Happy Daze
By Ellie Dauber
© 2000
"Okay, what's the next round?" the Fonz asked the strange man in what
looked like a silver foil jump suit. Fonzie, Arthur Fonzarelli, was a
tall, rugged eighteen year old dressed, as always, in jeans, a white
T-shirt, and his precious leather jacket. His face, as always looked
confident, a smile on his lips and every hair "Perfect!"
Mork from Ork smiled. It had been a long time since he had been so
strongly challenged. Who would have thought that such a backward
little world would be the home of such a powerful hollitacker
opponent? He raised his finger. "We destroy this building and all the
beings within."
"No!" Fonzie yelled.
They were all in Arnold's Drive-In, his favorite hangout and the local
gathering spot for teens from Jefferson High. The place had been full
when Richie and Mork had walked in looking for him. Some of the kids
were still probably in here someplace, hiding maybe, scared or hurt or
both. But even if there was no one else in the building now, he
couldn't destroy it. He couldn't do that to Al Delvecchio. Al was a
friend as well as the owner of Arnold's.
"I won't do it. You wi...wi...you wi...." He could hardly get the word
out.
Richie Cunningham was standing next to the Fonz. The tall, slim
redheaded seventeen-year old said boy something he had never expected
to say to anyone who fought Fonzie. "You win."
"Do you mean this?" Mork was suspicious.
"What he said." The Fonz hung his head. Defeat was something that
happened to other people, not to him.
"Then we are done?" Mork smiled now. The contest was in its final
phase.
"Yeah, sure." There was no way out. Fonzie had agreed to the rules at
the start. He would go back to Ork - wherever that was--with this Mork
guy.
"Very well," Mork said. "I initiate the space warp." Richie jumped
back just in time as blue glow from Mork's finger engulfed the other
two.
"Nnnooowww, wwweee gggooo." Mork was moving in slow motion, his voice
sounding like a 78 record played at 45.
Fonzie turned just as slowly and started after him, his thumb raised
in a sort of victory salute. "Aaaaaaaayyyyyyyy!"
Then, suddenly, Fonzie stopped. He slowly closed his eyes for a
moment; then he formed his hands into fists. At normal speed. "I ain't
going."
"Fonzie," Richie said in amazement. "You broke free."
"No being has ever broken the time warp." Mork seemed equally amazed.
"Your victory is even more complete."
"You mean he won."
"Indeed. A hollitacker tests the heart of the warrior as well as the
physical skill. Your champion was willing to sacrifice himself to keep
other beings from harm."
"Then why did you say he lost?"
"Yeah, and why were you taking me away?"
"It was part of the test. Would the champion change its mind at the
prospect of exile from its own world for a full bleem? That's a
thousand of your years, you will remember."
"I knew that."
"You were willing to go. Indeed, you raised your lorznap in victory
salute as we left." Mork paused. "Then you broke free. You are indeed
a champion."
"Ay...I'm the Fonz!"
"Then you'll leave us--leave the Earth in peace," Richie still wasn't
sure about this weird guy.
"Yes, but so powerful a champion cannot be allowed to exist outside of
Ork." He suddenly raised his finger and fired what looked like a ball
of red energy at Fonzie. The ball hit and surrounded the Fonz for a
moment. Then it seemed to shrink down into his body. Fonzie staggered
and fell to the ground.
"You killed him." Richie lunged towards Mork who teleported to a booth
about ten feet away.
"No, I merely neutralized it. It will live." Mork pointed at Fonzie.
"See, even now, it moves."
Richie looked. Fonzie was rolling over as if he wanted to stand up. He
seemed very weak.
"I leave you Earth beings to each other." Mork glowed for an instant,
then disappeared.
Richie ran over to the Fonz. "Fonzie, are you all right?"
"Is he gone?" Fonzie was on his hands and knees now.
"Yeah, Fonz, I think he is."
Fonzie grabbed onto a table and tried to stand. He didn't seem to have
the energy to pull himself up. "Then get me out of here before anybody
sees me like this."
Richie looked around. Al's was empty. The others who had been in the
place when he and Mork arrived, Ralph, Chachi, Potzie, even Al
himself, had fled. Richie helped the Fonz to his feet. He was still
very unsteady. Richie had the Fonz put an arm over his shoulder and
lean against him. He helped Fonzie into his car, the only one still in
Al's lot, and drove home.
Fonzie's apartment was over the garage next to Richie's house. The
street was dark, and the car hid them as he helped Fonzie out of the
passenger seat. They took the steps one at a time, stopping several
times so one or the other could rest. Richie was fairly strong, but
Fonzie was almost dead weight. His body felt hot as well, as if he had
a fever.
When they got to the door, Fonzie pulled his key out of his leather
jacket pocket. Richie helped Fonzie off with his jacket once they were
inside. Fonzie was pale, and his T-shirt was soaked with sweat. Richie
opened up the sofa bed and laid Fonzie on it. He pulled off his
friend's boots and set them on the floor near the bed.
"Are you going to be okay, Fonz? Do you want me to stay here a while,
or call a doctor or anything?"
"I'm fine, Cunningham. You go to bed. I'll be all right in the
morning."
"You sure you don't want a doctor?"
"A doctor? Yeah. I just tell him I won a hollitacker, and this little
silver guy hit me with a fireball he shot from his finger. You want
some doctor to think I'm nuts?"
"But...."
"Go to bed, Cunningha...Richie. I'll be fine." He wasn't sure that he
believed what he was saying, but he was the Fonz. It had to be true.
Besides, the last thing he needed was for the word to get out that the
Fonz was sick. There were people that would be only too happy to hear
that he was too weak to defend himself.
Richie wasn't sure that what Fonzie said was true, but he knew better
than to argue with him. "Okay, Fonz. I'll see you in the morning." He
walked to the door, then turned back to look at his friend. "And,
Fonzie...thanks."
"Will you go already and let me get some sleep?"
* * * * *
Marian Cunningham had a worried look on her face as she came back into
the kitchen. She was holding a tray in her hands. "Richie, are sure
that Arthur just has a bad cold?"
Richie looked up from his lunch. "Yeah, Mom, why?"
"I was just upstairs to take him some chicken soup. He said that he
was feeling all right, but his voice was so weak. It looks like he's
lost a lot of weight, too. He seemed so skinny."
Marian was a still attractive woman in her mid forties, her once fiery
red hair tinged with a bit of gray. She still maintained the figure
that she'd had at twenty-five to the delight and pride of her husband,
Howard.
"Did he eat the soup?"
"I don't know. He asked me to leave it on the table, but he wouldn't
get out of bed until I left."
"Maybe he wasn't dressed, and he didn't want you to see him in his
underwear."
Marian smiled. She thought of Fonzie as another son, and she suspected
that he felt the same about her. "Yes, that must be it. Arthur was
embarrassed." She put the tray on the counter and nervously began to
fix her own lunch.
Something deep inside her whispered that something was very, very
wrong. Why did he look so thin, and his hair...usually every hair was
in place - looking perfect. It had been a mass of tangles when she was
upstairs, and it looked as if it had gotten much longer. Arthur must
be very sick - or worse--to neglect his hair like that.
* * * * *
That night when Marian took Fonzie his supper, the door was locked.
"Arthur, are you there? I brought you some supper." She bent down and
looked through the curtains that she had hung on the door a few months
before. "Is there..." She thought that she saw a movement inside but
the lights were out, and the shades on the windows drawn.
