Cynthia and the Reluctant Girlfriend

The Beginning, Chapters 1, 2, and 3

By Portia Bennett

Alfred Gontarski had the misfortune to have been born into the wrong body. That’s all been fixed now; however if you are not familiar with how things were corrected, you should go back and read “An Incremental Journey” before you read this little adventure. Al, now Cynthia Lewis, has a problem. It seems that one of her nine-year old classmates has the same problem she had. He was born into the wrong body. Cynthia was able to work a deal with the SRU Wizard to get Bobby Schmedlap a gift certificate for his birthday that would allow him to become the girl Cynthia knows he wants/has to be. The problem is this. Bobby has not redeemed his gift certificate and now the powers behind SRU want to know when he’s going to do it because it’s the end of the fiscal year and unclaimed spells cause all sorts of accounting problems. It’s going to be Cynthia’s job to find out what’s going on and why Bobby Schmedlap hasn’t gone for the change he so desperately wants.

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I have researched the Spell’s—R-Us Universe diligently and cannot find anything that violates it, other than that The Wizard is a bit kinder and gentler than sometimes reported. Don’t get me wrong. Given an opening and The Wizard could resort to some of his more ironic and nasty transformations. I’m sure that could happen at any time.

My thanks must go to Holly H. Hart for taking time from her harried life to correct the multitude of errors made while creating this story.

This work is copyrighted by the author and any publication or distribution without the written consent of the author is strictly prohibited. This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance of the characters to persons living or dead is coincidental.

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Chapter 1
 

Pat, pat, pat, pat.

“Huh, murf, wha? Maddy what are you doing?”

Cynthia was now wide awake, and apparently, that was exactly what Maddy had in mind.

“Maddy, it’s only three o’clock. We have at least another three and a half hours before it’s time to get up.” Maddy, the little kitten Cynthia had saved from drowning a few months before was perched on the middle of her chest. She had been lightly tapping Cynthia’s cheek with her soft forepaw until she had eventually received the desired result. That was to get her young human friend to wake up.

“Meowlevishiss’n.”

“Maddy, if I didn’t know better, I would say you were talking, and it sounded like you were saying ‘television’.”

“Meoweress.”

“That sounded like you said ‘yes’.”

Maddy, tired of trying to get through to Cynthia, jumped off the bed and headed for the desk where Cynthia’s computer occupied a significant place. Cynthia was very computer literate for a nine-year old, she had just recently had her ninth birthday, however, she also had the memories and intellect of the thirty-five year-old man she had never wanted to be. She also had all the memories and some of the residual personality of the little girl who had previously occupied the body that was now hers. The latter had been very helpful in her adjustment to the life she had so desired for so long and now had.

Cynthia was a very happy; no, let’s make that an ecstatic nine year old girl. Things couldn’t be better as far as she was concerned. Her borrowed memories helped her fit into the family she loved more and more each day since the transference, and the memories she had as the misfit Alfred Gontarski gave her an advantage few nine-year olds would ever have. The most important thing to Cynthia was that she was finally in the correct body. The conflicts were gone.

Every time she woke up, she marveled at her little girl body clad in its little nightie. The first few weeks after the transference she would wake up knowing that it had all been a dream, that she was still the six foot, five inch, 350 pound Al Gontarski who had no life.

Her mother had twice found her standing in front of the mirror on her closet door while staring at her nude body. There were tears streaming down her face. Her mother attributed it to sleep walking induced by the trauma of her nearly dying from drowning and being in a coma for weeks.

Her mother would gently hold her as Cynthia would quietly proclaim, “It’s me, isn’t it? I really am a girl and I am pretty.”

“Yes, you are a very pretty little girl and you need to go back to bed. Here, put on your panties,” her mother would say as she helped Cynthia put her nightie back on. It would be some time before Cynthia could really accept that it really happened. It took a skinned knee from tripping on the playground at school, the subsequent pain and blood to finally get it to sink in that she was really Cynthia Lewis.

Her parents bathed in her happiness and she in theirs. Maybe some day she would tell them about her strange journey; tell them that although she was their daughter, she was a bit more and sadly, a bit less. She knew that she wouldn’t be prevented from telling them. She just wasn’t sure if it would ever be necessary.

