr. Ratburn's students who stepped to the first row in the front. Mr. Ratburn's students from the left to the right were the gray rabbit boy, George, Binky, the Brain, Buster, Arthur, Francine, Muffy, Sue Ellen, Fern, Jenna, and the white rabbit girl with dishwater blonde hair. Those were the old days of what Arthur and the others used to look like, plus Francine wearing red barrettes before switching to a headband in middle school. Muffy's hair while in the concert was worn in plain pigtails, plus she had bangs. Out of all the dressy clothes that Mr. Ratburn's students were wearing: Arthur was wearing a yellow V-neck sweater with a white and red striped dress shirt underneath, a red bowtie, blue jeans, and brown dressy shoes; Francine was wearing a red sleeveless V-neck sweater with a white and sky blue striped dress shirt underneath and hanging out, a sky blue bowtie, blue jeans, and white dressy shoes; Buster was wearing an orange sweater with a white and blue striped dress shirt underneath, a green bowtie, khaki pants, and brown dressy shoes; Muffy was wearing a purple short-sleeved dress with snowflakes on it, two purple bows with pink dots in her pigtails, black Mary Janes, and long white socks; the Brain was wearing a blue V-neck sweater with a white and green striped dress shirt underneath, a blue necktie, khaki pants, and brown dressy shoes; Binky was wearing an orange button-up dress shirt, a brown bowtie, khaki pants, a brown belt buckle, and brown dressy shoes; Sue Ellen was wearing a blue short-sleeved dress with a Christmas tree on it, two bows in her hair where one was green and another was red, black Mary Janes, and long white socks; Fern was wearing a purple short-sleeved dress with Santa Claus on it, a yellow hair bow in her clump of brown hair, black Mary Janes, and long white socks; George was wearing a green sleeveless sweater with a white and gray striped dress shirt underneath, blue jeans, and brown dressy shoes; Jenna was wearing a pink short-sleeved dress with Frosty the Snowman who had arms and legs, a purple hair bow in her sparse brown hair, black Mary Janes, and long white socks; the gray rabbit boy was wearing a red sweater with a black and white striped dress shirt underneath, blue jeans, and brown dressy shoes; and the white rabbit girl was wearing a red and green short-sleeved dress with a reindeer on it, a blue hair bow in her hair, black Mary Janes, and long white socks.
After all the third graders in the video stepped onto the stage, Miss Krasny then continued playing the cassette in the stereo. Right away, the song "Here Comes Santa Claus" in E Flat Major started playing. The third graders started singing along with the song while Miss Krasny was conducting. At the end of the song, there was an applause. Then the song "It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas" in G Flat Major started playing. During that song, some of the parts were only sung by the boys, some were only sung by the girls, and the rest were sung together. After the last applause, the third graders walked off the stage to the right.
When the fourth graders were next in the video, Prunella's class was on the first row. They were all wearing lanyards that had two silver bells with red ribbons. The members of the Tough Customers were in the same class as Prunella. Prunella was wearing a red short-sleeved dress with Christmas bells, a green hair bow in her hair, a pair of black Mary Janes, and long white socks; Rattles was wearing a black suit with a red necktie and black loafers; and Molly was wearing a gray suit with a blue necktie and gray loafers. Just then, Miss Krasny continued playing the cassette, and the song "Silver Bells" in E Flat Major started playing and then the fourth graders started singing along. They were ringing their bells during the refrain of the song. Then there was an applause after the song. Then the song "Winter Wonderland" in E Major started playing. After that song, there was another applause. Then the fourth graders walked off the stage to the right.
Arthur then fast forwarded the video to the part where the teachers were performing. While he was fast-forwarding, the fifth graders were wearing snowflakes over their dressy clothes. The teachers walked onto the stage from the left, and the fifth grade teachers were first while the kindergarten teachers were last. The kindergarten teachers were dressed up as Frosty the Snowman; the first grade teachers were dressed up as houses where they were wearing their work clothes underneath the costumes and were wearing chimneys for hats; the second grade teachers were dressed up as reindeer with Mr. Marco being Rudolph while the other two were just random reindeer; for the third grade teachers, Mr. Ratburn was dressed up as Santa Claus while Miss Sweetwater and Mrs. Fink were both dressed up as Mrs. Claus; the fourth grade teachers were dressed up as silver Christmas bells with their work clothes underneath the costumes; and the fifth grade teachers were dressed up as white snowflakes with their work clothes underneath the costumes. The teachers were just standing directly on the stage instead of on the risers.
As Miss Krasny started playing the cassette in the video, "The Twelve Days of Christmas" in G Major started playing. While the music was playing, the line about the partridge was sung by all the teachers, the lines about the turtle doves and French hens were sung by the first grade teachers, the line about the calling birds was sung by the second grade teachers, the line about the golden rings was sung by the kindergarten teachers, the lines about the geese laying and swans swimming were sung by the third grade teachers, the lines about the maids milking and ladies dancing were sung by the fourth grade teachers, the lines about the lords leaping and pipers piping were sung by the fifth grade teachers, and the line about the drummers drumming was sung by all of the teachers. Then there came an applause. Then the song "Jingle Bell Rock" in E Major started playing. The teachers were singing and they were all pretending to play the guitar. After the final applause, the teachers then walked off the stage to the right.