"Mrs. C?" the voice from inside was faint, hardly more than a whisper.
"Arthur, is that you? Are you all right?"
"I got a real bad headache. The, um, light hurts my eyes."
"You poor dear, can I get you anything?"
"No! Um, no, I--I'll be fine. Please, just leave the food. I'll get it
in a minute."
"You're sure that you're all right?" She was beginning to worry. She
had never heard of anyone being sick like this.
"I'm handling it. Thank you." Was that desperation in his voice?
"Please, Mrs. C., just leave the food and go."
"Very well, but please, Arthur, call us if you need anything."
Marian's maternal instinct told her that Fonzie was in serious
trouble, but he had asked, pleaded almost, for privacy, and she
decided to honor his request. Reluctantly, she set down the tray of
food and walked down the steps.
Marian could see Fonzie's door from her kitchen window. As soon as she
was inside the house, she sat on her kitchen counter and began
watching.
A few minutes later, the door opened. A head covered in a blanket
looked out. It looked left and right, as if trying to see whether
anyone was watching. Satisfied that it was alone, the blanketed figure
bent over and picked up the tray. It retreated back into the apartment
and quickly closed the door behind.
"Spying on somebody, Mom?"
Marian jumped off the counter. It was her daughter. "Joanie, you
scared me."
At fourteen, Joanie Cunningham was blossoming into early womanhood.
She seemed to have inherited her mother's figure, including her
height, but she had her father's dark hair. "So what were you doing on
the counter anyway?"
"I just left a tray for Arthur, and I was watching to make sure that
he got it."
"Did he?"
"Somebody did, but the way he was covered with that blanket, I
couldn't even tell if it was Arthur or not."
* * * * *
"Anybody seen the Fonz lately?" Ralph Malf called out as he walked
into Arnold's later that same evening. Ralph was seventeen, a slightly
stocky boy with red hair and a matching set of freckles. He wore his
usual broad grin. "I got this great new joke to tell him."
"I think the alien got him," Potzie said, looking up from his burger.
Potzie Weber was also seventeen, a quiet, good-looking boy with dark
brown hair and a pleasant voice. His main problem was that he seldom
thought before he used it.
Several of the kids turned in Potzie's direction. "What are you
talking about, Potz?" Ralph asked.
"Don't you remember, Ralph? That weird guy Richie came in with the
other night, the one you said was dressed like a TV-dinner."
A few kids came over to where Potzie was sitting, and they all began
talking at once. "An alien," somebody said. "You mean like in that
movie, THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL?"
"That was the one with that robot that killed all those people."
"And somebody like that came in to Arnold's. Why would they do that?"
"In the movie, he was looking for our leaders, you know, the
President, Congress, and like that."
"Fonzie! They came for Fonzie." Every female in Arnold's began to cry.
"Wait a minute," Ralph called out. He tried to put his arm around
Sally McGruder's waist, but she pulled away. "Potzie and I were there
that night.
I know something happened. I just don't remember what."
"Sure you do, Ralph," Potzie said. "That alien made our clothes
disappear."
"Potzie!" Ralph looked embarrassed. "You are such a Potzie. I don't
remember that, but I know that something happened. We ran out, but
Richie Cunningham stayed. We've got to talk to him." He grabbed for
Potzie's arm and pulled him out of the booth.
The two boys left, but the other teens stayed and talked, the story
getting worse with each re-telling. In a few hours, half of Milwaukee
had heard about the army of disintegrator robots that had kidnapped
the Fonz.
* * * * *
A few of the kids drove over from Arnold's to the Cunningham's. The
lights were out in Fonzie's garage apartment, but more than one girl
in the crowd could testify that no lights didn't necessarily mean no
Fonzie.
One or two of the crowd stayed through the night watching for any sign
of life. Many others came by in the early morning. When Marian
Cunningham opened the kitchen door to get the milk, she found almost
twenty teens sitting in her backyard staring up at Fonzie's apartment.
"What are all of you children doing here?"
Potzie looked up from where he was sitting with Amy Ross. "Waiting for
Fonzie to come out, Mrs. C."
Marian hesitated. Richie had told her that Fonzie didn't want anybody
to know that he was sick. "I'm not sure that he's up there, dear."
"The robots got him," somebody said, and a few of the girls began to
cry again.
"Robots? Good heavens, dear, what are you talking about?"
A girl began to sob. "Ro-robots...came to...Arnold's. They - they t-
took him...away w-with them."
"Or dis - dis - dis...inte...grated him," another added.
Marian kneeled and took both girls into her arms. "There, there, dear.
I'm sure nothing like that happened.
"We're going to check," Potzie said. "That's why we're here, Mrs. C.,
but we don't want to bother him too early, but if we don't see him by
9 o'clock, we're going up to check."
Marian glanced at her watch, then up at the apartment. It was 7:45.
She didn't know what was going to happen, but it would happen in then
next hour and a half. Not knowing what to do, she went back into the
house.
Her husband, Howard, was waiting in the kitchen. Howard was a short,
chunky man with dark hair that had started to go to gray. "Marian, why
are all those kids in the back yard?"
"They're waiting to see if Arthur was carried off by robots. Do you
want pancakes or eggs for breakfast, Howard?"
"Pancakes--robots? Marian, what is going on out there?"
"They haven't seen Arthur for several days, and, somehow, they got the
idea that some sort of robot took him away."
"Why didn't you just tell them that he's sick?"
"Because Richie said that Arthur didn't want anyone to know."
"So you let them believe that story about the robot? How can anybody
believe something that crazy?"
"Well, he is the Fonz, Howard."
"I suppose so." He looked out the window. "Are they going to stay
there all day just looking up at his apartment?"
"No, dear. At nine, they're going to up and knock on the door."
"Good! He'll answer. They'll be satisfied, and they'll go away."
Marian leaned over and flipped the pancakes she was cooking. "I hope
so, dear. I really hope so."
At that moment the doorbell rang. "I'll get it, Mom," Richie called
from the living room. A couple minutes later, he walked into the
kitchen and handed an envelope to his father. "It's a telegram."
"I can see that, Richard." Howard used a kitchen knife as a letter
opener.
"It's from Fonzie. He's in Chicago."
"Chicago?" Richie said. "What's he doing there?"
"He doesn't say, just some sort of personal business. He says that
he'll be there for a while, though. He doesn't know how long."
"I do hope he was up to a trip like that," Marian said. "He seemed so
sick yesterday." Somehow, she had a feeling that there was something
wrong about that telegram.
"Can I borrow it for a minute, Dad," Richie said. "I want to read it
to the kids in the yard."
"That's a good idea, Richard." His father handed the boy the telegram.
"Then, maybe they'll go away and leave us in peace."
Richie walked out into the yard. A moment later, the sounds of cheers
could be heard in the kitchen. By the time Richie came back in for his
breakfast, the yard was empty.
* * * * *
"Mom, Mom!" Joanie Cunningham ran into the kitchen.
Marian looked up from the pot roast she was preparing. "My goodness,
what is it, dear?"
"There's somebody in Fonzie's apartment. I looked up as I came around
the corner. I saw somebody standing in the window."
"Was it Arthur?"
"I couldn't tell. He was in shadows, and he backed away from the
window as soon as he saw me." She glanced towards the kitchen door.
"Do you think we should we call the police?"
