Fantastic Friendship

Margarita’s legs wiggled nervously, her fingers tapped an imaginary tune on her knees. The wait outside her grandparent’s house was excruciating. The driver, a tall, slender man with beautiful mahogany skin, cast a sideways glance toward the girl everyone called Velma's twin. As in Velma from the Scooby Doo show. Margarita admits to a physical resemblance, her glasses, her stature, white skin and almost the same hairdo. Anthony smiled at her, then began to laugh. Anthony was a friend. Her best friend. She hadn’t seen him as much since they graduated. Jobs and distance kept them communicating by phone. All through high school, around his parents Margarita pretended to be his girlfriend. He didn’t want pressure about not having a girlfriend. They already expressed disappointment in his career choice and constantly pushed him in a different direction.

She and Anthony thrived in middle school at an after school drama class. She held a veiled dream of becoming an actress. Whomever she revealed it to laughed, family, the drama teacher, a few friends. Some reminded her of her less than attractive features and lack of grace. All except for her grandparents and Anthony. He told her to stand tall, believe in herself and be confident. So under his tutelage she learned to keep the chin of her unappealing face high, she tucked her stomach, projected her voice and danced her way into the starring role of the primary play of their last year in middle school. She enjoyed the experience just not enough to pursue it in high school. Anthony wanted a career behind the camera in television or movies. He was good too. His meticulous personality shone through no matter what job he signed up for; but he wasn't going to be able to find that career here in Middle town U.S.A.. Margarita lamented the thought of him leaving and she exhaled a substantial sigh.

“What’s the matter sweetie?” Anthony laughed at the volume of her exhale. She always found assurance in his smile.

“I can’t thank you enough, I just wish grandma had told me more.” She didn’t want to bring up the subject of him leaving.

“Ahhh a grandparent mystery. How bad could it be?” He sat back. “Should I be worried?”

“We’ll find out soon here they come” Margarita jumped down from the truck to usher her grandparents into the extra large van that her grandmother had requested. Her grandmother’s bright neon green beehive hairdo and oversized neon green handbag made Margarita rethink her agreement to this excursion. Her grandfather, a skinny man in his early seventies smiled and tipped the old brown fedora hat he always wore. He always sported a thin gray mustache that Margarita swore didn’t look real. They all buckled in and grandma barked out directions.

"Head out to 35 go south for about 25-30 miles"

"Okay what is our destination grandma please." Margarita pleaded.

"You'll know when we get there. Would you like some cheese and crackers dear?"

Margarita waved her hand and shook her head no.

" How about you dear?"

"No but thank you." Anthony drove with a huge smile on his face turning his head to look at Margarita enough for her to break a smile.

"Look I feel bad, I don't know what I got us into."

" What could happen?" Anthony turned the large van onto 35 south.

Margarita leaned over to Anthony and pointed behind her hand. "You did see her hair?" Anthony nodded and glanced in the rear view mirror. He looked at Margarita. As he turned to watch the road he broke out laughing.

"Did you just picture me wearing that wig?" Margarita demanded. He shook his head yes. “Fine, fine.” She threw up her hands. “I’ll picture you in it” She turned and studied him. “You’d look good in that wig.”

He pinched her on the arm. “Is that a compliment?” She smiled.

They arrived at a parking lot and were instructed to park in the back. The senior couple exited the van and crept suspiciously to the back of a warehouse. Anthony and Margarita looked at each other mouths agape.

"Should we follow them?"

Anthony offered.

"Let's go, "Margarita said as she quickly slid off the seat. They saw the seniors slip into a side door. Margarita’s shoes scuffed the ground causing her to stumble. Anthony grabbed her arm and with a chuckle assured her.

"Breathe."

"Okay" she smiled back and took a deep breath.

They peeked into the door the elders had gone. Anthony and Margarita stepped back. In the empty, dirty warehouse Grandma was patting the head of a baby elephant. Anthony's jaw dropped as he pointed towards the room. Margarita shook her head, speechless.

Suddenly they heard an angry man's voice coming from the room. They peered in.

A beer bellied man with crumbs in his beard growled, “What are you doing in here?" Grandma stood defiantly," We are taking this baby back to it's mother."

The man thrust a cattle prod into the elephant's hind quarters. The baby screamed. "I don't think so,'' he sneered. The baby screamed again and flung his trunk in the air. Grandma sprung into a karate stance,

"Hiya! You should not have done that."

Grandpa shook his head in agreement as he hugged the elephant. The man laughed and a morsel fell out of his mouth. "Get your old bag outta here before she gets hurt." Anthony and Margarita faced each other and said simultaneously "We gotta help!" It was all over before they got two steps into the room. Grandma took the cattle prod from the man as she flipped him in the air. Grandpa produced some zip ties and in a flash the eldery pair restrained him and duct taped his mouth. Anthony and Margarita shook their heads. Grandpa headed towards them with the baby elephant in tow. Grandma stunned the man with the cattle prod, he bellowed. She dropped the prod and shook out her hands. “Doesn’t feel good does it?” She hurried past the younger two whose mouths were hanging open. “Are you guys coming?”

