rated *
The Bob-Whites in Greece
by Celina
Part 1
"You'll never guess Moms!" Trixie could hardly contain her eagerness as she shouted through the telephone line to her mother. "Mr. Wheeler is giving us the most perfectly perfect graduation present! The Bob-Whites are going to Greece!"
"That's wonderful, sweetie! I'm sure you'll have a great time, but I'm not really comfortable with Mr. Wheeler spending so much money on you and your brothers. It just doesn't seem right somehow..." On the other end of the line, Moms was in the middle of trying to balance her family's budget, only to find out that there was no way she could finance her children's trip.
"Oh, it's okay, don't worry about it. I've been working my behind off these last few years and I have enough saved away for this trip, and Mr. Wheeler insists on paying the airfare and hotels as a gift to Jim and Honey. He knows that they won't have half the fun unless all the Bob-Whites are with them, so this is really a gift to them."
"Especially you and Brian, I suppose," Moms teased Trixie causing her to blush furiously.
"Moms!!" Trixie exclaimed.
"I know sweetie, I was just teasing. So are you flying out of Georgia, or are you coming home first and flying out of New York?" Moms asked.
"Well, we're probably going to all come home, except, of course, for Di-- it just wouldn't be worth it to fly from Paris here and back again." Trixie's thoughts strayed to her friend who was studying art for a year in Paris, and how much her brother missed her.
"You're right, so when can I expect you home?" Helen Belden wanted to make sure everything was in place for when her children came home.
"Well, Honey and I are leaving tomorrow morning on the bus and Brian and Mart are going to meet us in Pennsylvania and drive us home from there, so we should be home on Thursday. Jim is flying in on Friday; Dan is coming then as well. We're all flying out on Monday morning."
"Okay, Trixie, I can't wait to see you!" Helen Belden's eyes teared up at the thought of seeing her beloved children that she had missed so much since she had seen them last at Christmas.
"Okay, Moms, I've got to go now though, and finish packing. I'll see you soon!" Trixie looked excitedly around at the chaos that was her dorm room.
"Okay, sweetie, bye-bye," Helen said and placed the phone back in its cradle. Her little girl who had always been so independent was now nearly a grown woman and even more independent. "Oh please be careful, Trixie," she whispered softly.
Meanwhile, after Trixie hung up with her Moms, Honey came bursting into the bedroom. "Isn't it just perfectly perfect?!" she exclaimed, prancing around the room to the sounds of Darren Hayes on the CD player. "All of us Bob-Whites together in sunny Greece! We have to start packing!" Honey stopped and took a breath. "The way I figure it, we'll put all the clothes and stuff we want to take with us to Greece in one suitcase and all the other stuff in a different one. That way we can just drop the one at home and take the other one with us, we don't even have to unpack."
"What a great idea!" Trixie exclaimed. "You are always so organized!" Nothing like me, she thought to herself.
"Trixie!" Honey exclaimed, noticing the look of self-pity in her best friend’s face. "You are organized, I would have never been able to find my way around campus had you not printed out those maps of the campus before we got here, and you helped me find all our classrooms! You are very organized when it counts!" She reassured her friend.
"Thanks, Honey," Trixie replied and thought for a minute how lucky she was to have such an intuitive friend, Honey always seemed to know what she was feeling and how to cheer her up. "Well, let's get packing then!" she said and the two girls started to pack.
* * *
"Hello?" Mart Belden picked up his cellular phone on the bus that would take him from Iowa to Chicago to meet his brother Brian who worked at Chicago hospital.
"Where are you? What’s taking so long?" He heard his brother’s voice on the other end of the line.
"I'm still on the bus. Why are you so impatient? It wouldn't concern seeing a certain honey-haired girl in Pennsylvania would it?" Always the teaser Mart took this opportunity to bug his brother a bit.
"Well...." Brian was at a loss for words. "Yes." He regained his confidence "Yes, it does, I can't wait to see her, I've missed her so much!"
"I know, big brother. Don't worry, I'll be there soon. I'm anxious to see my love too, but that won't be for close to another week!" Mart thought dreamily of his beloved Diana, who he hadn't seen since Christmas. He missed her so much.
"Mart, Mart!" He heard his brother's voice on the other end of the line breaking into his thoughts of the lovely raven-haired princess of his. "Mart, when are you gonna get here?" Brian asked.
"Probably in about an hour and a half. Meet me at the bus station?" he inquired.
"You bet, we'll be leaving right away, be ready," Brian said and hung up.
Mart put his head back closed his eyes and his thoughts again turned to his beautiful girl. "Oh Diana, I can't wait to see you," he whispered softly.
Meanwhile, Jim Frayne was cramming for his last examination of the season, as well as counseling two boys that went to a nearby high school. He found though that as hard as he tried he could not keep his mind on what he was studying. Trix, get out of my head! I can't concentrate on my class when you keep wandering through my head with those beautiful sandy curls and that smile that melts my heart. Gosh, I miss you!
