FANFARE FOR JUNE
by
Aspen & Evergreen
CHAPTER EIGHT
The Chapters
Frank finished his conversation with Megan, concluding it with plans to pick her up in two hours’ time to go to a movie. He turned his attention to the computer screen, and had just typed in the words ‘Julliard School of Music’ to start a search, when a series of loud noises both outside and in alerted him to the fact that his younger brother had arrived home. Frank turned around in his desk chair and listened, grinning as he tracked Joe’s progress by the sounds.
RRRRRRRR! The Aztek’s engine filled the warm summer evening with its reverberations, the noise floating in through Frank’s open bedroom window. It was accompanied by a sharp screech of tires, then cut off abruptly.
THUNK! The slam of the car door re-shattered the silence, followed by rapid footsteps on the driveway.
KER-BAM! The front door was opened and slammed shut with considerable force, and the continued footsteps resounded through the front hall.
“Joseph Hardy! What are you doing, coming in here like that?” Gertrude’s voice sounded from the family room, raised in angry demand.
“Sorry!” That was Joe – definitely sounding harried.
THUMP, THUMP, THUMP, THUMP! Again, footsteps, this time pounding up the staircase, and the next minute, Joe himself dashed past Frank’s door, heading for his room at a dead run.
Frank glanced at his watch. Six-fifteen – Joe’s really going to have to move it, if he has dinner reservations for 7! Frank got to his feet and walked into the bathroom which connected the boys’ rooms. Through the other door, he could see Joe frantically snatching articles of clothing from his bureau drawers.
“You’re going to have to hustle,” he commented mildly, knowing his calm would drive Joe even further around the bend.
“I know, I know, I know!” Joe’s tone managed to combine a growl of frustration and a pathetic wail. “That darned Mrs. Martell and her ‘let’s run through this one more time’!” He headed into the bathroom, pushing past Frank, and turned on the shower. “The only good thing is, Vanessa’s running late too – but I still have to get out there and pick her up!” He stripped off his clothes and flung them irritably at his brother. “Get out of my way and let me panic in peace, huh?”
Chuckling, Frank obliged, returning to his room and his Internet search. But he kept part of his attention on Joe, and marked his activities. The shower snapped off in record time, and then there was relative silence as Joe dressed, broken only by muted grumbles about dress shirts, cuff links, and having to dress up two nights in a row – and then another anguished wail:
“Frank! Help!”
“What is it?” The elder boy walked into the bathroom, where Joe was standing before the mirror, a panicked expression on his flushed face.
“I can’t get my tie tied—“ Joe looked as if he wanted to scream. “I’m doing it the same as always, I swear, but it won’t work, and I’m laaaate…” He jerked wildly at his blue-and-gold tie, which was undeniably hanging askew.
“Calm down,” Frank soothed, and stepped behind him, reaching over Joe’s shoulders for the refractory article of clothing. “Relax, Joe, you’d think you’d never had a dinner date with Vanessa before, the way you’re acting!” Carefully, he loosened the tie, and began re-tying it.
“It’s different tonight…we’re going to that ‘Miracles Can Happen’ place.” Gazing into the mirror, Joe nervously watched Frank’s deft fingers manipulating the soft length of fabric around his neck. “That’s a really special place, and I don’t want anything to screw this evening up….Not so tight; you’ll choke me!”
Frank ignored his brother’s protests, finished knotting the tie, and patted it into place over Joe’s white shirtfront. “There. It’s fine now, see? Take it easy, Joe, huh?”
“I’m trying, believe me – thanks.” Joe sighed, hastily stuck a gold tie tack into his tie, and picked up a comb.
“Any time.” Frank leaned against the wall and watched Joe comb his wavy blonde hair.
A little calmer now, Joe met his brother’s eyes in the mirror. “Did you get hold of Phil?” he questioned.
“No – just had to leave a lot of messages.” Frank replied.
“Did Con call?” Joe picked up his suit coat and struggled into it, then stamped his feet into his dress shoes.
“No, not yet.”
Oh his way into the hall, Joe halted, scowling with frustration. “If we can’t find Phil—“
“If we can’t find
Phil, we’ll go to
Joe looked at his watch, groaned loudly, and tore down the stairs at breakneck speed without a backward glance.
“Don’t wreck the Aztek!” Frank shouted after him, and smiled devilishly when that comment elicited a shriek of dismay from Aunt Gertrude. Still smiling, he returned to his own room and resumed his online search.
*****
Thirty minutes later, Joe and Vanessa were ushered to their table and seated, with grave formality, by their waiter. He placed menus before them and retreated, letting the young couple settle into their places and admire their surroundings.
