A/N:Another undate from the Editor of the Lazytown Chronicle. The story of Sportacus becoming a klutz continues...
"How could I do such a thing!" Sportacus moaned to himself. First he had fibbed and told everyone his ship needed cleaning when it didn't, then he had started tripping and falling all over himself. He was known for his moves, he couldn't let the Kids or anyone see him being a total klutz. He stopped his pacing and said with a panic,
"Oh no...what if I'm sick? If I'm sick that might explain why I'm tripping over everything and not being myself! My center of balance is off...yeah...that must be it...Oh no! I can't be sick! That'll mean I'll have to see a...doctor!" Sportacus shivered involuntarily at the thought. He knew in his mind that doctors were good important people that helped people stay healthy, but his fear of them since childhood kept welling up. He shook off his fears and thought again, pacing once more. He started feeling funny after meeting Tara. Sportacus stopped and smiled at the thought of her pretty face and her name.
Tara! She's so beautiful! And not just flowers and trees and blue skies beautiful...but a different kind of beautiful. She just...is... Sportacus sighed and resumed pacing, but this time at a more leisurely pace. He thought about the strange reaction his body had when he looked at Tara. Everything had tensed up and the blood went down...well it went down to a place that embarrassed Sportacus too much he didn't want to think about it. Then he remembered how when he had looked at Tara, images of touching her skin and running his fingers through her hair had flashed in his brain. The reactions came immediately after thinking about what it would be like to touch her. He looked down at the hand that did get a chance to touch her. It began to feel all tingly again. Soon thoughts came to his head and his body was tensing up again.
"Not again!" he groaned flopping onto his bed in aggravation. Then he sat up with a brilliant idea. Maybe if he did some sit ups and push ups...he would forget the funny feelings and get back to normal! Yeah! That was it! Immediately he sat on the floor and began to do sit ups and crunches like a man possessed.
Back at Tara's house, Ziggy, Stingy and Trixie had returned from the grocery store. Ziggy handed her his bag saying,
"I carried the eggs Tara! And I think I managed to not break three!" Looking into the egg carton with a grimace, Tara replied,
"Uh..thanks Ziggy. Now I can have some scrambled eggs for breakfast...before I go out shopping again." She put the bag down as Trixie handed her another,
"Here you go Tara. And I found a can of peanut brittle in the candy aisle for you!" Taking out the can, Tara said while opening it,
"Oh! I love peanut...Ahh!" Trixie laughed as Tara jumped at the trick snakes springing up in her face,
"Gotcha! Oh, that's a classic!"
"Trixie!" scolded Stephenie. Stingy handed Tara the last of the groceries and told her,
"Just so you know, I'm going to be King someday and this is beneath me."
"Well thank you anyway Stingy. Uh...Your Majesty? This receipt says I have five dollars and eighteen cents in change...where is it?" Tara asked taking out the recent.
"Stingy!" warned Stephanie. Stingy turned from them,
"MINE!"
"Kid...fork it over..." Tara said dryly holding out her hand. Stingy hesitated before taking the money out of his pocket and placing it in her palm. Tara nodded, "Thank you." Pixel poked his head out of the office and called,
"Tara! I'm done with your computer!" Tara went in there followed by the rest of the kids saying,
"Great! Now maybe I can...what the heck did you do to my computer?" She had stopped short at seeing the once simple PC replaced by a sophisticated flat screen hanging on the wall and a complicated keyboard on the desktop.
"I upgraded it for you! Now you have one million Gigabytes, DVD/CD drive with an additional zip drive and UB jump drive and a fingerprint identification system for security. Now it's Pixeliscious!" Pixel explained.
"Well...that's above and beyond the call of duty. Thank you." Tara said trying to figure out where the on button was.
"No problem. Want me to show you the new Space Ninja Conquerers game I installed for you?" Pixel asked.
"No...not right now. Actually I think that's all I need from you kids today. So why don't you go into the kitchen and find yourselves a snack and then you are free to go out and play?" Tara suggested.
"Ooh! Ooh! We bought plenty of Sports-candy at the store everyone! Come on!" Ziggy exclaimed leading the way.
"Sports-candy?" Tara asked Stephanie following her out.
"That's what Sportacus calls fruits and vegetables." Stephanie explained. Tara nodded,
"Ah! How very after school program of him!"
"Huh?" asked Stephanie.
"Nothing kid." Tara said.
Up in his airship, Sportacus was just about finished with his exercises, sweat dripping off his face. He was doing one arm push ups and grunting out,
"Two-thousand eight...two thousand nine...two thousand ten!" He laid on the floor with a satisfied look on his face as he caught his breath. He sat up and took off his cap and goggles revealing dirty blond curls that went down past his ears and fell into his eyes. He rolled heels over head in a flip to his feet and declared,
"There! I feel much better! Woo! I better take a shower!" He did three front flips to a control panel, punched a few buttons and a door opened revealing a bathroom. A shoot for a hamper appeared and he tossed in his sweaty cap quickly followed by his jacket and shirt. He took his arm cuffs off and threw them in, followed by the blue boots he pried off his feet. Finally, he peeled off his pants and underwear and threw them in the hamper where it closed, sending all the dirty clothes to the laundry where it would all automatically become crisp and clean. He stepped into the shower and commanded the voice activated system,
"Shower! On!" The water began to run and Sportacus began to wet his hair instantly feeling cooled off from such a great workout. But as he began to let his mind drift, suddenly, he felt a pair of silken hands come up around from behind him and begin to wash him. He still had his eyes closed and for a moment just enjoyed the sensation of the warm water and the soft touch of the hands on his broad chest. Then the deep, silky voice of Tara whispered in his ear, her breath tickling his neck,
"See you around...Sport..." He snapped his eyes open and jumped to the back wall of the shower, realizing he was all alone. He ran a hand through his hair. Now he was imagining things? It all felt so real. What was happening to him?
