Chapter 38

 

Rico woke up disoriented and out of breath with panic. Pretty quickly he figured out he was in his own bed in his grandmother's house, so he calmed down and dropped back on the pillow.

He had been dreaming about being in that basement at the Dunbar house, but this time he was alone and frantic. There were terrible noises coming from the floor above. He didn't know what was happening or where Sammy was.

Relieved to be awake, he went to get ready. Later on, he and Mitch were waiting for Sammy and his grandmother to make themselves pretty for the second day of the festival. The two of them were hanging out in the foyer, when Rico told Mitch about his restless night.

"I barely slept last night, and I still managed to have a nightmare." He didn't give him any details though. Mitch didn't need that. "All that talk about the basement of horrors is coming back to haunt me."

"Sorry," Mitch told him and reached over to rub his back. "I didn't sleep at all, so no nightmares for me." He had spent all night in an armchair in Sammy's room, watching over her.

"Did Sammy sleep OK?" Rico asked.

"She did and that's what's important. She had her doll and the kittens cuddling with her. I think that helped," Mitch said with a smile.

"Sammy had her dad with her. That's what made the difference," Rico told him and gave him a kiss. "Today she'll have even more fun and you'll get to be in the parade as a proud parent of a peach."

"You'll be there too," Mitch said.

"I'm just your backup. This will be your day to shine. And Sammy's of course," Rico said, but he was actually really happy to be there with Mitch and Sammy.

 

Before they left, Sammy made the case that the kittens should come to the parade. "They want to see me," she insisted.

"They wouldn't like the crowds, honey," Mitch told her and they set off with Natalie and Veronica looking at them through the front windows.

First thing after they got some breakfast, they checked in at the school. Along with their parents, all the kids were gathered there so they could transform into peaches. Sam, Wyatt and the boys were already there as well as Gloria and Lara.

"Remember to get all the hugging out of your system before you put your peach costumes on," Sam reminded the kids.

Lara looked down at Gloria. "He means you, sweetheart," she told her daughter.

Gloria was up for that. "OK. You first, Momma," she said and she hugged Lara, and then she started to hug everybody else too. All the other kids then did the same thing, and it was a melee of hugging.

"Do a group hug, or you'll never be done," Noreen told them. Then she turned to Mitch and Rico, the first timers in the parade. "You see what a challenge it will be to corral them during the parade."

"One wrong move and we could have a peach pileup," Wyatt said.

 

The kids went to change with the help of people who knew how to get them into giant, Styrofoam peach costumes. In the meantime, the adults were handed what they would be wearing for the parade.

Mitch looked down at the green t-shirt in his hands. "These shirts say 'Sweet as pie'."

"I know they do," Rico told him and held up a t-shirt of his own. "And they have a pie on the back. Hurry up and put it on. I'm ready to take pictures."

Rico had his phone out, but Mitch wasn't doing as he was told. "I need a bigger size."

"Oh, no, you don't. I want to see every bulge," Rico told him.

To indulge him, Mitch put on the t-shirt and Rico snapped as many pictures as he could. And they were priceless too, capturing the menacing look that Mitch was giving him while the words "Sweet as pie" stretched across his broad chest.

"You should be illegal. Hell, I should never let you out of the house," Rico said as he kept taking pictures from every angle.

"I'll put on a bigger shirt," Mitch said.

"No. You're perfect the way you are." Rico put away his phone so he could hug him, and also keep him from changing his t-shirt for a bigger one.

Mitch shook his head but he kept the shirt he had on.

Now that was taken care of, Rico made an announcement to everyone else there. "Do you see this gorgeous man? OK. Now listen up. No one is allowed to look at him. Stop looking right now."

"You're insane." Mitch hung his head and Rico kissed him on the cheek.

After a while, Sammy came out dressed in her big, round peach costume with the little beanie with a leaf attached to it on top of her head. Rico got his phone out once again.

"You walk in that thing like a pro," Rico said, impressed.

"We practiced so we don't fall down too much," DJ said as he and Riley joined her. "Remember not to bump into the other peaches."

