The British Are Coming (Back)

One afternoon while Kids Inc. was on stage, Riley, who had been washing dishes, took a strange phone call. He was still on the phone when the Kids finished up for the day.

“Man, I can’t wait for basketball tryouts!” The Kid said.

“Yeah, it’s gonna be great.” said Richie. “I’ll probably make, oh, 100 baskets.”

“Glad to see you’re not exaggerating anymore, Rich.” Ryan said to him.

“Kid, why do I get the feeling there’s something other than basketball drawing you to these tryouts?” asked Renee.

“What else is there besides basketball?” he asked her.

“Oh, I don’t know,” she replied, “Ronnie, maybe?” Even years after it happened, Renee just wouldn’t let The Kid forget when he was wrong. 

“How was I supposed to know she was a girl?” he argued. “She didn’t say anything, and I just assumed she was a boy.”

“Mm-hmm. And what have we learned about assuming things?”

“Don’t do it when Renee’s around.” Kid muttered.

“Cute.”

“But even I can admit she plays better than I do.”

“Yeah, but you make a better cake!” Stacy said, and the girls tittered.

“Admit it, you like her.” Renee was saying, but then Riley noticed they were done performing. “Oh, hold on, here she is.” He motioned for Renee to come over to the counter. “Renee, could you come here for a minute? It’s for you.”

Puzzled, Renee took the phone. “Hello? Oh, hi, Sa-What’s wrong? You what? Oh my gosh, what happened? No, no, calm down. You guys, it’s Samantha!” she said to the Kids.

“Isn’t that your cousin?” Connie asked Stacy.

“Yeah, but she’s never called here long distance from England before.” Stacy said.

“Well, it sounds like she’s upset.” Ryan said. “I wonder what happened.”

“Samantha, calm down, I can’t understand you!” Renee was yelling into the phone. “Okay, so what exactly did they do?” She sighed. “Samantha, I know it was wrong of your parents to sell your piano, but you didn’t have to run away from home.. .What do you mean you can’t go back? You’re where?” She gestured to Stacy and said, “Run home and get Mom!”

“Why? What’s going on? Did Samantha really run away from home?” Stacy was full of questions.

“Yeah- to the airport!” Renee said. “She’s here, in the States, and she doesn’t have any American money left.” Stacy went right away. “Okay, Samantha? Are you still there?” Renee continued. “Don’t panic, okay? Just stay put. What? Oh! And you don’t have any change left? No, I don’t think the phone will accept sixpence…

When school let out the next day, everyone eagerly went to the P*lace. The sisters had revealed that, after a series of long phone calls, it was decided that Samantha would stay with them for the time being, and she couldn’t wait to hear Kids Inc. in concert again.

“The girls are on their way.” Riley told the other Kids as he hung up the phone.

“I just hope Samantha hasn’t brought any Shakespeare with her like the last time.” The Kid worried. “Oh, I think after the way we reacted, she’s learned her lesson.” Ryan said.

“It must be scary being so far from home.” said Connie.

“Especially after a fight with your parents.” added Richie.

“Well, Renee told me that Samantha seems to have changed a bit since her last visit.” Ryan told them. “Maybe she’ll fit in a little better than she used to.”

They were about to find out. Renee and Stacy came in, along with a very solemn and dejected Samantha. “Well, look who’s here!” Riley said brightly. Stacy shot him a look that said Take it easy.

“Hello.” said Samantha softly.

“Urn, Samantha, why don’t you come sit down over here. It’s okay.” said Renee gently. “You remember Ryan and The Kid, right?” She looked to them for a little help.

“Hey.” said Ryan, pulling out a chair.

“Thank you. It’s...lovely to see you again.” said Samantha.

“And this is Connie, and Richie, our drummer.” finished Renee. “Guys, this is our cousin, Samantha Brisbane.”

Connie and Richie looked a little confused. “Uh, hi, we’ve heard a lot about you.” Connie said.

Richie elbowed The Kid and whispered, “Do you notice anything... funny about Renee and Stacy’s cousin?”

“No. Like what?”

“Oh, nothing.”

“Okay, now we’re gonna go rehearse.” Stacy told Samantha. “So you just stay here, relax, have some ice cream. We’ll be on stage if you need anything.”

“Don’t worry, you two. I promise I won’t let her out of my sight.” Riley said to Stacy and Renee as he came out from behind the counter. They went on to the stage leaving Samantha looking wistfully after them.

Later, in the storeroom, Samantha shared with the Kids how she’d come to be in an American airport “Well, to be quite honest, I’m not sure I understand.” she began.

“You say you had a fight with your parents?” prompted The Kid.

“Oh, it was awful!” Samantha wailed. “We were all so horribly cross. I couldn’t bear it there anymore!”

“Well, none of us see eye-to-eye with our parents all the time.” said Ryan.

“I get on very well with my parents!” Samantha said defensively. “But lately...” She sighed. “Father decided I’d been spending far too much time indoors. He insisted I socialize more often.”