Cut it out, Frayne, his thoughts took a different path. This exam first and then you'll get to see your girl, just get through with it! With that thought, he again turned to his studies but not before taking a glance at his flight ticket that left in two days. Just a little longer, he thought to himself.
* * *
"Mart!" Trixie squealed and ran towards him. She had really missed her 'almost twin'.
Mart opened his arms and hugged her, all kidding and teasing aside, he had really missed her, too. Trixie then took a step back and turned to hug her oldest brother only to see him and Honey in a fierce embrace (and liplock).
"Come now, knock it off, our younger sibling wants to greet you, big brother, then you can continue," Mart said affectionately to his older brother, slightly jealous that he would not be seeing his love for at least a few more days.
Honey and Brian broke their embrace and Brian turned to hug Trixie. "I've missed you both!" he said to them.
"I've missed you, too," Trixie's voice was muffled against her brother's shoulder. She then turned to Mart and the two of them started for the car. Brian and Honey followed slightly behind.
"Baby," Brian said, slipping his arm around Honey's waist and twirling her in the air. "I've missed you so much!"
"I know!" Honey's voice was thick with emotion as they started towards the car. "It seems like so much more than five months since I last saw you!"
"It's alright, now we're together, and next year we'll plan it so we don't spend so much time apart," Brian comforted her. The four of them then slid into Brian's used Sunfire that he had traded his jalopy in for and started towards Sleepyside and Crabapple Farm.
* * *
Helen Belden had just finished putting the roast in the oven when 12-year-old Bobby came bounding in the door. "Hey Moms!" he shouted, "What's to eat? I'm starving!"
Helen chuckled to herself at the sense of déjà vu; it wasn't too long ago when a different sandy blond boy would come bounding through that same door after school and ask the same question. "I'm making a roast, because everyone is coming home today, but I don't know when they'll be here so why don't you make yourself a 'special'?"
After Bobby had had his special and the counters were again clean, Helen Belden sat anxiously at the kitchen table debating whether or not to call one of her children on their respective cellular phones. Finally, curiosity got the better of her and she picked up the receiver and dialed Mart's number. She knew that Brian would be driving and Trixie would probably be talking so much she wouldn't hear it.
"Moms!" Mart answered energetically.
"Where are you guys, sweetie? Are you close?" Helen was on pins and needles; she so wanted to see her children again.
"Not too much longer now," Mart said.
"Well, where are you? Are you in Sleepyside yet?"
"Well, Moms, to tell you the truth, we're right outside your kitchen window," Mart answered, causing Helen Belden to spin around and, at the sight of her children, drop the phone and hurry out. They met each other in the doorway and, in all the commotion of hugs, Bobby, who came downstairs, was soon added. Just as everyone got seated at the kitchen table, Peter Belden entered the room. There were more hugs. After the usual questions of 'How are you?' and 'How did you do on your exams?' were finished, Honey announced that she had to go home and see her parents. Brian immediately offered to drive her and they left for the Manor House, with Brian promising to be back soon. Afterwards, Mart went upstairs to phone Diana and talk to her about meeting them at the airport, while Mr. Belden went into the family room with Bobby leaving Mrs. Belden and Trixie alone.
"So, Trixie, tell me, are you exited about Jim coming home tomorrow?" Helen asked her daughter, who immediately flushed a deep red.
"Yes," Trixie voiced, almost desperately. "Moms, I think I'm past the stage where I was 'in love' with him, and now I 'love' him as well!"
"And that's scary, isn't it?" Helen asked and was answered by Trixie's nod. "Well, sweetie, don't worry, I've never seen a couple as fitting as you and Jim. And no buts," she interrupted her daughters attempt to voice her insecurities. "He loves you as much as you love him, if not more. Trixie," she said looking into her daughter’s eyes, "that's where even I can see it. Look into his eyes and put all you insecurities to rest."
"Thanks, Moms," Trixie said, "I will. I'm just really looking forward to seeing him again."
"How would you like to go pick him up at the airport?" Helen Belden asked and the way her daughter's face lit up was all the answer she needed. "I'll speak to your father, but I'm sure I'll be able to arrange some kind of transportation."
"Oh, thank you, Moms, that would be the best thing ever!" Trixie exclaimed and bounded upstairs to unpack some of her clothes and wash some others that she wanted to take with her.
An hour later, after placing a call to the Manor House, the Belden family plus Honey were sitting down to a roast beef dinner. "It's tomorrow’s dinner that will be perfect," Helen Belden exclaimed "What with Jim flying in and Dan arriving as well. It'll be just like old times"
"Minus Diana," Mart muttered inconsolably.
"Patience is a virtue," Brian said to him.
"Easy for you to say!" Mart retorted.
After dinner and dishes, Honey went home to spend some time with her family with the promise to return tomorrow evening to make plans for their holiday. The Beldens then retired for the evening, because Trixie, Mart and Brian were tired from their travel and Bobby because 11:00 was his bedtime.
