do a grouch a favor day

HOLIDAY MISCHIEF

by Peg Ray

The excitement of Winterfest had concluded for another year, and the tunnel children were dreading a quiet February. With the dreary frigid winter days keeping most of them captive underground, a predictive restlessness was beginning to creep into their psyches. Something had to give.

The children settled in for lunch between classes at a table in the middle of the dining hall. Vincent sat at the end to allow for left-handed eating without bumping others. He enjoyed sharing this meal with his students. The discussion about holidays during the previous class had carried over to lunch.

“The only stupid holiday in February is Valentine’s Day,” Eric made it clear how he felt about this. “It’s for mushy people who hug and kiss. It’s no fun for us kids.” He punctuated this proclamation with a disgusted face.

“That’s not true.” Samatha immediately assumed the cause for Valentine’s Day. “It’s for everyone who has someone special and all of us here have each other.” She looked around the table for confirmation.

Zach lent his older and wiser perspective to the discussion. “It really is for the adults who hug and kiss like Eric says. It’s for people like Vincent and Catherine and Olivia and Kanin.”

Vincent was taking a sip of water and almost choked. He fought to control the blush that was shading his features. He and Catherine had never kissed, and they had certainly never hugged in the presence of anyone in the tunnels. Where did the children get this idea? He needed to nip this conversation in the bud.

“The holiday is for everyone who has good friends as I am sure we can all claim to be for each other.” Vincent struggled for his calm facade after the near choking incident. He looked over to Samantha for help.

Her romantic heart had been pummeled by Zach’s words. She remained quiet as she dejectedly ate her soup.

The silence stretched uncomfortably until Geoffrey crushed it with an exclamation. “Look at all these holidays we could celebrate!” He held up a page torn out of The New York Times that had migrated below to the dining room. It listed all the holidays to be acknowledged in February. “We could pick one and get the council to agree. There is one for eating ice cream for breakfast. That’d be neat.” He looked around the table for agreement.

“May I please see the list?” Vincent reached to retrieve the paper. He glanced at the holidays and smiled. “Why don’t I run this list by Father to get his input? Once we have his blessing you can proceed.”

All the heads around the table nodded enthusiastically. The children’s normal chatter resumed through the rest of the meal.

* * *

After classes were concluded for the day, Vincent descended the steps into the tunnel’s study.

“Father, do you have a minute to discuss a proposal from the children?” He looked at the older man who was sitting at his desk reading the task schedule for the week.

“Of course, Vincent.” Father smiled as he removed his glasses and looked with affection at his son. He took the piece of paper handed to him and restored his glasses on his face.

“The children want to celebrate a holiday other than Valentine’s Day in February and are using this list for consideration. It seems that Valentine’s Day holds no anticipation for many of them.” Vincent’s eyes and voice showed his amusement.

Father scanned the list and reached for his pen. “Well, we can eliminate some of these options due to logistics. ‘No’ to ice cream and ‘no’ to fondue. Definitely ‘no’ to umbrella day. I shudder to think what could happen with children running around the tunnels with umbrellas. Thank goodness we have no ukuleles down here. I would also say ‘no’ to Pinocchio Day as they should not celebrate lying. And definitely ‘no’ to reading in the bathtub. We have enough trouble keeping the library books in pristine condition.” He crossed off each disallowed holiday and continued to peruse the list.

“I wonder what William would think of ‘Do a Grouch a Favor Day’. I bet they would really see a grouch if he figured it out. And I suppose it is too much to assume they will pick Quiet Day.” Father chuckled and Vincent smiled.

“So the rest of the possibilities meet with your approval?” Vincent held out his hand to retrieve the paper.

“Yes, I think we can entertain whatever they decide and support them.” He took off his glasses again and looked thoughtfully at the son he loved. “We should allow them to use their creativity whenever possible.”

“Thank you, Father, I will let them know.” Vincent hopped up the steps to leave the study and proceed to his own chamber where he got ready for his evening visit with Catherine.

* * *

Vincent arrived on the balcony a little past ten to find Catherine already standing at the railing with her hands tucked into her jacket pockets. She looked as though she had just arrived home from work. She turned and smiled when she felt his presence.

He walked over to her and enfolded her in his protective embrace. She sighed and wrapped her arms around him as she placed her ear against his chest. It was the highlight of her day to just be held in his peaceful aura.

“Tell me.” The whispered entreaty settled into her soul.

“I have nothing to say except I am so glad for your appearance as always.” Her voice was soft and he felt the truth of her declaration. “What’s new in your world? All is well in mine today.”

He smiled as he guided her to the balcony bench where they could sit and avoid the cold of the floor. “The children have decided to celebrate a new holiday in February based on this list.” He produced the folded list from his cloak pocket and handed it to her.

She looked at the list and then returned it to him.

“What’s wrong with celebrating Valentine’s Day?” She looked at him with a shy smile.

He hesitated for a moment as he collected his thoughts for the explanation. “They thought it is… not for everyone. It is meant only for… couples.” He stumbled through the words as though they were difficult for him.