Miracles Can Happen was a new restaurant in Bayport, and it had rapidly become the talk of the city; for its décor, its food, and its overall ambiance. The serving area was divided into several different rooms, each depicting a different dream scene, all of them elaborately decorated.
The room where Joe and Vanessa sat was devoted to fairy tales and fairies. Quotes from famous fantasy stories, written in elaborate, curliqued gold paint on large scrolls, decorated the walls. Filmy draperies in pastel shades floated in the soft currents of air emanating from the air conditioning vents, and replica ‘fairies’ hung suspended from the ceiling by invisible threads here and there, seeming to hover over the dining tables on their iridescent, gauzy wings. In one corner of the room, a violinist coaxed soft melodies from his instrument. All was glitter and gauze, mist and magic, music and surreal, ethereal beauty.
“Joe – this is absolutely incredible!” Vanessa’s voice was hushed as she gazed about her. “I’d heard it was beautiful, but – but – this is beyond anything I could have imagined!”
He looked about too, trying not to mind the fact that his collar felt like it was strangling him – or maybe it was his tie! Frank tied it too tight; I knew he was, when he did it! “It is pretty, isn’t it?”
“’Pretty’?” Vanessa’s laugh bubbled. “Is that the best you can do? It’s beautiful!” She continued to stare at the room, awestruck. “And the music…”
Joe wrinkled his nose slightly. He would have preferred a rock band to the syrupy strings. “It’s nice,” he conceded, “but he’s not as good as Allison and Angel, last night!”
Vanessa smiled at that, and nodded her agreement. “Well, that’s true, but after all, symphony musicians don’t usually moonlight in restaurants. Or maybe they do, if they need the money.”
Joe leaned his chin on one fist, and focused on the girl seated across the table from him. “You fit right in here tonight, babe – you look pretty dreamy yourself.”
She blushed. “Thank you.” Her color deepened as Joe continued to gaze appreciatively at her. “I’ll admit, I’m fond of the dress.” She smoothed the soft folds of her long-skirted, silvery-blue dress. “We match, sort of – both in blue. Although you have a white shirt on tonight, instead of blue like you had last night.”
“Sort of match,” Joe agreed. Reluctantly, he turned his attention to the menu. “Let’s see if there’s anything to eat in here besides nectar and ambrosia, hmmm?”
*****
The food proved to be as good as the décor was beautiful. Joe was happy to see steak and baked potatoes on the menu; he had almost been afraid that all he’d find would be salads and quiches. Vanessa’s seafood plate had delighted her, and they both enjoyed the delicious meal immensely.
Over dinner, the conversation skipped from topic to topic:
…The restaurant themes.
“Did you see the Arabian Nights section?” Vanessa queried. “I peeked in when I went to the ladies’ room. Some time, Joe, I’d like to eat there; it’s nearly as beautiful as this part is – and you might like it even better!”
Joe cocked a blonde eyebrow. “Harem girls in gauzy pants?” he suggested with a teasing laugh.
“A few,” his girlfriend admitted, smiling. “Aladdin’s lamps on the tables, magic carpets, scimitars hanging on the walls.”
“Next time,” Joe nodded. “We’ll eat there next time.”
…Graduation, and the frustratingly long rehearsal they’d had to put up with that afternoon.
“If Mrs. Martell thinks we need more rehearsals, after that one today, she’s crazy!” Joe muttered resentfully.
“Well, there were some people who didn’t appear to know their left feet from their right,” Vanessa reminded him. “Mrs. Martell just wants things to be as perfect as possible.”
…
…Phil and Allison Lewis, the concert they’d attended the night before, and the astonishing disappearance of the valuable violin.
“And we got a weird
phone call from Phil this afternoon, telling us not to come to
“But you’re going, of course?”
“Yes.” Joe nodded grimly. “We’re definitely going.”
When dessert time came, Vanessa decided on rainbow sherbet, which to her utter delight was served in a frosted glass dish shaped like an open lily. Joe opted for cheesecake. For a few minutes conversation lagged as they consumed the delicacies – and then Joe, who had been nerving himself up for some time, broke the silence.
“Vanessa – babe – I want to tell you something, please?”
She picked up her coffee cup and took a sip, gazing across the table at Joe’s handsome, earnest face. “I’m listening,” she smiled.
“When you first came to Bayport – remember?”
“I certainly do. My first day at school, my car tires were slashed, and you and Frank came to my rescue.”
“Well, before then….Before you came to town, Beautiful, I was out of control, pretty much. Sort of like walking a high wire without a safety net, on purpose. No one said anything, but everybody knew it, even me, although I didn’t want to admit it. I’d lost Iola, and I missed her desperately. I felt so alone.”
