Movies, Roller Skating and Surprise Car Washes

A Tale of Four Texas Cousins.

“It’s the weekend. I wanna go Roller Skatin’ and to the Movies afterwards, Chey,” Cousin Freddy said definitively.

 

“But, Freddy. We don’t have any money. How can we get the money to go ? If I were at home, I could do a bunch of chores to earn the money to go, but I wasn’t expecting to stay overnight, until y’all asked me to. Besides, my sister, Marie, and Cousin Pam, don’t have any money to go Skatin’ and the Movies either. What can all of us do together to earn the money to go ?”

 

Freddy jumped up from the front porch stoop, and announced, “I know. We can clean out the garage and wash my Dad’s Cadillac !”

 

Cheyenne, followed suit, and jumped up from her warm spot on the front porch stoop. “That’s a terrific idea ! Let’s get started !”

 

“Where’s Marie and Pam ?” Freddy asked.

 

“They’re upstairs playin’ with the Barbie Dolls,” Cheyenne answered quickly.

 

“Dolls are stupid !” Freddy exclaimed. “Why do girls like to play with dolls when there are so many more fun things to do ?”

 

“Got me Fred. You’re askin’ the wrong girl. I don’t like playin’ dolls either. Although, I do like makin’ ‘em. My Aunt Effie taught me how to cut out and sew stuffed dolls one summer. That was a lot of fun. In fact, that was the first time that I really ever had fun over at Aunt Effie’s. For the longest time, I thought she hated kids.”

 

“But that summer, I found out that Aunt Effie was a really neat person. We also worked in her gardens with Uncle John, and traveled to Galveston to visit other relatives and have fun at the beach. Boy, oh boy, did I ever get sunburned. But, Aunt Effie mixed some mayonnaise and vinegar together and spread it all over me.  It really did stink, but the next mornin’ my skin was all brown and soft, not red. It was a Miracle.”

 

“You talk too much,” Freddy smiled sideways at his lively Cousin.

 

“I know. People tell me that all of the time. But that’s just Who I Am. It’s hard to change Who You Are,” Cheyenne shrugged her shoulders.

 

“Come on, let’s go get Marie and Pam, and get started with the garage and Dad’s Car,” Freddy prodded.

 

“Shouldn’t we tell Aunt Dorothy and Uncle Bubu about what we’re doin’ and why we’re doin’ it first ?”

 

“No, let’s surprise Mom and Dad. That’ll be better. Everybody likes Surprises !” Freddy quipped as he headed through the front door, and began running upstairs to get the other girls.

 

All Four Children got the brooms, buckets, soap and cleaning supplies together that they would need for their Surprise Project.

 

“To save time, don’t y’all think we should split up ?” Cheyenne queried. Two of us can clean up the garage, while the other two can wash Uncle Bubu’s Car.”

 

“Sounds good to me,” Cousin Pam agreed. “How do we decide who does which. Or is that what ? I always get confused about when to use which or what. Anyways, none of us has a coin to flip.”

 

“I know, we can use a Crepe Myrtle Leaf from this tree.” Cheyenne pointed at the large pink blossomed tree on the side of the garage. She bent down to collect one of the still green fallen leaves from the ground.

 

“We can flip it up into the air. If it lands on the shiny, smooth side, it’s Head’s. If it lands on the silver, fuzzy side, it’s Tail’s,” Cheyenne suggested handing the leaf over to her Cousin Freddy.

 

“Alright, Pam and Marie. Head’s is the garage, and Tail’s is Dad’s Car. Which do y’all want ? Head’s or Tail’s ?” Fred asked, holding the leaf high above his curly, dark blonde head.

 

“Head’s !” the two bouncing girls yelled out. Pam and Marie thought a lot alike.

 

Cousin Freddy let the Crepe Myrtle Leaf go, and all Four Children watched in expectant wonder as the leaf flipped and rolled through the air. The Leaf landed on it’s shiny, smooth side.

 

 “Head’s it is !” Fred announced. “You girls get started on the garage, and Chey and I will get busy on Dad’s Caddy.”

 

The Four Cousins spent two long hours cleaning the garage and Uncle Bubba’s Cadillac spic and span. In fact, Fred and Chey had literally used powdered Spic and Span Soap to clean and add shine to Fred’s Dad’s large, gold Caddy.

 

The Four Cousins, covered with sweat, grime, sudsy soap and water stood back from their Masterpieces of Toil and Grunge, grinning widely at all of the Work they had done.

