From There to Here

From There to Here

“Tommy Jenkins got caught swiping fruit at Murphy’s Little Store!”

“I don’t think that is true.”

“I heard it from a reliable source…” Jimmy added.

Once he stopped laughing, Ben asked, “A reliable source? Where did you get that?”

“Andy Belling!”

“I didn’t mean who told you, I meant the words, ‘reliable source.” Since when do you even know what that is?”

“Hey! I watch TV!!”

“Like what? Mickey Mouse never talks about reliable sources.”

“My Dad watches crime shows every night.”

“And he lets you watch?”

“No, but if I sit on the steps, where they turn to the living room, he can’t see me…”

“And you haven’t got caught?”

“When they see me, I just say I was having a bad dream and they get all soft, and mushy, and help me get back to bed. Sometimes with food too!

“So… Tommy is in my gym class, I don’t think he would steal anything, especially in a store!”

“Why not?”

“Well, first of all his father is a policeman…”

“Oh…”

“But you know who looks a lot like him, Andy Francis!”

“Maybe it was Andy!”

“What did he take?”

“Who took what?” came another voice, it was Andy Francis, eating an apple…

“Where did you get that?” Jimmy asked.

“At my uncles’ store, Uni-Mart. I slept over their house last night since my folks were away.”

“Uni-mart belongs to your uncle?”

“Yeah, so…”

“Andy saw you! He thought a police man was arresting you!”

“Ha! That was my cousin, Fred! He drove me to school, on his way to work. He owns Balldrop bowling alley.”

Suddenly boring Andy Francis, became Andy, who’s uncles’ own stores, and bowling alleys!

Only third grade, and his popularity never lessened! Well, not until he left for college, in another town…