A pained look came into Vanessa’s wide gray-blue eyes, and she dropped her gaze to her coffee cup to hide it. References to Iola always hurt. But Joe was continuing on:
“I felt like I was going off the deep end, most of the time. I flirted with every girl I could, and threw myself into solving cases…trying to keep my mind occupied, and to forget. But it didn’t work very well. Everything was dark, and kept getting darker.” He swallowed, dredging up painful memories. “And then – then you blew into town.” Suddenly, the sapphire eyes were alight again, glowing with happiness. “All of a sudden, things weren’t dark anymore. Because there you were – light and warmth and laughter.”
Joe reached across the table and covered Vanessa’s hand with his own. “Babe, you taught me how to love again, when I’d given up on it. You gave me a reason to move on, and a hand to hold, when I thought I was trapped forever in that black pit of despair.”
Vanessa stared into his eyes, her own filling with tears. “Oh, Joe…”
“I love you – I know I’ve said it before, but I wanted to say it again. I love you, Vanessa – I could keep on saying it, again and again. You made all the difference in my life.” Suddenly abashed, Joe found himself turning a bright shade of pink. “Uh – I didn’t mean to go overboard—“
“You didn’t – it
was – oh, Joe!” Vanessa’s
smile lighted her face, where a diamond teardrop or two sparkled on her
cheeks. “Listen….When Mom
and I moved here, I didn’t know what to expect.
I was scared, and unhappy about leaving
Joe, still embarrassed at his show of raw emotion, ducked his head and pulled her hand across the table, bringing it to his lips for a swift kiss. “I love you,” he murmured. He caressed her fingers, tracing over the ridges and bumps of the large class ring he had asked her to wear.
“And I love you,” she replied, very low, and smiled, teasingly but tenderly. “Which is a very good thing, since I’m wearing this ring…isn’t it?”
Their waiter had remained tactfully in the background for some time, sensing their need for seclusion; now he drew near and offered coffee refills. Vanessa accepted; Joe shook his head, and leaned back in his chair, waiting for the waiter to depart. Smiling impishly, he reached into the inside pocket of his suit coat.
“I thought this might be a nice time to give you your graduation gift,” he said, drawing forth a small white box adorned with a blue bow.
Vanessa broke into laughter. “We think alike, Sherlock,” she teased. “Because I brought yours, too!” Bending down, she felt in her bag, and produced a box too, larger than the one he held, wrapped in shiny silver paper.
Joe’s eyes widened. He hadn’t really expected to be receiving a present tonight, just giving one. “For me? Thanks, Van!” They exchanged the boxes, then sat smiling at each other, unsure of the next move.
“Go ahead, open it,” Vanessa said finally, gesturing at the box Joe held. “I’ll go second.”
Joe needed no further urging. He tore off the paper, and then sat staring at what was revealed. “Wow! Vanessa, this is GREAT!” With reverent fingers, he opened the box. “A mini-recorder with a high-powered directional mike – Van, do you have any idea how much I’ve wanted something like this?”
She laughed.
“Well, a little, yes.” You
only mentioned it longingly every couple of days for the past three
months, that’s all…
“This is gonna be so great!” Joe exulted. “Thanks a million; I can hardly wait to try it out!” Recalling that Vanessa had yet to open her gift, Joe quelled his enthusiasm a little, and resolutely shut the box. “Now open yours, Babe.”
Smiling in anticipation, she removed the bow and gently lifted the lid of the small white box, then gasped with pleasure. “Oh, Joe, it’s lovely!” Carefully, she removed the contents and held it up: a flattened, gold heart-shaped locket suspended from a delicate gold chain. “It’s absolutely beautiful; I love it!”
Joe smiled in satisfaction. “I hoped you would. I thought it would look pretty on you.”
Vanessa was exploring the locket now, carefully undoing the tiny clasp and opening it. “OH!”
“You can always change the pictures, you know…” Joe’s voice was a touch nervous.
“Are you kidding?” Vanessa gazed at the tiny images of Joe and herself. When the little heart was opened halfway, it seemed as if they were smiling at each other. “Why would I want to change them? They’re perfect. Thank you Joe, thank you so much!” Setting the locket down momentarily, she reached to the back of her neck and undid the clasp of the necklace she was wearing. “I want to wear it always!”
With great tenderness, he helped her fasten the locket, and then kissed her cheek. “Happy graduation, Babe.”
“Happy graduation, Joe.”
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Disclaimer
The Hardy Boys belong to Simon and Schuster and the Stratemeyer Foundation. The authors have just borrowed them for an adventure or two. The authors promise to put the boys back when they are done with them. The authors do claim copyright to the original characters in this story. Please do not borrow them without expressed permission of the authors.