"I don't think so, dear. Your father will be home in a half hour. You
sit by the door and see if anyone comes out. If they do--and it's not
Arthur -- try to get a good look at him."
"Okay. Do you want Richie to watch, too?"
"He's not here, dear. He's at Arnold's. I'll call him to come home,
but I'd just as soon wait for your father."
* * * * *
Howard and Richie arrive home within a few minutes of each other.
Marian had called her husband, and he decided to close the hardware
store early. "Anything new happen?" Howard asked as he came in through
the kitchen door.
"No, dear. Joanie and I have both been watching."
"Yeah, Dad," Joanie added, "and there hasn't been a sign of anybody up
there."
"Are you absolutely certain you saw someone?"
"I'm positive." Joanie thought of Fonzie as a sort of big brother.
Nobody was going to mess with his place while she was around.
Howard got the spare apartment key from a drawer in his desk. "I
suppose it won't hurt to check. C'mon, Richard."
"We're coming, too," Marian said firmly.
Howard knew that look in her eyes--and in Joanie's. He might be able to
talk them out of it, but it would take a very long time. "All right,
but stay back behind Richard and me."
They went out back and climbed the stairs to the apartment. "Hello,"
he knocked. When his family looked at him, he explained that it might
have been Fonzie that Joanie had seen.
There was no answer, so he used his key.
The apartment was dark with all the shades down. There was no sign of
life, but Fonzie's leather jacket was hanging on the coat rack by the
door.
'He'd never leave that behind,' Marian thought. Now she was really
worried.
They carefully searched the apartment. No one seemed to be there. They
were about to leave when they heard a noise from the kitchenette.
Fonzie had installed some shelves under the sink. They opened the door
slowly and saw a face staring back at them.
"Get out of there," Howard said.
A young woman in her late teens climbed out. She was small, no more
that 5'4", with long, dark brown hair and classic Mediterranean
features. She was wearing an oversized sweatshirt and a pair of jeans
with the cuffs rolled up several times. She wore neither shoes nor
socks.
Even in clothes that were far too big, Richie could see that she
seemed to have a great figure. A piece of rope worked as a belt to
hold the jeans up to her narrow waist, and a large pair of breasts
pushed out the front of the sweatshirt. She reminded Richie of one of
those Italian starlets, Sophia...what was her name, the one in the
dolphin movie, where she'd worn a wet T-shirt. He wished he could see
this girl in something like that.
"Who are you?" Howard said. He held her firmly by the wrist to keep
her from running for the door.
"And what have you done with the Fonz?" Richie demanded, not quite
realizing what he had said. Joanie did realize and giggled softly,
then stopped hoping her parents hadn't noticed.
The girl looked at them with a strange mixture of surprise and fear.
She stammered for a moment, then said nothing.
Marian's maternal instinct took over. "Can't you see that you're
frightening this poor girl? Joanie, get her a glass of water. Howard,
you let go of her." She walked over and took the girl's arm. "Now you
sit down, dear, and tell us what's going on."
The girl sat down on the couch. Joanie came back with the water and
handed it to her. The girl drank a bit then set the glass down on the
nearby table. She took a deep breath, as if bracing for the question
she knew was coming.
"All right, now, dear," Marian said. "Can you tell us who you are or
where Arthur is?"
"Yeah," Richie said. "Where's the Fonz?"
"I'm right here, Cunningham," the girl said softly.
"Yeah, I know but where's the Fonz?"
"I am the Fonz."
"What!"
"This..." the girl held her hand in front of her at the neck and moved
them down to her waist. It was a very "Fonz"-like gesture. "This is
what that Mork character meant when he said he was gonna 'neutralize'
me. He turned me into a chick."
"Gowon! How could he possibly do something like that?"
"How could he do half the stuff he did in that hollitacker thing?"
"Yeah, but you--I mean, the Fonz matched him move for move."
"Hey! That's why I'm the Fonz."
"Okay," Richie said. "Prove that you're the Fonz. What were we doing
two Saturday nights ago?"
"_I_ was up at Lookout Point with Paula Petrolunga. You were there,
too, with a blonde, Linda Alder, from your school." She leaned over
and whispered something to Richie, whose face grew very red. "That's
what you were doing. I can say it louder, but Shortcake will have to
leave first."
"Why do I always have to leave the room when it starts to get
interesting?"
Joanie whined.
"That's okay, Joanie," Richie said. "Fonzie isn't going--omigosh,
you--you are the Fonz!"
"That's what I've been telling you."
"You mean that story about the man from space was true," Howard said.
"Yeah, Dad. It was. I know it's crazy, but this is the Fonz."
"We believe you, dear," Marian said. "And we'll discuss what happened
with you and Linda Alder later."
"Yes, we'll talk about that later, Richard," Howard said. "In the
meantime what are we going to do with Fonzie?"
"What do you mean, Mr. C?"
"How do we get hold of this Mork character to make him change you
back?"
"Dad, we can't. Mork said he was going back into space, home to that
planet Ork. He may not ever come back to this planet."
"But that would mean..." Joanie's eyes widened.
"Hey, whatever happens, I'm still the Fonz."
Marian took a breath. "Howard, Richard, there's some things that I
think I want to talk to Arthur about...alone. Would you please go
downstairs?"
"What can you have to say to Fonzie that Richie and I can't hear?"
"Things, Howard. Please leave it go at that."
Howard recognized her tone. Whatever it was, this was important to
her.
"All right, Marian. C'mon, Richard, let's go see about supper."
"But, Dad."
"Let's go, Richard." He put his arm over Richie's shoulder and gently
pushed his son towards the door.
"Thank you, dear," Marian said after the males had left. "Joanie,
would you please go get my sewing kit? I think it's in the living room
near the couch. Oh, and bring my purse, too, please."
"You mean I get to stay and listen while you talk to Fonzie?"
"We'll see, dear. Please get my things from the house."
Joanie jumped up and ran to the door. They could hear her running down
the steps two at a time.
"Actually, my sewing kit is up in my bedroom," Marian said. "She
should take a few minutes to find it."
"What did you want to say to me, Mrs. C., that you needed to be
alone?"
"I want to know how far you're prepared to go with hiding what's
happened to you, and to talk about what I think you need to do and how
I can help."
Fonzie grinned. "You're a smart lady, Mrs. C."
"Yes, but don't tell Howard or Richard."
"I think that they already know."
"I think so, too," she smiled at the thought, "but back to business.
Are you going to tell people what happened to you?"
"I don't think so. You may not believe it, Mrs. C., but there are
people out there who don't like the Fonz."
"I can believe it. A man like you--like you were--can make a lot of
enemies."
"All in a good cause, believe me. The thing is, they're afraid of the
Fonz, but they ain't gonna be afraid of this." She ran her hand down
in front of her new body again.
"So we don't tell them. You just go into hiding."
"I can't do that either. First, the Fonz don't run away from his
problems. Second, I got a business to run. People are counting on me
to fix their cars."
"Could you do that--the way you are now, I mean?"
"Sure. There aren't a lot of girl mechanics, but there are some. Pinky
Tuscadero did all the work on her own car, her bike, too. She had them
motors purring for her."
"Then you could do it, too. We'd just have to explain who you were,
give you some sort of a new identity."
"A secret identity, I like that. Me and Superman, whoa!"
"How about Audrey for a name. It sort of sounds like Arthur."
