Friday, November 21, 2008

The rest of The Performance (June and Jennifer)

Here, (un?)fortunately, is the finale to this wonderful Super Special edition of Lisa and the Angels. It's no surprise I got bored with this and gave up after thrilling old June and Jennifer. At least they aren't as dull as Christine (I don't remember what happened to her in the original version of The Performance or if she even had any chapters).

Incidentally, June Wilcok was played in dolly-land by the same Barbie doll as Carrie's friend Sandra Marcus... but don't worry, June is much nicer than Sandra.

Chapter Six - June

Hi Lisa, sorry my handwriting is so messy. (It's not all that messy in my notebook. It looks like Mary Anne Spier's.) I'm writing this on the shuttle bus.

I'm on my way to Disneyland, of course. The rest of you guys are in the bus, too. The band members are already there, warming up.

What's going on? Well, I'm about ready to sing in my very first concert! I am so excited!

This also happens to be Jennifer and Christine's first concert as members of Lisa and the Angels. But I bet they're not as nervous as I am. They, at least, have performed as background vocalists. (Like all of the "Angels" aren't just glorified background vocalists.)

Oh, I'm frightened. What if I trip and fall? What if I mess up on my dance moves? What if ...

Oh, we're here!
Aaaah!!!

(June sure writes fast considering their motel is only supposed to be a block or two away from Disneyland. Why are they riding a bus, anyway? How lazy.)

Concert time!!!

It was about time to begin Performance #1 of our Disneyland concerts. Butterflies were flapping around in my stomach. Here was my chance to show off my performing skills!

Backstage, I asked my best friend Stacie, "How do I look?"

"Mah-ve-lous!" she cried. I was wearing simple white shorts, a tank top with Donald Duck on it (bought in New York), and white slippers. Practical, but cute! I thought.

I did fourteen push-ups, to get rid of the stress. (Dork.) Then I took twelve deep breaths.

"It's time," Cyndi whispered to me.

We ran onstage. The mega-sized audience clapped and cheered wildly.

Meanwhile, the band was playing the soft intro to our romantic ballad "My Best Friend." The song holds the record of being Lisa and the Angels' biggest hit, a fact obvious to the audience. Their applause was nearly deafening!

Lisa began to sing in her sweet, clear voice. "We've been together for a long time, baby..."

"Oooh, oooh," us Angels cooed along, swaying to the beat. I relaxed. This was easy and fun!

And the audience loved us! I recognized that whole school group, plus the two identical twin boys Carrie and Erin Heart met, and there were lots of other folks!

When the song was done, Lisa cried, "Hello, everybody!"

"Hi!" the audience replied.

"Louder! I can't hear you!"

(Oh, shut up.)

This time, the audience roared. "HI!!!!"

"Better! Thank you for coming to our concert! This next song is one of our number ones -- 'It Should've Been You'!"

This was a fast tune, and Lisa had choreographed a perky dance to it.

Afterwards, we sang four more songs. Finally, Lisa said, "Okay, folks! One more song left! But before we sing it, I want to introduce you to our newest member -- June Marie Wilcok!"

Me? I thought.

The audience applauded and cheered. I grinned and waved.

"June is a great singer," Lisa continued, "with a spectacular range. She dances nicely. She's the perfect addition to our group. So I'm dedicating this last song, 'In the Land of Dreams', to June!"

Oh, cool! I thought. We sang the song.

And when we were through, Lisa cried along with the music still playing, "Thanks! Thank you all for coming! We love you!" She blew a kiss and waved. (Vomit.)

I waved right along with her, a big grin on my face. My first concert was over, and it had been a success!

The ten of us had to sign quite a lot of Disneyland autograph books, sheets of paper, napkins, notepads, plastic bags, etc ... someone even made Lisa sign a piece of bread! (What, no Lisa and the Angels schwag?) Then Miss Jewell said we could walk around Disneyland for another hour.

