AN: Okay, I'm giving names to certain characters who didn't get names and last names to the main cast. If sing 3 is made and gives us different names for these characters, I will change them. Oh, I thinking I'm going to increase the rating here. It gets slightly more M from here. Not bad but ehhh… Friends level. And yes, Eddie is roughly middle aged. He's clearly not, say, in his twenties. He and Buster are peers, best friends. So they're at least in the same generation. And we know Buster is over 36 in movie 1, because he was 6 in the opening and his dad worked everyday for 30 years. Then we know his dad is gone and the theater saw many failed shows under Buster so at least another year or two has passed since the theater was purchased.
Part 8
When Alphonso woke up the following morning, he was astonished at how good the house smelled. He and Tyler had politely accepted Mrs. Patel's invitation to stay the night. Tyler had jokingly offered to let Meena share the sofa bed with Alphonso but he was too polite for that. He respected Meena too much. She was his goddess.
He moaned as he stretched and sat up. Tyler was already at the breakfast table, helping himself to a muffin. "Hey, Alphie, you've hit the jackpot! Your girlfriend can bake!"
Alphonso felt himself blushing. "She's not my girlfriend." He looked at Meena who was carrying out a fresh tray. She blushed as bright as he. "I mean… what we are is as much up to her as it is me. She's not an object or prize to be won. She's a person." He took her hand and whispered. "If you wanted to be my girlfriend, I would love it but…"
The older elephants in the room cooed at them. Meena hid her face in her ears in embarrassment. She whispered. "I'd love to be your girlfriend."
Mrs. Patel smiled. "Awwww, my baby has her first boyfriend." Alphonso seemed like a decent guy. He was very respectful toward her baby girl. What she wouldn't tell him was that Meena had been up baking since four.
—
She had been sleeping when she heard the rustling of metal pans. She could tell whoever it was trying to be quiet about it. She got out of bed and went out to the kitchen. Her daughter's boyfriend and his friend were peacefully oblivious.
In the kitchen, the young elephant female quietly put together a batter. "Honey? Why are you up at this hour?" Meena looked up at her with eyes so red and puffy they made her own eyes hurt. "Oh, baby girl..."
"I'm fine. I couldn't sleep," she explained. "So I wanted to bake some muffins for Alphonso when he gets up. Maybe some cupcakes. Oh I'll need a big cake for later."
Mrs. Patel recognized her daughter's attempts at hiding what was bothering her. "Sweetheart…"
"I'm okay, Mom, really. I just can't sleep," she insisted. She went through the motions of stirring her batter until her mother pulled her into a hug and she coughed out a soft sob. "I miss him, Mom. Is it supposed to hurt this bad?"
Mrs. Patel thought about it. "I think it speaks very highly of Mr. Moon that you miss him so much. There are precious few employers in the world as kind and caring as he was." She rubbed her back. "Mr. Suarez was telling me his job might even be in trouble. His boss was threatening to fire him if he didn't come home right away. But don't tell Rosita."
Meena nodded with understanding. "We were lucky to have someone like him to work for. Just…." She admitted. "Just tell me it gets easier."
She nodded. "I can say without doubt that it does get easier. When your father died, I spent the two weeks after just a mess. Thankfully, your grandparents were here to help me with you. Everyday it'll be just a modicum easier. You just have to hold on. Just tell yourself to hold on, for one more day. And you just repeat it everyday." She squeezed her daughter again.
—
No, he didn't need to know that but Mrs. Patel was grateful that she had Alphonso. The last time she'd seen that gaze it was from her own husband. She just hoped he would be able to help Meena where she couldn't.
"So, what have you kids got planned for today?" Grandpa asked, grabbing one of Meena's muffins.
"Alphie and I gotta go get checked into our hotel, then get the truck," Tyler said. "Unless Alphie wants to stay here with Meena." He teased only for Alphonso to push his face into his applesauce. He laughed as he looked up with a face full of applesauce. "Okay, I deserved that." Everyone laughed at the orangutan.
—
Norman woke up to the familiar sound of bedlam in the kitchen. His children were talking loudly while their mother made breakfast. He thought about the night before and was pleased to see she was a little bit happier, floating even.
"Good morning, Norman," she kissed him. "Did you sleep well?"
He smiled. "Very… and you?" He asked, encircling her with his arm lovingly.
She grinned. "Much better… after…" She teased him and whispered. "Thank you." Louder, she asked. "Are you going back to work today?"
