Part 4
When Meena called so late in the night, crying to her mother in the most heartbreaking tone she'd ever heard, the elephant-cow didn't even need to think about what she was going to do. She woke up her mother and father and within the space of an hour, they were on a bus headed to Redshore City.
It was an all-night, all-morning journey. It was afternoon before the bus pulled up in front of the Crystal Tower Hotel. They followed the path into the establishment, scanning the area with their eyes for any sign of her.
Finally, Grandpa shouted. "I see her! Meena!" He called towards an ice cream truck. Meena was just sitting and watching a bull elephant serve ice cream to everyone who wanted it. And even from here, they could tell she was still crying when she looked up from the table.
"Grandpa!" She cried out as she stood up and ran to her favorite person in the whole world. He was the one who pushed her to overcome her stage fright when her mom and grandmother were willing to let her stay afraid as long as she needed to be. And she appreciated that too but if not for her grandpa forcing her to ask Mr. Moon for a second audition, she would STILL be afraid. So he was in a unique position to know just how badly she hurt.
He hugged her, patting her back. "Are you alright?" It was a stupid question but it needed to be asked.
Her mom and grandma joined in the hug, giving Meena three strong supports to cling to in her grief. "I'm sorry I called you so late, Mom."
"Oh honey, I'm your mother. You are to call me anytime you need me. I don't care what time it is. I am your mother," she assured her. "Though, I'll admit, when you told me what happened… I'm so sorry sweetheart."
Grandpa nodded. "That poor Mr. Moon, it's terrible. What happened to the jackass responsible?"
Meena shook her head. "He's been dealt with. It doesn't help though… Mr. Moon is still gone…" Her grandfather used his trunk to pick up a napkin and wiped her eyes.
"Meena?" Alphonso snapped her out of it and she pulled away.
She cleaned up her face quickly. "Oh, I'm so rude. Alphonso, this is my mom, Sitara Patel, my grandfather, Ishin Gupta and my grandmother, Lakshmi Patel. Everyone, this is Alphonso. I met him in between rehearsals." She took his hand, letting her family get the gist.
Her mother smiled joyously. "Oh… well it's a pleasure to meet you, Alphonso. Well, maybe we should leave you two lovebirds and go check in." She teased, earning a blush from her daughter.
"Mom! Here, we have the biggest suite in the hotel. Take my key," she offered the card to her mother.
Her grandmother hugged Alphonso without even asking. "So you've been taking care of my grandbaby for me? Thank you for being here for her."
He chuckled nervously. "I'm happy that I could. That she trusted me enough to tell me what was hurting her. She's so beautiful and nice. And wow, what a voice!"
Grandpa laughed. "She does have a beautiful voice. I always knew she was born to sing!"
Meena shrugged. "I guess but… I don't know if I'll be singing again. Anytime soon… I mean, I don't even know if I still have a job. He was my friend but he was my boss too. And he's gone. So…. I might be out of a job."
"Oh no, uh uh! You will keep singing, Meena," Grandpa said sharply. "Even if you're out of a job, a voice like yours can find another."
Alphonso nodded. "Yeah, you can't just stop singing Meena. Your voice is the prettiest sound I have ever heard." His praise was rewarded with another deep blush and her ears wrapping around her face and she went to his arms.
Grandma cooed and pulled her husband away. "Well, I echo your mother. We will meet you up in your suite, Meena." She led Ishin and daughter-in-law away.
Meena sighed. "Sorry about them. I hadn't told them about you yet. They're a little… well…"
Alphonso shook his head. "They seem very nice and they love you very much, I can tell. Let me sell out my tray there and I'll walk you back to your room." He promised and he picked up the tray to get back to work. "You know, my church has a choir. A pretty big choir and they don't care if someone can sing or not. You'd be welcome."
She smiled. "You go to church?" She asked.
He nodded. "Yeah, my dad and me go every Sunday morning. That's why I don't open the truck until 1 on Sundays." He explained. "You could come with us tomorrow."
She wasn't sure how much she believed in God, especially after last night, but it would be more time with Alphonso, so… "Yeah, okay, I would like that."
He beamed at her. "Great. We'll pick you up at 8." He promised as someone finally bought the last cone. Closing up the truck, he offered her his arm.