"To tell the truth, Mrs. C., you're about the only one who calls me
'Arthur'. Even Father Delvecchio calls me 'Fonzie'."
"All right then. Let's see. 'Fonzie'...'Fancy'...'Francie"! How does
'Francie' sound as a new name?"
"Francie. Francie Fonzarelli, I like it."
"We can say she--you came in from out of town--from Chicago to help out
while you're there on some sort of family business. Isn't that where
your telegram said you were?"
"Yeah. A buddy of mine in Chicago sent that for me."
"Oh, wait a minute. What about Chachi? He's your cousin. He'll know
there's no Francie in your family."
"We tell him the truth then. He's a Fonzarelli. He won't tell."
"Very well, I'll call him...no, I'll have Joanie call him tomorrow."
"Why not tonight?"
"Because we have too much work to do, and I don't want any men
around."
"I'm around."
"I hate to remind you, Francie, but right now, you're not exactly the
man you used to be. In fact, as soon as Joanie gets back, I want to
see just how much of a woman you are."
"What are you talking about, Mrs. C?"
"Relax, dear. I'm hardly going to give you a physical examination, but
I do want to get your new measurements. We'll need them for clothes."
"Clothes. The Fonz does not wear chick's clothes."
"No, but his cousin, Francie, does. Tell the truth, dear. Don't you
find those boy's clothes just a little uncomfortable?"
Fonzie--Francie--lowered her head. "Maybe...just a little."
"I thought so. Too tight in some places, and too loose in others." She
saw Francie nodding in agreement, her face a bit red with
embarrassment. "I'm not going to put you in dresses, dear, but you
will need some jeans and blouses that fit you. Those won't be too
different from what you're wearing now." She paused, almost dreading
what she had to say next. "Underneath, though."
"What about underneath?"
"Well, you can hardly wear boxer shorts, now, and you do need some,
umm, support up there on top." She cast a critical eye. Arthur--'No,
get used to calling her Francie now,' Marian, she thought--looked to
have a very nice figure so far as she could see, and Marian actually
felt herself get a little jealous at the size of the new girl's
breasts.
"You mean I gotta wear a bra?"
"Yes, dear. That was the other reason that I sent Joanie for my sewing
kit.
I want to take your measurements. I'll need them to figure out your,
um, sizes."
"This is crazy. The Fonz in a bra."
"You need one now, Francie. A girl needs the support. Gravity gets us
all eventually. Besides, tell me the truth, doesn't that shirt you're
wearing feel kind of, well, odd against your new breasts."
Francie mumbled something Marian couldn't quite hear.
"What did you say, dear? Please speak up."
"Yes! I said, 'yes'. It feels real strange, kind of half way between a
scratch and a tickle. The weird part is, I think I'm getting used to
it."
Just then, Joanie came back. "Sorry, it took so long, Mom. Here's your
purse and the sewing kit. The kit wasn't in the living room. It was
upstairs." She was a little out of breath from running. "What are you
going to do, Mom, and can I stay and watch?"
"I'm afraid not, dear. I'm going to be a while, I think. So I'll need
you to finish supper and serve it to your father and Richard."
"Ah, Mom. I want to stay and help."
"You'll be helping me a lot more by making sure that the men get fed."
She looked at her wristwatch. "Dinner should be just about done by
now. Richard can set the table--I was going to have you do that when
you came in with the news about seeing someone up here--and you serve.
If it will make you any happier, tell them that I said they have to do
the dishes. Oh, and bring up two plates for--for us after you've
eaten."
"Then can I stay and help?"
"We'll see. Besides, didn't you say that you had homework?"
"Ah, I never get to stay for the good stuff." Joanie turned and walked
out of the apartment.
Marian waited a minute, then listened by the door. When she was
certain that Joanie had gone into the house, she locked the door. "All
right, Francie, get out of those clothes."
"Mrs. C! I can't strip in front of you."
"Why not? You're a girl, aren't you?"
"Yeah, I guess, but I feel weird."
"I know, dear. This must be a lot--even for you, but I need to get your
measurements, so I can see what size clothes to buy you. I can't do
that while you're dressed."
"Okay--but nothing funny now."
"Why, Francie, what ever do you mean?"
Fonzie--Francie blushed. "To tell the truth, Mrs. C, I'm a little
ticklish."
* * * * *
Joanie came back about a half hour later with a picnic hamper. "It was
the only way to carry everything," she said. Inside the hamper were
containers with slices of pot roast, Marian's prize winning peas and
pearl onions, two baked potatoes, and a fruit compote.
Joanie put the hamper on the counter by the sink and began to set the
table.
Marian walked over and knocked on the bathroom door. "Francie, dear.
Joanie's here with supper."
Joanie looked up from what she was doing. "Francie? Who's Francie?"
"I am." Fonzie came out of the bathroom. He - she was dressed in the
same clothes as before, but now her hair was combed and tied in a
ponytail with a blue ribbon. Even without make-up, it made her face
look much more feminine. She looked at the puzzled look on Joanie's
face and smiled. "I don't like it either, Shortcake, but I can't
exactly answer to 'Arthur' or 'the Fonz' right now, can I?"
"I - I guess not," Joanie stammered.
Francie walked over and took Joanie's hand in her own. "Hey,
Shortcake, just remember, whatever I look like, I...am..._still_...the
Fonz! You got me? 'Francie' is just, well, like a secret identity."
"I guess so." She finished with the table and set out the food from
the hamper. "I - I guess I'd better go down and get my homework done,
okay?"
Marian looked closely at her daughter's unease. It was probably better
if she left. "All right, dear. You go and do that. I'll be down to
talk to you later - about a lot of things, okay?"
Joanie nodded quickly, turned, and all but ran from the apartment.
* * * * *
The next morning, Marian drove downtown to Hinkley's Department store.
She went straight to the teen fashion department and told the
salesgirl that she was shopping for a niece who would be coming to
visit. After an hour's shopping, she loaded the packages into her car
and drove home. Since it was almost lunchtime, she fixed some
sandwiches and headed up to Francie's.
"Are you awake, dear," Marian called through the locked door.
Francie opened it a moment later, and Marian hurried in. Francie was
wearing an old t-shirt and a pair of men's gym shorts. "It was about
all I could find to sleep in," she admitted.
Marian stared at the girl Arthur had become. She hadn't changed from
the day before, so the clothes should fit. Marian felt a little
jealous of Arthur's figure, the firm breasts pushing out the front of
the t-shirt, the wide hips stretching tight the fabric of the short,
and her legs.... They'd look absolutely wonderful in a pair of heels,
though it would be a long time before she could convince Arthur--no,
remember to call her Francie--before she could ever convince Francie to
wear such things.
Well, her own figure was still pretty good for a mother of two who
admitted to being "almost" forty. She could still wear some of the
clothes she'd worn twenty years before, and Howard was certainly happy
about how well she kept herself, how good she looked. When you got
right down to it, Marian decided, having a figure that still made her
husband want to get "frisky" was more than enough for her.
I went shopping for you this morning, Francie," Marian said.
Francie winced. "Do I have to use that name? There's nobody here but
us."
"You'll have to get used to it, dear, if you're going to go outside
and be with people. You might as well start with me."
"I guess, so, Mrs. C. Where's the stuff? Do you need help bringing it
up?"
"It's down in the car. I brought lunch so we could eat first, but I'll
go down and get it myself, thank you. I don't want you leaving here
until you're properly dressed."