The next morning Trixie was up at the crack of dawn, all thoughts of how tired she had been the night before forgotten and only one thing on her mind. "Today's the day I see Jim. Oh I've missed him so much!" She went downstairs and made coffee and soon her father joined her.
"Ready to take me into work?" he asked her. Trixie then jumped from her seat and hugged him.
"Thanks so much for the car, Dad!" She ran upstairs to get dressed. Fifteen minutes later, she was back downstairs having already planned out a month before the clothes she would wear this day.
After dropping her father at work, she headed towards the airport. The continual traffic kept her mind on the road, but as soon as she parked the car her heart started to race. She went into the terminal, inquired at the arrival information desk and, being an hour early, settled into a seat with her book.
* * *
Calm down, you idiot! Jim Frayne thought to himself. It's just Trixie; you've known her for over six years!
But that's the problem, his thoughts battled. Every day in those six years you've found something new to love in her. Jim shook his head to clear his thoughts just as the 'fasten your seatbelt' light came on. That beep made his heart race and his palms sweat. He flushed thinking how silly this was to be getting so worked up. But ever since he had left her side at Christmas, he couldn't describe how alone he had felt. Sometimes he had been cold, thinking how much he missed her embrace, and her warm kiss... Oh boy, he missed her so much it hurt.
Jim had just collected his luggage and was heading out to meet whoever was coming to pick him up. The last time he had checked it was supposed to be his dad and sister. He wished silently it wasn't such a long ride home; he didn't know how much longer he could last not seeing her. He walked into the waiting area, looked around, then suddenly he heard a voice call "Jim!" It was choked with emotion, but he'd know it anywhere. He wheeled around to where the voice was coming from, dropped his luggage and ran towards his curly-haired special girl.
"Trix, oh, Trix," he exclaimed taking her into his arms. He hugged her tighter than ever and she returned his hug, slowly melting into his arms. "Oh Trix, I've missed you so!" he choked out, caressing her hair and quickly wiping a tear from his eye.
"Oh Jim!" Trixie managed to say. "I've missed you, too! I don't know if I ever want to be apart again!" She burrowed her face into Jim's chest. He then let go of her, took a half step back, and lifted her face with his hands. She gasped as his lips locked with hers and all the long months were erased in a single moment.
* * *
Helen Belden smiled with pleasure. Her whole family and extended family was under one roof. Only Diana was missing and she would be coming back with the Bob-Whites in only a few short weeks. Helen's husband sat to her left at the head of the table also beaming with pleasure as he was getting ready to serve the roast turkey. Seated to Mr. Belden's left was Brian, then Honey. Next to Honey sat Trixie, and next to her, Jim. Beside Mrs. Belden was Bobby, beside him was Mart and next to Mart was Dan. Everyone looked so happy. I wish it were always like this, Mrs. Belden thought to herself.
After dinner, the elder Beldens as well as Bobby went up to bed. The Bob-Whites minus Diana gathered in the living room.
"I think we should have a day plan," Brian announced. "Nothing overly detailed, but just where we're going to be every day. We only have two weeks and we definitely want to get certain stuff in. I mean, I think everyone wants to see the Acropolis right?" A round of enthusiastic nods answered him. "All right, then, let's plan it in."
A few hours later, Mart was taking the itinerary upstairs to print off on the computer. Di was online and wanted to talk to him.
"I've got to go spend some time with my Uncle Bill and Mr. Maypenny, but I'll see yas tomorrow at the lake," Dan said and headed out the door. Brian also left to walk Honey home.
Jim and Trixie went around to the crabapple orchard in the back of the house. They settled down under one of the crabapple trees. Trixie sat with her legs slung over one of Jim's legs and snuggled in his arms. Together, they looked up into the stars, and, simultaneously, three words left their lips.
"I love you."
Beep beep beep beep.
Trixie bolted upright in bed. Today, in just a few hours, she would be flying to sunny Greece with the best friends in the world. She quickly dressed and ran a comb through her unruly blond curls. Moments later, Mart was pounding on the door.
"Get up, squaw! It's time to make tracks to the airport. Tom will be here soon and Moms wants us all to have breakfast together before we leave," Mart called through her closed bedroom door. He was undoubtedly the most excited. After one last glance at the mirror, smiling half-satisfied at her appearance, she bounded down the stairs.
"Good morning, Moms!" she shouted as she all but ran into the kitchen and slid into her seat at the table.
"Excited, aren't we?" Helen asked her daughter, a rhetorical question because her beaming face said it all."Well..." she began as Mart bounded into the room, tripped over one of the chairs and went flying. Laughter erupted around the breakfast table as Brian made a half-hearted effort to help his brother to his feet.
After making sure that Mart was okay, Mrs. Belden got a chance to finish her sentence, "As I was saying, Mart seems to be the most excited here, but I think that little display did all the talking needed."
Everyone laughed again, and then sat down to breakfast.
