"It's Caliente Island!!" cried Jennyanydots and she quickly reached in the compartment over her head for her large straw hat ready to dash off the plane. The other Jellicles immediatly glanced out their windows and through the whisp of the white clouds was the island in all its beauty. The sun light cascaded upon it like a dream world lost in the ocean that covered its shores. Hours later the plane landed upon the pavement and came slowly to a stop. When the word was given everyone in the air craft stood and began gathering their belongings as a large crowd took over the aisle. Cats squeezed and shoved trying to make elbow room as they groaped for their luggage on board. Munkustrap squeezed through the crowd and made his way towards Demeter and helped her with her bags. "Mind carrying mine too there Munky?" Cassandra smiled jokingly as she smaked her pink gum and just as she said that, Alonzo appeared and replied, "Here I got it hun." and she handed him her bags as she responded, "You're a babe."And one by one the cats stepped down the stair walk and onto the ground. Bombalurina emerged with her sunglasses ready, a giant white straw hat and a red scarf that flew wildly around her neck. "Oh Tugger it's beautiful!!" she clapped with glee. Tugger then too emerged from the plane piled with his one suitcase and her six bags. He struggled behind her off the plane trying to breath from the purse that strangled his neck as he carried the many other heavy bags. Bombalurina continued to breath in the fresh air carrying nothing but her camera as she exclaimed, "It's wonderful! It's fresh! It's fabulous! It's -"
"It's the air port hun!" interrupted Tugger in a low unenthused tone, "I think the smog and screwing up my eyesight. I can't see straight ahead of me...or maybe it's your giant grey bag I got here!" he added sarcastically. Bombalurina rolled her eyes, "Oh honestly Tug, try and appreciate the surroundings for once." The mane tom dropped the mound of bags that consumed him and Bombalurina gasped in horror as she watched all her luggage collapse on the dirty pavement. "What do you have in here?!" cried Tugger, "We're only staying for the weekend!! I swear if you brought that mammoth hair dryer..." and his voice trailed as he opened her largest bag. Bombalurina gasped and screamed as she ran to him and tried to stop him from opening it but it was too late. Slowly Rum Tum frowned when he brought out a yellow thong bikini and a tiny triangle top. He glanced at her and shrieked, "Where's the rest of it?!" Embarrased, Bombalurina immediatly snatched it away from him and stuffed it back in her bag as she replied, "I wanted to surprise you." but Tugger pointed to the bathing suit in the bag and asked in a shocking tone, "You weren't gonna actually wear that on the beach were you?!" Bombalurina stood straight up face to face with him and replied with her nose in the air, "And what if I was?" Tugger shook his head, "Uh uh, no! You're not wearing that on the beach of this island! You'll have toms drooling after you halfway back to the rental car. It's not happening!" and Bombalurina laughed, "And what's so bad about that? Insecure are we?" Tugger grabbed her wrist and pulled her close as he whispered, "This is our vacation. I don't care who's here, you're gonna be mine this weekend! No one elses! I dont wanna have to shake other toms off of you with a stick! You're with me here!" and those words touched the red queen as she placed a tender hand against his face, "Aw baby. Well if you feel that way about it, I'll just stick with the sun dress..." and she glanced down at the yellow bikini in the bag and added with a wink, "and wear that in the hotel room." A smile slowly appeared on the tom's face and he quickly picked up all the bags, grabbed her hand and jerked her with him as he exclaimed, "We have to hurry before our reservations in that hotel get pushed aside!!"
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~"You lost our reservations?!?!" cried Munkustrap from behind the front dest in the lobby at the Marriot Hotel. The tall lanky sharp dressed tom replied with dignity, "We were having computer problems earlier. We're sorry for the inconvenience but-" and Mistoffolees squeezed through the flaberghasted gang of Jellicles up next to Munkustrap and said with anger in his tone to the tom behind the counter, "So where are we suppose to sleep for the night? Where we gonna put all our stuff?!"
And the clerk began roamaging through his computer files and replied, "We have one room on the fifth floor that's not being occupied. I can put you down for in there. It's nothing much but it's a place to sleep and set your stuff down till we get this problem resolved."