"You didn't buy me no dress, did you?"
"No, dear, I told you yesterday that I wouldn't. I got you a few
blouses and some jeans." She hesitated a moment, not wanting to upset
Francie. "Umm, and a few other things that you're going to need."
"I can't wait. Well, maybe I can. To tell the truth, I am kind of
hungry.
What did you make for lunch?"
* * * * *
"All right, Francie, are the dishes done?" Marian came through the
door
into the apartment carrying several large bags from Hinkley's
"Done and put on the drying rack." Francie was drying her hands on a
dishtowel. "So what did you get me?"
"Well, these are the blouses I told you about. Feminine, but not too
feminine."
"Is there a work shirt or two in there, Mrs. C.? I can't wear one of
those cute blouses when I'm working on somebody's car."
"Oh, I thought you had a mechanic's uniform for that, dear?" She
pretended not to notice that Francie had called the blouses "cute".
"Yeah, but I don't always wear it. Sometimes I wear a pair of
coveralls and a t-shirt instead."
"Couldn't you do that with one of your old t-shirts?"
"I guess. I'm a lot smaller than I used to be, though."
'Not with those breasts you're not,' Marian thought, but she didn't
want to say anything. She picked up another bag. "This one has the
jeans that I mentioned. Remember, girl's jeans are sized for both the
waist and the hips."
"Those ain't jeans!" Francie almost jumped back and pointed at one of
the pairs of pants that Marian had taken from the shopping bag."
"No, dear, they're not. They're Capri pants."
"I ain't wearing them. Mrs. C., we had a deal."
"Francie, you don't have to wear them on the street. I bought this
pair for you to try on here in the apartment, at least for a start.
Unless you change back, you will need some more feminine clothing.
These should be a lot easier for you than a skirt."
"I--I'll think about it, but I ain't promising anything. You keep the
receipt for them."
"I will, dear. Now there is one more thing before you go and get
dressed."
"Yeah? What?"
Marian hesitated, then took four items from another bag, two bras with
matching panties. It was the moment of truth.
"You have got to be kidding, Mrs. C."
"Francie, put your hands on your chest and tell me what you feel."
"Stupid. Stupid is what I feel."
"And what else?"
"Okay, okay." She lowered her head in embarrassment. "I got...these
things."
"They're called breast, dear. Yours are quite lovely, but a girl needs
support. Besides, they're rather too obvious under that t-shirt,
especially now that it got wet from your doing the dishes."
Francie looked down. Her shirt was damp. It was plastered against her
breasts, and her nipples, erect from the coolness of the shirt, were
clearly visible. She grinned. A very male grin. "Yeah, I guess you can
pretty much see everything I got."
"And a lady - which is what you're pretending to be - doesn't show
'everything she's got.' Does she?"
"No...no, she don't. And I guess I don't either." Francie picked up a
pair of lime colored panties and a matching bra. She looked through
the jeans on the table and selected a medium green colored pair. "But
I don't think I'm quite ready to change clothes in front of you."
Francie turned and walked into the bathroom, closing the door behind
her.
"Do you need help, dear. You've never, well, worn a brassiere before."
Francie opened the door and stuck her head out. She had the same male
grin as before. "No, but I do have some experience with them. Whooa!"
The door shut.
Marian walked over and sat on the couch to wait. About five minutes
later, the door opened, and Francie walked out.
'She still walks like a man,' Marian thought, 'but she certainly
doesn't look like one.'
Francie's hair hung in long black waves down her back. Her breasts
were properly settled within the lime brassiere, though a good bit of
firm, creamy flesh overflowed the cups, making them look even bigger.
The jeans fit snuggly at her waist and were just tight enough to show
the curve of her butt and her long, well-curved legs. She had a half-
bemused look on her face as if she were trying to understand the
feelings that the clothes created in her new body.
"I...um...forgot a blouse," Francie grinned, now looking rather
embarrassed at the oversight. "Not having something on...um...on top
wasn't a problem before."
"No, I guess it wasn't, but you'll get used to it. Try that white
blouse with the scalloped collar."
Francie picked up the blouse and put it on. "What's with these
buttons," she asked, struggling to close the blouse.
"Girl's blouses have their buttons on the other side, dear."
"Oh, yeah. I never noticed before," he blushed. "I was never in the
blouse I was unbuttoning before."
Now it was Marian's turn to blush. Well, she knew Arthur's reputation,
and, after the time they were in that dance contest together, she knew
that it was well deserved. He had been a very attractive man, and he
knew how to make a woman feel attractive in his arms. If she'd been
twenty years younger and not married to Howard.... She left the
thought pass. In his own way, Howard could bring out those same
feelings in her, make her feel like she was the most attractive woman
in the world. That was more than a lot of wives had.
"So how do I look?" Francie posed for a moment; then did a slow turn.
"Will I pass as a girl?"
"I think so, dear. You need just one more thing."
"Now what?"
"Well, two actually. You could use some jewelry. I've got a bracelet
that would look perfect with that outfit, and," Marian paused. How
could she say this? "You really need a bit of make-up." She looked
over to her purse.
"Make-up! No way, Mrs. C."
"Francie, every girl wears make-up. You'd look suspicious if you
didn't."
"I don't need make-up to work on a car."
"Perhaps not, but let me ask you a question. When Pinky Tuscadero
worked on a car, did she wear make-up?"
Francie hesitated, knowing she'd been caught. "I...ah...I never
looked."
"Please, dear, if you can't be honest with me, I can't help you. Now,
did Pinky wear make-up?"
"Yeah...yeah...yeah, she wore make-up: lipstick and a little something
on her eyes, I think. I ain't sure what else."
Marian sat on the couch and upended her purse on the coffee table next
to it. Good, she not only had a fair assortment of her own make-up,
but also a lip gloss and some blusher of Joanie's. "Sit down over here
by the couch, and we'll try a few things."
Francie walked over slowly and sat down. What was she getting herself
into?
* * * * *
Howard Cunningham came in through the kitchen door. Marian was
standing by the oven checking something. He gave her a peck on the
cheek. "How did everything go today, Marian?"
"Fine, I think, Howard. How was your day at the store."
"Not bad. I think I'm going to get that contract to supply parts for
the addition to the Waltham Building."
"That's wonderful, Howard. How soon will you know?"
"I'm expecting a call tonight." He looked around. Joanie was setting
the table, but there was no sign of Richie. Howard looked at his
watch. "Where's Richie, Marian?"
"Probably on the way home from Arnold's. You know how he likes to hang
out there with Ralph and Potzie after school."
"I suppose. Say, where's Fonzie? How did it go with him today?"
"Fonzie's in Chicago on some sort of family business, Howard. You know
that."
"Marian, you know what I mean."
"Yes, dear." She kissed him on the cheek. "Please go wash your hands.
Supper will be ready in a few minutes."
Howard washed his hands then went into the living room to read the
paper. He did notice that Joanie was setting five places at the table.
He'd find out about Fonzie soon enough.
A few minutes later, Marian came in with a serving dish full of fried
chicken. Joanie followed carrying a bowl of green salad. "Supper,
everyone," Marian called.
"Where's Richie," Howard said.
"Here I am, Dad." Richie came out of the kitchen holding a bowl of
mashed potatoes in one hand and the small gravy bowl in the other. "I
came in through the kitchen to see if there was any sign of Fonzie up
in...um...his apartment."