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Johnny sat with Ryan at the chocolate shop. The tiger was eating a bowl of chocolate pudding topped with whipped cream and chocolate syrup while Johnny stared at his. He watched Ryan devouring the sweet, icy treat. He wondered how he had failed to notice the tiger's attraction. He hadn't really thought about it but he was very attractive. And the more time he spent with Ryan the more he liked him.
"Don't you like it?" Ryan's voice called his attention back to his bowl.
He wasn't really interested in pudding at the moment but Ryan had bought it for him and he didn't want to offend him, so he began eating. "Sorry…. You're right, this really is the best chocolate."
The tiger beamed at him, making Johnny blush against his will. "After this, we'll go to the arcade. And then we can hit the go-karts."
"Well, I have to go back to our suite eventually," the gorilla tried to smile. "But… you'd be welcome to come with me."
Ryan nodded. "Then we can save the go-karts for tomorrow. Sorry… I just… wanted to try and cheer you up."
Johnny nodded. "I know, I appreciate it. It's still too raw…." He ate his dessert. "I'd be happy to try those things with you tomorrow though. And this is great chocolate pudding." He finished his bowl.
"Sorry about Klaus last night. Believe me, I gave him hell for it when we got home," the Tiger promised. "But you did great."
The gorilla's face flushed again. "Thanks. So you live with that jackass?" He asked.
Ryan nodded. "Since I was 18. He gave me a home. He's been kind of like a dad to me. So, I'm sorry for the way he's been treating you." He took his hand, entwining their fingers.
"It's alright. I think things are gonna be better now. Besides, it's not like we'll be here much longer anyway," Johnny pointed out, missing the alarmed expression on the tiger. "I can't wait to go home." He wiped his nose with a napkin.
Ryan squeezed his hand. Johnny was going to leave Redshore. He couldn't just let him go, not without him. He needed to talk to Klaus tonight. "Hey, let's get some chocolate for every one. If you like the pudding, you gotta try the chocolate bars."
The gorilla laughed in spite of the situation. "You like chocolate, don't you?"
He smiled. "I love chocolate. And cake, ice cream, almost any sweet really. Except for artificial sweetener." He led them up to the counter. "Yeah, I'd like ten of the giant milk chocolate bars. A pound of the small chocolate dinosaurs. And the largest box of the mixed truffles." He didn't care that this would finish off his paycheck for the week. He'd do anything to try and cheer Johnny up. "The dinosaurs are for the kids." He explained. "And they're candy-coated." He showed Johnny a tiny blue brontosaurus.
"You don't have to do all this," Johnny said. "At least let me pay." He reached into his pocket.
Ryan stopped him. "This was my idea. Please, Johnny…" He met Johnny's eyes.
He sighed. "Alright…" he gave in. "If you really want to…" He realized how close Ryan's mouth was to his. He could smell Ryan's cologne. The pine scent filled his nose.
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As she went about her day, talent scout and now temporary-CEO (until Porsha was ready), Suki Lane found herself moving about in a fog. She had tried to warn Buster not to come. Oh how she had tried. She tried to warn him to leave many times during the last three weeks, including the day before. After Crystal had locked Buster in a closet. It just wasn't enough. She just could not appeal to his sense of self-preservation. Perhaps he didn't have one.
She didn't like him. Not at first. She actively resented him for going behind her back to sneak his troupe into the auditions. However, with the way he put his heart into developing their space musical, how his eyes just lit up with excitement every time he heard them sing, the love he had for his troupe. It was so hard NOT to fall in love with that kind of passion and the person behind it.
She had tried to stop Crystal. She warned him over and over, and not just about Moon. His temper famously got him into trouble on many occasions. "James, why? I have to know. How could you do that to Mr. Moon? How could you do this to us?" She sat down and picked up a picture frame from the coffee table. Mr. Crystal was depicted holding his daughter. "James, how could you ruin everything like this? You know how much I cared for you and Porsha. I didn't care about your image or your money. I cared about you! I loved you! We could have had it all together. And then you went and did this!" She pulled her arm back and threw the frame. "You bastard, I loved you!" She screamed as she sat back on the couch, scrunching her legs up with her to cry. "James…. Oh James…" She wrapped her arms around her knees and buried her head in her grief.
