Chapter 12
As Laurie and Larry stood, now wearing their bright party clothes, in Count Omar’s backyard, they were of one mind, a phrase which here means “they were thinking the same thing.”
“Lil’ Linda, stop feeding salad to the Dartmoor pony!” they both exclaimed at the same time.
“Children,” Count Omar said, “That is most certainly not a Dartmoor pony. That is a donkey.”
“Oh,” Larry said.
“That makes a lot more sense,” Laurie said. “I didn’t know why a Dartmoor pony would be running homeless in the streets in the middle of the night.”
“What, now?” Count Omar asked.
From the giggling of children they heard feeding carrots to the ponies, the three Lotsaluck children could tell that the pony party had begun, and it seemed too late to find the donkey a suitable home.
The children were fascinated, as they had never been to a pony party before and there was so much to see. Other doctors, nurses, and medical assistants from Count Omar’s clinic lounged around the backyard with their spouses, watching their children feed and ride the ponies. Three very tall men were helping children sit on the ponies. The two women with no make-up whatsoever were opening bags of food which from far away appeared to be goldfish, but close up looked more like carrots. An important-looking man with no warts at all on his face was helping the ponies go around in a circle while the children rode them. As the children looked behind them, they could see Count Omar, in his party suit, still puzzled by what Laurie had said about being on the streets in the middle of the night. The children were happy Count Omar had thrown the neighborhood this party.
Count Omar strode off the deck. “All right now, children! Everyone pick a pony; it’s time for the prettiest pony contest!” he said in his loud, clear voice. The two women who wore no makeup helped the neighborhood children all find ponies. “Come on now, children,” he said to the Lotsalucks, “and pick your ponies.”
Without a word, Lil’ Linda grabbed firmly onto the donkey’s hoof.
“Isn’t this exciting?” said a voice, and the children turned to see Johanna Strauss, all dressed up in her yoga instructor clothes. She was clutching a salad plate. “I had to come straight from work.”
“You look great,” Larry said. “What about Count Omar?”
“What about Count Omar?” Johanna Strauss asked. “He invited me to this party, and asked if he could borrow all the ponies I had so the neighborhood children could ride them. He seems like a nice man.”
“He is a nice man,” Laurie said. “Have you noticed all the weight he has lost recently?”
Larry’s face lit up. “Yes, Johanna Strauss. Count Omar has been riding his bike to work and swimming at the local gym where you work.”
Johanna Strauss smiled. “I noticed that,” she said. “I think it is very admirable for him to work on his personal health and fitness.”
“Johanna Strauss!” a woman standing next to the doctor with the model-like hands called. “Johanna Strauss! I haven’t seen you in ages!”
“Oh my word! That’s my friend from high school.” Justice Strauss had a happy expression, as if she were about to do her favorite yoga pose, warrior three, instead of just going to have a conversation with her fellow polo teammate she hadn’t seen since high school. “Children, I must go. See you in the prettiest pony contest, my dears!”
Johanna Strauss ran off, leaving the children to attempt to drag Lil’ Linda away from the donkey, but it was no use. The donkey was the pony Lil’ Linda had chosen. One of the normal-faced women helped Laurie choose a pony, and the other woman helped Larry choose his. His eyes met those of Laurie, who was sitting on her pony.
“What can we do?” Larry said loudly. “Lil’ Linda has chosen a donkey.”
“Maybe she doesn’t care if she wins the contest or not,” Laurie replied thoughtfully.
“The prettiest pony contest is about to begin!” a man with a clipboard shouted. “Everyone, please ride your ponies in a circle!”
The ponies trotted around in a circle, and the women wearing no makeup and the man with the full head of hair waved at the children.
“You kids are naturals at pony riding,” he said to them, giving them a thumbs-up.
“Thanks, doctor,” Larry said.
“They sure are good at riding ponies,” said a voice suddenly, and the children turned to see Mr. Foe, dressed very casually and accompanied by his wife and children. He smiled at the children and came over to help Villaina and Enemia onto two ponies. “Dolly and I just wanted to tell you thank you for inviting our family to this wonderful pony jamboree.”
“I don’t really like toast,” Larry said, alarmed.
“‘Jamboree’ means ‘party,’” Mr. Foe explained, “and has nothing to do with actual jam. I’m glad you children have adjusted to life with your temporary guardian and are participating in family activities.
“Mr. Foe,” Larry said quickly, “Laurie and I have something to tell you. It’s very important.”
“What is it?” Mr. For asked.
“Yes, said Count Omar, “what is it you have to tell Mr. Foe, children?”
Count Omar appeared from several feet away, and his twinkling eyes smiled at the children meaningfully. In one hand, Laurie and Larry could see, he held a salad plate.
“Just that we appreciate all you’ve done for us, Mr. Foe,” Larry said boisterously. “That’s all we wanted to say.”
“Of course, of course,” Mr. Foe said, patting him on the back. “Well, Dolly and I had better take our seats. Good luck in the prettiest pony contest, Lotsalucks!”
“I wonder who will win,” Larry whispered to Laurie, and Mr. Foe went to sit at a picnic table.