“Didn’t you have any friends?” Connie asked her.

“Oh, a few schoolmates, but they were all tired of hearing about my American cousins and their band everyday. They’re into classical music as well, you see.”

“What happened when you told your dad that?” asked Stacy.

“He lost his temper, and I lost mine, and poor Mother was stuck in the middle, I’m afraid. Father said I’d left him no other choice but to...to sell our piano!” And she started crying.

“Oh, Samantha, please don’t cry.” Renee said. “I’m sure when your father calms down, he’ll buy you another piano.”

“But it was a grand piano, and it’s been in our family for four generations!”

“And he just sold it?”

“What’d he do with the money?” Richie asked, and they all glared at him.

Samantha went on. “Mother and Father would argue, and I knew it was my fault, so I ran away. A girl I know has a brother who works at the airport, so I got him to help me with a ticket. But your airport’s so big, and I didn’t know anyone, and people were looking at me as if they knew I’d ran away and didn’t approve, so I couldn’t ask anyone for help.”

“It’s a good thing you called.” Stacy told her. “We would have never known to look for you if we thought you were still in England.”

They were interrupted by Riley. “Samantha, your aunt’s on the phone. She wants to talk to you.”

“Thank you.” she said, and left. Somehow, instead of them cheering her up, Samantha had brought the rest of the Kids down.

“Well, this is gonna be harder than I thought.” Ryan said.

“Poor Samantha.” Connie sympathized.

“It’s like this at home, too.” Stacy said. “Mom was on the phone for 5 hours last night.”

“Have you guys ever talked to her parents?” Ryan asked.

“I’m almost afraid to.” said Renee. “Besides, I don’t think they’d listen to us. To them, we’re the problem.”

“Well, we’ll just have to put our heads together and think of something.” decided Ryan.

“I hate to cut this short,” The Kid said suddenly, “but we’ve got basketball tryouts.”

“Let’s go watch.” suggested Connie. “It might take Samantha’s mind off her problems for a while.”

“Hey, at least if you sprain your wrist again, we’ll have a keyboard player” Stacy teased The Kid as everyone swung by the counter to pick up Samantha.

Whatever Renee and Stacy’s mother said to Samantha, it must have been positive. She was in very good spirits during the tryouts, showing interest in the game and even cheering a little for Richie and The Kid when they were on the court. Afterwards, she confided in the Kids.

“They’ve found the piano!” she exclaimed. “Father looked all over England until he found it!”

“That’s great!” they told her.

“So, are you going home?” Richie asked her.

“Well.. .there’s still the matter of me getting out more.”

“You know what’s funny?” Stacy realized. “All of our parents probably wished we’d stay in more instead of going out so much!”

“I bet my mom would love it if I learned to play the piano.” Connie mused.

“Hey, that’s it!” Renee exclaimed after a minute or two, making Samantha jump.

“What, giving Connie piano lessons?” she asked her cousin.

“Not Connie, but kids back in England!” Renee explained. “You’d be away from home, and near a piano at the same time. It’s perfect!”

“Not to mention that buying back that piano must have cost your dad a pretty penny.” Ryan pointed out. Then he quickly added, “Or pence, as the case may be. You could pay him back.”

“But whoever heard of a kid teaching other kids?” The Kid said, raising a good point.

“Ah, but not just any kid.” Samantha informed him. “A virtuoso.   My credentials will speak for themselves.”

“You could really teach anyone to play the piano?” Richie asked.

“Oh, I could teach a baboon to play the piano.” she said confidently. “I just knew you would find a way to help me!”

Riley was waiting for them when they got back. “Hey, guys, tryouts go well?”

“Yeah, but the big news is Samantha’s.” Kid told him.

“I’m going to educate the masses!” Samantha said dramatically.

“She’s gonna teach piano lessons back home.” translated Stacy.

“That’s great!” said Riley. “You know, I can play ‘Chopsticks’.”

“Yeah, I’m sure Beethoven started that way, too.” Ryan said.

No one noticed the two strikingly similar cousins go off to one side so they could talk privately. Then a crowd began to show up, and Riley said, “Oh, show time already? Let’s go, guys!”

“You’re staying, right?” Renee asked Samantha.

“Of course! But afterwards, you will help me explain to Father? It was your idea, after all, and I don’t really know how to ask.”

“We’ll all call him later.” Renee assured her.

“Yeah, don’t worry. It’ll be fine.” said Stacy.

“Well, all right.” Samantha sighed. “Have a good show!”

 “Well, I’m glad everything’s worked out for you.” Riley said to Samantha, bringing her an ice cream sundae after Kids Inc. had taken the stage.

“It’s going to be marvelous!” she said. “And finally, I won’t be alone.”

“You know, the Kids really seem to enjoy it every time you come over here.” Riley continued. ”Maybe someday, they’ll go visit you.”

Samantha looked up at the stage and watched Kids Incorporated performing. She caught Renee’s eye.  “Yes, I think they might’ she said.

The End