She looked at him, but he would not make eye contact. “Well, I hope we can celebrate the holiday, Vincent. I think of us as a couple.” She reached for his face to gently turn it towards her.

He closed his eyes momentarily before looking into hers. “Yes, I think we can celebrate, Catherine.”

He slowly leaned towards her with an intense, yet soft look in his eyes. She thought he was going to kiss her before he abruptly shook his head and suddenly stood up announcing that he needed to leave due to an early work schedule in the morning. He was gone before she could respond.

With a deep sigh and a promise to herself to try to stop scaring him, she went into her apartment to prepare for bed. Sleep was elusive for her that night.

* * *

Vincent slept restlessly and tossed and turned until he gave up and arose at five. He had time to review the lesson plans for the day before heading to the dining room for breakfast. He was soon joined by the children who were anxious to hear about his talk with Father.

Geoffrey could contain his curiosity no longer. “Did Father approve the list?”

“Well, he did some editing on the list and removed some options due to the logistics and relevance to our tunnel values. Most of the holidays are approved for your consideration.” Vincent handed the list over to Geoffrey for inspection.

Feb. 1: Eat Ice Cream for Breakfast Day
Feb. 2: Play Your Ukulele Day
Feb. 5: Chocolate Fondue Day
Feb. 6: Pay a Compliment Day
Feb. 9: Read in the Bathtub Day
Feb. 10: Umbrella Day
Feb. 11: Make a Friend Day
Feb. 12: Lost Penny Day
Feb. 13: Get a Different Name Day
Feb. 14: Library Lovers Day
Feb. 16: Do a Grouch a Favor Day
Feb. 17: Random Acts of Kindness Day
Feb. 17: Spice Up Your Life Day
Feb. 23: Pinocchio Day
Feb. 25: Quiet Day
Feb. 26: Carpe Diem Day

Geoffrey passed the list around the table as everyone finished eating. Michael volunteered to spearhead the holiday committee, and everyone agreed. They scheduled to meet the next day after classes down by the Mirror Pool.

* * *

As everyone settled in a semicircle, Michael sat cross-legged facing them with his back to the pool. “Why don’t we take the suggestions that are on the list one at a time to discuss the merits of the holiday? Does that sound agreeable?”

Murmurs of affirmation and nodding heads agreed to the proposal.

“What do you think about ‘Pay a Compliment Day’?” Michael’s gaze traveled around the eager faces.

“Boring.” Eric was the first to speak. Some of the boys nodded in agreement.

“Well, it is something that already happens a lot here daily since we all appreciate what everyone does for each other,” Samantha suggested. Seeing the support of her peers, she continued,“It would be a waste of a holiday to celebrate what already happens.”

“Is everyone in agreement that we cross this off the list?” Michael saw the consensus and marked the paper. “What about ‘Make a Friend Day’?”

“We already have made friends with everyone down here. And we can’t make friends Above because of the secret.” Zack gave the pragmatic observation to discard that holiday.

“Does anyone have another viewpoint?” Michael waited, and when he was met with silence, he crossed that day off the list. “What about ‘Lost Penny Day’?”

Geoffrey shook his head and explained. “We already dive into cushions and furniture for change anytime a Helper sends down supplies. And we all are very careful about keeping the change from being lost.”

Michael chuckled as he looked around at the nodding heads. “So we can cross that off the list. Anyone interested in ‘Get a Different Name Day’?”

Stephen’s hand shot into the air. “I would love that holiday.”

Brooke looked at him and asked, “Why? Stephen is a great name.”

Stephen shook his head. “Stephen is my middle name. My first name is Allison after one of my great, great grandfathers. It used to be a boy’s name, but now it is a girl’s name. Ugh.” He looked around at his peers trying not to laugh at him.

“Does anyone else want a name change?” Michael saw there were no takers, so he made an elaborate gesture of crossing that holiday off the list. “We only have six more possibilities. How about ‘Library Lovers Day’?”

Ellie smiled and said, “The only library we have available is Father’s and it is too dusty for a celebration.” She heard her peers giggling and laughing.

“Okay, we’ll nix that one as well. We’re running out of options. ‘Do a Grouch a Favor Day’?” Michael was surprised at the excitement that this suggestion engendered.

The group started talking all at once about how they could have fun celebrating this and not let the grouch know why he or she was the target of the attention. It hit their need for mischief, and yet no one would be hurt by the gesture. They could do something good for someone and enjoy the private joke.

Michael had to get control of the discussion. “What grouch in the community should be the recipient of the favor?”

“Father! William! Cullen! Winslow!” A chorus of voices shouted their individual suggestions. Giggling and laughter ensued for the next few minutes.

“Okay, let’s put a pin in that one and talk about the other possibilities. What about ‘Random Acts of Kindness Day’?”

“Ooh, that is good. That is great! It’s the day after Grouch Day. and if anyone asks, this is the day we can claim it to be.” Eric was the first to pounce on that possibility. He was delighted to see his friends signal their agreement.