Right now, there was something that required her attention. Maddy was seated to one side of the computer screen and was staring intently at it. Cynthia knew she had turned off the computer before going to bed, yet the screen was starting to glow and flicker. Then it sprang into life, that is, there was an image that Cynthia quickly recognized as the back room of the SRU wizard’s shop. She could hear some muttering coming from the screen. That in itself was weird as the speakers sat more than a foot away from either side of the screen. A quick glance at her computer clearly indicated it was not turned on.

Suddenly, The Wizard’s face was thrust into the forefront. “Blasted modern technology!” he muttered. “Why can’t we just do apparitions like we did in the old days; they were so much simpler. But no-o-o-o, we have to keep up with the times, computers and all that hogwash.

“Cindy, can you see me? We need to talk.”

By this time, Cynthia was sliding into her chair at the computer. She didn’t have an on-line video system as she had not yet felt the need for one. Somehow, she felt it wasn’t going to be necessary.

“Oh, there you are. How’s it going?”

“Other than it being three o’clock in the morning, not too bad.”

“Double drat and fried bat wings dipped in arrow toad excrement, I forgot about the time zones. It’s eleven A.M. here in St. Petersburg. I’ve got to straighten out some things with an ex-KGB operative in a few minutes.

“Look, I’m sorry about the time thing. The Board had some questions about your friend Bobby. Has he said anything to you since you gave him the gift certificate? They were hoping he would opt for the change soon so we don’t have to ‘fix’ too many things. All the financial things are coming due soon. It’s the end of our fiscal year and they were hoping they wouldn’t have to carry it over to next year.

“Bobby hasn’t said anything after he opened the card up. A couple of other classmates saw the certificate, but they thought it was a gift certificate for Wal-Mart. I know Bobby could see what it really was because he looked at me real funny like.

“I’ll talk to him tomorrow and see if he understands what it’s all about. He may think I’m playing a trick on him. I don’t think anyone else knows she’s inside.”

“Do that Cindy, and let me know as soon as you can. By the way, you still sound a bit too adult. Are you sure you don’t want me to tweak things a bit? You know, just to get your spoken phrasing a bit more like other girls your age.”

“No, I’m doing fine around my friends and family. It’s getting very easy, and I’m very comfortable. It’s just that you know all about me and discussing business with you as an adult seems to come naturally.

“By the way, I think Maddy can talk.”

“Of course she can. She’s young and it will get easier for her as she gets older.”

“I don’t think I understand. I mean, she’s just a kitten.”

“No,” The Wizard corrected, “she’s your ‘familiar’. I thought I told you that. No? I meant to, but I guess I forgot. That blasted CRS again.

“Both you and Maddy are rather special. As you get older, your powers will increase. Right now, your power seems to be primarily the ability to detect people with certain problems. You know, people like Bobby Schmedlap. That power will get stronger, too. You are able to recognize the anomaly when someone is close to you. That should change as you get older.

“Maddy and you will age at about the same rate. In about three years you will both reach puberty. No one will notice. Maddy’s appearance will change every fifteen to twenty years. She’ll do that when the time is right. We can’t have people suspecting 100 year-old cats.

“Your powers will greatly increase when you reach puberty; however, you will need a lot of instruction and training.”

“Your Wisdom, I remember you said I was special that day I stopped by to thank you for everything. I just thought you meant I was lucky to be where I was, and I certainly agree with that. I guess I didn’t pay much attention. I was too happy.”

Suddenly, Cynthia heard her parents’ door down the hall opening.

“I’ve got to go back to bed. Mom’s coming.”

“When you come to the mall this Saturday, come to the service entrance to the shop. It’s back by the restrooms. We’ll talk then.”

The computer screen went blank as the bedroom door opened. “Cindy, are you alright?”

“I’m fine Mom. I was having a real nice dream, but I had to get up to go to the bathroom. Maddy wanted to play.”

“Mro-a-dint.”

“Get back to sleep. Tomorrow’s Friday and we’re going to go shopping Saturday. Are you sure you are OK?”

“Mommy, everything is just purrfect. I love you so much.”

Marissa hugged her daughter and kissed her forehead. Cynthia slid under the blankets and Maddy snuggled up to her. Marissa gently closed the door.

“You are a bad cat!”

“Mrowmnot.”

Chapter 2

Cynthia had been playing hopscotch, a game she mastered very quickly once her strength returned. It helped her re-acquaint herself with the friends who were the original Cynthia’s friends. She knew them from the saved memories, yet she didn’t really know them. That was coming along slowly.