Norman shook his head. "I sent Mr. Smith a text saying we had a family emergency and you needed me home another day." He groaned when his cell phone rang as if on cue. He answered it. "Mr. Smith, I take it you saw my text. Yes, my wife needs me home with her today. We just got back. Well it's not my fault you ignored that I was on vacation the last three weeks. I've worked myself to exhaustion for you far too often for this to be acceptable behavior from you." Norman wasn't really in the mood to deal with his boss. He had been through far too much this last week and he had reached his breaking point. "You know what PTO stands for right? Prepare the others." He walked into the living room. The last three weeks had given him time to think and the last few days had almost convinced him. "Well, that sounds like a you-problem." He looked up at Rosita. "Well, in that case, I quit."
Her mouth fell open and she protested. "Norman! What?" He pulled her to him and she squealed with surprise.
"You know what, Mr. Smith, I really don't care. For the last time, that's a you-problem. I'm done with this company." He hit the disconnect button. "That felt so good."
She looked at him quizzically. "Norman, are you sure that's what you want?" She had never imagined her husband would quit his job.
He nodded. "Rosita, you are more important than that company. And I hate it. I hate coming home and going right to sleep because I'm so tired. The last three weeks have shown me that I don't need to take abuse like this from my boss… Mr. Moon and I even talked about it a little…"
—
After another, long hard day under the hot lights, rehearsing for the big show, everyone was asleep in their rooms. Except for Norman and Buster.
Buster was still mulling over the ending on his laptop. He just didn't know what to do until he knew if they had Calloway.
"You should get some sleep," the father pig pushed the middle-aged koala as he looked over his shoulder at the big block of empty document on the screen.
"Ugh, I can't. There's still so much to do. And only so much time to do it in. And I don't know what to do about Porsha. She's not learning like I thought she would. But I can't do anything without upsetting Mr. Crystal!" He sighed and shut the laptop, laying his head on top of it in defeat.
"But it won't do anyone any good if you pass out from exhaustion," the boar pointed out as his phone buzzed. He pressed a button on the side and spoke into the phone. "For the last time, Mr. Smith, I'm on vacation with my wife and children. Stop texting and emailing me or I will be contacting HR." He hit the same button again. "Sorry, my boss has been harassing me."
Buster nodded. "You know, I can't help noticing you don't seem to like your job. Rosita says you come home exhausted and burnt out almost every night."
The boar sighed. "I hate it. Every morning, I want to scream before going in but I don't because I don't want to worry Rosita. Don't tell her about any of this by the way." He went to the mini-bar and poured two fingers from a tall bottle of MacCutcheon whiskey. One for him and the other he handed to Buster.
The theater owner took the scotch and sipped. "Well, why do you stay there? I bet I could find you something to do with us." He offered with a serious tone. "You deserve better."
Norman thought about it. "I don't know. I don't know what skills I have to offer. I don't sing, dance or act."
Buster smiled at him. "Oh you have plenty to offer, everyone does. Think about it. I'll make it a standing offer."
—
Now he wished he had taken his offer. He wished he had thought to tell Mr. Moon just how grateful he was for what he'd done for his wife and his family. But he could still learn a lesson from Mr. Moon.
"I want to work with you. In the theater. I don't know what I can do. I could at least help Mr. Noodleman with the financial side, balance the books and such," he explained.
She smiled, realizing he was serious. "You're the best." She kissed him. It meant a lot to her that he would do this for her.
—
Wandering through her office to her desk, Miss Crawly found herself finally forced to think about what happened. She'd been able to focus on the housekeeping side of things, the paperwork, helping Nana get everything squared away. Now she had nothing left to hide behind. All that was left was to face it.
She had watched Buster grow up, practically helped Benji raise the lad. Helped him start and run the car wash that he had used to earn the money to buy his son his dream. When he fell ill, shortly after the theater was rebranded the Moon Theater, she had made a promise that she would take care of Buster for him.
Buster had been a good boss to her. He never made her feel bad when she made her regular age-related errors. Even when she nearly cost him $100,000, he still didn't even have a harsh word for her. He was only ever patient and kind with her. And he always made sure she got paid. Even when he couldn't pay anyone else, not even himself, she always had her paycheck clear. She always showed her appreciation by making sure he didn't starve, had water and power.
She went into his office and looked at the photograph of the first opening day. Tears fell onto the desk and she had to grip the edge tightly to keep from collapsing, feeling every one of her eighty-six years.