Michael smiled and just shook his head. “Next is ‘Spice Up Your Life Day’.” This was met with silence and shrugs. “How about ‘Quiet Day’?”

“Absolutely not.” Ellie was adamant. “That would be great for the adults and torture for us.” She saw agreement all around.

Michael used his pen to cross off the days. “The last one is ‘Carpe Diem Day’.”

Eric was the first to ask. “What does that mean?”.

“It’s Latin for ‘seize the day’.” Kipper proved that he had been listening when Vincent covered Book 1 of the Roman poet Horace’s work Odes.

“Well, that doesn’t sound as much fun as Grouch Day.” Stephen said what the others were thinking.

“Let’s vote then. Who wants ‘Do a Grouch a Favor Day’?” Michael laughed as all hands shot up. “Okay, but we need to make sure that it is not mean-spirited. Our intent is to do something good for someone who needs some cheering up. Who do you want to choose?”

Samantha made the proposal. “I think we should do something special for each of them. They all do so much for all of us.” Everyone agreed.

Geoffrey, always the pragmatic one, had a concern. “Father has seen the list. What are we going to call it so he can’t figure it out ahead of time?”

Ellie was quick with the answer. “If we use the first letter of each word, it will be too easy to figure out. What about just GFD for Grouches’ Favor Day?”

“So, we will divide into groups to do something nice for Father, Winslow, Cullen, and William on the evening of February 15, so they are greeted with the favor the first thing in the morning. And we’ll use the code GFD when we speak to each other to keep it secret.” Michael divided them into groups with suggestions for their favors.

Nobody noticed Mouse as he traveled through the Mirror Pool cavern on his way to his chamber.

After the meeting concluded, Michael went to see Vincent in his chamber. He asked permission to enter and was greeted to come in.

“The children have chosen their holiday and wish it to remain a secret until it is celebrated. It’s harmless, so no one should be inconvenienced or offended.” Michael hoped the explanation would be accepted.

Vincent was concerned with that disclaimer. “Why would anyone be offended?”

“A certain group of individuals have been chosen to receive special treatment from the children. It is meant in wholesome fun.” Michael did not want to explain further.

“Okay, I will accept your judgement on this, Michael.” Vincent hoped all would be well.

* * *

The morning of February 16 started off as usual. William went into the kitchen per his morning routine to prepare breakfast and found all the pots and pans clean and shiny, hanging up for his use. The faint smell of vinegar was still in the air. A note was taped to the bottom of a frying pan with the words ‘Happy GF Day, William’. He smiled. He would have to thank those responsible for cleaning the burned-on debris from the pans. It was a chore he had been dreading.

Father went into his study and immediately saw that his desk, table, and chairs had all been straightened and dusted with furniture polish. He couldn’t remember the last time he couldn’t write in the dust. The library shelves had also been dusted and organized. He found a note on the desk that read ‘Happy GF Day, Father!’ He had no clue what the acronym meant, but he was sure the children were responsible. He smiled and went to the dining hall for breakfast.

Cullen was grumbling as he stumbled into his workshop. He had never been much of a morning person and living underground had not made it any easier even without the rudeness of sun in his eyes. He immediately stopped in his tracks as he looked at the shop. It had been cleaned of all debris and sawdust, and all his tools were neatly laid out on his workbench. This was entirely different from the usual appearance of his workspace. The note on his workbench stated, ‘Happy GF Day, Cullen’. He didn’t know who was responsible, but he really appreciated the effort since cleaning the shop was a chore he did as little as possible. He looked around again before going for breakfast.

Winslow made his way into his work chamber and was greeted with the sight of all his tools neatly displayed on his workbench. He was constantly griping about folks borrowing tools and never returning them, but to his surprise all missing items had been returned. Furthermore, the shelves where lubricants and machine parts were stored had been cleaned and organized. The grease containers had all been capped. A note was displayed on the table. The words were simply ‘Happy GF Day, Winslow’. He would be sure to find those who had done this favor for him and thank them. He headed to the dining hall for breakfast.

The four friends were enjoying their breakfast together when Father mentioned the state of his study and the note he found. “I have no idea what GF Day is, but I suspect it is the holiday that the children chose to celebrate. As I remember, there was something about random acts of kindness and this qualifies.”

“Someone cleaned my workshop and left me the same note,” Cullen stated between mouthfuls of scrambled eggs.

Winslow reached for the salt. “My missing tools have all been returned and I got the note, as well.”

“And my pots and pans have been scrubbed to remove the burned-on material on the bottoms. Looked real nice all hanging there when I walked in this morning and I got the note, too.” William took another sip of coffee.

“What do you suppose GF means?” Father asked. “I’d like to think it means good friends.”

Mouse was walking by on his way to get another muffin and answered. “Some kind of code. Means do a grouch a favor.” He continued past the men without stopping.

The four who had been designated as grouches looked at each other and burst out laughing. They would all accept the label and thank the children afterwards for the favors they had been granted. All was well in the tunnel world for another day.

As for Vincent and Catherine and Valentine’s Day, that is for another story…