Then there was the finale: the fifth graders stood on the risers on the very right, then the fourth graders stood next to the fifth graders, then the third graders stood next to the fourth graders, then the second graders stood next to the third graders, then the first graders stood next to the second graders, and last the kindergartners stood on the very left. Some of the songs featured acts that were going on, and they were all mimes. The first to play was "We Wish You A Merry Christmas". Then as the song "Nuttin' for Christmas" in G Flat Major was playing, Binky played the troublesome boy; the Brain played Johnny, Sue Ellen played the sister, Molly played the mother, Rattles played the father, George played Tommy, Prunella played the teacher, Muffy played Susie, and of course Mr. Ratburn as Santa Claus was in it for the verse where the troublesome boy was not going to see Santa. During the applause after that song, the kids went back onto the risers. As the song "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus" in A Major was playing, Mr. Ratburn and Miss Sweetwater were in the act while all the kids were singing. Then in the song "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" in E Major was playing, there was no act during that song. Then in the song "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" in A Major, Mr. Ratburn was doing the act where he writes the nice and naughty lists and gazes through a snowglobe. Then there was the final song "Auld Lang Syne" in G Flat Major.
After the finale, there was a very long applause. Then there was a curtain call, and the students bowed first, and then the teachers walked in front of the stage and bowed. Then the teachers walked to the sides: the K-2 teachers walked to the left and the 3-5 teachers walked to the right, and then all of the students walked down from the risers, held hands together, and took a bow once again. Then everyone walked off of the stage, and the word "The End" in cursive appeared on the screen. Then the screen slowly went black.
Arthur then stopped the video, and then rewound it back to the beginning. Then he ejected the cassette and then walked over to the video player, and put the cassette back in its case, and then carried it back to his room. Then he walked back to the same living room, and took a nap.
Later at 4:00 PM, there was a loud knock on the door. Arthur quickly ran to the front door. It was his cousin, 20-year-old Monique who usually goes by her shortened name of "Mo". She was on a break from Elwood City Community College and she lived in an apartment in Westboro Apartments. Her hair was very long and she had bangs across her forehead. She was wearing a blue shirt that looked like Francine's, blue jeans, red and white sneakers, a white winter jacket, orange mittens, and a blue stocking cap. She was very tomboyish. Out on street parked next to the Reads' front yard was Mo's white 1986 Chevrolet Celebrity CL 4-door sedan.
"Hi, Arthur," greeted Mo. "Would you mind carrying my stuff into your house and into your sisters' room?"
"Certainly," replied Arthur.
Arthur walked to the car and then he picked up Mo's blue suitcase and carried it all the way to his sisters' room. Mo carried her big bag full of books, movies, dental supplies, and others. Arthur and Mo offered D.W. and Kate to help out, so they agreed.
When they went back to Mo's car, Mo picked up her canvas sleeping mat that was orange on one side and blue on the other side, Arthur picked up Mo's white electric blanket, D.W. picked up Mo's pillow that was in a yellow Rat Woman pillowcase, and Kate picked up Mo's yellow Rat Woman blanket, and then they all carried them upstairs into the sisters' room. Then they unfolded Mo's mat, then they unfolded Mo's Rat Woman blanket, then Mo took the surge protector out of her bag and plugged it in, then they unfolded the electric blanket and plugged it into the surge protector. The last things were Christmas presents from Mo, and she put them all under the Christmas tree by herself.
Later at 6:00 PM, Arthur's 44-year-old Aunt Loretta, 45-year-old Uncle Bud, and his other two cousins arrived at the door. Ricky was 14 years old and his younger sister was 11 years old. Loretta's hair stayed the same as always, and she was wearing a white blouse, a purple skirt that goes down to the lower legs, brown boots, a brown winter coat, blue mittens, and a purple stocking hat. Bud's hair was now down to the shoulder, but still bald on top, and grew out of having a mustache when he was 41 years old; and was wearing an orange shirt, blue jeans, brown boots, a gray winter coat, brown mittens, and a brown stocking hat. Ricky had shaggy hair with bangs; and was wearing a green shirt, blue jeans, gray boots, a gray winter coat, gray mittens, and a black stocking hat. Ricky's sister had very long hair that was styled in pigtails, and she had bangs; and she was wearing a pink shirt, blue jeans, purple boots, a purple winter coat, purple mittens, and a purple stocking hat. Parked on the street behind Mo's car was a tan 1998 Chevrolet Lumina sedan that was mainly driven by Loretta. Arthur helped out with his cousin Ricky and carried Ricky's stuff into Arthur's room. Mo and Arthur's sisters helped out Mo's sister and carried her stuff into D.W. and Kate's room. Jane and David helped Loretta and Bud, and carried their stuff into the master bedroom and let Loretta and Bud sleep in the living room below Arthur's room.
Later at night at 11:00, it was time for bed. Loretta and Bud set up the sofa bed and put the sheets and pillow on there. Then everyone changed into their pajamas. Loretta was wearing a purple and pink striped nightgown and a pair of white slippers, Bud was wearing blue and green striped pajamas and a pair of brown slippers, Jane was wearing a white nightgown with pink flowers and a pair of pink slippers, David was wearing red and white striped pajamas and orange slippers, Arthur was wearing blue and white striped pajamas and white bunny slippers, Ricky was wearing orange and gray striped pajamas and gray slippers, Mo was wearing black and white striped pajamas and white slippers, D.W. was wearing a pink nightgown with white polka-dots and a pair of cow slippers, Kate was wearing pink two-piece pajamas with purple polka-dots and a pair of cow slippers, and Mo's sister was wearing a purple nightgown and a pair of pink slippers. In Arthur's room, Arthur crawled into his bed, put Pal on his body under the covers, and took off his glasses. Ricky crawled into his orange sleeping bed three feet from Arthur's bed. In D.W. and Kate's room, D.W. crawled into the bottom bunk, Kate climbed up the ladder to the top bunk, Mo crawled under the covers on her mat, and Mo's sister crawled into her purple sleeping bag.
To be continued…