"Shower! Off!" he commanded as the water turned off. He got out of the shower and dried himself, pushing a button on the wall where a clean new set of clothes hung up waiting to be put on. He dressed, fixed his mustache and dried his hair before tucking it under his cap and walking out the bathroom. He straightened up his bed and then with a frustrated growl in his throat stomped over to the hatch deciding maybe a good run around Lazytown would clear his head.
"Thank you for stopping by with the last of the papers, Miss Busybody." Tara said to the older woman picking up the coffee cups from the table. The silver haired, fashionable lady smiled,
"Think nothing of it dear! Oh and please...call me Bessie!"
"Sure thing." Tara nodded washing the few dishes in the sink.
"Oh...where did you get that beautiful painting?" Bessie asked standing from couch and walking over to the painting that laid against the wall, not hung up on a nail.
"That's one of mine. I guess you could say I'm an artist." Tara said drying her hands.
"Oh...then why come to Lazytown? Surely this belongs in a museum in the big city!" Bessie asked. Coming over to look at the painting herself, Tara sighed,
"Not according to the museum in the big city."
"Oh dear I'm sorry. Well I don't care what those snobs said. I think it's gorgeous. Can I buy it from you?" Bessie asked. Tara smiled,
"Do you really want it?"
"Of course! It will look perfect in my living room! How much will you take for it?" asked Bessie pulling out her checkbook.
"Oh I don't know...Two hundred dollars?" offered Tara. Writing an amount, Bessie ripped out the check and handed it to her saying,
"I'll give you five hundred! Oh! To think I own an original work of art! I can't wait to show the Mayor! Maybe I can ask him to help me put it up. Which reminds me...how are you going to arrange all this furniture by yourself?" Looking around at the ill-placed furniture, some still covered in protective cloth, Tara said with a little grin on her face,
"Well...Sportacus 10 already offered to help me move the heavy stuff..." Bessie smiled knowingly,
"Ohh! You lucky girl! Ah! You and I are the only single women in town and he's too young for me, but...woof!" Tara giggled as Bessie went on, "Most of the women in town are the mothers of the Kids and happily married, but I know there has not been one of them who doesn't enjoy watching him perform his moves and working out! The man is perfect! Why...why there he is now!" Tara turned her head to look out the bay windows to see Sportacus running by. She and Bessie went to the front door and opened it looking out. Tara noticed with a smile that other women who happened to be outside like the female postal worker, a lady hanging laundry and one just standing outside were all gaping at the handsome man as he ran down the street, sweet dripping off his head and biceps, a thin line of moisture wetting his shirt front bringing attention to his board shoulders and chest.
"I see what you mean." Tara replied smiling appreciatively. Bessie sighed,
"The girl who catches him will be very lucky. He loves children, he has a great and noble job, and he's an absolute doll! On top of him being gorgeous!"
"Yeah...they don't make them like him anymore do they?" Tara asked keeping her eyes on the firm backside and the wide back as it ran away from them. Bessie called out,
"Hello Sportacus!" He turned back, smiled and waved,
"Hello Bessie!"
"Hey Sportacus!" called Tara. He turned back again with a slight panic to his face,
"Tara?...How...Oof!" Everyone watching gasped as he ran into a lamppost backwards. He didn't hit it too hard, for he recovered and quickly took off. As the mail lady talked to the laundry lady and the other mother, Bessie said to Tara with a look akin to shock,
"That's never happened before!" Suspiciously, Tara said watching his form disappear round the corner,
"So I've been told..."
That night, Tara shut off all the lights in her house getting ready for bed. She loved her new house. It had a living room with a open kitchen off to the side, and a door led to her office. Another door led to a hallway that yielded a downstairs bathroom, and a set of stairs. Up the stairs was her bedroom and bathroom, both large and grand with an open balcony. Besides the bedroom was another room with a balcony which she planned to use as a painting room, seeing as to how it got the best light. Both balconies connected to a wonderful garden which she hoped to upkeep and plant her own little touches. She retired to her bedroom and changed into a red nightgown and robe. She opened the French doors to the balcony and leaned against the door frame taking in the cool summer breeze. She smiled at all the stars in the sky and at the sight of a certain blue airship hanging overhead.
They sure don't have guys like Sportacus 10 back in the city! Now I'm really glad I came here! Maybe...just maybe it will finally be a home. A real home. Not just a place I lived with impassive neighbors and rent control but with friends and fun...'She thought. She cast her eyes up to the airship and added aloud,
"And maybe a little romance!" And with that, she stepped inside and shut the doors for the night.