"Fonzie's in Chicago, dear, just like I told your father."
"Mom, we all know that's not true."
"Oh, but it is," Marian said with a smile. "He'll be there for some
time, so he's asked his cousin to come and work at his auto repair
business for him."
"Chachi? Chachi doesn't know enough about cars to do that."
"No, dear, another cousin." Marian looked at her watch. "In fact, this
cousin should be here any time now to join us for supper." As if on
cue, there was a knock at the back door. "Come in, dear," Marian
called.
The door opened, and Francie came in. She was wearing the same clothes
that she'd put on that afternoon, but Marian had added lipstick, eye
shadow, and mascara. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail and tied
with a green ribbon from Marian's sewing kit.
Howard and Richie stood instinctively, their eyes wide and their jaws
open in amazement. Joanie continued to sit, but she was just as
astounded.
"Howard, children, I'd like to introduce Arthur's cousin from Chicago,
Miss Francine Fonzarelli, but everyone just calls her 'Francie'."
Marian felt like the announcer at a Miss America Pageant. Now it was
all up to Arthur -- oops, stop doing that, Marian--all up to Francie.
Smiling to herself, Francie walked slowly around to the empty seat at
the table. Marian watched with approval. 'It took over an hour of
practicing with her,' she thought, 'but Francie's walking more like a
girl, now.'
Francie pulled out the chair and started to sit. Richie ran over. "Let
me help you," he said taking the back of the chair."
"No, I got it."
"Francie," Marian said. "Be a lady and let Richie help you."
"Do I gotta? I can manage it."
"Yes, you 'gotta'."
"Okay, Red," Francie said. "Go for it." She sat lightly in the chair
and let Richie push her in. For some reason, the thought of his
wanting to help pleased her. "Thank you, Cunningham." She smiled as
Richie went back to sit in his own place at the table.
Marian passed the chicken to Howard, who was on her left, and the
mashed potatoes to Richie on her right. Both of them sat staring at
Francie. "Howard, please," she said. "The chicken is getting heavy.
And Richard, you take some potatoes." Food made it's way around the
table slowly, since Howard, Joanie, and Richie were too busy staring
at Francie to keep track.
Francie picked up the chicken in her fingers. It was a little
distracting, seeing her breasts whenever she looked down at anything,
but she was beginning to get used to it. She was about to take a bite
when Marian stopped her. "No, no, Francie. Set that down and use
silverware like a lady, not your fingers."
"Mrs. C., I always used my fingers before. Why should I change now?"
"Well...because you weren't--because you could get grease on that
pretty blouse, not to mention smearing your make-up."
"Yeah," Joanie said. "That blouse is much too nice to get messed up
with chicken grease."
"Thanks, Shortcake, do you really--" Francie caught herself. She was
thinking like a chick. That would not do. Besides, it wasn't the
point. "Wait a minute, Mrs. C. I'm the Fonz. Why should I worry about
stuff like getting grease on a blouse?"
"Because you don't want people to know that you are the Fonz," Marian
said.
"Or have you changed your mind about that?"
"If you have," Howard said quickly following his wife's lead, "you can
head down to Arnold's right after supper and announce who you really
are. Richard can go along to back up your story."
"No! You know I don't want anybody finding that out." Francie put down
the chicken and began cutting at it with her knife. "This is harder
than I thought it was going to be."
They finished the meal without incident. Francie even offered to help
cleaning up, but Marian refused, saying that Francie was a guest.
"Besides," she said, "you have someone coming to see you."
"To see me? The Fonz me or the Francie me? What's going on here, Mrs.
C.?"
Marian looked at her watch. "Relax, dear. He'll be here in a few
minutes unless--Joanie, you did remember to call him, didn't you."
Joanie was filling the sink with water. "I called him, Mom. Chachi
said he'd be here at 7."
"Chachi? I ain't ready to see him yet." Francie started to get up from
her chair, but Marian stopped her.
"He's the one person that you do have to see," she said. "He's your
cousin, your only family here in Milwaukee, and he knows that there is
no 'Francie' Fonzarelli. You have to get his cooperation."
"All right, I guess, but if he laughs." Francie made her hand into a
fist. Then she looked at how small it seemed next to his memory of the
Fonz's fist. Well, she'd just hope it didn't come to violence.
The bell rang a few minutes later. Joanie hurried to answer, bushing
her hair with her hands. She'd grown up with Chachi and had always
been annoyed by the way he came on to her. Now that they were teens,
though, and especially since he'd lost some of his baby fat and gotten
a bit taller than her, she was beginning to feel differently about
him.
Chachi was now a tall, slender boy of fifteen with longish dark brown
hair. He wore a sleeveless t-shirt that showed off his wiry arms. When
he saw Joanie at the door, his Italian features lit up in a happy
grin. "Hi, Joanie, Mr. C., Mrs. C." he said. "Joanie said that you
wanted me to come over for something."
"Yes, Chachi," Marian said. "Please come in. There's somebody that I
want you to meet." Chachi came into the room and stood near Howard's
chair. "You can come in now, dear," Marian called towards the kitchen.
Chachi looked in that direction. A very pretty girl a few years older
than he came through the door. She was wearing a white blouse and a
pair of jeans that did little to hide what he quickly saw was an
excellent figure. 'Pretty face, too,' he thought. She had a strange,
sort of shy expression, and he was sure that he'd seen her before,
though he had no idea where.
"Chachi Arcola," Joanie said, a bemused look on her face, "this is
Francine Fonzarelli. Everybody calls her Francie."
"Fonzarelli? Excuse me, but I don't think I ever heard of any Francie
Fonzarelli. Is this some kind of joke?"
"I wish it were Chach," Francie said. "Believe me, I wish it were."
"Do I know you?"
"You better, kid. I gave you a job in my garage."
"A job! I work for--no, it can't be--you--you're the--but you--you're a
girl--Fonzie? What happened to you?"
"A hollitacker happened to me."
"Then that weird guy the other night at Arnold's--no, this is some kind
of a joke. It's gotta be a joke."
"It ain't no joke, Chach. I'm the Fonz."
"Swear it. Swear it on Grandma Nussbaum's grave."
"Her grave? Grandma Nussbaum ain't dead."
"You're right, and only somebody in the family would--my gosh! You are
the Fonz. There was an alien at Arnold's."
"That's right," Richie said. "Fonzie won the hollitacker--the
challenge, and that--Mork--turned him into a girl."
Chachi looked at the figure of the girl in front of him. "He does good
work."
"Yeah, keep it up, and I'll call him back to do it to you."
"Hey, c'mon, Francie," Richie said. "Stop kidding around. We can't
call him back, Chachi. For all we know, Fonzie--Francie--isn't going to
be able to change back."
"You mean he'll--she'll--be like this.... Wow, it's like Clyde Beatty
got changed into a lion or something."
"Lioness," Marian said gently. "Francie may change back someday, but,
right now, we need your help, dear."
"Me? What can I do?"
"In a day or so," Francie said, "I--that is, your cousin, Francie--is
coming in to town to take over the garage while her--while our --
cousin, Arthur, the old me--is stuck in Chicago on family business. You
got that?"
"Yeah, Fonz--Francie. I've been trying to keep the garage going, but I
don't have your touch with cars."
"Hey, who does?"