 

“Dad and Mom will be so proud of us !” Cousin Pam smiled with pride.

 

“Everything looks so clean and shiny !” Marie added.

 

“Y’all stay right here. I’m gonna get Dad and Mom. Then we can all get the money we need to go to the Roller Rink and the Movie !” Fred ordered.

 

The Three Girl Cousins waited patiently for Fred, Uncle Bubu, and Aunt Dorothy to arrive. All Three Girls were giggling and talking about how much fun they were all going to have Skating and watching the Movie. And, of course, Cousin Pam was going to get the exciting Suicide carbonated beverage she always got at the Movie Theatre. It was a special mixture of all of the Carbonated Beverage Drinks (Coca Cola, Dr. Pepper, 7-Up and Root Beer) poured into one large cup of ice, sold at the Movie Theatre’s soda fountain. It cost a nickel more than just a plain Coke or a 7-Up. But Cousin Pam didn’t care. Because she knew that drinking a Popular and Special drink made her Popular and Special.

 

Cheyenne had tried a sip of her Cousin Pam and Fred’s Suicide Drinks once before, and hadn’t like it at all. So, she had decided to just stick with her favorite drink, 7-Up. Her sister, Marie, hadn’t liked it either and had stuck with her favorite, Coca Cola.

 

All Four Cousins simply loved Chocolate Covered Almonds. They always bought two boxes and divided them evenly amongst themselves, before the Movie Theatre went dark to show the Cartoons. They all simply ‘loved’ the Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Yosemite Sam, Coyote and Road Runner, and the Skunk, Pe-pe LePew’s, Cartoons. There was nothing better than Sharing a Laugh before the Real Movie started.

 

The only bad thing about holding the divvied-up Chocolate Covered Almonds in their warm, fidgety hands for too long a time was the melted chocolate mess. So, they had all begun to use clean tissue paper from the Movie Theatre’s Restrooms to hold their Chocolate Almond Bounty within.

 

The Three Girl Cousins were also giddy about dancing the Hokey Pokey at the Roller Rink. It was the highlight of their day in the big, sprawling city of Houston, Texas.

 

The Three Girl Cousins began to sing and dance the Hokey Pokey together on the front lawn.

 

“You put your Right Foot in. You put your Right Foot out. You put your Right Foot in and then you Shake it all about. You do the Hokey Pokey, and you Turn yourself around. That’s what it’s all about.”

 

“Marie, you still need with practice with your Right and Left. You’re still gettin’ those confused,” Cheyenne said to her younger Sister. “Just watch Pam and Me when the Music starts and you’ll do fine.”

 

“Alright, let’s take a look at what you kids have been up to today. Let’s see if you’ve earned your Day of Fun,” Uncle Bubba declared as he, Cousin Fred and Aunt Dorothy climbed down the front porch steps and headed for the garage.

 

“My, oh my,” Aunt Dorothy said with a twinkle in her eyes. “I don’t think that I have ever seen the garage so clean. Y’all have done a wonderful job.”

 

“Yes, I must agree.” Uncle Bubu announced. “The garage looks very neat and tidy. Now, let’s go take a look at the Car.”

Everyone walked outside of the garage to inspect Uncle Bubu’s big, gold Cadillac.

 

“You Children have certainly had a very busy morning,” Aunt Dorothy said. “You really got a lot of work done.”

 

The Four Cousins all beamed with delight and pride. “Thank you ! Can we go Skatin’ and to the Movies ? Please, oh please ?!”

 

“Fred, come over here, Son,” Uncle Bubu was frowning, and sounded very serious.

 

“Puzzled, Fred walked over to his Father. “Look at the finish on this Car, Son. Do you see that ?”

 

Fred, leaned over to look at the shiny outside of Cadillac more closely. Fred’s uncertain smile faded altogether as he took a step back. “Yes, Sir.”

 

“What did you use to clean my Car with, Young Man ?”

 

Cheyenne stepped closer to Uncle Bubba’s gold Caddy and leaned in to get a better look at the Car’s finish. “Oops !” Cheyenne’s hand went up to her open mouth in a sudden rush of unexpected panic.

 

Fred walked to the front of the Caddy, where all of the cleaning supplies, the bucket, and the water hose still lay. He held up a box of S.O.S. Steel Wool Scrubbing Pads.

 

Aunt Dorothy gasped and joined Uncle Bubu’s side to stare down more closely at the car’s newly etched in, artistically swirled, silver-and-gold finish.

 

Needless to say, the Skating Rink and Movie were out that day, and many more days to come.