"All of us in one small room?!?!" cried Victoria who squeezed next to Mistofolees at the front counter. And the clerk nodded, "I'll have Jeffrey bring up your luggage." The tall tom then chimed his bell on the desk and a short young tom emerged from the elevator dressed in a maroon outfit ready to help them in carrying some bags. Fustrated and filled to the brim with attitudes, the Jellicles all dropped their bags at once and left towards the elevador leaving the one luggage tom alone with legions of bags and suit cases. The young tom glanced at the clerk who rolled his eyes and stepped out from behind his desk to help the bell boy with the bags. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~Disgust over came them, "Oh my god." exclaimed Cassandra as she froze at the door way of their room. It was old and resembled a jail house cell. The furniture was made of old wood that didnt look very sturdy and dark like it was once burnt. The white painting on the walls were peeling revealing the crusted cement behind it and damp leeks in the cieling. The floor was deprived of carpet revealing an old chipped wooden floor with stains and mildew. The one mirror that stood from the decreped dusty dresser was smeared and gave a poor reflection of the room that smelled of sulfer and rust. "I dare not look at the bathroom." replied Jellylorum as she analyzed the beds dressed with wrinkled white and black stained sheets and small flat pillows. The room was humid and needed to be aired out so Jennyanydots opened a dirty window with all her might allowing some breeze to flow in. She slapped her hands together releaving herself of the dust and dirt from what she just touched as she said, "Well I guess it just needs a little spring cleaning." and the Jellicles looked at her with crazed stares. Jenny reached into her purse and brought out a hankerchief and wiped the dresser top with it revealing under the mounds of grey dust a golden shine. "Well it was once beautiful." she replied, "Just needs a queen's touch, that's all."
"Or a bull dozer." cracked Coricopat as his eyes darted around the ceiling corners for roaches or rats.Just then the bell tom and the clerk showed up with their bags and dropped them all at the door way. Out of breath from carrying it all, the clerk said, "And here's your key. Our number is written on the phone, call if you need any service." and with that they left the room. Bombalurina pouted as she threw her arms in the air with a whine, "Oh Tugger, what is this?! I thought we were gonna have a place to ourselves with candlelit lights and champaign!" and Tugger held Bomba's shoulders and replied, "Look I'll get this fixed. We're not staying here. Let's all just settle here for one night and tomorrow, make our way to the beach and have a good time."
Not knowing what else to do, the Jellicles nodded in agreeance. At least the beach was something to look foward to. And with that settled the Jellicles began to unpack. "There are only two beds. Who's sleeping with the rats tonight?" asked Asparagus and the cats grew silent waiting for some volunteers. Munkustrap sighed, "Look, Demmi and I will take the floor for a night and-" "We will?!?!" cried Demeter and Munkustrap immediatly replied, "Yes Demmi, we will. I promise I'll stay up all night and watch for the roaches to make sure they dont carry you away during the night!" and one by one the male Jellicles slowly agreed that the queens would get the bed while they had floor.
Later that night, the Jellicles all got ready for a long sleepless night. The bathroom was crammed with the queens who pushed and shoved for the sink. "Move your elbow!" cried Electra to Sillabub as they both tried desperatly to brush their teeth. "Ow! You got toothpast in my eye Electra!" screamed Sillabub as she rubbed her left eye. "This is ubsurd!" cried Jellylorum as she tried to apply her nightly wrinkle cream before bed. "Could be worse," piped up Rumpleteazer, "We could be stuck outside in the streets." Cassandra spit out a wad of toothpaste into the sink and replied, "At least we'd have more room!" and just then a loud banging came upon the bathroom door, "Hey you girls done in there!?!" cried Alonzo, "A number of good toms out here exist too you know! There's a line out here for emergencies!!"
"We'll be out in a minute!" Demeter cried back and Cassandra spit out another wad of toothpaste and reached to turn on the focet only to find there was no water. The queens froze. "You've got to be kidding me." exclaimed Victoria. Cassandra didn't know what to say or do except hollar out to the toms who waited outside, "Make that another hour!!!"
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Few Jellicles were getting a night's good sleep. The room was covered with masses of fur with protruding arms and legs hung out lazily everywhere. Electra lied there on the dresser next to Asparagus and Tumblebrutus. Below her slept Rumpleteazer, Mungojerrie, Mistoffolees, Victora and Pouncival all shoved like rag dolls in the opened dresser cabinets below. Electra tried desperatly to get sleep but something underneath her was bothering her comfort state. She frowned and pulled a sheet of newspaper from under her and was about to toss it when the headline suddenly caught her eye. It was the beach hotel's newspaper and the headline read : Mrs Caliente Island Queen Bathingsuit Pagent.
Victoria immediatly awoke at the sound of it and snatched the paper from Electra's hands from below, "Lemme see that!" the white queen's large eyes darted across the page as she read with incredible speed. Slowly the other Jellicle began to awake wondering what the excitment was all about. Victoria suddenly squeeled with excitment as she struggled next to Mistoffolees to get herself out of the open dresser cabinet. Misto slowly awoke and glanced at her with a frown, "What the heck is wrong with you?"
Vicki leaped out of the dresser cabinet and squeeled, "A bathing suit contest today for the Caliente Island Queen Competition!" the queens sat straight up with interest as Vicki continued to read, "but we need to sign up now. The competition is at two in the afternoon."
"Then what are we sitting around here for?!" cried Cassandra, "No one's getting any sleep anyway!" and with that the queens all got up, got dressed and dashed out the room leaving the toms in complete confusion. "Did you EVER see a queen get ready so fast in your life?" Munkustrap commented in the awkward silence. And with no more said, the toms all immediatly went back to sleep.
