Chapter 83: Mama's Little Manager
A requested parody. Here's a chapter based on the episode: Bossy Boots
At the Reiningers store, Leni and her friends, Fiona and Miguel are at the mannequin display section. Ms. Carmichael's voice is heard on the P.A. "Attention! Attention! All Reininger employees, attention!"
Ms. Carmichael is standing next to the teens, speaking into a megaphone. "Report to my office! (Pause) That will be all."
The teens follow their boss into her office and sit down.
"I have an important announcement to make."
"Woo! Hooray!" Leni stood on her chair, excited. "The new mannequins are here!"
"Sit down, girl! There's no new mannequins!"
Leni sat down. "Leni disappointed."
Ms. Carmichael continues. "You may know my son, Carmen. He's growing up fast." She looks at a picture of her and her son in matching sweaters. "It seems like it was just yesterday I taught him how to knit. Mama's angel. Oh.." She puts the picture back on the wall. "Anyway, uh, he's gonna be working here during his summer vacation. He has a lot of fresh ideas to bring in customers!"
"Mommy?" A voice is heard from outside.
"There he is!" Ms. Carmichael leaves the room.
"Guys, do you know what this means?" Fiona asked.
"No new mannequins?"
"No! That bratty teenager's coming in here to tell us what to do."
"I'm not very fond of Carmen either." Miguel said. "And now he's gonna give us orders?"
We can't have that." Fiona said. "We're all one year older than him, so we have seniority. Right?"
"Right!" Leni and Miguel agree.
"So we'll work together to protect our positions."
"Okie dokie, Fiona." Leni said. "And then we'll get those new mannequins."
Ms. Carmichael's head pokes into the office. "All right guys."
The three kids walk out of the office.
"Say hello to my Carmen."
Carmen was a redhead like his mom. He wore a tie, a fancy vest with a shirt under it, jeans, and boots.
"Hello Car-man." Leni greeted.
"Hey guys." He's holding a box.
"I am just so proud to have you in the family business." Ms. Carmichael said.
"Great Mom, because I have so many new ideas."
Dollar signs form in Ms. Carmichael's eyes. "I can smell the money already! I'll be in my office if you need me." She walks off.
"What's in the box?" Leni asked.
"It's a surprise." Carmen said.
"I like surprises."
"Great, then close your eyes."
Leni covers her eyes. "I'm ready!"
Carmen puts the box's open end over Leni.
"What kind of surprise is this?" Miguel wondered.
Carmen lifts the box up. "Ta da!"
Miguel and Fiona gasp. Leni's wearing a pink suit that looks like footie pajamas and on the top there's a pair of sunglasses being held up by springs.
"It's the new Reininger employee uniform. I designed it myself." Carmen hands Leni a mirror.
"Okay, this is it Leni." Fiona told her. "Now tell him how you really feel about that uniform."
"Okay Fiona." Leni winks at her. "Carmen...this is the greatest uniform ever!"
"You've got to be kidding me." Miguel groaned.
"Oh Leni, you look so adorable, I could just buy and wear you." Carmen said.
"Sorry Carmen, this item's not for sale." Leni giggles.
"Leni, you look ridiculous." Fiona commented.
"Don't feel jealous, Fiona. I made one for you and Miguel too." Carmen holds out their uniforms.
"Don't bother!" Fiona said.
"Only a fool would wear that." Miguel said.
Ms. Carmichael bursts out of her office, wearing the uniform. "Hello fellow employees! Aren't these uniforms just the epitome of fashion?"
She laughs, then goes back in. Then peeks her head out and looks at Miguel and Fiona. "You two, get that suit on. It's already been paid for."
Miguel and Fiona are now wearing the uniforms and are not happy about it. The two springs give and the sunglasses fall over Fiona's eyes.
"Rage. Fury. Irritation. Humiliation."
"Fiona and Miguel are such downers." Carmen commented.
"Sticks in the mud." Leni said.
"But not you Leni. You're just full of style."
"Gee, Thanks Carmen."
"You just ooze fashion. And I've got some completely cool concepts for this place, and I'm going to need someone with your kind of talent to help me."
"Well, I have been trying to get Ms. Carmichael to make a few changes around here." Leni looks at a drawing of herself, Ms. Carmichael, Fiona, and Miguel wearing makeup.
"Why, with your girlish instincts and my ideas, we'll turn this average store into a teenage paradise."
Carmen and Leni are seated at a table as Carmen has a notepad, thinking of ideas. "Leni, what do you like better? Fabulous Fashion or Fantastic Fashion?"
Fiona comes over. "For what, dare I ask?"
"The new name for the store. I mean "Reiningers" is okay. But I think we can come up with a better name."
Miguel comes over. "Well, I think the original name should be left alone. Right Leni?"