Just as the last of the dishes were cleaned up, Honey bounced in the door. "Good morning, all!" she exclaimed. "Tom is waiting in the limo."
There were hugs all around as the Beldens who had so recently returned home were once again leaving. Mart of course was the first one to the door.
"Come on, you slow pokes! We have to get going!" he shouted while taking Trixie's suitcases to the car.The other Beldens followed him and after they had all gotten into the limo and waved goodbye to their parents, they started heading toward the rising sun and airport. The ride there was riddled with talk of Greece and trivia that Mart had looked up in travel guides.
"Did you know that the word 'Psychology' comes from the Greek word 'psihologia?'" he asked them, "And there are numerous others like all the 'teles' like in television or telephone, actually most of the English language is derived from Greek and Latin."
While they went through customs at the airport, the trivia continued and only after they were settled on their flight to Paris did Mart finally shut up. Mostly because he had no one else to talk to, but partially because he was too busy preparing his opening speech for when he saw Diana for the first time in so long. Trixie, who was sitting in beside Honey, heard him muttering to himself and looked up at Jim who, while keeping a straight face, was obviously trying hard not to laugh.
"I can't believe the flight is nine hours long! What are we going to do for nine hours?" Honey asked Trixie after the plane took off. Trixie immediately put up her hand for silence. "Trix, leave him alone," Honey began.
"Shhhh," Trixie said and gestured behind them. There were whispers coming from the seat behind them, but Honey couldn't hear any words. Trixie however became more and more engrossed shoving her ear in between the seats so far that Honey had to yank her back before it came out in front of the people talking. After that Trixie sank back into her seat and scrambled for a pen and paper.
"What is it, Trixie? I had to pull you back or else your ear would have popped out in front of those people! What is it? What did you hear?" Honey's questions came one after the other.But Trixie merely put her finger to her lips and started scribbling on the piece of paper she had recovered from her purse. When she was finished she stuffed it into her back pocket and refused to say a word about it.
The flight passed uneventfully, except for Mart's mutterings in his sleep regarding Diana. That was the main entertainment throughout the flight.
They landed in Paris in very late afternoon Paris time and Mart raced off the flight. After checking the gate number, they bolted through the airport to the gate that they would depart from. He stood stock still at the entrance looking around at the heads of all the soon to be passengers. Then he spotted her. She had her back to him and her pretty nose buried in a fashion magazine. He walked up to her in a daze, she put down her magazine and tossed her hair, stretching her neck, then she spotted him. The magazine dropped from her hands on to the floor, beside the spot where Mart was now kneeling, hand in pocket.
"Diana Lynch, you are the most beautiful form of existence on this planet. This time apart from you has made me so sad. I never want to be sad like that again. Please, tell me you'll accept this ring and my plea to spend the rest of our lives together."
"Yes," she whispered. "Yes, Martin Belden, I will marry you!"
That was when the rest of the Bob-Whites walked into the terminal and their jaws dropped. Mart picked Di up from her seat and twirled her around in the air; then they collapsed into a happy teary pile on the floor of the terminal while the others ran over to them.
"Mart Belden, I can't believe you just did that!" Trixie squealed as she and Honey knelt down beside Di. "Come on, Di! Let’s see the ring!" Shyly, Di held out her hand only to be greeted with more squeals.
"Ohmigosh!" Honey gasped.
"It's beautiful!" Trixie added.Meanwhile, the boys were congratulating Mart and Brian was reaming him out for not having told him anything. After a few moments of chaos, the boarding call came through for their flight.
"That's us gang! Let’s go! Next stop, Greece!" Dan announced and picked up two of the carry-ons, as did the other boys.The girls with nothing to carry got,into line ahead of the boys and proceeded immediately to catch up with Di on how their school year had progressed. Once on the plane, however, they discovered that their seats took up one entire row on the plane, and Trixie immediately called the window seat, since she had been deprived of it on the flight to Paris. Di also wanted a twosome, so that she and Mart could spend some time together. Thus, Jim sat beside Trixie, and Honey, Brian and Dan took their seats in the middle. There was much talking about what they would do upon arriving and when the plane took off they settled back into their seats.
About an hour into the flight Trixie took her eyes off the window; it wasn't really all that exciting, after all. She had thought that flying over Europe would somehow have looked different that flying over North America. She turned her head and looked towards Jim, he had fallen asleep. She craned her neck and saw that the other Bob-Whites were also asleep, with the exception of Mart and Diana, of course, who couldn't take their eyes off one another.She planted a kiss on Jim's cheek and got up to go to the washroom. On her way back she heard muffled voices and ducked in behind the curtain near the washrooms to listen. She couldn't understand a word of what they were saying, but she was sure that they were the same men from the first flight. She parted the curtain a bit to get a glimpse of them and, suddenly, the refreshment cart came up behind her, knocking her off balance and causing her to tumble into the aisle, ripping the curtain from its rod on the way down.