Now she was watching Bobby Schmedlap. Bobby was a handsome boy. He was a bit tall for his age and very athletic. He had a shock of red hair, brilliant blue-green eyes and his pale skin was lightly freckled. Bobby got along well with everyone. He was equally at ease with the boys and girls and several of the girls had serious crushes on him.

There were times, though, that Cynthia caught him looking longingly at the girls around him. It wasn’t lust. He was not old enough yet for that to be a problem. There was a longing in his gaze. Once, Cynthia caught him looking at her and that was the first time she knew for sure. She knew that his soul was the soul of a young girl, a girl who was resigned to her fate as a male. He really handled it quite well.

She thought back to his birthday party. The Wizard had told her there wouldn’t be any problems with the gift certificate. That only those who had a need to read it could. To everyone else, it would look like a gift certificate from Wal-Mart. Now that she thought about it, she realized she probably shouldn’t have given it to him the way she did; however, that was done, and it didn’t turn out so bad; or at least she thought it didn’t.

He had turned pale when he first looked at it. He turned to Cynthia with a look of terror on his face. A nearby friend grabbed the certificate and loudly proclaimed, “Neat, a $20 gift certificate from Wal-Mart.” Bobby grabbed it back, reread it, and gave Cynthia a questioning look. She smiled back. He had basically avoided her ever since.

The bell rang: signifying the end of the lunch and play period. Bobby couldn’t avoid walking by Cynthia. “Bobby, we need to talk.”

“I don’t think I want to talk to you. You could ruin everything. I have enough problems as it is without you telling everyone about me.”

“Bobby, I haven’t told anyone about you except someone who already knows. I just wanted to help you be what you are inside.”

“What do you know about what I am inside? We have enough problems at home. Mom says you are just going to make trouble for me. She doesn’t think that the ‘gift certificate’ is very funny. She said it is a very bad joke. Dad said he had half a mind to spank you if he ever saw you.”

Cynthia was a bit perplexed. “Wait a minute. Do you mean they can read it?”

“Sure and my older brothers don’t think it is very funny either. What I don’t get is that Tedd McKeever thinks it's a Wal-Mart gift certificate. He never could read real good, though.”

“Bobby, class is going to start soon, but we need to talk. I’m sure I don’t understand everything that’s going on. I am going to have to get some advice from someone. I won’t lie to you Bobby, and I want to be your friend. I know what you are going through, believe me.”

“How could you know anything about me? We have never talked with each other about anything like this before. My mom says you found out about me some way and you are just going to make our lives hell. I think you just need to leave me alone and stay away.”

This was definitely strange. Apparently, Bobby’s parents and brothers knew about him and were trying to protect him. If that was the case, why wasn’t anything being done?

“Bobby, I won’t tell anyone your secret unless you want me to. Just don’t be afraid of me. I can help you.”

“Right, so rich little Cindy Lewis is going to be able to pay all the medical bills and everything else to fix me,” his voice dripped with sarcasm. “Good luck!” With that, he turned and they entered the classroom just as the last bell sounded.

Cynthia managed to pay attention well enough to get through the rest of the day; however, she was perplexed by Bobby’s negative reaction. She could watch him without his knowing it and thought she detected a tear running down his cheek. When the bell rang, signifying the end of the school day, he was up like a shot and out the door before Cynthia could get her books together and follow him.

By the time she was outside the building, he was on his bike and heading off the playground. She ran to the street and followed him with her eyes. He turned right, just before the river bridge. She could see him for a bit longer because the Cottonwoods and Poplars had not yet leafed out; however, he disappeared among some industrial buildings.

Cynthia turned and walked to her bus that would take her several miles in the other direction. ‘Why was he going down there?’ she thought. ‘There’s nothing down there but a bunch of old factories. I don’t think anyone lives down there. I’ll have to ask Dad. He knows all about that area. I don’t remember anything about it other than the company had several sales there when I was Al.’

She shuddered when she thought about being Al Gontarski. In this reality Al Gontarski was deceased for many years. The company he used to run was now owned by her current father and four other partners. The Wizard and whoever he worked with had done some interesting things to adjust reality so that Cynthia could be with her current family. She didn’t try to question things. She just knew her current reality was far better than her old one.

