Lou Lou and Pea to the Rescue Again!
The people of El Corazón were dismayed after the heartbreak at the Heliotrope. The neighborhood went from bustling and enthusiastic to quiet and gloomy. There were no more excited discussions of Bonanza preparations on the street and in the shops. In school the next day, Kyle never once mentioned his space goats, and Danielle’s snooty-girl posse didn’t do a single shimmy. Even the day was dreary and gray, as if the weather was sympathizing with El Corazón.
Pea, in particular, was grief-stricken over the loss of her hats. The day after the Preview was only a Wednesday, but Lou Lou called an emergency PSPP to comfort her friend and discuss the situation. Emergency PSPPs were very rare. In the history of PSPP, there had only been one other, when a raccoon had destroyed all of Lou Lou’s tomato plants right before the salsa festival.
When she arrived at the SS Lucky Alley for emergency PSPP, Pea’s eyes were puffy and she was quieter than usual. She barely managed a weak, polite, “Thank you, my dear,” when Lou Lou served her tea in her favorite blue teacup as they sat together in Lou Lou’s backyard garden.
“Did you talk to your abuela last night?” Lou Lou asked.
Pea nodded. “She was so sad about her hat. She tried to explain to Vice-Mayor Argyle that she’s had it for ages, so it really belongs to her, not to the Bonanza, but he wouldn’t listen.”
“¡Qué piña!” Lou Lou said.
“I think you mean ‘Qué pena,’” said Pea. “You wanted to say, ‘What a pity!’ but you said, ‘What a pineapple!’”
“Got it,” said Lou Lou, feeling a little silly.
“I even saw Abuela Josie’s eyes tear up when I told her what had happened.” Pea continued her story. “Of course, she said it was okay and gave me a big hug, but I know she was just trying to make me feel better. It’s all my fault that her hat is gone. I never should have let that … that…” Pea searched for a word. She wasn’t good at not being nice. “… rather unkind Amanda take it!” Now, Pea’s eyes began to fill with tears.
“It’s not your fault, Pea!” Lou Lou said. “Don’t ever say that! It’s those awful Argyles. And don’t worry, we’re going to find a way to stop them!” She had an idea. “Since you’re related to Diego, maybe your abuela has something to help with our diary investigation?”
“To contradict what Vice-Mayor Argyle said? If she did, I’m sure she would have mentioned it,” replied Pea.
“Not if she doesn’t know about it. Sometimes people don’t realize they have a clue right in front of their eyes. Remember the details on the murals? You have to be looking for clues, like we were.”
“I know she has a few old family things in her attic.” Pea tucked a stray piece of brown hair behind her ear. “We could visit her after school on Thursday and take a look. That is, if you don’t need to water your honeysuckle.”
Pea’s mention of the honeysuckle made Lou Lou’s ears prickle with heat. She’d been trying not to worry about whether Andy Argyle planned to uproot the plants from Limonero Park, but she felt like she might burst if she didn’t talk about it soon. Luckily, Pea knew her well.
“I know you’re concerned about the honeysuckle, Lou Lou. You don’t have to keep quiet about it for my sake,” Pea said.
“They better not take it! It’s not right, Pea! Particularly since I know the Argyles are lying! Juan and I worked so hard to plant that honeysuckle, and the light in Limonero Park is perfect! What if Verde Valley is full of vicious caterpillars and canker disease?” Lou Lou felt better. She was no longer an overfull balloon about to pop.
“Verde Valley is not a bad place. They also have a pretty park, and the Verde Valley kids who go to my school are nice,” Pea said.
“You’re right,” Lou Lou agreed. “Andy Argyle is the devious thief, not Verde Valley.”
Pea took a delicate bite of her lemon scone. “I agree that it seems really suspicious that Vice-Mayor Argyle would find the diary now, right before the Bonanza.” She looked thoughtful as she took another nibble. “Even though I was distracted by the close encounter with the trash bin, I remember hearing Amanda say ‘It actually worked and they believed it.’ Which sounds a little like they made up a story to fool everyone.”