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Eddie eventually cried himself to sleep and Nana covered him with a blanket. She looked at the still koala. "I'm so sorry, Mr. Moon. If I thought for one moment that this might happen, I would never have sent you here."
Soon after, the Elephant family had arrived and Rosita returned with her family. Everyone slowly trickled back into the suite. Johnny and Nooshy returned, with Ryan on Johnny's arm. Marcus looked at his son and the tiger with an amused smile.
Nana's butler, Hobbs, served everyone lapsang souchong tea along with the chocolate that Ryan had contributed and Alphonso's pastries. "I suppose we have a lot we need to talk about." Nana knew they couldn't put off the conversation much longer.
Rosita asked the question in the front of all their minds. "What happens to us? I know it seems selfish but…"
Nana shook her head. "It's not selfish. It's a very valid concern given the nature of the situation." She pulled out a folded pack of papers. "Mr. Moon, under my guidance, made provisions for all of you in his will. After the squid tank incident, I made sure he had one drawn up. Rosita, Norman, because of your family, he chose to leave you the theater itself." He handed her the papers, held together by a rubber band.
Dumbfounded, Rosita unwrapped and unfolded the papers. "Oh my gosh. He did! Norman… he left us the theater!" The rest of the troupe nodded in approval. 25 piglets was difficult to provide for. College was almost a pipe dream. However, the theater and the profits from it would make sure they all got an education. She hugged her husband, the tears renewing. Her lip wobbled. "Oh, Buster…"
Nana nodded. "He felt it would be most appropriate. Johnny, he wanted you to have this." She handed him an old metal bucket embossed with the words Moon Wash. "I assume you know what this is."
Johnny took the bucket and nodded sadly, glancing at his father. "After everything settled down, he told us the story. How for 30 years his father worked his fingers raw washing cars all so he could buy Mr. Moon his theater." It was a reminder not to take his father for granted. He showed it to Ryan.
"30 years? His dad washed cars for 30 years?" Porsha was incredulous. Her father would never have put himself through such labor. Jerry, yes, himself, no.
Eddie moaned as he sat up, hearing the conversation. "His dad was his hero…" He looked blankly at the room, not really seeing anything. All he knew was the room had a lot more people in it then it did when he fell asleep.
Nana smiled wistfully. "Hmm. Eddie, we were just discussing the future of the New Moon troupe. Do you want to tell them what you decided?"
He nodded, taking a cup of tea from Hobbs. "I'm… I'm going to try and pick up where Buster left off. I don't know how to produce or direct or any of it but I'm going to try and learn. If you'll all give me a chance." He looked around the room.
Ash nodded. "I'm in. You'll learn Eddie. And we will all help you. Right guys?"
Five minutes ago, their futures were hanging by a thread. Rosita used a tissue to wipe back her tears. "It sounds like Mr. Moon made sure we were taken care of in his absence."
Nana nodded. "He was clear in his intentions. He loved all of you. You say he gave you your dreams? Well, you gave him his." She elaborated. "He told me every show how much he loved you. Sometimes I think he produced the shows for his own enjoyment and not the audience's." They all laughed. It did feel that way sometimes. His favorite part about his life was seeing his troupe bring his ideas to life on stage. "And there's one other matter…" She looked over to where Buster lay. "He needs to be taken home and laid to rest beside his father."
Clay remembered when he had to bury his beloved wife. He kept hearing how the funeral would bring him closure and let him move on. It was a lie. However, she was also right. Whether it helped or not, it needed to be done.
Eddie shook his head. "No, Nana… he loved his father but… there's a better place… And we all know where that is." He looked around the troupe.
Rosita nodded. "There's only one place I know he'd want to be. We could do a layout and a day or two later, a memorial service."
"What about a memorial concert?" Gunter suggested. "Big and flashy! Mr. Moon would love it!"
Meena smiled through the tears. "You bet he would. Hey, what if we reprised our first show together?"
"That's perfect, Meena!" Ash said. "Except this time, we will skip the bank lady's interruption during my song. And we have a few more players now." She looked at Clay, Porsha and Nooshy. "If you'll join us."
Nooshy nodded. "Oh I'm definitely in." She looked at Porsha.
"Of course!" Porsha exclaimed. "I wouldn't miss it for the world." She was going to get to see the fabled theater they talked about so much.