Now that the concert was behind me, I was relaxed and happy. I asked Stacie if she wanted to walk around with me, go on a few rides, and help me begin my perfect collection of Disney souvenirs.

"One thing," I added hesitantly. "Did you bring the petition?"

Stacie glared at me. I didn't mean to make her mad, but it's a little embarrassing when your best friend walks around demanding of strangers, "Are you tired of seeing the trees of your neighborhood disappear before your very eyes?"

(Note, Stacie didn't have this personality trait in any other Lisa and the Angels book. Actually, she didn't have much of a personality at all after her first book, Me and Snobby Stacie. In that one, she was a huge freak who -- speaking of trees -- among other things, kidnapped Cyndi, tied her to a tree, and left her for dead in Woodland Park.)

"No, I didn't," Stacie finally answered. "But yes, I'll walk around with you."

We strolled around, window-shopping and enjoying all the pleasant sights. In Adventureland, I saw a store and declared, "I just have to go to this post!"

The "post" was filled with exotic souvenirs like long, feather earrings and coral bracelets. I looked around, and decided on the feather earrings -- my first souvenir!

Stacie didn't buy anything, but we agreed practically in unison to go on the Jungle Cruise next. Since it was so late, the line wasn't long at all. Five minutes after we stepped in line, we were climbing into the boat!

I found myself between Stacie and an elderly couple. "Hello," the woman greeted us, smiling. "How are you girls tonight?"

"Fine, thank you," Stacie answered shyly.

I was more enthusiastic. "Oh, we're great! The weather's beautiful, it's not too crowded anymore, Disneyland's a blast, and no one's mobbing us!"

The couple smiled curiously. "Why would anyone want to mob you?" the man asked. (Good question.)

We explained about Lisa and the Angels. The man and woman were both delighted.

"Oh, that's wonderful!" the woman cried. "We don't know much about modern music, but our lovely granddaughter Anna does. Would you mind giving us an autograph? I'm sure she would appreciate it."

So Stacie and I each signed a piece of paper for Anna. By that time, the ride had started, so I settled back and watched the colorful, realistic-looking audio-animatronic animals and other jungle scenes. A "tour guide" explained everything as we floated along. It was a great ride. Every so often, the elderly man and woman would comment quietly to Stacie and me, or vice versa.

When the ride ended, the woman said, "Well, it was nice meeting you, although we missed one small detail!"

I was confused. "What?"

She grinned. "Your names!"

"Oh!" I laughed. "June Wilcok."

"I'm Stacie Barnes," Stacie said.

"Linda Davenport," the woman smiled.

"And I am her husband, Jim. What place are you two staying at?" Mr. Davenport added.

We told him. He looked disappointed. "Oh. We're staying at the Galaxy Inn. I don't believe they're close enough for us to meet again."

"Well," Stacie ventured. "We could always see each other in Disneyland again. How long will you be here?"

"Two more days," Mrs. Davenport answered.

"Oh." I was disappointed. Tuesday and Wednesday were among the amusement park's busiest days, especially in July. "Well, once again, it was nice meeting you."

"Yeah," Stacie agreed. "Maybe we will see each other again!"

The Davenports laughed. "Bye, girls."

"Bye." We went our separate ways.

(Whatever that was. I'm pretty sure they did come back somehow in the original version, but I don't remember why.)

"They were really nice," I said as Stacie and I walked to New Orleans Square. "Too bad they're not staying at our motel."

"Yeah," she agreed. "Well, we have twenty-five minutes left. Want to ride Pirates of the Caribbean?"

I enthusiastically agreed. Pirates of the Caribbean was another water ride, with audio-animatronics. It was different than the Jungle Cruise in the aspect that all of the characters were part of -- what else? -- a pirate theme, and the ride was indoors. But you know what? So far, I think it was my favorite ride at Disneyland! I laughed out loud through most of it, and I even enjoyed the two short trips down flumes. (Unlike the huge drop in Splash Mountain, which I had ridden earlier.)

