I am Baaack! Part 5

Joan laughed. "Yes. You Vaingirls really are miracle workers. We are DEFINITELY going to knock their socks off!" And she gave Joyce a condensed version of the story Robbie had told her.

"This is going to be SO neat!" chimed in Robbie. "Those two think I'm still in PANTS!"

Joyce smiled at the two. She spoke to Joan. "Well, Joan, as you know, we've been sort of on the outs with Louise and Edwina. Robbie has certainly convinced us that we must be wrong about them. I will have to mend some fences. If you think about it, you might pass on that I will be in touch with them shortly." This was all working out so well, she thought. She remembered her old eighth grade history teacher telling her class about how at the outbreak of World War I, the French war plan, Plan 17, had seemed designed to cooperate with the German VonSchlieffen Plan. 'Joan's plans are just like that; I couldn't have made them better!'

Joan took the bait. "I certainly will, Joyce. Lou and Ed can be a little over the top at times, and they certainly have been devious with Robbie here, but all the manipulation was in the spirit of good fun. (As if their minds were linked, Joyce and Robbie thought, 'Bitch!' at the same moment.) And it's in that same spirit that Robbie here decided to turn the tables on them tonight; I'm just helping her out and going along to see the expressions on the faces of those two when this dazzling creature walks in!" She smiled at Robbie.

Robbie curtsied.

Joyce made shooing motions with her hands. "You two get along, now! Robbie, you come back and give us a blow by blow report. Bring pictures! You do have a camera, right?"

Joan nodded. "I do. I'll be tonight's photographer, don't worry." She turned to Robbie. "Let's go, gorgeous!" And they exited the store.

Robbie ducked her head and arm back in, and gave Joyce a surreptitious thumbs up. Joyce watched the closing door with an altogether different kind of smile on her face, a smile Joan would not have liked in the least.