“It sounds a lot like they made up a story to fool everyone, Pea,” Lou Lou said.
“What will we do if Abuela Josie doesn’t have anything that will help?” Pea asked.
“We’ll have to actually examine the diary to see if there’s any way to prove it’s a fake,” replied Lou Lou. “But I don’t know yet how we’ll do that without Vice-Mayor Argyle knowing,” she admitted. “Plan A is to talk to Abuela Josie. Examining the diary is plan B. And I haven’t gotten past A yet.”
Just then, Lou Lou’s foghorn doorbell rang. She hurried to answer it and found Rosa on the stoop wearing a purple dress with beaded cuffs.
“Hola, Rosa!” Lou Lou said. “What are you doing here?” Lou Lou remembered Pea’s lessons in manners. “I mean, I’m delighted to see you. Pea is in my garden. You are just in time to join us for PSPP tea.” Rosa followed Lou Lou out to the backyard.
“Buenas tardes, Rosa.” Pea brightened at the sight of the Candle Lady.
“Hello, Peacock. Lou Lou, your garden looks beautiful!” Rosa said.
Lou Lou grinned. “I can’t disagree!” The spring flowers in the Bouquet Blooms section of her garden were out in their colorful glory, and it was almost time for the odd blooms in the Summer Weirds section to come up. Punky, Lou Lou’s rowdy rebel variety camellia that grew in the shade of the backyard avocado tree, was thriving.
“Would you care for some tea and a scone, Rosa?” Pea asked.
“No, thank you. No puedo quedarme mucho tiempo. I just came by to bring you a Celebrar candle,” Rosa said. She took a red candle from her purse and set it on the table. There was a picture of a party hat and a noisemaker on the glass holder.
“This is a Bonanza candle, right? Aren’t you supposed to give it to Verde Valley?” Lou Lou asked.
“I ordered a few extras, so no one will miss it.” Rosa winked.
“Gracias, it’s lovely. But unfortunately we don’t have much to celebrate anymore,” Pea said sadly.
“Don’t lose hope! You never know what might happen, chicas. You two always find a way to work things out.” Rosa smiled. “I must return to the candle shop. It’s almost Helado’s suppertime, and I will have a very hungry bunny on my hands if I’m late!” Lou Lou and Pea said adiós and Rosa left through the side gate.
Lou Lou waited until Rosa was gone, then looked at her best friend. “Did you hear that? She said we ‘always find a way to work things out.’ Funny that we were just talking about a plan to do exactly that. It’s a sign! We have to prove that the diary is a fake as soon as possible so we can fix this fiasco!”
Lou Lou thought of something else. “Pea, in the meantime, I think we should make a new hat for Abuela Josie!” Today was clearly a day for positive planning.
“That’s a nice thought, Lou Lou, but I don’t think I could replace the hat my abuelo gave her,” said Pea.
“It doesn’t have to be a replacement. We’ll make her a totally new hat. The old one would still be special, but the new one could be, too!”
“That might make her feel a bit better,” Pea agreed. “And me too.”
“We’ll figure out what styles and colors she likes,” said Lou Lou.
“But it should be a surprise,” added Pea.
“¡Absolutamente!” Lou Lou replied. This was one of her favorite Spanish words because it was so much fun to say. Lou Lou stood on one of the wobbly metal garden chairs and cleared her throat like she was about to give an important speech. “I am going to make a decree just like the founders. We will make a new hat for Abuela Josie! We will reclaim the Bicentennial Bonanza! I hereby declare”—Lou Lou paused and waved her hands in the air—“Lou Lou and Pea to the rescue again!”
“You sound like Kyle when he’s excited about one of his Comet Cop missions.” Pea laughed and Lou Lou joined in. She wasn’t certain they could get back the Bonanza for their neighborhood. But for now, she was just happy that she could cheer up Pea.