After the ride, we made another trip to Adventureland, where we bought fresh pineapple spears at a snack bar. By then, it was time to start heading toward the exit, which we did. Along the way, Stacie bought a deck of Mickey Mouse playing cards, and I bought the second piece of my perfect Disney souvenir collection -- a booklet of twelve Disney scenes.

"You know what? I think it's been a perfect day," Stacie commented as we walked into the immense parking lot.

I thought about our peaceful motel, and the beauty and excitement of the Magic Kingdom, and the success of the concert, and the Davenports, and my souvenirs.

I couldn't agree more.

Chapter Seven - Jennifer

Well, day one at Disneyland was a big success for everyone involved in this particular group. So was day two, I suppose. Only instead of a "big" success, I'd call it a busy success...

Things started to get hectic early in the morning. Shari, my friend from the school group, decided it would be okay if she came and got me at eight in the morning. I wasn't as willing to go as she'd hoped, due to the fact that I'd gone to bed at two in the morning...

But I went anyway. That's when the excitement really started!

(Oh, Lisa, you can have this picture Shari took of me during our adventure. I'm not just giving it to you to take up space so I don't have to write in your journal. Really, I'm not!)

(Following this is a drawn picture of Jennifer that I wish I could scan. She has freakishly short arms, a long ponytail, and for some reason her mouth is open in an "O." She's also standing in front of of some palm trees and some buildings that say things like "hotel" and "eatery." Jennifer is shorter than the trees, but taller than all of the buildings.)

"Jennifer! Psst! Jennifer Owens!"

My eyes flew open. Was somebody calling me? Next to me, Christine was sound asleep, and in the bed across from me, Rick Ballis (the saxophonist) and Leonard Hope (the guitarist) were also dead to the world.

(More fourteen-year-old girls with adult male roommates ... so, so inappropriate! At least it wasn't Racquelle, with her crush on Rick Ballis ... that would have been a disaster in the making.)

"Jennifer!" This time, the voice was followed by an impatient tapping.

I sat up groggily. Who would want anything to do with me at this hour?

"JENNIFER!" the voice insisted in a loud whisper. "I'm outside! It's Shari!"

I rolled my eyes, climbed out of bed, tiptoed over to the door, and stepped outside. Shari Ashley stood grinning at me.

"Do you know what time it is?" I hissed.

She shrugged. "Sure. Eight o'clock."

"Eight?" I replied disbelievingly. I looked around. Sure enough, the sun was shining in its unique California brightness, and a flow of people crowded the sidewalks. Still, it felt like it was about six o'clock.

"What are you doing here?" I asked.

Shari ginned again. "Miss Lawrence and I are the only ones awake in our group. I asked her if I could go get you and if just the two of us could walk to Disneyland. She said yes, because you're fourteen. Like fourteen's all that much older than twelve. Oh, well, I'm glad she said yes. What do you say?"

I looked at Shari's eager face. Walking to and around the park without any adults did sound appealing. But I was awfully tired. My friends and I had chatted until almost two o'clock the previous evening.

I said the first thing that came to mind. "Is Disneyland even open yet?"

"Well, not quite yet," Shari replied. "But I thought we could get a quick breakfast -- I brought money -- and then get to the gates early so we'll have first dibs on all the rides!"

The more I thought about it, the better it sounded. So I said, "Well, okay. But I have to tell Miss Jewell."

Shari waved her hand. "There isn't time for that. We might wake someone up, and then they'll want to come with us. Just leave a note."

I shrugged. Then I stepped back inside, changed (I hope it was in a locked bathroom!), and scribbled a quick note. I was ready to go!

My exhaustion vanished as Shari and I headed away from Stovall's Inn, talking and giggling up a storm. I had to admit, it was fun being with a friend who lived three-thousand miles away!

"So where do you want to get breakfast?" Shari asked. "California Bistro? IHOP? Or should we go try one of those restaurants at the Disneyland Hotel?"