"I've got it!" Leni said. "How about Furry Fashion?"
"Hmm...how about Fancy Fashion?" Carmen suggested.
"Funny Fashion." Leni was wearing a clown costume.
"French Fashion." Carmen was wearing a beret.
"Funky Fashion." Leni is dressed as a disco dancer.
"Fitness Fashion." Leni is in workout attire and lifting a heavy weight dumbbell.
"Future Fashion." Leni was wearing futuristic attire.
"Freaky Fashion." Leni appears as a mad scientist holding a rotting brain.
"Ferocious Fashion!" She appears in a killer monster costume.
Carmen freaked out. "Aaah! No!"
"You're right, too scary."
They both think and finally come up with a name. "The Cutie-Fatootie Fashion!"
The both happily hug and laugh. Then Carmen, Leni, And an anguished Fiona and Miguel stand outside the new store. There's a heart shaped sign on top with the name "Cutie Fatootie Fashion". The store outside itself is tied dyed with colors and rainbows. Balloons are hanging from the roof and there are also giant lollipops. Carmen and Leni, giggling, walk back inside the store. Fiona is so mad that the sunglasses on her uniform catch on fire. She angrily shakes the lollipop pole. Two elderly citizens, Scoots and Bernie drive up in a car.
"It's a shame Ms. Carmichael sold Reiningers." Bernie said.
"That's a darn shame." Scoots said. She looked at Miguel. "Hey young lady, do you know where we can shop around here?"
"That's it! I quit!" Miguel yelled.
"I'm with you, man!" Fiona said.
"Come on, let's go get a smoothie." Miguel suggested and he and Fiona walked off. "But first let's get rid of these stupid outfits."
Inside the store, it's a total makeover. Like Carmen said, it's a teenage paradise. There's also teenage music playing.
"Finally!" Whitney said. "A cool place for teens to just, you know, hang out!"
Carmen and Leni admire their store.
"Carmen, you're like, a genius." Leni complimented. "All these young, hip customers. Phooey on Miguel and Fiona. They can't keep up with the times. You're a true visionary Carmen."
"Thank you Leni. I do have 20/20 vision."
"Well, hip people have to eat too. I'm gonna go grab a burger." Leni headed off to a burger stand in the mall. "Hey, I'll have the usual cheeseburger."
"Sorry Leni." The worker said. "According to the new manager Carmen, we now serve veggie and tofu burgers."
"Tofu? Never heard of it. I gotta stay hip. I don't want to end up like silly Fiona and Miguel. But what the heck is tofu?"
"It's curd made from mashed up soybeans. Why don't you try a sample?" He gave her a sample burger.
"Umm…"
Carmen came over. "Hey Leni, I see you're trying a tofu burger."
"Carmen, what happened to the cheeseburgers?"
"Ew Leni, those aren't hip. You're a hip guy. Healthy burgers are hip."
"Oh, right on." Leni decided to try the tofu burger, thinking she'd like it. She tasted it and nearly gagged.
"Pretty good, huh?" Carmen said.
Leni faked a smile. "Oh yeah...that's definitely the coolest meal I've ever had."
"I knew you'd like it."
"Well, I'm gonna get back to work now." Leni rushed off and gagged. "That was awful. I just lost my appetite. I hope I never have to try one of those things again. I just wanted a cheeseburger."
Leni sadly walked back to the department store. Then she screamed, noticing the mannequins were gone. "Where are the mannequins?"
She went over to Carmen. "Carmen, what happened to the mannequin dolls?!"
"We don't need those. I've got something better." Carmen put up cute stuffed animals on the display window where the mannequins used to be. "These stuffed animals will work nicely. Aren't they just the cutest?"
Carol snapped a picture of the stuffed animals.
"But I liked the mannequins." Leni pouted.
"Oh, and you don't have to do fashion designing anymore." Carmen said, which crushed Leni as she began to stutter.
"I'll be taking care of the fashion stuff. I have something that's just as fun for you to do anyway."
The scene cuts to Leni outside the store in a teddy bear costume, waving at cars as she's the store mascot. Thicc QT drives up in her car and stops.
"Hey buddy, need a ride? I was just on my way to the big loser convention!" She laughs and drives off.
"This is humiliating." Leni complained. "I'm a fashionista, darn it! You can take away my favorite mannequin, but when you take away my dignity, that's when I get mad! I'm going to march right up to Ms. Carmichael's office and tell her this is just too much!"
She walks towards the store but gravity gets the best of her and she falls down. She struggles to get up and starts to whimper.
Leni is standing next to her boss' office, out of the bear costume. "Okay Leni, you can do this. Come on…" She knocks on the door and peeks in. "Ms. Carmichael, can I talk to you?"
