“Race, where’ve ya been?” Jack asked.
“I’ve been busy getting ya a gig fer ta’night. IT’s a good one, too. Ovah at da Hotel Julia.” Jack whistled.
“Dat’s high class right dere. Ya sure we can do it?”
“Oh, Shoah, JackieBoy,” I said, grinning. “Da question is: will dey be able to handle yer great singin’?” Jack swatted me because of my insult and fake NY accent.
“Watch it, Shoe, or youse gonna be locked in da room, an’ Race’ll do your part for ya’.”
Race stood up on cue and started to sing “My Lovey-dovey Baaa-beeeee. I boo hoo hoooooo for yoooouuuuu!” I smacked his cheek softly and grinned.
“Oh, no! We can’t let him do it! They’ll pay us to get off the stage!”
“Hey! That’s not nice!” Race yelled, hurt, and I stood up and mussed up his hair jokingly.
“Don’t pay attention to me none, Race.” I winked at Jack. “It was a...a.. joke. Yeah, that’s right. It was a joke!” I jumped out of Race’s path as he swung his arm to swat me. “I better go now!” Jack stood up and dragged me back.
“Aww, Shoe! Siddown and eat your lunch.” I obeyed because I was hungry, and Racetrack sat back down, this time next to me.
“Just think, ya guys,” Racetrack said. “This time, tomorrow, we’ll be celebrating a great performance!”
************* The Next Day ***********
Jack spooned up some potato soup and slurped it up. “How many times do I have to ask you to be polite?” I asked him, annoyed.
“Whut’s wrong now?”
“You slurped!” He shrugged.
“Sorry,” he answered simply. “didn’t know it bugged ya so much.”
“Don’t be sorry, just don’t do it next time!”
Just then, Race came and sat down next to Jack. “You guys okay? Maybe last night wus too much?”
I shrugged. “I had no idea we would be up so late. Sorry for being grumpy.”
“I’s sorry she’s grumpy, too,” Jack said.
“You don’t have to apologize for me. I already apologized.”
“I’m not apoligizin’ for ya. I’s just sayin’ dat I’s sorry you’re grumpy too.”
Racetrack’s grin faded as I said “Oh, so now you are tired of me? We have one successful show, and you are ready to get rid of me?”
A frown started to show on his face as Jack answered: “I didn’t say dat, but now i’s thinkin’ that I might. Why do ya hafta act so superior, anyways?” Before I had a chance to respond, Race cut in.
“Guys, guys, what’s goin’ on here?” Jack and I glared at eachother, neither answering. “You wanna know somethin great?” Jack and I glared at Racetrack. He stood up, with his arms in front of him in surrender.
“Fine, guys. I’m leavin’. But ya won’t be able ta see who’s on the front page of the newspapa’...” I jumped up, all irritablilty gone.
“Who?! What?! LET ME SEE!!!” I grabbed at him, looking for the newspaper. “Where is it?!” He chuckled.
“If I’da known that THAT’S what it took to get ya to do dat, I would have claimed to have a pape a long time ago!” I stuck my toungue out at him, then crossed my arms in front of my chest.
“Come on, Racetrack Higgins. Whut’s goin’ on!” Jack yelled.
Race reached behind his back and pulled out a pape. “Here ya go!” He spread it out in front of Jack, and I leaned over his shoulder to see it.
“Look at us, Jack! I’ve never been in a pape before! Geeze, this is so cool!” He just continued to stare at it, awestruck, finally managing to utter out one softly spoken word: “Wow.”
“This is so great!” I exclaimed. “I can’t beleive it!” Race put his hand on my shoulder and smiled.
“An’ ya know whut it means?”
“We getta sing KONY!?” I asked excitedly. He looked at me, blank. I shrugged and said “nevermind. What does it mean?”
“It means dat each a’ youse paid fifty dolla’s.” I stared at him like he was crazy, and so did Jack.
“Dey pay ya to be in da pape?!” Jack finally asked, bewildered. Race nodded his head.
“You guys are celebrities! Get ova da shock!” Suddenly jack jumped up, and grabbed Race and me into a giant hug.
“We getta go home!! I getta go home!”