Part 123
When the children's rehearsal time drew close, Gerhardt and Jerry took the children back to the theater. By then, the meeting and adult rehearsal was wrapping up.
"Thank you, Gerhardt for entertaining them," Rosita said as she helped Gunter and Eddie to herd the choir to their practice room. "You too, Jerry. Did they behave?"
Jerry nodded. "They always do, Rosita. I never have any problems with them."
Rosita smiled. "Gerhardt, I was hoping to invite you to join us for dinner tonight. I have a crockpot of spaghetti simmering. And I'm serving caesar salad, homemade bruschetta and for dessert, a tiramisu." She listed off the menu in an attempt to entice him to accept.
The hog nodded. "You are very kind, ma'am. Thank you." He knew Gunter might not like it but he couldn't refuse without being rude. Maybe it was a chance to start taking Jerry's advice.
She nodded. "In fact, why don't you join me and my husband at home. I'm not allowed in the theater during rehearsal because your brother is working with the kids on a surprise for Sunday." She directed him to her waiting car. Her and her husband had been left with no choice but to get a car now that they lived further away from everything now. "I must get to know my best friend's brother."
"And I am quite looking forward to getting to know you. You remind me so much of Gertrude. She would have loved you," Gerhardt trailed off as they drove off. "What about Sarah?"
"She likes to watch rehearsals," Rosita explained. "She's our 'official test audience.'"
Gerhardt laughed. "I'm surprised she hasn't joined the choir. She loved to sing back home."
The mother pig looked at him. That was odd. That's not what the girl had told them. She resolved to ask him more once she could pay attention better.
——————————
"That's it, young one." In his studio, Klaus worked with the leopardette. "One, two, three…" he counted as she practiced the moves he taught her.
He didn't even notice Ryan stepping into the classroom. He leaned against the door and watched his teacher guide the child. "See, you're a great teacher. I wish they could see how you really are."
Klaus chuckled. "They don't trust me do they?" He sighed. "It's okay, Ryan. I promise, I won't resort to my old ways. Especially not with a child."
He nodded. "I believe you and Neo loves you. I trust you, Johnny trusts you. Right now, that'll have to be enough. She didn't say no, she just said they need to hire some help before you can do a full class. I'm sure there are legal requirements for children. But you're fine to teach one student at a time until they are able to find help."
"Wonderful," the monkey said sarcastically. "How nice of them." He rolled his eyes and looked at the little girl as she practiced. "She has raw talent. Like her mother did when she was young. I offered Miss. Tibault a place in the adult class but she said she'd be too busy working with Miss. Crystal."
Ryan nodded. "Yeah, I offered her a place on the cast but yeah, this job is better for her."
Klaus looked at René. "Okay, child. That's enough for today. Go upstairs to your mother." He instructed her. He led Ryan into the office. "I got a letter from Félix. He says that he and his family would like to come for a visit this summer."
The tiger got a soda from the mini fridge. "What do you think about that?"
"Well, we did clear the air but… I'm not sure," the monkey admitted. "I loved him and he never really felt the same. I'm afraid it would bring up old hurts…"
Ryan nodded. "Have you ever thought of trying to find someone new? That might be what you need. Get yourself back in the dating pool."
"Félix said the same thing," Klaus said sternly. "I just don't know. You know how hard it can be to get back on the wagon."
The tiger thought about it. "I guess but… I don't think Chelsea ever really dumped me. We came to a mutual agreement that I needed to follow my heart. But come on, Johnny told me about this dating website. He helped Miss. Crawly find a date."
The monkey scoffed. "A dating website? Honestly, Ryan?"
"Just try it. I can help you make your profile," he suggested. "Or what if we got a sitter for Neo one night and you, Johnny and I went to a bar. If you found a nice guy… maybe another monkey like you or…"
Klaus tapped Ryan's shoulder. "Your concern is duly-noted. I'm okay, Ryan. Really. I just don't know if I'm ready to let Félix back in."
Ryan sighed. It bothered him to see his mentor so alone. "I guess I can understand that." He sighed. Maybe Stan and Barry would know a guy in Klaus' age range. It would be worth looking into. "But you know… maybe letting him back in is the first step to letting the past go. Tell them we'll be back from the Caribbean the first weekend of July and arrange the visit." He encouraged him. "Hey, I really came to ask you if you'd like to join us for dinner? We got fried chicken."
"Thank you, Ryan. Yes, I will join you," the monkey smiled. He followed the tiger up to the apartments.
————————
Rosita prepared a tray of tea and snacks for their guest to hold them all over until supper. Norman looked over the hog who was easily taller by one whole pig.