Clay nodded. "I could play a song for the annoying koala." He wanted to go back into hiding but his new friends were in turmoil. They had brought him back, out from the shadows. Ash was right. He just needed to sing again. He had to. To honor his Ruby.
Gunter scratched his chin. "Do you think we should, like, you know, tell Mike?" They hadn't seen the mouse since their first show though he did keep in touch with letters and postcards. Mostly bragging, His girlfriend, Nancy, had taken care of his financial issues and gotten him set up with a recording company, launching his own solo career as both a vocalist and saxophonist. "He was part of ze first show."
Rosita sighed. "I don't know how we'd get in touch with him. He never leaves any contact numbers. Besides, the Squid Tank Incident was partially his fault." She often wished she could take the narcissistic mouse over her knee like she did her kids when their misbehavior went extreme.
Porsha held up her hands. "Wait a minute, I have got to know. What is this Squid Tank Incident? It sounds like there's a story there. I have to know."
Meena hid her face, she had helped build that Squid Tank. "Well, Mr. Moon kind of made some big promises to impress Nana. So he built the stage into a huge squid tank and hired 250 glowing squid to dance inside it. It would have worked if we hadn't all been standing on the glass floor. Or if we used aquarium-quality glass. It just couldn't hold our weight."
Ash nodded. "We were giving Nana a private preview of our first show. The 100,000 singing competition. Well, Mike cheated these bears at poker and told them he'd give them the prize money to save his own ass." She saw the kids were still there and Rosita gave a mock glare. "Sorry. Don't ever say that word kids!"
Rosita rolled her eyes. "We found out there that he only had 1,000. Well, before we could really discuss it, the glass started to crack and… well, given the dimensions… Nine point eight multiplied by ten to the fourth power of Pascal pressure, water just came gushing out with such ferocity."
"What?" Porsha asked at the new word. "Pascal pressure? Do you mind saying that again in English?"
Norman held up his hand. "Its equivalent would be the force behind an eighteen wheeler truck doing sixty miles an hour." Eyes turned to him. "What? I was a math minor."
Gunter laughed. "Ze water flooded ze theater and Meena got stuck in ze ticket counter."
Johnny nodded. "And I used myself as a torpedo to finally break us out!" He chuckled at the memory. Back then he was terrified but he was able to laugh at it now. It really was funny if one thought about it.
Porsha laughed. "That sounds both terrifying and hilarious. And you guys just… he lied to you and almost got you all killed. But…"
Rosita nodded. "He was just desperate. It wasn't really all his fault, just a bad combination of stressful circumstances. He only wanted to save his theater from bankruptcy." She said with compassion. "He was devastated when it was destroyed. So yeah, we forgave him and, while it took some accidental coercion from Meena, we all came together and cobbled the theater into a temporary outdoor theater and we did our first show. Without any prize money and… that was it. We became a team with Buster as the glue. What if… without him… we fall apart?"
"Hey!" Clay's gruff voice rose over the din. "You're still a team and he's still your leader! You'll still perform together. Mr. Noodleman might be doing the work he would have been but you're still performing for him. Just like I'll always sing for my Ruby. I was wrong to hide away and reject music. As long as you stay together and play together, he's still with you."
Meena's mother nodded. "He's right. You've had a terrible loss. You'll feel that pain for a while and it's okay. But you've known Mr. Moon for five years now. You know what he'd expect of you. So do it." She knew she might sound a little harsh but her baby was finally living her best life. She would not let her lose it now even if she had to be as blunt as her father.
Meena looked at her mother. She knew something of what they were feeling. Meena's father had died shortly after Meena was born. She reached out to her.
Nana knew she needed to bring them back on topic. She could not let them drown in these early days. "I'm going to submit an obituary to the paper in Calatonia. Would any of you like to write it up for me?"
"I can take care of that, Nana," Ash assured her. "I'll email it to you by tonight."
She nodded. "I need to get back now. I'm going to take Mr. Moon with me. I will have him prepared for the layout and I'll make the arrangements. Eddie, do you want to come back with me or do you want to stay?"
The white sheep was unsure. If he went back, he could help her prepare. However, the New Moon Troupe needed him. He sighed. "I'll stay here, Nana. I'll get my way back with them."
She smiled approvingly. "Very good… when can I expect you all home?"
They hadn't even thought about going home. Home? Without Buster? They felt like mutually exclusive terms.