"Francie does," Richie said. "Chachi, we need you to back up the
story. If anybody asks, you tell them that Francie's your cousin, and
she knows all about cars, maybe even as much as the Fonz does."
"If that's possible," Francie said.
"Tell them that her father owns a garage out in Chicago," Howard said.
"Francie, you lived out there for a couple of years, didn't you?"
"Yeah, right after my father left my ma and me. We stayed with my
Uncle Vito for a while; then I decided that I could take care of
myself and came here to Milwaukee."
"Weren't you a little young to be on your own, dear?" Marian said.
"Hey, I was eight. The Fonz could take care of himself."
"If you say so, Francie," Howard said. "We'll say that your Uncle Vito
is the one who first taught Fonzie about cars, and that he taught his
daughter, Francie, too."
"You know, Mr. C., that may just work."
"Yes, but only if Chachi goes along with the story." Everyone in the
room looked at Chachi, who squirmed nervously.
Chachi walked over and shook Francie's hand. "Hi, I'm your cousin,
Chachi."
Then, not letting go of her hand, he led her over to the Cunninghams.
"Mr. C, Mrs. C, Richie, and, especially Joanie, I'd like you all to
meet my cousin, Francie. She's going to fill in for the Fonz while
he's out in Chicago."
Everyone smiled, and Joanie impulsively kissed Chachi on the cheek. He
grinned. Then Francie put her arm around him. Chachi froze. Was the
Fonz going to kiss him, too? That would be just a little too much.
"Hey, Chach," Francie said, giving him as big a hug as she could
manage. "I knew I could count on you. Familia." Fonzie rarely spoke
Italian, though he knew the language well. The word had a lot more
meaning to him than the Cunninghams could know.
"_Familia_," Chachi said and hugged his cousin back.
* * * * *
Fonzie spent the next two days getting used to being a girl and
wearing feminine clothing. Howard pointed out that a girl like Francie
who fixed cars would probably be something of a tomboy. She would know
how to act like a lady, but she wouldn't always act that way. That
made it a lot easier.
Chachi worked as best as he could at the garage. He could do a lot of
repairs, but Fonzie was the real expert. Richie helped with paperwork
and other things as well, sweeping up and running errands. Joanie even
tried to help out a bit, which only helped Chachi's morale. When
people asked, Chachi told them that he'd spoken to the Fonz in
Chicago, and some sort of help was on the way. He was deliberately
vague on what sort of help, saying that Fonzie hadn't told him any of
the details.
* * * * *
Ralph Malf strolled into Fonzie's garage. "Hey, Chachi, how's my dad's
car..." Ralph froze. A figure in coveralls was bent over the side of
an old Dodge. She certainly filled out the coveralls a lot better than
Chachi did. Ralph watched for a while, enjoying the view of her butt
moving as she worked.
The figure stood up suddenly and turned towards Ralph. "What are you
looking at, Ma-mister?"
Ralph was startled. She looked even better from the front, especially
the way she filled out the top of those overalls. "You. I mean--I was
just wondering who that was working on the car?"
"So now you know. What about it?"
"Who are you? Where's Chachi?"
Francie smiled. Ralph startled so easily. Now he'd be the first to
hear the story, and she'd see how believable it was. "I'm Francie,
Francie Fonzarelli." She wiped off her hands on a rag in her pocket
and offered it to Ralph.
"Fonzarelli? Are you the Fonz's cousin or something?"
"That's right. He's out in Chicago on some family business, and he
asked me to come back and watch his garage for him."
"You? But you're a girl."
"Nice of you to notice. So, what's your name, kid?"
"Ralph, Ralph Malf. I'm a real good friend of Fonzie's."
"Funny, I don't think he mentioned you." Still smiling, she walked
over to Ralph, putting an extra bit of feminine wiggle in the walk as
Joanie had shown her the afternoon before. (She had done so while
Marian wasn't watching; Joanie would be grounded if her parents knew
that she had learned how to walk like that.) As soon as she was next
to Ralph, Francie stopped smiling and grabbed the front of his shirt,
pulling him towards her. "You got something against a girl working on
a car?"
"No, No, I don't."
"You better not. Fonzie and me both learned about cars from my dad. He
wouldn't trust me if he didn't think I could do the job. You think I
can do the job, Malf?"
"If Fonzie thinks you can, then who am I to argue?"
"That's right. Nobody argues with the Fonz." She let go of Ralph's
shirt.
"Or with his cousin, Francie. You got that?"
"No, I mean, yes. Nobody argues with either of you."
"Right. Now, what did you come in here for?"
"My--my dad's Studebaker. Is it ready yet?"
"Oh, yeah, the Studebaker. Look, Fonzie had to get to Chicago in a
hurry, and I just got here, myself. It'll be ready tomorrow
afternoon." She looked sharply at him. "That okay with you?"
"Fine. It--it's fine."
"You got anything else on your mind?"
"Umm, no. Welcome to Milwaukee. Bye." Ralph turned and all but ran out
of the garage."
Francie giggled--no, chicks giggled, Francie laughed and stuck her
fist, thumb raised, in the air. "Ay! The Fonz is back!"
* * * * *
Ralph was halfway to Arnold's before he calmed down. How could he be
intimidated by a pretty girl like that? Because she was Fonzie's
cousin, and she sounded as tough as he was. Still, the Fonz was
Ralph's buddy. He liked Ralph's sense of humor. Everybody did. Ralph
decided that they'd just gotten off on the wrong foot. That Francie
was pretty enough to be worth flirting with again. A little of the
Malf charm, and she was all his. By the time Ralph got to Arnold's, he
was whistling a tune and planning his moves for when he went back the
next day to get the Studebaker.
* * * * *
Francie looked at her wristwatch, a slender female-style watch that
Joanie had loaned her. It was 5:30. She locked the shop and washed the
top two layers of grease off her hands and face. Fonzie had left his
motorcycle in the back of the garage the night of the hollitacker.
Francie had been looking forward all day to riding it home.
"Hello, darlin'," Francie said to it, looking around to make sure no
one was nearby. "I may not look the same, but, believe me, I am the
Fonz."
She pushed the cycle out the back door of the garage, locking the door
behind her. The cycle seemed heavier than it had been; she was weaker
than Fonzie, though still fairly strong. She climbed on and tried to
kick start it. It took three tries before the engine finally caught.
She gunned the engine and headed back towards the Cunninghams'.
Francie had gone about two blocks when she noticed that her body was
feeling funny. She was tingling all over, especially her nipples and
in her groin. The feeling got stronger as she rode, a sort of warmth
down below her belly that was sending all sorts of incredibly pleasant
sensations through her body.
She noticed that, when she leaned forward, the sensations grew
stronger. "What is happening to me," she said aloud. "It's like my
body's going crazy." She was concerned, but it was far from
unpleasant, so she just kept going. A few blocks later, Francie
noticed that her hips were twitching back and forth, and she was
pressing her crotch harder against the seat. "Aw, no," Francie moaned
as she realized what was going on. "I ain't that much of a girl, am
I?"
Francie forced herself to ride the rest of the way home sitting
upright on the seat. She managed to get up the stairs to her
apartment, even though her legs were suddenly a bit wobbly.
Marian Cunningham knocked on the apartment door about fifteen minutes
later.
"Can I come in, dear?"
"Y-yeah," came a voice from inside. The door unlocked.
