The doorbell rang for a long time, as if a deaf person was pushing it. Little Oliver ran to the door and swung it open.
“Wow, Bob, I knew it was you! Your shoes are beautiful! Sing for me! Sing ‘Love is not my bread and butter…’, please, pleeeease…”
Hearing the commotion, Bella ran to the door, now fully dressed She put on Mimi’s red coat, pinned feathers on it from God knows where, while wearing her mother’s ballerina shoes two sizes too large, covered in glitter.
“Hi, Bob,” she smiled sweetly at the pop star. Bob had no idea whether this was the real Phoenix or not anymore. It was the twentieth house he had visited that day and he was terribly tired.
“Hi, Phoenix… Your costume is very nice…” But Little Oliver wouldn’t let him be.
“Please, Bob, please, sing, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please!”
“”Oh, Little Oliver, go away,”” Bella snapped at him as she turned to Bob. “So, do you recognize me?”
“I think… Your shoes… are glittery. It could be you.”
“Of course, it is!”
“Well then… nice to meet you… again. I’ll pick you up by helicopter the day after tomorrow at noon. But now I’m very tired, I think I’ll go home and rest.”
Mimi was listening to the conversation from behind the kitchen door and wept bitter tears.” ““Mum! Mum, I’m so glad you’re back” exclaimed Bella, as she threw herself into her mother’s arms. Mimi went to her father for a hug. Little Oliver hesitated between the four of them.
“Guess what happened, Mum! I won a helicopter ride… with Bob the Dog, the singer!”
“The one with that awful catchy hit and complete nonsense lyrics?”
“Come on, it’s not nonsense! ‘Love is not my bread and butter…’ With him, yes! Because I won the costume contest at the party, you know, the one that was yesterday, and Bob was here because he wanted to know who the Phoenix was, and…”
“Stop! Stop! Stop!” said Mimi’s dad kindly. “You aren’t making any sense at all. Let’s sit down and you can tell me about it over lunch. Mimi, did you not go to the party?”
“Someone had to take care of Little Oliver while he slept…” said Mimi bitterly.
“Oh, right, I see. Well, congratulations, Bella! You can send us a postcard from up there,” laughed Mimi’s dad.
“Sure, I’ll send you a song too! Only two days to go, I’m so looking forward to it! It’ll be divine, just Bob and me up there… Mum! Can you help me with my hair?” Bella and her mum disappeared into the bathroom.
Mimi could barely hold back her tears as her dad told her about the great weekend he had spent in the mountains with Mimi’s stepmother.” “Something was bothering Bob. He sat in his room, thinking about the costume ball. There was a knock on the door.
“It’s only me!” said his father in the doorway. “Well, well, what are you looking so worried about?”
“I don’t know, Dad. I don’t think I picked the real Phoenix. She was so weird. Her voice did not sound familiar at all. But the dress and the shoes… I don’t know if I made the right decision.”
“Well, that’s easy. Is there anything the Phoenix told you last night? Something that only you and she would know?”
“Now that you mention it,” said Bob, trying to recollect the events of the party, ‘she told me she collected glass figurines.”
“There you go. When you go to pick her up in the helicopter, ask her to show you her figurines. If she has them, she is the one. If not, she is a fraud.”
“Dad, you’re a genius!” Shouted Bob, jumping about for joy.
“No kidding? Only a genius could build a shoe factory as big as mine. Not to mention your pop music career,” he added, luckily, quiet enough for Bob not to hear him. ” ““Coming! I’ll get it!” Bella ran to the door, pushing both Mimi and Little Oliver aside. Bob was standing in front of them in person.
“Hi! The helicopter was able to land on a sports field near here! But before we go, I have something to ask.”
“Sure, anything!” Bella exclaimed.
“You said at the party that you collect glass figurines. Can you show them to me?”
“Well… um…sure, I just… I have to go up and get them… because they’re upstairs in my room.”
This was too much for Mimi.
“That does it!” Bella ran towards the stairs, but Mimi was faster. “Those are my figurines” They ran towards Mimi’s room scuffling on the way.
“No! Will you two stop fighting! You are always fighting.” Little Oliver ran anxiously after his sisters.
They arrived at Mimi’s room almost at the same time. Bella leaped towards the wardrobe, but Little Oliver tripped over the doorstep and fell over badly. He immediately started to scream and cry.
By this time, Bob was also standing at the door, puzzled, looking at the two girls as they fought, but Little Oliver, who had been lying on the floor crying, suddenly stopped.
“Wow…look, under the bed! What’s that?” Little Oliver said, crawling over to the bed and pulling out Mimi’s phoenix costume, and the shiny shoes.” ““So, you were the real phoenix” Bob mumbled, when he finally found his voice again.
“Yes, it was me.”
“But then why didn’t you tell me?”
“I don’t know… I was afraid. Nobody knew I was at the party.”
“Are you serious? You went to the party and left Little Oliver here alone?” shouted Bella.
“I didn’t leave him alone. Aunt Esther was watching over him. If it’s any of your business, motor mouth! You cheated, you lied, and you still can’t stop it! Get out of my room!”
Mimi herself was surprised that she was telling off her stepsister like that. Honestly, it felt good to finally give her a piece of her mind.
“Well then,” said Bob, finally, “I think there’s a helicopter waiting for us outside. But only if you want to come with me…. wait, I don’t even know your name!”
“My name is Mimi” she said, blushing. “And of course, I’m up for a helicopter ride over the city…”
“Great, then let’s go!” Bob took Mimi’s hand and walked her towards the stairs, I’ll sing you my latest hit up there if you like. You must know the one. ‘Love is not my bread and butter’. He hummed.
“Of course, I do. But maybe it’s time to rewrite the lyrics…”