All Friends Check-In (The Suite Life of Zack & Cody)

16. Big Hair & Baseball

The members of the Yankees baseball team checked in at the hotel. One of the players surprised Zack and Cody with three tickets to a playoff. Plus, Carey invited me to join her, London, Maddie, and Muriel for a little spa day at the suite. So, Uncle Marion reluctantly ended up taking the twins to the game at Fenway. That's when I realized that my uncle had never been to a baseball game. He had told me before that Grandma was the one who had him take ballet class. 

Sometime after Uncle Marion and the twins left, I arrived at the suite to find Carey setting up the spa treatment, and London was filing her nails. I had found out London had set Maddie up on a blind date with her friend Gavin. There was a knock on the door. 

"London, could you get that?" Carey asked.

"Sure," London smiled and turned the other way. "Come in!" she shouted.

Maddie entered the room. Her hair was frizzy, making me wonder what had happened. London screamed at the sight.

"Something's eating Maddie's head," the ditzy heiress screamed.

"It's my hair. It's humid outside, which tends to make it a little frizzy," Maddie explained.

"A little? You look like the bride of Frankenstein."

"Are we done making fun of my hair?"

"Not quite. ♪Your hair looks funny. Your hair looks funny.♪ Ok. Now I'm done."

"Don't worry. By the time we're done, your blind date's gonna think you're gorgeous," Carey assured Maddie as she hugged the latter. 

When Maddie leaned her head toward Carey's face, the latter got some frizzled hair in her mouth.

"Or you just pull it back into a ponytail. He might not care," I suggested.

Muriel ended up joining Carey, London, Maddie, and me for the spa day and lounged in the living room. I tried reading my book but ended up dozing off for a bit.

"Aren't you guys afraid of getting wrinkles?" London wondered.

"Nah! When the time comes, I'm gonna grow old gracefully," Muriel replied.

Carey and Maddie got back on their feet to try to fix Maddie's hair. It turned out London had arranged for the date at the restaurant in the hotel. I could only hope Maddie and Gavin ended up with an indoor table.

That evening, Maddie went on her date while I waited for Uncle Marion and the twins to get back from the game. Plus, Patrick, the maître d', was self-centered and extremely rude and didn't like me assuming that I was in cahoots with the twins.

Uncle Marion and the twins came back. My uncle looked like he had gotten caught in a fight.

"Thank goodness, sanctuary," he sighed in relief.

"Uncle Marion, what happened?" I wondered with concern.

"Traitor!" an older man snapped at him.

"How dare you show your face in here?" another man glared at him.

"Well, I'm the manager," Uncle Marion corrected him.

"Well, Mr. Manager, I bet your mama don't love you now."

"Well, she did leave a nasty message on my cell phone."

"Grandma did what?" I asked, feeling confused. The only time Grandma ever called my uncle was to ask if he was ever going to get married.

"If anyone asks, we don't know you," Zack told Uncle Marion.

"We just met you at the game," Cody jumped in.

"And we didn't hit it off."

The twins started to walk away from my uncle.

"What? We were having fun. We were bonding," Uncle Marion expressed.

"I'm sorry. Mom says not to talk to strangers," Cody stated, and he and Zack left.

I was about to ask Uncle Marion what had happened to him at Fenway when Carey arrived in the lobby carrying hairspray for Maddie.

"Oh, hi. How was the game?" Carey asked.

"Oh, fine, if you like being pelted by peanuts," my uncle answered sarcastically.

"Great. Glad you had fun."

She was in a hurry.

Uncle Marion explained that he had overheard Cody express his dream of catching the foul ball, and he caught the ball. Though it cost the Red Sox team the game, my poor uncle became the most hated man in Boston. That explained the angry phone call from Grandma!

While Uncle Marion was at the manager's counter, several guests were set to check out of the Tipton and check in at the St. Marks across the street. I stayed close by to give him some support, letting him know that.

A TV news station crew arrived at the hotel to diss Uncle Marion. He hid in his office while I guarded the door. He came out wearing a pilot's cap and shades to try to make himself unrecognizable to anyone.

One of the twins called out to Uncle Marion as he and I were about to leave the lobby. The cameraman, the anchorman, the paparazzi, and crazed Red Sox fans swarmed my poor uncle while I got caught in the middle. Uncle Marion expressed that he didn't mean to cost the Red Sox the game. He was asked if he would have to leave Boston since he was already a target.

Zack and Cody arrived and stood up for Uncle Marion, stating that it was his first time going to a baseball game and couldn't help pulling off a boneheaded move. I silently thanked the twins for coming to my uncle's defense. Cody asked the crowd if they remembered the first time they went to their first baseball game. At first, Uncle Marion wasn't sure if he would like the sport. After a while, he came to love it, got caught up in the excitement, and caught the foul ball. Cody and I each hugged my uncle, expressing that though he was hated in Boston, to the twins and me, he was a hero.

It seemed the people remembered that baseball wasn't about winning or losing, but the fun and love of the game. Muriel stated that she had bet on the Red Sox but lost. That stirred the crowd up angrily. Uncle Marion, the twins, and I started running when they started targeting him.