All the other kids were ready too, and there were so many pictures being taken. Soon it was time to go, and Sammy got nervous. "There's gonna be lots of people?" she said worriedly.

"Yes," Gloria said, but she was eager, not nervous at all. "And everybody's gonna wave at us."

"And we have to wave too," Riley said and he jumped in place and waved.

"Look at the jumping peach," Wyatt said.

"Make sure to wave at everybody, Sammy," DJ said as the kids and parents filed out.

Taking it as a challenge, Sammy said, "I will!" As they left, she looked up at Mitch and Rico with a big smile.

 

The parade was fun, and Sammy got to wave at a lot of people and look adorable. The floats were brightly decorated with every kind of peach theme, and Sammy loved them. It was her first Peach Parade and she clapped at everything.

There was a procession of classic cars followed by a marching band from Ashbury High School. Then the Little Peaches followed behind and waved.

The parents who walked with their kids were only supposed to be a backdrop to the cute, little peaches, but not Mitch. Out there with his own little peach, Mitch looked like a million bucks and he got plenty of attention.

Two more of Wyatt's friends had arrived for the festival, and Riley and DJ pointed them out in the crowd. Even among all those cheering people, Stan and Yu were noisy, just like Rico remembered. When Mitch passed in the parade, Stan, the stocky, louder one, whistled and pointed at him approvingly.

"Now that's what I'm talking about!" Stan yelled.

Maybe Rico should have let Mitch change into a bigger shirt.

 

By the time Mitch got to meet Wyatt's friends, he was wearing his regular clothes. But that didn't stop Stan from ogling him. Good thing the kids were distracted. Clustered around a peach piñata, the kids were waiting in line each with a handful of tickets letting them take a few whacks at it.

Yu was more subtle that his friend. "You two were a treat for the eyes," Yu told Mitch and Rico.

"Oh, yeah," Stan said and he nodded at both of them.

"Me too?" Rico said. "Good to know."

"What about us?" Wyatt asked, hanging all over Sam to show off how hot they were together.

"I crave fresh meat," Stan told him evenly. "You two are old news. And you're practically married."

"Now you know why I call Raquel Wyatt's nice friend," Rico said to Mitch.

The kids had all failed to break the piñata, so they moved on. There were plenty of games and treats, but the second day of the festival had more music acts and other performers. The dancers were the biggest hit with Sammy. At the end of the night, they performed their most elaborate routines in their fanciest costumes.

Their group had secured a good spot for watching them. Mitch had Sammy up on his shoulders, so she had the best view. On stage, the dance performance had just ended, and Gloria was trying to dance with the boys.

Rico felt kind of sad that the festival was winding down. He worried that his time with Mitch and Sammy might end too.

Sam noticed his mood and came over to him. "How are you doing?" he asked.

"I'm OK, but I don't know if Mitch will want to stay here after what happened with Mr. West."

"It turned out OK," Sam said. "At least that's what Wyatt keeps reminding me."

"But now Mitch and Sammy have bad memories of this place," Rico said.

"Sammy seems OK," Sam said. He didn't mention Mitch probably because he knew he couldn't read him.

"She's a trooper. She was so amazing," Rico said and he smiled at her shining face. She was looking up at the stage where Peachy The Clown was performing a peach juggling routine while the dancers went off for their last costume change.

The finale of the festival performances was about to start, capped off by fireworks. There was a drum roll as the dancers rushed the stage, and the announcer spoke.

"Tonight, for the first time ever, our dancers will perform the peach flamenco!"

"Pink flamingo?" Wyatt's friend Stan said.

"Hush. You're drunk," Yu told him.

"Oh, pretty," Stan said as the dancers started twirling and stomping in their flowing, peach colored dresses.

Seeing the dancers, Sammy was beside herself, clapping excitedly and out of tune. Rico knew his grandmother had to be responsible for this. He looked over at her, but he couldn't catch her eye. Looking so happy, his grandmother was taking in the dancers on the stage then Sammy's overjoyed expression. If Mitch and Sammy left town, she was going to be sad too, but Rico would be devastated.