He was her one true friend. The one constant in her life for decades. She didn't know what she was going to do now. Eddie thought she was too old for the job, he'd said it, but wouldn't sack her. Because of Mr. Moon. She knew she should retire. She just loved working in the theater. The work that went into producing a play was invigorating and the end result was a worthwhile reward for the effort.
She could just hear him urging her to stay with the theater. "Eddie's gonna need all the help he can get." A friend who knew what he was dealing with, because she'd watched it all. She could tell her charge was in love and often encouraged Buster to just tell Eddie how he felt, to hell with his parents.
But he always said, "No, Miss. Crawly, I can't. Eddie's close with his parents and I won't come between them. Besides what do I have to offer? No, he's better off marrying some beautiful ewe and taking over his dad's business." And he couldn't be convinced otherwise.
So she just watched them. When Buster was banished from the Noodleman Mansion, she had taken the task of delivering letters between them.
The more she reminisced about her boss, the more she realized she knew what she needed to do. He was right. Eddie would need her. "Alright, Mr. Moon… you can count on me…"
—
Clay played for Ash until she fell asleep on the sofa. Covering her with a blanket and leaning back in the recliner, he would watch over her all night, making sure she wasn't kept awake by nightmares. When morning came, he was going to make breakfast except her fridge was stocked like she was going to be out of town for three weeks. Nodding to himself, he pulled out his phone and the delivery app. He hoped she wouldn't mind him ordering groceries for the house. Somehow, he felt responsible for her. She had saved him from a life in the shadows. He needed to keep her from disappearing into the shadows.
She was still sleeping after the groceries had been put away. He nodded to himself and found a large cast iron skillet. He put a few pats of butter at the bottom of the skillet and turned on the stove burner. He opened the coffee pouch and put it in the filter before setting up the coffee pot. He cracked several eggs and chopped up vegetables. In another skillet, he set two strip steaks frying. In a final skillet he threw in some cubed potatoes with fresh thyme and cilantro. In a small pot, he brought some water to boil and threw in some grits.
Eventually his efforts were rewarded with a moan from the living room. He peeked around the corner. "Breakfast is almost done." He announced.
The crested porcupine sat up and scratched her head. "What? Oh… Clay? What happened? When did I fall asleep?"
"Oh around 2:30," he replied. "Go wash up and come eat." His tone offered no room for protest. He finished setting up the table while she tended to her morning toilette.
She joined him at the table with downcast eyes. "I don't know how hungry I am but thank you…" She sat down.
He shook his head. "You need to try to eat something." He instructed her. "Just eat what you can but you have to try."
Ash acquiesced and accepted half of the large omelet. "Thank you, Clay." She slowly ate. "I guess we need to go to the theater here soon."
He nodded. "One o'clock but I'd like to go sooner. I've heard a lot about this theater. I'd like to see it." He asked.
Ash stared at the fluffy egg concoction. "The last time I was at the theater, it was right before I was offered my first recording contract." She poked at the eggs with her fork. "We had just finished doing our last performance of the season… Peter Pan. I was Tinkerbell… I know, me, a hard rocker, playing a fairy but that's why he thought it was a good role. He said I would bring something unique. He was right. The New Moon Theater without Mr. Moon… it won't be the same."
—
Her bed back in Redshore City had been the best memory foam. Her sheets were silk and her quilt was thick and she loved to cocoon herself within it on colder nights. Marcus' bed wasn't nearly as thick and she had to share with Nooshy. But Porsha was sure she'd slept better the night before than she ever had back home. It was a small room, just enough room for the budget king-size mattress, a small dresser and a fourteen-inch portable television on top of that.
She'd be lying if she said it wasn't a shock to her system though. She wasn't used to sharing a bathroom or shower and she never had siblings to share anything with as a child. And Johnny took forever in the bathroom.
She knocked on the bathroom door. "Johnny, I gotta go!" She begged, dancing in front of the door.
Nooshy, on the other hand, was just in love with her new surroundings. She just danced throughout the apartment, getting to know it in the light.
Marcus had to leave early that morning with his friends. They were still doing community service for their previous crimes.
Finally, Johnny came out of the bathroom, wrapped in a towel, letting Porsha race inside with a slam of the door. "Sorry sis." He went into his room to finish getting dressed.
He'd have to get used to sharing the only bathroom in the house with two girls. He grabbed his brush off his dresser, brushing his black fur, singing softly and lightly wiggling his hips to the tune. "Confessing yeah. Oh I've been shaking, I love it when you go crazy." Two hands fell around his hips. He tilted his head back to share a kiss with his dance partner, his handsome tiger.