I hesitated. I hated to think of all the fat grams and calories loaded into all of those restaurant breakfasts.

It doesn't matter, I scolded myself. You'll be walking all day.

(The previous summer, I had been hospitalized due to anorexia nervosa. Now I was pretty much cured, but "fat" worries almost always crept into my mind.)

(I read even more books back then about anorexia than I did about child abuse.)

"Well?" Shari pressed. "Don't worry about money. Or are you still anorexic ... whoops." Shari slapped her hand across her mouth.

I grinned. "Let's go to California Bistro. And order something loaded with calories."

We headed for the restaurant, a place conveniently located right across the street from Disneyland. Just as I was about to pull open the door, I heard a scream escape from Shari.

Startled, I turned. A dirty-looking man was standing next to me.

"Sorry!" Shari grinned. "You scared me when you tapped me on the shoulder like that."

The man grinned back. "Excuse me, miss, but does either of you have a dollar to spare? My car was stolen last night ... I'm from Kansas ... now my wife and I have no place to stay ... I just need a dollar to buy a doughnut from that coffee shop over there."

I glanced at Shari, and then at the man. He looked nice and honest, but his story seemed far-fetched. Where was his wife? Why wasn't he asking someone at the coffee shop for money?

Before I could say or do anything, Shari pulled a crumpled dollar bill from her pocket and handed it to the man. "Here you go, sir."

"Thank you. Um ... could you make it two dollars? A doughnut and coffee would help us immensely, ma'am..."

Shari paused briefly, then shrugged and handed the man another dollar. "Thank you," he repeated. "God bless you." He walked off.

(The above was based on a "real life anecdote" from my family's first trip to Disneyland, except the guy told my dad he wanted the dollar for a hot dog from AM/PM.)

"Shari!" I cried. "Why did you do that?"

"I felt sorry for him," she answered simply.

I sighed. "Shari, that was probably a con artist."

"Well, it's too late to get the money back now, so let's just get some breakfast," she replied cheerfully. "Come on." She pulled me inside the restaurant.

When we were seated, she asked, "Now, what do you want to get? See, there's pancakes and eggs and bacon. You can even get Peek-a-Boo Piggy from the kids' menu."

I peered at my options. Shari had just given those two dollars to the man, and she was paying for both of our breakfasts. The prices were very reasonable, but I just couldn't take all of Shari's souvenir money.

"I'll have a grapefruit or something," I announced joyfully. "I don't want you to spend..."

"Oh, no, you don't," Shari interrupted sternly. "I'm not going to be responsible for you going back to the hospital."

What? I thought. Then I got the picture.

"Shari, I promise you that I'm not going to go to the hospital. I'll eat a nice big lunch ... that I'll pay for."

**********************************************************************

And that's it! Sorry for the abrupt ending. By the way, I'm pretty sure my family ate at a place called California Bistro but I have no idea what "peek-a-boo piggy" is supposed to be. I do remember that somehow, in the original version, Jennifer and Shari ended up getting "locked" in Disneyland.

I'm not sure what I'll post next. I might take a break from Lisa and the Angels; I only have two of their stories left that I know of for sure!

4 comments:

Jen Fringery said...

Wow! That was awesome. :D None of my stories ever got that long, or that interesting.

Another thing; my name is Jennifer and I have freakishly short arms and a long ponytail!

Anonymous said...

I remember Lisa and the Angels (and friends)getting locked in some Los Angeles mall in The Singers, but they got "locked" in Disneyland as well? What idiots to have that happen twice

Anonymous said...

I'm sad to see this one end. I heart Disney World, and I liked vicariously experiencing Disneyland through this story. Sigh...I feel sort of pathetic. Also, I would love to read the story where Stacie kidnaps Cyndi, ties her to a tree, and leavers her for dead.

P.S. Lisa is such a drama queen.

Sada said...

I would also love to read about Stacie kidnapping Cyndi and leaving her for dead. What a snob!