They all piled in the van. Anthony put the van in drive and sped off. Grandpa settled the young animal. He was definitely scared and he let out a trumpet every minute or so. Grandpa whispered in its flappy ear until he calmed. Anthony glanced back and forth between the rear view mirror and the road. Margarita couldn’t take her eyes off of the scene in the back. “That man can identify you.” Margarita stammered. Grandma raised her finger. She slid the green wig off revealing a bald head with a few gray pufts. Anthony grinned ear to ear. Margarita glared at him. Anthony nodded, “Yes dear I was picturing you.” “Not fair cause you’d look good anyway.” Margarita crossed her arms. In the back Grandma finished her transformation by donning a short, gray wig. She handed grandpa another hat she had in the bag. He turned his vest inside out and removed his fake mustache.

Margarita raised her eyebrows, shaking her head. “How many times have you guys done this? Her grandparents looked at each other and innocently shrugged. Margarita shook her head harder. “You told him where we’re going.”

“No, I said we were taking him to his mother.” Satisfied with her deception she put her hands on her lap. “They think the mother went north but another group already got her to another farm south.” Anthony whistled “You mean there’s a whole network?” Grandpa gave a two fingered salute towards Anthony.

Anthony brought the van to a screeching stop. Everyone including the elephant were propelled into the front. “I’m sorry but look.” Anthony pointed to the red and blue flashing lights about a mile up the road. Grandma fretting, “That can’t be for us, is it?”

Margarita put her forehead in her hands. “It doesn’t matter if they’re not looking, I think they’ll find him.”

“No worries Margie, we’ll get the baby home.” Anthony surveyed the road.

Grandma cheered. “That’s the spirit Anthony. I know exactly how. Straight through there, three miles on foot and we’ll be there.” She motioned towards the woods.

Anthony jumped down to the street. “We’ll do it.” Margarita’s face fell and she quickly joined him outside the van. “You know they can’t walk three miles through that.” Anthony reasoned.

Grandpa took the baby out the back of the van, gave them directions and two large lanterns. Grandma and grandpa drove off.

“Come on, this will be fun.” Anthony grabbed her shoulders. As he did the thick rope fell out of his hand. The elephant took off trumpeting through the brush. Anthony bolted after him with Margarita a little ways behind. Luckily they didn’t have to catch him, he had stopped under a tree. He tried to reach a branch with his trunk but was a few feet short. “Wow, he found a pear tree.” Anthony jumped up and tapped a branch. More than a dozen deliciously ripe pears fell to the ground. He handed a pear to Margarita that was oozing syrupy goodness. She devoured it. They started back on their journey. Margarita looked at Anthony “Thank you so much. I mean this is crazy.” Anthony opened his mouth and stuck out his tongue full of mashed pear and answered. “Margarita this is fun.”

“You’re a goof and I will miss you so much.” She let out a sigh that hurt her chest.

“Where am I going?” He asked.

“You have to leave, you have to do what you love. There’s no work in stage and screen around here.”

“Yeah but,” He kicked the ground. “I’m scared to go off on my own.”

“Scared! Not you!” She shook her head. “No way! You weren’t scared to be yourself. How many years? Surrounded by all those conformists.”

“That’s because of you, remember the first time we met?” Anthony's smile grew.

She rubbed her temple. “Not really.”

“ After school, the first day of seventh grade. I was picking some flowers around the side of the school. A bunch of boys circled me yelling nasty things. I was just about to cry. You walked past them and started talking to me about math.”

“Math?”

“Yeah, they kept talking but I didn’t hear them, just you.”

“Now I remember.” She pet the elephant's head. Anthony engaged Margarita’s eyes “I would have stuck my head in the sand and been what my parents believed I should be. Just like my big brother. Company man, wife, kids; that’s fine if you enjoy that. I don’t know who I am or what I want; it’s not that.” He sighed. Margarita rubbed his shoulder. “I don’t know what I want either but you’ve been working with your brother since graduation. Can you do that job for another ten, twenty years?” Anthony’s cheeks filled with air, he slowly blew it out. “It’s great money.” They walked in silence except the breaking of twigs under their feet. A lightbulb went off in Anthony’s head.

“Why don’t you, would you? I mean you like that great job you have, so you wouldn’t..?” Anthony’s sideways glance was met by Margarita trying to understand what he was asking. “What, well no, I hate my job. It’s good money too, opportunity. Margarita spun around. “But right now when I asked you about being there ten, twenty years I pictured myself. Not good, no, no.” Her face rose and shined. “Yes, yes. You’re brilliant!” He danced “Yeah I should’ve thought of it before.” The elephant hopped and trumpeted along. “Wait up” Margarita wasn’t fast but she felt like she was walking on air. Anthony spun around in her direction. “We‘ll work for a year and save a bundle, right. We’ll have jobs all set up wherever we move, transportation all set up.” His wheels were turning.

In eight months they moved into a ranch house not too far from the city. Her grandparents visited often but deflected all questions of their quests.