"You take all my inhibitions," Ryan teased as he caressed Johnny's bare chest.
Johnny moaned at his touch. "Baby, there's nothing holding me back." He wiggled his hips back further against Ryan's, savoring the sensations going up and down his body. He dropped the brush and his arm reached up to wrap around his neck. "Mmmm…." They weren't paying attention while dancing together, lost in each other, they could only shout in shock as Ryan's foot caught the edge of Johnny's mattress and they fell backward on the bed, laughing in unison.
The tiger nuzzled his neck adoringly. "I guess I need to go get checked into my hotel. Want to come with me? Then we can go to the theater together." He regretted the words as his gorilla became quiet.
Johnny sighed. "I guess so… I did say I'd be there…" He buried his face in Ryan's broad chest. His paw stroked his hair tenderly. "I have to go eventually, right? It doesn't matter if I want to or not. It won't change it…"
"I'll be with you the entire time," the panthera tigris promised him. He kissed his cheek. If the tiger had any say, he'd stay with Johnny forever. His post-shower scent was intoxicating. "I won't leave you alone for a moment. Unless you want me to."
The young silverback shook his head. "No, don't leave…" He confirmed his willingness. "Stay with me…" He squeezed his big paw within his own.
"I will stay with you, for as long as you'll let me," the tiger promised a second time. "I meant what I said. I love you. Even if you don't know how you feel yet. No matter what… I'll wait no matter how long it takes."
After a few more minutes of cuddling, Tiger and Gorilla had to get up and finish getting ready.
Nooshy was courteous enough to leave the breakfast fixings out for Ryan and Johnny. Porsha still wasn't eating much unless Marcus was around to make her. The lynx already had some idea of what Porsha needed. Another girl to talk to. But it was hard to have girl talk with someone she had nothing in common with.
Growing up in Redshore City, Nooshy was alone almost from her youngest recollection. No home, just a box in the alley that would need changed now and then.
She had no idea that agreeing to be Johnny's dance coach would net her a home and a family. And that family included the little rich girl of Redshore City. So Nooshy knew she needed to try. She just didn't know how.
—
Eddie spent the night in one of Nana's guest rooms after exhausting himself. She slept lightly but she was ready when Hobbs came in that morning with her phone.
"Son, fancy hearing from you about this hour. I wonder what it could possibly be about," she said, not bothering to hide her sarcasm.
"Mom, we're looking for Eddie. He went storming out last night and hasn't come back," her son explained.
She shook her head. "I can't imagine why except you were very dismissive about the pain your son is in and insulting to his friend. He came to me last night just beside himself."
"Well we had no way of knowing that Mr. Moon had passed away," her son argued.
She laughed darkly. "No way of knowing? I tried to tell you when I got home but you wouldn't hear anything after I said Mr. Moon's name. And of course I put it in the newspaper and on television. You didn't know out of willful ignorance, my son. And I'll have you know that I know the part you and your wife played in my grandson's misery. I expect to see you at the viewing tomorrow and I expect you to act appropriately."
"We can't possibly make it, Mom. You know just how busy I am," her son said. "Besides, we weren't close with him. No, we can't make it."
"You'll come and support your son in his grief or I may have to rethink the status of my will," Nana said sharply. She could practically hear her son's mouth fall to the floor. "Now that I've made my position perfectly clear." She hung up the phone and dismissed her butler, satisfied with her threats.
She got out of bed and went to Eddie's room. He was half hanging off the bed, half on, with a snore that resembled the groaning of a dump truck. She didn't like how spoiled he was, spoiled and lazy, but that was his parents' fault. They had raised him to be completely dependent on them. Oh they went through the motions of teaching him independence but it was never in earnest. They constantly gaslit him about what they wanted or expected from him and isolated him from the only real friend he had. Why? She had no clue but now, Eddie was her responsibility and she would teach him what they failed to.
"Eddie, it's time to wake up. You need to get bathed and eat something," she heard him moan in response. "Come on now, you can't stay in bed all morning."
"I don't know why not. There's just no point… without Buster," he whispered.
Nana sighed, grabbed the blanket and yanked it off. "Oh tush, look at yourself. Do you think this is what Mr. Moon would want now? You languishing away, pining for him? Does that sound like Mr. Moon?" She barked. "Now get up and go take a bath! Join me in the dining room in twenty minutes! If I come back and you're still asleep, I'm getting a bucket of ice water."