Marcus answered. "Porsha will want to say goodbye to her father and we won't make her do that alone. So we'll be staying at least a few more days." He hoped his probation officer would be understanding. They couldn't leave yet.
Porsha gave him a grateful smile. Suki and Jerry were taking care of her father's arrangements and it wouldn't take them long. "Thank you." They had all been so nice to her. Nicer than she deserved. She knew what they must all be thinking. It was her tantrum that got Buster killed. She didn't understand how they could want anything to do with her. How long would it be before they realized that this was all her fault and kicked her out and she was alone again?
They each took a brief few minutes to say goodbye to Buster before Marcus picked him up and carried him out. Miss Crawly ultimately decided to accompany Nana. She would be better used helping the elderly sheep to make arrangements.
Alphonso got a look at the clock. "I should… go find Tyler. I've left him running the truck alone most of the day. I should at least help clean up." He squeezed Meena's hand. "I'll see you tomorrow at 8." He promised.
She smiled as best as she could. "How should I dress?"
He chuckled. "Casual. Your jeans and hoodie would be fine. It's very laid back, I promise." He hugged her. "If you need someone to talk to, you have my number."
She blushed as he left. Porsha giggled. "Oh, did Alphonso ask you out?"
Meena shook her head. "He invited me to go to church with him in the morning. I don't know if that counts as asking me out. But I will get to meet his dad." She looked around. "Do you guys mind?"
Rosita shook her head. "Of course not, sweetheart. You should go if you want to. You might have fun."
Ryan looked at his phone then to Johnny. "I have to go home too. Klaus is done for the day. I'll see you tomorrow?"
Johnny nodded. "Yeah… thanks for today, I appreciate it." He realized that he would miss Ryan that night.
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Later that night, Ryan was eating supper with his teacher. "Sir…. I think… I think Johnny might be leaving the city."
Klaus ate his kung-pao chicken. "Hmm… if he does, we shall simply go with them." He was starting to lose his fascination with Redshore City anyway. "You'll go ahead of me while I work out my notice. But we'll see if he plans to go first."
Ryan nodded. "Thank you… for understanding, sir. I really like Johnny."
The monkey looked him over. "Yes, you two make fine partners. I knew I was onto something. Now finish your Mongolian beef."
Ryan realized that Klaus wasn't understanding what he was saying and let the matter drop.
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Alphonso returned home with Tyler with two poké bowls. "I feel terrible for her, Tyler. And I don't know what to do. I really… really like her…"
The orangutan sat at his computer and began typing. "They're from Calatonia, right? Santa Francesca?"
The elephant nodded. "Yeah. That's what Meena told me."
Tyler typed a search prompt into the field and hit the search key. A few moments later, no less than 20 links populated. "Okay, there's an indoor parking garage, a commissary and a farmer's market all within five miles of each other."
Alphonso joined him while eating his raw salmon and tuna. "What?"
Tyler opened up his bowl and dug into the fresh vegetables and shrimp. "Alphie, we've always wanted to take our truck to other cities. Maybe God has given us a sign that this is where we need to go."
His best friend thought about it. "You know it makes sense. But… I need to talk to Dad first. I can't just leave without…"
He shook his head. "Of course not but your dad is going to be all for it. I'm sure of it."
Alphonso looked at him. "And you'd really want to do this? Just up and move to a whole new state."
"I think if you let her leave this city without you, you will regret it," Tyler said firmly. "And you're like my brother so where you go, I go."
The elephant looked down. "She is pretty amazing and… I mean, we could try and make it work long distance but I want to be with her. But what if it doesn't work out and we make this move for nothing?"
His business partner and best friend sighed. "Pray about it. I've told you what I think. Whether we go or not is up to you." He put the lid on his bowl. "Well, lunch for tomorrow. Alphie, just ask yourself, if you let her go, will you ever be able to forgive yourself?"
Alphonso sighed and went to his Bible. Tyler's suggestion was tempting. The thought of moving was scary but the thought of losing Meena was terrifying.
AN: Part 4 done. You would figure they'd want to do a flashy show for the memorial service. Honoring Buster's memory in the way he'd like best. What songs should Porsha and Clay each do? Obviously shoot me a U2 song for Clay since Clay is basically an animated version of Bono.