“I was learning ventriloquism.”
Donna’s dark eyebrows shot up. “Ventriloquism? You mean you took the workshop on how to throw your voice?”
“Yeah, and I think I threw mine away for good.”
“It went that badly, huh?”
Tabby’s only reply was a slow sweep of her hand.
“What on earth possessed you to take something as difficult as ventriloquism?” Donna questioned. “I’m the adventuresome type, and I’d never try anything like that.”
Tabby crossed her arms. “Beats me.”
“Did you learn anything?”
“I learned that in order to talk for two, I’d need talent and nerves of steel.” Tabby groaned. “Neither of which I happen to have.”
Donna gave the steering wheel a light rap with her knuckles. “Tabitha Johnson, will you please quit putting yourself down? You’ve got plenty of talent. You just need to begin utilizing it.”
“You didn’t say anything about nerves of steel, though,” Tabby reminded. “Being shy is definitely my worst shortcoming, and without self-confidence, I could never be a ventriloquist.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure about that.”
“Right! Can’t you just see it? Timid Tabitha shuffles onstage, takes one look at the audience, and closes up like a razor clam.” She wrinkled her nose. “Or worse yet, I’d start to speak, then get so tongue-tied every word would come out in a jumble of uncontrollable stuttering.”
Donna seemed to be mulling things over. “Hmm …”
“Hmm … what?”
“Why don’t you practice your ventriloquism skills on me, then put on a little program for the day care kids?”
“I’ve already thought about that. It’s probably the only way I could ever talk for two.” Tabby shrugged. “Who knows—it might even be kind of fun.”
“Now that’s the spirit! I think we should stop by the Burger Barn and celebrate.”
“You call that a place of celebration?”
Donna laughed. “Sure, if you love the triple-decker cheeseburger—and I do!”
Tabby slipped Roscoe onto her hand. “Okay, girls, Burger Barn, here we come!”
In spite of the fact that he’d lost a whole morning of work, Seth had actually enjoyed teaching the ventriloquism workshop. With the exception of that one extremely shy young woman, it had been exciting to see how many in the class caught on so quickly. The little gal holding a scruffy dog puppet had remained in the back row, scrunched down in her seat, looking like she was afraid of her own shadow. She never participated in any way.
Seth had encountered a few bashful people over the years, but no one seemed as self-restricted as that poor woman. Whenever he tried to make eye contact or ask her a question, she seemed to freeze. After a few tries he’d finally given up, afraid she might bolt for the door and miss the whole workshop.
A muscle twitched in his jaw. I really wish I could have gotten through somehow. What was the point in her taking the class, if she wasn’t going to join in? But then, who knows, the shy one might actually take the tapes and handouts home, practice like crazy, and become the next Shari Lewis.
He chuckled out loud. “Naw, that might be stretching things a bit.”
Gathering up his notes, Seth grabbed Rudy’s suitcase. He needed to get back to the shop and resume work on Alan Capshaw’s ugly dummy. There would be another full day tomorrow, since he was going to be part of a Christian workers’ demonstration at a church in the north end of Tacoma.
Seth didn’t get to worship at his home church much anymore. He was frequently asked to do programs for other churches’ Sunday schools, junior church, or special services that might help generate more interest in Christian ministry. Between that and his full-time business, there wasn’t much time left for socializing. Seth hoped that would all change some day. Not that he planned to quit serving the Lord with the talents he’d been generously given. No, as long as the opportunity arose, he would try to follow God’s leading and remain faithfully in His service.
What Seth really wanted to modify was his social life. Keeping company with a bunch of dummies was not all that stimulating, and even performing for large crowds wasn’t the same as a meaningful one-on-one conversation with someone who shared his interests and love for God.
“Well, Rudy Right,” Seth said, glancing at the suitcase in his hand, “I guess it’s just you and me for the rest of the day.”
The Burger Barn was crowded. Hoping to avoid the mass of people, Tabby suggested they use the drive-through.
“Part of the fun of going in is being able to check out all the good-looking guys,” Donna argued.
Tabby wrinkled her nose. “You do the checking out, and I’ll just eat.”
A short time later, they were munching their food and discussing the workshop.
“Tell me about the chalk art class,” Tabby said. “Did you learn anything helpful?”
Donna’s face lit up. “It was wonderful! In fact, I think I’m gonna try my hand at black light.”