The younger sheep moaned but made himself get up on her orders. He didn't want to but the threat of ice water was a good one. If he was honest, all he wanted was to go to sleep and never wake up again but that wasn't an option. Nana was right. Buster wouldn't want that. No matter how much he didn't want to, he had to keep living.
—
With Tyler insisting it was okay and there was plenty of room, Meena joined him and Alphonso at their hotel to check in. Tyler went in ahead of them, finally giving them a chance to talk. Alone.
"Finally!" They both said in unison at realizing that fact. They laughed together briefly.
Meena blushed. "I am so sorry about my mom and grandpa." She apologized for her pushy family doing their best to push them together.
Alphonso shook his head. "I think they're great. I'm sorry about Tyler. He has no filter." He laughed at his friend's antics.
Meena giggled. "He's nice. I just… I don't want you to feel like… I mean, we just met and everyone we know is trying to shove us together."
He nodded. "Like we can't figure it out on our own." He took her hand. "I've had girlfriends before but not like this. I've never felt connected with anyone like I do with you."
She blushed and hid her face behind her ears. "Me either. I've never even had a boyfriend. I've never even gone on a date. I was just too shy to try and get to know anyone. Then I met you… Can I tell you a secret?"
He nodded. "Of course."
"When I was on stage… I actually… This might sound strange, maybe creepy, but… I was so nervous to do a romantic scene and Darius just wasn't helping, so…" Her ears covered her face entirely. "I imagined he was you."
Alphonso remembered her perplexing words from the end of her performance. "So that's what you meant. When you said…"
She nodded. "In my imagination, you sing much better than him too." She admitted, giggling at how silly it sounded. "I had to do something to get through the scene."
They laughed together, remembering the first words they really shared. "I like you, Meena. I mean, really like you… I don't know if it's love or not but I want to find out."
Her ears pulled away from her face and she gazed into his eyes. "So do I…" She admitted softly, realizing how close they were. Their trunks entwined themselves and their lips connected. She was glad they were sitting in their SUV because she was sure she'd have fallen otherwise. For several moments, there was no SUV. There was no Calatonia, there was no hotel, there was only her and him. Her body was even starting to feel strange.
"Alphie and Meena sitting in a tree…" Until the door to the SUV opened, forcing the two to separate as Tyler hopped in, chuckling at the pair.
Alphonso groaned and replied, "Mature, Tyler, real mature."
Tyler just chuckled. "Let's get the truck and head to this mythical theater of yours, Meena. I'm starting to wonder if it's real."
The two elephants just laughed softly and sighed in defeat. At least they got to have a first real kiss. It was a start.
—
On the way to their community service job, Marcus sat quietly in the truck. He was tired. Physically and emotionally, he was virtually winded. Nothing about this weekend had gone right.
"Some weekend, huh, Marcus?" Stan said just for something to say. The larger gorilla said nothing. "Hey!"
"You alright?" Barry asked him.
Marcus glared at the wheel of the truck. "No. I failed. My son asked me to come protect Mr. Moon and I failed. I knew I should have been guarding that wolf. I should have been making sure he couldn't escape."
"Marcus, we all did our best. Who knew that simpering idiot would find him?" Stan said. "And you dealt with the bastard."
He nodded. "And rendered a young girl fatherless in the process."
"A father who didn't appreciate her when he could," Barry said. "Bro, you gotta listen to me. You did your best. We all did. You're giving her a home. A better home."
Marcus nodded. "Yes. Remind me that I need to call social services. I need to get that part done." They pulled up to CFS. "Now, listen to me. You tell no one where we were the last few days. You know nothing. Understand?"
Barry shook his head. "Oh no. We all violated our probation. We won't offer details but we won't let you take all the blame."
"Yes, you will," the larger gorilla offered. "If anything comes of this later, I won't have either of you punished. Do you understand?"
"Marcus! Johnny is our nephew. If you failed, then so did we," Stan challenged him. "Succeed as a gang, fail as a gang."
Marcus fixed him with a glare. "Yes, and if I end up going back to jail, then I need you both looking after Johnny. And you can't do that in there with me. So you say nothing."
His brother-in-law sighed. "Fine, Marcus. Let's get in there. We have work to do." He could understand Marcus' mood. Mr. Moon had done a lot for them, including giving them jobs with the theater. As handymen and security. He understood them better than most.