Ms. Carmichael's office is just as elaborately decorated as the rest of the store. "Come on in, Leni! Have a seat."
"Thanks, Ms. Carmichael." She sits down in a bunny bean bag chair, but starts to sink inside it.
"Don't you just love my new office? Carmen designed it for me."
Leni has sunk in, with her legs sticking out. "Ms. Carmichael, um, I think we have a problem."
"Isn't that the neatest $40 dollar chair you've ever sat in?"
Leni has totally sunk into the chair and sticks her hand out. "Sure, Ms. Carmichael, but I've got some bad news."
"How about my cute executive buddy?" Ms. Carmichael picks up a stress relief doll. "Reduces stress for only five easy payments of $9.95."
She squeezes the doll and it giggles.
Leni pops out of the chair. "Ms. Carmichael, Carmen is ruining Reiningers!" She covers her mouth.
"What?! Why, Carmen is saving Reiningers! I mean, Cutie Fatootie Fashion." She goes over to a picture of a pony. "What would we do without these beautiful $20 pony wall hangers?"
She goes to a strand of lights. "How could we ever survive without these $35 dollar heart lights? How could we go without a plant on every last table?! It's hip, it's cool, it's-it's losing money!" She starts to cry. "Oh, you're right Leni. But I can't fire my pride and joy. It'll break his fragile little heart. What am I going to do?"
Leni comforts her boss. "There, there ma'am. I'm sure there's another way."
"That's it, Leni!"
"What's it?"
"You could fire him! It's okay if he hates you."
"That's not what I said, ma'am."
Ms. Carmichael brings Leni to the door. "Great then. It's all settled. You fire my son, and I'll wait in my office."
Leni hesitated, but then walked up to Carmen. "Hey Carmen."
"What's up Leni?"
"Can I see you for a second?"
"Sure."
They walk to another section of the store.
How am I going to break it to him? Leni thought. I've totes never fired anyone before. You just have to say it. Carmen, you're fired! Ok, here it goes.
Leni opens her mouth to say it, but Carmen groans in frustration. "Oh Leni!"
Leni lets out a sigh of some relief.
"I can't take it anymore!" Carmen
whined. "Nothing I do is working!"
"Sure it is, Carmen. Look at all the young, hip people you've attracted!"
"No, don't you get it?! I've been trying to get fired since day one! I hate working here! I was only pretending to like this place to please mommy! This job is cutting majorly into my social life. Oh Leni, what should I do?"
Leni thinks for a second. "I've got it! I can pretend to "fire you." I'll take the heat from your mom later."
Carmen hugs Leni. "Gosh, you'd really do that for me? You're a lifesaver, Leni! How can I ever thank you?"
"Well...give me back my old job, put the mannequins back, and put cheeseburgers back on the menu."
"Deal!" Carmen and Leni shook hands.
Leni and Carmen walk up to Ms. Carmichael's office. Carmen tried to conceal his laughing. "Oh boy!"
"Okay Carmen, we've got to make this convincing." Leni speaks loud and clear so her boss can hear. "Carmen, I need to have a word with you."
Ms. Carmichael is inside, sobbing. "Oh no! Here it comes! I don't know if I can bear to listen."
Leni continues. "It's not that you haven't done a good job around here, it's just that-"
Ms. Carmichael is against the door. "Don't be too hard on him, now. Why does it have to be this way?" She sees herself in the uniform in the mirror. "It's for the best."
"Well, we feel it might be in everyone's best interest if-"
"I can't let her do this!" Ms. Carmichael goes for the door, but then sees the vault open. It's empty, and a spider crawls around its web. "Get on with it Leni!"
"Carmen, you're fired."
Leni's boss chokes and falls over.
"Thanks Leni." He kisses her hand, then runs out of the store to join his friends outside. "Come on guys, let's go to Gus' Games n Grub!"
They run off. Leni goes into the office. "Hey, Ms. Carmichael, I did it!" She screams when she sees her boss lying on the floor, unconscious. She runs to a bill behind glass, which is for emergency purposes and breaks the glass. She waves the bill under her boss' nose. Ms. Carmichael regains consciousness.
"Oh Carmey…" She sniffs the bill. "Is that a twenty?" She pockets the dollar. "Oh Leni, how could I have done such a thing to my baby boy?"
She cries.
"There, there Ms. Carmichael. Carmen took it just fine. In fact, he seemed sort of happy."
"Really?"
"He's off to bigger and better things."
"That's my boy! He's just like me!" She laughs. "But how am I going to get my money back for all this stuff?"
Leni thinks.
At the Loud house, all the stuff is put in Leni and Lori's room. Leni dances to the music in her uniform. "Isn't this great, Lori? And it only cost me one year's salary!"
Lori was covered in stuffed animals. "One year's salary?"