Eager Beaver

Chapter Twenty - Apple Day

BING BONG BOOONG

The musical doorbell sung in a melodic descending arpeggio as Laurie got up on his tippy toes to press the enticing white button. He was practically vibrating with excited anticipation as he waited to see if someone would open the door, seizing a shiny red apple from out of our little cart and holding it proudly in the air - ready to present it to some grateful member of the public.

"Someone's gonna answer this time." He'd told us as I dragged my way up the stairs of what seemed like the thousandth porch of the afternoon. "I know it!"

Charlie had just rolled his eyes. "No one's home." he'd sighed. "Everyone's still at work. We should've just gone downtown and stopped people walking past like the Bobcats are doing."

"Maybe you're just not ringing right." Laurie had countered.

That had been too silly even for Alex, the red-headed girl sniggering teasingly at the irrational first grader. "How do you ring a doorbell wrong?"

"I dunno. Not pressing hard enough?" he had shrugged, barging his way to the front of our little group. "Let me do it!"

After he pressed the button, a few moments passed in silence. Zach looked bored and Charlie looked frustrated, Laurie kept holding out his apple in endless innocent hope, and Alex kept a hand clapped to her mouth - holding back giggles. She prowled up beside me like a mischievous racoon, whispering conspiratorially in my ear.

"You can see Laurie's undies!" she pointed out with a giggle.

"Huh?" I blinked tiredly, rubbing my eyes. Sure enough, the red-tipped top of his Lightning McQueen themed Cars briefs were poking out of his cargo shorts sagging down as he reached up to hold aloft his apple, a red number 95 and a black and white checkered victory flag displayed prominently on his butt. I summoned a dopey sleepy smile for Alex's benefit, though my heart wasn't in it.

Noticing us gossiping, Zach shot us an admonishing glare - coming up behind his brother and helpfully hitching up his shorts to cover the embarrassing exposure. He patted him comfortingly on the shoulder, prompting him to lower his arm. "I don't think anyone's coming, bud."

Just then however, a shadow through the tinted stained glass window alerted us to someone shuffling behind the door. We heard them rattling on the chain, before the door swung open to reveal a little old lady with a pair of impossibly thick round glasses and a warm homely smile. Our first customer all day! Amazingly, it seemed that Laurie's legendary doorbell-pressing skills really did seem to be what we were lacking.

Laurie squealed in delight, jumping up and down as he held up his apple again. "Hello! Would you like an apple?" he demanded, spitting out the whole sentence in less than a second flat.

"Oh!" the lady remarked, looking a little confused at first as she took it. It wasn't like she had much choice. Laurie had all but thrown it at her! "Yes, how kind." she said ponderously "Thank you."

"Would you like to make a donation to the scouts?" Laurie continued to interrogate in a treacle-sweet excitable screech, fidgeting his balled up fists at his chest in anticipation.

The lady blinked, taking a moment to decode the boy's breathless bluster before she saw his bucket hat and beaver tail, seeming to put two and two together. "Oh, of course! Apple day!" she enthused, nodding sagely as she admired them all in turn. "Look at all you adorable little Beavers. Of course I'll make a donation." She held up a calming finger, slowly turning around and starting to shuffle away again. "Let me just get my purse..."

Laurie twisted around, looking up at Charlie with a braggadocious smirk on his face. "Told you!" he sang, playfully sticking out his tongue.

Charlie smiled back indulgently, tutting to himself. "You're just lucky." he told him. The white tail just looked happy to finally have some donations rolling in. "We should pick up the pace, though. The Bobcats must be miles ahead of us!"