The school bus stopped at her driveway and the driver kept the flashers going until he was sure Cynthia was safely out of the way of the traffic on the country road. There were actually three houses that shared part of the driveway before the separate driveways branched to each house, and two of Cynthia’s friends lived in the other two homes. The drive curved around the side of the low hill and at one point the curve overlooked the road below and the field and creek beyond that. Cynthia paused and looked across the field to the creek where her body’s previous occupant had been driven out by her near drowning, and in turn had made it possible for the spirit and memories of Al Gontarski take her place.

Her friends could sense her hesitation as the beaver pond surrounded by the willows, now just beginning to leaf out, came into view. It was almost a daily ritual. She would hesitate, and then stare at the slick waters for a while before she would continue on to her home. Her friends had been there that day when she broke through the ice. They witnessed her near lifeless body finally being pulled from the icy depths, nearly a half hour after going under. What they didn’t realize was that Cynthia had been up the hill watching her near death experience unfold.

Now it was almost spring, and the waters were warming up a bit. The beavers had long before run out of their winter stores and had felled several of the larger willows, harvesting the smaller branches that were now swollen with the nutritious spring flow of sap. An old man had parked at the edge of the road and was seated on a folding camp chair by the pond. He had three poles set up and was hoping to entice some catfish to accept the fat night crawlers he had baited his hooks with.

Cynthia took several deep breaths of the fresh, slightly chilled air. She saw so much more now. Details of what was around her would have been lost on Al Gontarski. Now, every little grain of sand, every pebble, every leaf, the Purple Martins just arriving from somewhere south of the border, all of it meant so much more to her than it ever did in the past.

“You’re different, Cindy,” remarked Diane, her friend from a grade ahead of her. “You’re a lot more serious than you used to be. Not all the time, but sometimes you seem to act like a grownup.”

“She, er, I almost died down there. The doctors think I may have had some things happen to my brain. That was why I was in a coma so long. Mommy and Daddy say the same thing. I know I am different from what I was before. I remember almost everything from before, but it’s like it happened to someone else.” Indeed it had, but Cynthia knew she wouldn’t always be able to ‘fake it’. So, if she acted differently from the way she acted in the past, it was easy to just attribute it to the trauma she had undergone.

Diane and Betty said their ‘goodbye’s’ as Cynthia headed up the last stretch of driveway to her home. Her mother was at home with her little brother. His school day ended earlier than hers did. Tommy was a good brother. In Cynthia’s previous life she would have said he was a pain in the ass; however, she realized now that he was just growing up and finding himself. They had a few arguments, but for the most part Cynthia was able to convince him to behave.

She realized something else these first months of her new life. There was nothing in her previous life that legitimized her behavior. Her previous parents had been wonderful caring people and she knew now that her reaction to her misplaced gender was over the top. She also realized that she had been very selfish. Well, that was all behind her now. Her mental maturation had been a difficult and painful process. She was wise beyond her apparent years now; however, more than anything else she was the little girl she had longed to be, and she realized that someday she would become a woman. That would happen in time. There was no longer any rush.

Chapter 3

The mall was filled with early spring shoppers. The warming weather had brought the crowds out. There was the background roar of many voices riding on a soundtrack of piped-in music being played over the mall’s speakers. There was no sign of the SRU shop, and she didn’t expect there to be.

“Mommy, I need to go to the bathroom.”

They were sitting at the food court across from the passage leading to the mall offices and restrooms.

“Do you want me to come with you?” asked her mother.

“I’m OK by myself. It’s right there and I won’t be long.” This may not have been wise in some malls; however, in this case the restroom area was secure and there was only one way to enter the ladies’ room. Cynthia walked quickly down the short hall and made a right turn. The ladies’ restroom was just ahead at the end of the hall. On her right were two doors leading to the rear of two shops. A sign on one of the doors declared: "Spells-R-Us, Deliveries Only. Please Ring Bell.”

Cynthia looked around and noted there was no one in view. She pushed the button and a second or two later she heard a buzz and a click. The door opened easily and she found herself in the back of the shop she remembered so well. The Wizard was not in sight, so she made her way to the front. She could hear The Wizard talking with someone.

“Now remember to read and follow the instructions. We can’t be responsible for anything that results in your not following the procedures, warnings and cautions.” Cynthia watched as a young couple carrying two flat boxes exited the shop into a snowstorm! She realized she was looking out into a parking lot, not the interior of the mall she had just been in. ‘This is really weird,’ she thought.

“Hi, Cindy, glad you could make it.”