Suddenly, there was chaos, one of the men she had been listening to jumped into the aisle and started shouting at her in Greek, while another hurried to push some papers back into a briefcase.
The steward was standing above her saying, "Ma'am, Ma'am, sorry, so sorry, ma'am?"Suddenly, a girl that looked to be around Trixie's age stepped into the aisle, picked Trixie up from the floor and sat her in a nearby seat. She turned on the man who had been yelling and began to talk to him in calming, but obviously irritated tones. She made numerous gestures and he finally sat, said something to his friend and they proceeded to watch the in flight movie.
"Excuse me," the girl who had helped Trixie spoke. "The steward wants to know if you're all right. He says it was an accident--that he had been talking to one of his colleagues and hadn't been looking. He wants me to tell you how sorry he is."
"Oh! Tell him it's all right. I'm fine," Trixie replied.After the girl had translated, she sat down in the empty seat beside where she had sat Trixie. "You're obviously not going home!" the girl said in a light kidding tone, giving Trixie a genuine smile.
"Me? No," Trixie laughed a little shakily, shifting her eyes to the two men. "My friends and I are on vacation. Are you from Greece?" she asked. She settled back and relaxed a little after seeing that the men seemed engrossed in their movie.
"Yes, I am," the girl said and her eyes took on a dreamy look.
"Your English is very good, though! I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't come along." Trixie thought back to the angered man and shuddered involuntarily. The girl caught it and made a movement as if to say 'forget it'.
"Greek men are very hotheaded, and have big egos. There's nothing to worry about. I guess I should introduce myself. My name is Kiki." Kiki extended her hand and Trixie caught it in a handshake.
"Trixie. Pleased to meet you. That is such a nice name!"
"My grandmother's name was Kiriaki and I was named after her, shortened it becomes Kiki. That is the custom among Greek people; the children are named after the grandparents," Kiki told her.
"Were you out of the country on holiday?" Trixie asked her, turning her body towards her newly found friend as to give her undivided attention.
"No, unfortunately, I go to university in Canada, so now I'm going home!" The girl sighed, her eyes getting the dreamy look again. "Anyway!" She shook her head as if to clear her thoughts. "So, you are here on holiday?"
"Yes," Trixie replied. "We graduated from university this year so my best friend Honey Wheeler's father gave us all a trip to Greece for a present." Trixie gestured towards the Bob-Whites. "That's Honey over there. And that is her adopted brother Jim Frayne. Over there is my brother Mart and his fiancée, our best friend Diana Lynch. Beside Honey is my other brother Brian, and on her other side is our friend Dan Mangan. That's our club, we call ourselves the Bob-Whites of the Glen," Trixie finished as Jim began to stir.
"You should probably get back," Kiki said with a wink, causing Trixie to blush. "I'll tell you what, I'll give you my home phone, that way if your schedule isn't too busy give me a call and I'll show you how to party like the Greeks and not just like the tourists. How's that sound?"
"Great! Wow! That would be really awesome, are you sure that you've got the time? I mean showing tourists around can't be your idea of a good time!" Trixie remarked ruefully.
"Oh, but it is! I love to show people all the things there are to love about this beautiful country. Just call me, I promise you won't be disappointed!" Kiki said and after exchanging phone numbers, Trixie went back to her seat.Jim rolled his head over to her and she looked up into those gorgeous green eyes.
"Oh Jim, I just met the nicest girl! You have to meet her! You and all the other Bob-Whites too. How long until we land?" The words came out in a rush of excitement.
"Oh, Trix!" Jim said and as his arms engulfed her, his lips met hers in a kiss. "Do you have any idea how beautiful you are?" The seatbelt light turned on before Trixie could respond and they were temporarily busy getting things together while the other Bob-Whites woke up and their put seatbelts on.Twenty minutes later the plane touched down and the captain announced that they had arrived in Athens, where the temperature was a hot 39 degrees Celsius. A cheer went up inside the plane from everyone who was happy to get there. They filed out of the plane and into customs, where they got through without much delay. After claiming their luggage they rolled their carts toward the arrivals gate. As they exited Trixie saw Kiki drop her luggage and jump into the arms of a handsome man standing at the gate.
"What do we do now, Jim?" Honey asked, pushing her luggage cart alongside Trixie and Di.
"Well, Dad says it isn't a good idea to drive in Greece, the drivers are supposedly very bad, so I guess it'll have to be a taxi to the hotel," Jim said. He followed Trixie's gaze and saw the man and woman in an embrace. "Trix? You wanted us to meet someone?" he asked. Trixie shot him a grateful smile and Jim's heart fluttered again. How is it she does that to me everytime? he wondered to himself.
"Yes," she said and led the group towards Kiki. "Kiki, these are my friends."
"Oh!" Kiki turned around and then, after naming each of the BWGs correctly, she turned to her companion. "And this is Kostas. He doesn't speak much English, but I'm sure he's glad to meet you." She said something to him in Greek and he nodded enthusiastically in response. "Anyway, it's really great to meet you all. Trixie, you have my number right?" When Trixie nodded, she continued, "Great, I'll expect your call in the next few days then! It'll be real fun hanging around with you guys!"