“Black light?”
“You hook a thin, black light over the top of your easel. The pictures you draw with fluorescent chalk almost come to life.” Donna motioned with her hand, as though she were drawing an imaginary illustration. “I wish you could have seen some of the beautiful compositions our instructor put together. She draws well anyway, but under the black light, her pictures were absolutely gorgeous!”
Tabby smiled. “I can see she really inspired you to use your artistic talent.”
“I’ll say. I thought maybe you and I could combine our talents and put on a little program during Sunday school opening sometime.”
“You’re kidding, right?”
“I’m not kidding at all. I could do a chalk art drawing, and you could put on a puppet show. You might be able to use that old puppet box down in the church storage room.” Donna gulped down her lemonade and rushed on. “It’s not like you’d have to try your new ventriloquist skills or anything. You could hide behind the puppet box, and—”
Tabby held up one hand. “Whoa! In the first place, I have no ventriloquist skills. Furthermore, I’ve never done puppets anywhere but at the day care. I’m not sure I could ever do anything for church.”
“Sure you could,” Donna insisted. “Tomorrow, during our morning worship service, we’re going to be entertained and inspired by some of the best Christian education workers in the Puget Sound area.”
Tabby’s interest was piqued. “We are? I hadn’t heard. Guess I’ve been spending too much time helping out in the church nursery lately.”
Donna smiled. “There will be a puppet team from Edmonds, Washington, a chalk artist from Seattle, a ventriloquist, who I hear is a local guy, and several others.”
Tabby stared out the window. Hmm … seeing some professionals perform might be kind of interesting. No way does it mean I’ll agree to Donna’s harebrained idea of us performing at Sunday school, though. I’ll just find a seat in the back row and simply enjoy the show.
The church service would be starting soon, and Seth hurried through the hall toward the sanctuary. Someone had just come out of the ladies’ restroom, head down and feet shuffling in his direction. Thump! She bumped straight into his arm, nearly knocking little Rudy to the floor.
From the startled expression on her face, Seth could tell she was just as surprised to see him as he was to see her. “Oh, excuse me!” he apologized.
“It’s—it’s o–o–okay,” the young woman stammered. “It w–w–was probably m–m–my fault.”
Seth smiled, trying to put her at ease. “I was the instructor at the ventriloquism workshop you took yesterday; do you remember?”
She hung her head and mumbled, “Y–y–yes, I kn–kn–know who y–y–you are. S–s–sorry for g–g–getting in the w–way.”
“Naw, it was all my owner’s fault,” Seth made his dummy say in a high-pitched voice. “He’s got two left feet, and I guess he wasn’t watchin’ where he was goin�
�.” The vent figure gave her a quick wink then added, “My name’s Rudy Right, and I’m always right. What’s your name, sister?”
“My name’s Tabitha Johnson, but you can call me Tabby.” She reached out to grasp one of the dummy’s small wooden hands.
Seth grinned. By talking to her through his partner, Tabby seemed much more relaxed. She was even able to make eye contact—at least with the dummy. I should have tried that in the workshop yesterday. She might have been a bit more receptive.
Seth had used his ventriloquist figure to reach frightened, sick, and even a few autistic children on more than one occasion. They had always been able to relate better to the dummy than they had to him, so maybe the concept would work as well on adults who had a problem with shyness. He also remembered recently reading an article on stuttering, which seemed to be Tabby’s problem. One of the most important things a person could do when talking to someone who stuttered was to be patient and listen well. He thought he could do both, so Seth decided to try a little experiment. “It was nice having you in my workshop,” he said, speaking for himself this time.
Tabby’s gaze dropped immediately to the floor. “It w–w–was good.”
“Did ya learn anything?” This question came from Rudy.
Tabby nodded, looking right at the dummy, whose eyes were now flitting from side to side.
“What’d ya learn?” Rudy prompted.
“I learned that ventriloquism is not as easy as it looks.”
No stuttering at all this time, Seth noted. Hmm … I think I may be onto something here.
“Are you gonna be a ven-trick-o-list?” Rudy asked, giving Tabby a wink.
Tabby giggled. “I’d like to be, but I’m not sure I’d have the nerve to stand up in front of people and talk.”
“Aw, it’s a piece of cake,” Rudy drawled. “All ya have to do is smile, grit your teeth, and let your dummy do most of the talkin’.” The figure’s head cranked to the left. “Of course, ya need to find a better lookin’ dummy than the one I got stuck with!”