“I don’t have a lot of time. My Mom thinks I’ve gone to the restroom.”

“Not to worry. I’ve set up a little time loop. When you go back out the rear door, it will be the same time it was when you came in here.”

“I have a feeling I’m not in Connecticut, anymore.” Cynthia chuckled at her joke as she looked at the driving snowstorm outside the shop. “Where are we, anyway?”

“Fargo, North Dakota. I have two events to take care of, actually one now.

“That young couple who just left are so in love with each other and they are afraid to say anything. There is a “First Day of Spring Party” tonight that is being jointly put on by her sorority and his fraternity. She asked him and as you have probably surmised, it is a costume party. He’s going as Lil’ Abner and she’s going as Daisy Mae.”

“I take it there is a lot of padding in the costumes. Neither of them looked much like Daisy Mae or Lil’ Abner. Does anyone even know who they are? That strip stopped when I was a child the first time.”

“No, she just thought they were cute costumes.”

“So what’s the catch? I know there is one. There always is with you?”

“There’s no catch. They just need to follow the warnings and cautions. They won’t, though.”

“What’s going to happen?”

“I cast a little inhibition releasing love spell on them. They will probably make love tonight. It will be the first time for both of them. If they can wait and take their costumes off before they do it, they will marry and have a pleasant, if undistinguished life. If they can’t wait and don’t remove all the costumes before consummating their love, several things will happen. The built-in enhancements will become real; however, there is a little twist. They will switch bodies, something that they will have little trouble adjusting to. They will gain a lot of self confidence in their new genders and do very well. The probability charts indicate a 92% chance that the latter situation will happen and be successful.”

Cynthia had a far away look. “I never made love to anyone. I hope I find someone someday.”

“Don’t worry about it Cindy. You have many years ahead of you to grow up in. I think things will work out nicely for you.”

A coo-coo clock suddenly squawked eleven times and The Wizard looked up, startled. “Quick, follow me. We have to go out back.”

Cynthia followed The Wizard out the door she had come through a few minutes before. Instead of going into the mall, the door led to an alley. The Wizard made a little wave and the falling snow parted over their heads, keeping them dry. They walked to a dumpster that was a few shops down the way.

“OK, here he is. Stand back a bit. This could get a little messy.”

Peering over the edge of the dumpster, The Wizard called to an as yet unseen person, “Tommy, you need to get out of there. You will freeze if you don’t get out now.”

“Go away. Leave me alone.”

“Tommy, if you don’t get out now. I will make you get out.”

“You can’t make me do anything, you old fart. Just go away and let me die.”

“I figured it would go like this,” The Wizard grumbled. He made a few passes and suddenly a mountain of trash flew out of the dumpster followed by the form of a young man dressed in rags.

“What the hell?”

“Don’t move, and be quiet.” For some reason, the young man was unable to do anything.

The Wizard made a sweeping gesture and all the trash gathered up in a whirl and deposited itself back in the dumpster.

“OK, Tammy, you will be quiet and follow us.”

Thirty seconds later they were back in the rear of the shop.

“Sit there Tammy, The Wizard said, indicating a small chair. “You may speak if you remain polite.”

“Don’t call me Tammy. My name is Tommy.”

“Why don’t we have some hot chocolate while we talk things over?” There were three steaming mugs of hot chocolate on the counter and The Wizard passed one to the boy and another to Cynthia. The Wizard took a sip and smacked his lips with a gesture of satisfaction. Cynthia took a sip and found the temperature and taste to be perfect. The boy also took a sip. Cynthia realized he was a bit younger than she first thought.

After the boy took another sip, he couldn’t have been much older than twelve, The Wizard started talking to him in a gentle voice. “Tammy, I want to hear only the truth from you. What were you doing back there?”

“I was trying to find a place to stay warm, and my name isn’t Tammy.”

“Do you wish it was?”

The boy, who was closer to ten than 12, paused for a moment before answering, “Yes sir.”

“I think that can be taken care of.”

Cynthia watched in awe as the boy, no a girl, continued to change. The rags were gone. Instead, there was a little girl, dressed in wool trousers and a bright woolen sweater. There was a knitted wool cap on the stool beside her. Her auburn hair was in braids and her cheeks were rosy. There was a bright pink lip gloss on her lips. She took another sip of the hot chocolate and then fished out a marshmallow. She looked at it before engulfing it in one bite. She had a bright smile on her face. She couldn’t have been more than five.