"So, Gerhardt, right? I'll be honest, neither of us knew that Gunter had an older brother," Norman asked.
"Well… Gunter and I… we're not close for reasons I'd rather not talk about," he said. "But I want to fix that. I didn't support my brother enough before and I want to change that," he lied. He had already aired their dirty laundry to Jerry, which he realized might have been unwise. He couldn't involve anyone else in their quarrel.
————————
At home, Alphonso read through the material that the church had given him on the course in Arizona. "Wow, this place is close to the Grand Canyon. We'll spend one week camping out under the stars. And the course includes a mission trip to a small village just south of the border, so I'll need my passport. Good thing we updated ours in anticipation of June. This says that this year, we're building new houses and a schoolhouse."
Meena listened to his excitement growing. "It sounds amazing. Take lots of pictures."
He hugged her. "I will and I'll FaceTime you every day and I'll text and call a lot." He promised. "I'll miss you."
She sighed. "Don't worry, Alphonso. The time will go fast and it'll open up so many doors for our family." She reassured him. "Who knows what this could lead to."
He smiled. "So, what should we do for dinner tonight?" The bull elephant asked, changing the subject. "What does our baby feel like tonight?"
She picked up the takeout menu. "Hmm, how about that Thai place down the street? Pad Thai sounds good."
Alphonso nodded. "Put me down for a red curry. And whatever sides and extras you want." He smiled at her.
————————
"So, it was Father's birthday and we are having a big party. Gunter, only 4, comes running in and begins dancing for the guests," Gerhardt laughed. "Mother and Gertrude both laughed and laughed. Father was even amused. I was only 10."
Norman laughed. "That sounds exactly like Gunter. Did your sister like to sing and dance too."
The older pig smiled. "Did she ever? And she loved the theater. She would be so proud if she could see Gunter now."
Rosita giggled. "Gunter is special. But tell us about yourself. For instance… what do you do? For a living?"
Gerhardt drank his tea. "Oh, I run Father's bank. Ever since he passed away. Of course, it is ultimately Sarah's. But I will manage it for her until she's of age. By then I'll be ready to retire." He chuckled.
She nodded. "Interesting. Do you enjoy it?"
He nodded. "I do. It's very analytical and I get to use my position to help many people. The people who work for me. The people in our little town. I like the mental challenge."
Rosita smiled. "Oh, yeah, I know what you mean. I have a bachelor's degree in engineering. It was just a fallback plan just in case my entertainment career didn't work out. And then I married Norman and we started our family."
Gerhardt smiled. "All those little piggies. You are very blessed. My mother only had two litters. I was the only survivor of the first. And Gunter and Gertrude were the only two to survive the second. As it was, Mother barely came through it. She had to content herself with three children."
The mother pig touched his shoulder comfortingly. "I'm sorry…" She wondered just how much Gunter had not told them. She realized that as much as they loved him, they really didn't know him all that well. Certainly not like he knew them. Did he not trust them with his story or was he simply trying not to dwell on it?
————————
Ash proudly finished cooking dinner for her family. She wasn't much of a cook but she was learning. "Beefy Mac and cheese with carnival shapes and salad." She announced triumphantly. "I hope you all like it."
Tyler helped her serve the kids. "It smells great. I'm sure it'll taste great too. Right, kiddos?"
Lancey replied by taking a bite. "Yummy!" He declared.
"Yeah!" Raquelle said. "It's good, Mommy." She shoveled a spoonful in her mouth.
The guitarist sat down and dished up her her own meal. "Thanks. I can't promise I'll ever cook as good as Sitara or Rosita or even Meena. But we need to eat more than fast food." She joked.
Tyler shook his head. "This is great, Ash." He took her hand and squeezed. He smiled at her briefly. They had agreed not to let on to the kids yet, not until they had a chance to assess how they'd react.
She was about to try her efforts when her phone rang. "Excuse me." She answered. "This is Ash Beaumont."
"Good evening, Mrs. Beaumont. This is Monty from the sales office," said the voice on the other end. "We spoke yesterday. I'm just confirming our appointment for tomorrow morning. To look at the unit for sale."
"Yes, I'm looking forward to it. 9 o'clock right?" She asked. "Is it okay if I bring my kids?"
"Of course! They should see the place too," the agent agreed. "We'll meet at the unit. Yellow building, unit 4A on the first floor."
"Thank you," Ash said. "We'll see you tomorrow. Goodbye." She hung up and returned to the meal. "Tomorrow, we get to see the condo, kids." Even though her parents weren't stalking here anymore, a new apartment was still needed. Ash was ready for a new home for this new chapter of her life.
—————
AN: Sorry this took so long. Please review.