"That would be awesome!" Honey remarked. "You can show us stuff other tourists never see!"
"That I can promise!" Kiki said with a grin, and waved goodbye.
The Bob-Whites headed towards the main entrance and caught two cabs that would take them to their hotels. After a bit of discussion they decided the best thing to do would be to go to sleep. It was after midnight and they were tired anyway. They got to the hotel and got settled into their rooms. Honey, Trixie and Di shared one room, Mart and Dan another, and Jim and Brian a third. They said their respective goodnights and fell exhausted into their beds.
Part 3 rated *
Trixie opened her eyes and looked around her. It took her a minute to realize that this was her first day in Greece. With that thought, she bounded out of her bed and into Honey's.
"Wake up, sleepyhead!" She shook Honey, who in turn, rolled over and pulled the covers over her head. "Come on! Get up silly! There's so much to see!" Trixie said and then went on to pounce on Di.
"Trixie Belden! It's 2 o'clock in the morning! What in the world do you want at this hour?" Honey replied groggily after looking at her watch.
"You're still on Sleepyside time! It's 9 am here!" Trixie said excitedly, "Come on! Out of bed and we'll go down for breakfast," she called from the bathroom as she was getting into the shower. A few seconds later the girls heard the water running and Trixie's off-key whistle.
"All right, Di, we may as well get up. We're not going to get any more sleep here anyway," Honey stated, reaching her hand out from under her covers to yank off Di's covers.
"Argh!!" Di's shout made Honey giggle, but the pillow to her head shocked her into silence. "Ok... You asked for it!" Honey said, and the two of them started an impromptu pillow fight.
"What the...!" Trixie exclaimed as she entered the room wrapped in her towel, only to be hit immediately in the face by a stray pillow. Honey and Di could no longer participate in the pillow fight because they were laughing so hard, which gave Trixie the opportunity to avenge the pillow in the face. Di ran into the bathroom for cover (and a shower) but Honey had no protection against the pillow Trixie was wielding. After a few good whacks, Trixie sat on her bed to get dressed, while Honey brushed her teeth and put on her robe, ready to enter the shower after Di got out.
"Honey, if you don't mind, I'll go get the boys and then go down and order coffee. You guys can meet me down there," Trixie suggested.
"Yeah, good idea Trix, I don't think I can wait too long for my coffee!" Honey replied, heading into the bathroom. Di who was brushing her teeth just nodded her consent and Trixie was out the door. She walked down the hall to the next door, knocked and informed Mart and Dan that they would be heading down for breakfast. When she reached Jim and Brian's door, she took a deep breath to steady herself and raised her hand to knock. Before her knuckles hit the door it was flung wide open and Jim stood in the doorway dressed in a pair of jeans. His hair was wet and droplets were falling onto his shoulders. Before Trixie had time to react he pulled her into a hug and planted a kiss on her lips.
"Good morning to you too!" Trixie exclaimed giggling, "Ugh, you're all wet!" She tousled the hair that had left a damp spot on her blue blouse.
"And you are absolutely gorgeous." He kissed her again as they headed into the bedroom. Trixie could hear the shower going and guessed that Brian must be in there. Jim sat down on the bed and patted the space beside him.
"Come on, you silly boy. Let’s go get some coffee." Trixie said and while attempting to toss Jim a red T-shirt, suddenly felt a hand wrap around her wrist and was pulling her onto the bed. Jim then started to tickle her and her shrieks brought Brian to the bathroom door.
"What is going on?" He looked with disbelief at his sister and best friend horsing around. "Whatever..." He said and closed the bathroom door to finish shaving.
"Come on, Jim! Stop!" Trixie managed to get out between giggles. He then pinned her to the bed and kissed her.
"Oh Trix!" he breathed just inches from her face. "I have missed you so much!"Trixie's heart was already racing, and she just had time to get out "So have I" before Jim kissed her again. She groped around and found what she was looking for. "But get dressed!" She threw the T-shirt at him again, and took advantage of his momentary confusion to get off of the bed and stood by the door. A few minutes later they were sitting in the dining room of their hotel.
After ordering coffee for everyone Trixie turned to Jim.
"So what do you think we should do?" she asked him. Jim took a swallow of his coffee before he responded.
"You mean when and if we should call Kiki?" he asked. Trixie had raised her cup to her lips and merely nodded. "Well, we'll consult with everyone else of course, but I'm all for it. She seems nice, and it would be nice to experience some real Greek culture." Jim smiled at the curly-haired blond sitting beside him. "Whatever you want to do, Trix, I'm with you."
"Jim..." Trixie batted at him playfully. "I know that," she replied coyly and smiled. A few minutes later the Bob-Whites began trickling in. Soon enough they were all seated around the table, and sure enough they were all in agreement.