“Tammy, where are you?”

“I’m back here Mommy. These nice people gave me some hot chocolate.”

A woman in her late 20’s came through the curtains. “Tammy, I said you could look at the kittens, not take over the place.

Turning to The Wizard, the woman smiled, “I hope my daughter wasn’t a problem. I told her she could look at the kittens while I was picking up the dry cleaning.” Then lowering her voice, added, “She will be five next week. She doesn’t know it, but that little black and white one has her name on it.” Tammy hadn’t heard a thing. She was licking the last remnants of the chocolate from the mug.

The woman thanked the Wizard for his kindness and led her daughter out into the snowstorm.

“She lost her daughter to a drunk driver last month. Tammy is going to be a very happy little girl. Tommy would have died in that dumpster tonight. His parents will be killed tonight when their meth lab explodes. They might do better next time.

“So, did you feel Tommy?”

“Yes, as soon as you got her out of the dumpster. That was very nice how you did that. She won’t remember anything will she?”

“No, there was little worth remembering. She will always know that she is a girl. There won’t be any doubt there. Now, tell me what’s going on with Bobby.”

“Bobby is afraid of being found out. What’s funny is that his mom and dad know about him. So do his brothers and I think they are OK with it. I think they feel if people find out what he feels inside that things will get very difficult for him. What I don’t understand is if they know about how he feels inside and are OK with it why aren’t they helping him?”

“Cindy, I think you need to find out. This is something that you will be doing a lot of and you need all the practice you can get. Your powers may not be in the area of correcting gender problems, but you will have the ability to detect those who need our assistance. It’s not clear yet where your other powers will be. It will be three or four years before your powers begin to develop fully. We’ll know much more then. Right now you are a scout.

“The problem we have with Bobby is that his transition has to be voluntary. Once these things are set in motion, the method of change may not be altered. For the change to take place, Bobby has to willingly accept the change. Here’s an additional problem. Since his parents are aware of the situation, as are his brothers, they must all be in accord before the transition may take place. The way these things happen, because they are aware of Bobby’s situation, they will remain aware after the transformation occurs, unless a subsequent spell is created. Therefore they all must agree to the transition taking place. If they won’t agree with letting it happen, it never will. You are going to have to use all your powers to convince them to let it happen. This may be very difficult because I have a feeling they may not believe in the process. That is, they don’t believe in the science of magic.

“Remember what it took to get Dorothy home that first time. She had to believe. Once she did, everything was possible and she was able to return to Oz time and again. She still lives there by the way with her aunt and uncle, and Toto still refuses to talk.

“Your job is going to be to convince Bobby and his family that the transition is possible and there will be no danger or fallout from it. When it happens, we will take care of all the necessary details and Bobbie will be able to live her life the way it should be. What do you think?”

“Wow! That sounds like a big job for a nine-year old. Who’s going to believe me?”

“Well, Cindy, that’s where we think your powers are. None of this comes easy. It takes a lot of practice, a lot of instruction and mentoring. You and Maddy will have a lot of help. Best of all, you have a lot of time.

“Now, I have to go to Tokyo. There’s a whole bunch of anime fanatics I have to deal with. I’ll check with you like I did the other night. Maddy will let you know.”

“Your Wisdom, I have a question.”

“Sure, what is it?”

“Why does everyone call me Cindy? My name is Cynthia.”

“It is, isn’t it? I guess it’s because Cindy is a nickname and is easier to say than Cynthia. It means people are accepting you for who you are. You are just going to have to get used to it. You are Cynthia, you are Cindy, and you are a nine year old girl. Isn’t it wonderful?”

“Yes it is!”

The Wizard made a half hearted attempt to avoid her hug and kiss. He gave her squeeze in return. “You need to go. I can’t hold that time loop in place much longer.”

Cindy made her way out the back door to the hallway. By this time she really needed to use the restroom and did.

“Why are your shoes all wet?” her mother asked.

Cindy looked at the wet mud on her shoes. “Someone stopped up one of the toilets. People are so rude.”

Well, Cindy has a problem, and it looks like The Wizard is going to let her run with it. I'll bet he'll be around if he is really needed. What could the problem be with Bobby. Did Cindy make a mistake? Did she misinterpret the signals? It doesn't seem so, not from the way Bobby was talking. Well there is a problem and it is up to Cindy to correct it. Will she be up to the task?