Marian walked in. Francie was wearing a white terrycloth robe that had
belonged to Fonzie. It almost touched the floor, and Francie had
needed tie it shut and to roll the sleeves back considerably. Her hair
was dripping wet. "J-just took a sh-shower. N-need an-nother t-towel
for my hair." She was shivering.
"Are you all right, Francie?"
"I took a sh-shower, a cold shower, that's all."
"A cold shower? Oh, dear, is the heater broken again?"
"No, Mrs. C. I - I needed to take a cold shower." She looked ready to
cry.
"Needed to? But, why?" Marian's hands went to her face. "Oh, my!"
There was only one reason why a young girl like Francie would need to
take a cold shower. No wonder she was shivering. "You just sit down,
dear. I'll help you with your hair. I came up to invite you to dinner.
We're all curious about how your first day went, but I think that you
need to talk to me about this first, and in private."
Francie sank down into a chair. "My bike! My own bike did it to me."
"Your bike? Oh, on the ride home, I guess the, umm, the vibrations of
the motor got to you, didn't they?" She got a towel out of a drawer
and began to wrap it around Francie's hair like a turban.
"Mrs. C., how do you know about that sort of thing?"
"Remember the time you had to give me a ride on your bike because
Howard had
the car, and I absolutely had to get to a meeting? When we got there,
I told you over and over how much I had enjoyed the ride, how
exhilarating it was. Well, Francie, it, umm, wasn't just your
company."
"Why, Mrs. C., you little dickens." Francie was grinning now, one of
Arthur's very male grins.
"Yes, dear, and I rode behind you where the vibrations weren't as
intense. I probably wouldn't have noticed at all, except that I sat
down wrong, and my dress wasn't underneath me on the seat."
"Yeah, but how can I ride my bike if it's gonna happen to me? It's
like somebody's slapping me in the face and forcing me to admit I am a
girl."
"First of all, dear, at the moment, you are a girl. I sympathize, but
that's about all I can do. You could stop riding the bike."
"Never!"
"Then you'll have to learn how to ride so it doesn't...affect you."
"Can I do that?"
"I always heard that the Fonz could do anything."
"Yeah, but I ain't then Fonz anymore."
"Says who?"
"Says the engine on my bike. The Fonz - the old Fonz - never got,
well, bothered by it."
"So you're not quite the Fonz that you used to be, but, even if you're
just Francie now, isn't she a Fonzarelli, too?"
"I guess so."
"Then she's got at least some of the Fonz in her, and she can figure a
solution to this problem."
"You're right, Mrs. C. Pinky Tuscadero and her girls rode their bikes
everywhere, and they didn't seem to have any problem. Pinky sat a
little different on her bike than I did, and she had the engine tuned
- that's it! That's the answer. I can take care of it after dinner."
She impulsively leaned over and kissed Marian on the cheek.
Marian pretended not to notice how feminine a gesture it was. "Well,
dinner will be in about twenty minutes, so you'll have time to put on
something a bit more suitable than that robe."
"I will, and thanks again, Mrs. C."
"You're welcome, dear, and we'll just keep quiet about both our
experiences on your bike, won't we?"
Francie grinned, though it seemed different than before--and blushed
slightly, another feminine response. "You got it, Mrs. C. It'll be our
secret."
'Just between us girls,' Marian caught herself thinking, as she went
down to finish making dinner.
* * * * *
The next afternoon, like any other, Arnold's was full of kids,
talking, eating, flirting, and dancing.
Richie Cunningham and Chachi Arcola sat in a corner booth well away
from most of the kids in the place. It wasn't their usual table, but
it gave them a chance to talk without being overheard.
"How's Francie working out at the garage," Richie asked.
"Great. She's as good a mechanic as ever." He caught himself and
looked around quickly. Nobody was close enough to have heard him.
"That is, as good as Fonzie ever was. Man, this is so weird."
"I know what you mean. Francie came down for dinner last night, and it
was like she and my mom had some kind of private joke. Then right
after dinner, she goes out and works on her bike for about two hours."
"What was she doing?"
"I don't know, something with the engine, I think. When she was done,
she rode around the block for about ten minutes. Then she comes back
and yells for my mom. Mom gets on, and they ride once around the block
and come back laughing like crazy."
"Did they explain what they were doing?"
"I asked, but they just said it was something I wouldn't understand. I
kept asking, and finally mom just said, 'Sit on it, Richard!' They
both started laughing again, and I gave up and went into the house."
"Weird. You think...hey, there's Francie." Chachi stood up and waved
his arm twice. Francie was standing by the door, wearing a pair of
almost clean overalls and an old t-shirt of Fonzie's. She waved back
and began walking towards the boys' table. Francie still had the
Fonz's animal stride, but in her new body, it was transformed to a
sensual and very female walk that stopped conversations as heads
turned to follow this new girl across the floor.
Suddenly she became aware of someone blocking her way. Francie looked
up to
see Bill "The Wall" Wallenska. "Wall" was a senior, defensive lineman
for the Jefferson High Cougars, and he had something of a reputation
as a ladies' man, not all of it deserved. "Hello, Good Looking," he
said, grinning at what he expected to be his next romantic conquest.
"I'm "Wall" Wallenska. You've probably heard of me."
Fonzie - well, Fonzie would never have had this problem, and Francie
was still uncertain about how much of her old fighting skills she
still had in her new form. "Excuse me, I'm trying to get by." She
shifted to the side, but "The Wall" quickly moved to block her again.
Since "Wall" was 6 foot 3 and as solidly built as his name suggested,
this wasn't very hard for him to do.
"Tell me your name, Honey, and we'll see what the toll is to pass."
"Francie, Francie Fonzarelli." Damn, why had she done that?
"A pretty name for a - Fonzarelli?" "Wall" knew the name, and he was
suddenly a bit less sure of his situation.
Richie had come over and stood beside "Wall". "Yeah, Francie is
Fonzie's cousin from Chicago."
"That's right." "Wall" was relieved at the memory. "The Fonz is in
Chicago, isn't he?" This could still work out okay. He smiled again
and ran his fingers through his close-cropped sandy brown hair.
Francie knew what "Wall" had in mind, and she decided to end it before
it went any further. She grabbed his collar and yanked. "Wall" was so
taken by surprise that he let himself be pulled down. "But I'm right
here, little man. Now why don't you just go bother somebody else?"
"Wall" stood up, pulling himself free of Francie's grasp. "Little? Who
are you calling little?" By now, everybody in Arnold's was looking at
them.
Francie sneered. "I wasn't talking about your height." A roar of
laughter filled Arnold's. A couple of girls that "Wall" had dated
giggled.
"Wall" looked around. He was stuck. What could he do, hit a girl half
his size? He thought about taking it out on Cunningham, but now there
were two, no three others standing with him. "Later," he spat through
his teeth and stalked out of the place.
"Never," Francie said. She snapped her fingers at "Wall" once as he
left. Then she turned and walked with Richie, Chachi, and now Ralph
and Potzie Weber over to the table Richie and Chachi had been sitting
at. They had all risen when "Wall" stopped Francie, and all four had
been ready to come over to her defense.
Francie sat down first, then Richie and Chachi. "Francie," Richie said
as he sat down next to her, "I don't think you've met my friends
here."
"I met, umm, Ralph yesterday at the garage," Francie said with a
smile. Ralph had a rotten sense of humor, even though he thought that
he was the next Milton Berle, but he had been