"So." Brian summarized. "We're all in agreement that we'll play this by ear. When we all feel we've seen enough of Athens we'll call Kiki and take her up on her offer." A round of nods answered him.
"Great!" Trixie announced, "Let's go then! The Acropolis isn't getting any younger!" and with that the Bob-Whites collected their things and exited the hotel lobby.
The first thing that hit them was the intense heat. While trying to keep together on the busy sidewalk, they quickly conferred and decided that a taxi was the way to go, as the pollution was unbearable, trucks and cars whizzing by creating more exhaust. When they were finally able to flag down a taxi, Honey, Di, Mart and Brian took it. Promising to meet at the bottom of the steps to the Acropolis, their taxi sped away, leaving Trixie, Jim and Dan coughing in its exhaust. It was another 15 minutes before they managed to get themselves a taxi. When they arrived at the Acropolis they were hot and sweaty, as were the others.
"Wow! It's hot here!" Di exclaimed, fanning herself with her hand.
"You can say that again!" Dan said "All the times I chopped wood in the Fall, I never worked up a sweat like this!" After a few minutes the conversation slowed and extinguished as the climb grew more and more difficult.
"Do these steps ever end?" Trixie was hot and bothered, and her temper was beginning to show.
"I'm sure that we must be almost there." Honey started looking hopefully at Brian.
"Yeah, sure we are, there's a sign up ahead." Dan pointed towards a sign at a fork in the steps. The Bob-Whites trekked on and soon emerged onto what seemed like the top of the world.
"Wow..." A collective gasp went out as they surveyed their surroundings. Every direction you looked in you could see for what seemed like forever."All right then, gang, you take a minute to rest up while I go see about a tour guide who speaks English," Jim said and he turned to find someone who could help them. Trixie who was sitting on a rock ledge, lifted her head for a moment and marveled as Jim's sweat drenched T-shirt showed off his supple form. A few minutes later Jim was back with an English speaking tour guide. The Bob-Whites took a moment to buy some bottled water and then started out on the tour. An informative few hours later the Bob-Whites were heading down the many steps that would lead them to the street.
"Wasn't that amazing?" Honey asked her friends."Yeah, I never could have imagined that it would be that beautiful!" Di's wide violet eyes spoke more than the words she was saying.
"So shall we eat??" Mart pleaded. The Bob-Whites laughed and Trixie thought to herself, It's just like old times. It's like we haven't been apart!"Yeah, let’s go. I'm getting a little hungry myself," Dan said and everyone was quick to agree that some sustenance was in order.
"So, an authentic Greek tavern?" Jim asked the rest.
"Definitely!" Trixie jumped off the last step and landed squarely on both feet. She then turned around to face her friends and was promptly spun off balance by a passing pedestrian. As she fell to the ground she heard the man's menacing voice say, "Ksero oti ksereis."
Jim was at her side in an instant, as he grabbed her elbow to help her to her feet he shot a LOOK at the man's retreating back.
"Trix! Are you okay?" Honey's concerned voice broke into Trixie's thoughts.
"Yeah, I'm fine..." her voice trailed off as she tried to get a better look at the man's retreating back. Her mouth widened into an O."Who was that, Trix?" Honey asked her friend as the rest of the Bob-Whites set out to try and find cabs.
"It was that guy Honey! The one from the airplane!" Trixie whispered to her friend, looking around. "I’m don’t know what he said, but that tone of voice I would know anywhere, I’m pretty sure he was threatening me!"
"Oh, Trixie, shouldn’t we tell the boys?" Honey looked in their direction and then back to Trixie hopefully."No, Honey, it’s all right. Nothing happened and there’s no reason to worry them, we’ll probably never see him again anyway." Trixie looked at her friend with confidence.
"All right then. You’re probably right," Honey replied a little hesitant.
"Great then!" Trixie took advantage of Honey’s pause to move along. "Let’s get to this tavern! I’m starving!" The two girls walked over to where the rest of the group had just flagged down taxis.
"Come on, girls, hurry up! Let’s get out of this disgusting smog!" Mart called to them as they got into the taxis. A few minutes later they were stuck once again in traffic. Nearly an hour later they were piling out of the taxis in front of an outdoor restaurant.
"Let’s not do that again," Dan commented, plucking his sweat-soaked T-shirt off his skin.
"I second that!" Diana exclaimed, lifting her hair from the nape of her neck and securing it in ponytail.
The Bob-Whites proceeded into the restaurant. After seating themselves indoors, away from the street traffic, they surveyed their surroundings. The Tavern was filled with cigarette smoke, the floors were grimy, and it was so dimly lit that they could hardly see the kitchen. 15 minutes later they had still not been waited on and they were all starting to get a bit edgy.
"Come on!" Mart pleaded. "I’m starving!"
Everyone around the table nodded their agreement and Jim got up to see what was taking so long. A few minutes later he returned to the table looking slightly confused.