“You will know, soon enough,” Count Omar said, stepping in front of the pony corral. Other doctors and neighbors were milling about, finding a place to listen to the special announcement, and Johanna Strauss was smiling at Count Omar. Larry looked around the yard, wondering if anyone there could help bring the cake out of the refrigerator. The man with the nice looking hair stepped up to the fence.
“Do you need anything?”
“I made a cake for Count Omar and for the party. It’s in the bottom drawer of the fridge. Can you please help me by bringing it out here?”
“Absolutley,” the man with the full head of hair said. Larry watched him go into the house. Larry heard applause as Count Omar began to announce the winner of the prettiest pony contest.
It will be of a lot of interest if I describe the action of this fascinating - the word “fascinating” here means “interesting and useful” – speech by Count Omar.
“Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, neighbors and friends,” Count Omar said. “Before I announce the winner of the prettiest pony contest, I just wanted to tell everyone how thankful I have been to have had Laurie, Larry, and Lil’ Linda Lotsaluck in my home. Not only have the children been hard workers who helped me fix up my home, but they have also set me on the road to recovery! I am eating healthy and exercising in an effort to get back in shape.”
Johanna Strauss had tears in her eyes, and Larry saw that she was looking a little sad as she listened to Count Omar’s speech. He noticed her looking at all the ponies she had loaned Count Omar for the party.
“And without further ado, I would like to announce the winner of the prettiest pony contest,” Count Omar said. “Lil’ Linda!”
There were gasps from the audience. “That can’t be!” Johanna Strauss cried.
“Lil’ Linda isn’t riding a pony!” one of Count Omar’s coworkers said. “She’s riding a donkey.”
“It’s not on the outside that matters,” Count Omar said, “but what is on the inside. Lil’ Linda seems to love that donkey, even though he may not seem as beautiful to us as the ponies are.”
“I guess that’s true,” Johanna Strauss said. “It’s what’s on the inside that counts.”
Everyone cried “Hip hip hooray!” for Lil’ Linda and her new friend, the donkey, who cried “Heehaw!” and ate more salad on the deck.
As if on cue, the man with the full head of hair came out with the cake Larry had made for Count Omar. “Why, what’s this?” Count Omar asked.
“Surprise!” Larry shouted. “I made you a cake to say thank you for everything you have done for us, Count Omar.”
“Why Larry, that was very thoughtful,” Count Omar said.
“That is wonderful!” said a voice from a picnic table, and Larry recognized it as the voice of Mr. Foe. He ran up to the pony corral. “Now it’s time to go, children.”
“What?” Johanna Strauss asked. Her eyes were filling up even more with tears. “Do the children really have to go already?”
Count Omar looked very sad.
“Do we have to go right now, Mr. Foe?” Larry burst out. “Can’t we have a piece of cake first?”
“Yes, you may have a piece of cake first,” Mr. Foe said.
“Come on, everyone,” Count Omar called. “Let’s all have a piece of this delightful cake Larry has made.”
“Cake!” Lil’ Linda shrieked, and everyone laughed.
Everyone enjoyed the cake, from the man with two hands instead of hooks to the man with the full head of hair, and even the two women who didn’t wear any make-up.
At this point in the story, I feel compelled to interrupt and give you one last encouragement. As I said at the very beginning, the book you are holding in your hands has a happy ending. It may appear now that Count Omar will fall back into despair and so will his house, and the children will spend the rest of the summer feeling sad, but it is not so. So don’t shut this book this instant and do keep reading this happy ending that is to follow.
“Well, children, it was nice to meet you,” Johanna Strauss said. “And thank you for inviting me to this party. The speech Count Omar gave has really inspired me to change my life and study for a degree in law, perhaps prosecuting horse thieves.”
“Why horse thieves?” Mr. Foe asked.
“I don’t know,” Justice Strauss said, looking around nervously. “It was a completely random thought that just popped into my head.”
“What a wonderful idea,” Mr. Foe said.
Laurie, Larry, and Lil’ Linda pictured their loving parents, and were excited they had finally gotten to take a vacation after all the years of working hard to feed them and give them clothes. Never, never had they felt so grateful and happy. They wanted badly to continue living with Count Omar, but they knew it would be fun to meet another guardian. “We will miss you very much, Count Omar,” Laurie said finally.
“I will miss you, too,” he said, and his eyes filled up with tears. “I promise you, I will continue exercising and eating right! The next time you see me, I will be much skinnier!” Then each child gave Count Omar one last embrace, and followed the Foe family to their SUV. The Lotsaluck children piled in the back row behind Villaina and Enemia, and peered out the back window at Johanna Strauss and Count Omar, who were smiling and waving to them. Ahead of them were the sunny streets, which would take them to their new guardian. Behind them were a kind man and a future justice, who had taken such an interest in the three children. To Laurie, Larry, and Lil’ Linda, it seemed that Mr. Foe and their parents had made the right choice in sending them to all sorts of different guardians with whom to live. The car drove farther and farther away, until Johanna Strauss and Count Omar were merely polka dots on the horizon, and it seemed to the children that they were moving in a accurate – the word “accurate” here means “very, very right and causing much mirth” – direction.