"You’re not going to believe this, but we have to go into the kitchen to order," Jim told the others, after a round of confused and astounded faces, the Bob-Whites picked up their things and followed Jim into the kitchen. In there, there was a massive stove and on it were an array of pots and dishes. There was a man standing in there, looking at them strangely.
Trixie shivered. It was hot out, but she was so uncomfortable here. She stole a glance at Honey and Di and saw their looks of distaste. Di was clinging to Mart’s arm, and Honey was holding Brian’s hand. Trixie looked about and was glad to see that Jim was standing behind her his arms protectively by her sides. This place was a real dump.
"What you want?" the man asked them roughly. After everyone pointed to the dish they wanted the man very rudely ushered them out of the kitchen. They sat down at their table and exchanged looks.
"I’m really hungry guys! Let’s just see what the food is like first!" Mart pleaded with them. They agreed and made small talk for a few minutes until they were served their food. They were all famished and ate everything on their plates. The food was admittedly good but the atmosphere was such that they couldn’t enjoy their meal. They paid their bill and exited the restaurant, into the hot exhaust filled street.
"Let’s get back to the hotel and go swimming," Honey shouted over the roar of the cars going by. Everyone quickly agreed and taxis were immediately summoned. When they arrived at the hotel they agreed to meet at the pool and went upstairs to change. While Diana was in the bathroom changing Honey approached Trixie.
"What was up with that guy?" she asked her. "Are you going to tell me anything?"
"Honey!" Trixie replied exasperated. "I’ve told you everything that I can. He said something to me in Greek. I didn’t understand though."
"What did he say? What did it sound like?" Honey questioned.
"Ksero oti ksereis," Trixie replied and retrieved the piece of paper she had written something on during the flight. She scribbled on it again and placed it in her purse.
"And what’s that?" Honey asked her.
"More Greek, when we meet up with Kiki I’ll ask her what it means."
Di came out of the bathroom and the girls headed downstairs to the pool. The boys were already there, jumping off the diving board and horsing around. After a cooling swim they lounged beside the pool.
"So what do you girls want to do tonight?" Brian asked them.
"Well, it’s 5:00 now so how about we head out somewhere for supper and then take a stroll through the National Gardens? Everything else will be closed by then anyway." Trixie suggested.
"That sounds good, and afterwards we can go for a drink at a bar or something," Jim added and everyone agreed.They all headed upstairs to get dressed and met an hour later in the hotel lobby. After hailing taxis, they went to a downtown restaurant. The restaurant was very different from the one where they had eaten lunch in, cleaner, and it had air conditioning. They exited it refreshed and ready for some more sightseeing. They then strolled around the National Gardens until it got dark at 9:00, and then headed back to the hotel. During the taxi ride back they all remarked on how nice the gardens had been. At the hotel, they went to their rooms with the promise to meet back down at the bar at 11:00.
Trixie was the first one ready. She went into the lobby bar, sat down and ordered a sprite with grenadine. A few minutes later she felt a pair of lips touch her neck.
"Trixie Belden, I think we may have problems tonight." Jim’s voice in her ear made her shiver with delight.
"Why is that James Winthrop Frayne the Second?" she asked moving her head backwards as to snuggle into his shoulder.
"Because you and I are sleeping in different rooms, and at this moment I want you so much I can hardly stand it."Trixie shivered again and swiveled around on her bar stool to face Jim. "I guess you’ll just have to, right?" she asked seductively, lacing her arms around his waist and pressing her lips right behind his ear. He grasped her waist and drew her body nearer to his.
"I don’t think so," he said and kissed her passionately. Trixie’s heart began to beat faster and faster the longer the kiss held. Finally he broke away, but stayed so close that his lips were touching hers as he whispered softly, "You are amazing."
Just then, Brian, Mart and Dan came into the bar and the two of them broke apart. Jim kept his arm around Trixie’s waist as the four of them discussed their plans for tomorrow. By the time the girls came down they had discussed numerous possibilities, some more practical than others.
"We were thinking that maybe tomorrow, in the morning we take a little tour of the Olympic Village, and then in the afternoon call up Kiki and see what’s happening on her end. I don’t know about you but we’re getting a little tired of this dirty city," Jim quickly briefed Di and Honey.
"I agree, about the dirty part at least. The gardens were nice, but it is just so smoggy, sometimes it’s hard to even breathe here," Honey said and Di nodded her agreement.
"Then it’s settled," Brian said planting a kiss on Honey’s cheek. "Tomorrow, if we can, we’re getting out of here. I mean we can always come back here towards the end of our trip if we want to see more." Everyone nodded their agreement and a few minutes later they were again leaving the hotel.
They decided to go to a club downtown that was supposed to be good, after waiting in line for 45 minutes they were confronted with a 40 euro cover charge.
"I’m not paying that much just to get in!" Trixie was astonished.They all agreed and went back to the hotel for drinks in the lounge. At around 1:00 am everyone was exhausted, so they went upstairs and fell into their beds. They slept like the dead until morning.
To Be Continued