At this, Rudy began to howl, and Tabby laughed right along with him.
Seth’s experiment had worked, and he felt as if he’d just climbed to the summit of Mount Rainier.
“I’m surprised to see you here today,” Tabby said, directing her comment at Rudy.
The dummy’s head swiveled, and his blue eyes rolled back and forth again. “My dummy was asked to give a little demon-stration during your worship time. I just came along to keep him in line.”
“And to be sure I don’t flirt with all the cute women,” Seth added in his own voice.
Tabby’s face flushed. “I—uh—it’s been n–nice t–t–talking to you. I th–think I sh–should g–go find a s–seat in the s–s–sanctuary now.”
“Maybe I’ll see you later,” Seth called to her retreating form.
Tabby slid into a back-row pew, next to Donna.
“What took you so long? I thought I might have to send out the Coast Guard, just in case you’d fallen overboard or something.”
Tabby groaned at Donna’s tasteless comment. “I ran into the ventriloquist who taught the workshop I took yesterday.”
“You did? What’s he doing here?”
“He’s part of the demonstration. He brought along his cute little dummy.”
“I guess he would, if he’s going to do ventriloquism.” Donna sent a quick jab to Tabby’s ribs with her elbow. “Did he talk to you?”
“Who?”
Another jab to the ribs. “The ventriloquist, of course.”
“Actually, it was the dummy who did most of the talking. He was so funny, too.”
Donna nodded. “I guess in order to be a ventriloquist, you’d need a good sense of humor.”
Tabby twisted her hands together in her lap. How in the world did she think she could ever talk for two? Humor and wisecracking didn’t come easy for someone like her. She was about to relay that to Donna, but the church service had begun. She turned her full attention to the front of the room instead.
Mr. Hartung, the middle-aged song leader, led the congregation in several praise choruses, followed by a few hymns. Announcements were given next, then the offering was taken. After that, Pastor Smith encouraged the congregation to use their talents to serve the Lord, and he introduced the group who had come to inspire others to use their talents in the area of Christian ministry.
The first to perform was Mark Taylor, a Christian magician from Portland, Oregon. He did a few sleight-of-hand tricks, showing how sin can seriously affect one’s life. Using another illusion, he showed the way to be shed of sin, through Jesus Christ.
Next up was Gail Stevens, a chalk artist from Seattle. She amazed the congregation with her beautiful chalk drawing of Christ’s ascension into heaven, adding a special touch by using the black light Donna had been so enthusiastic about. This illuminated the entire picture and seemed to bring the illustration to life, as Jesus rose in a vibrant, fluorescent, pink cloud.
There were oohs and ahs all around the room, and Donna nudged Tabby again. “That’s what I want to be able to do someday.”
Tabby nodded. “I’m sure you will, too.”
A group of puppeteers put on a short musical routine, using several Muppet-style puppets, who sang to a taped version of “Bullfrogs and Butterflies.” Tabby enjoyed their skit but was most anxious for the upcoming ventriloquist routine.
Joe Richey, a gospel clown from Olympia, did a short pantomime, which he followed with a demonstration on balloon sculpting. He made a simple dog with a long body, a colorful bouquet of flowers, and ended the routine by making a seal balancing a ball on the end of its nose. Everyone clapped as Slow-Joe the Clown handed out his balloon creations to several excited children in the audience.
Seth Beyers finally took his place in the center of the platform.
“There he is,” Tabby whispered breathlessly. “And that’s his cute little dummy, Rudy.”
Seth had already begun to speak, and Tabby chose to ignore her friend when she asked, “Who do you really think is cute? The funny-looking dummy or the good-looking guy who’s pulling his strings?”
“I would like you all to meet my little buddy, Rudy,” Seth boomed into the microphone.
“That’s right—I’m Rudy Right, and I’m always right!”
“Now, Rudy, I’ve told you many times that no one but God is always right.”
Rudy’s glass eyes moved from side to side. “Is that so? I guess we must be related, then!”
“The Bible says that God made people in His own image, and you’re certainly not a person.”
There was a long pause, as if Rudy might be mulling over what the ventriloquist had said. Finally, the dummy’s mouth dropped open. “I may be just a dummy, but I’m smart enough to pull your strings!”
Seth laughed, and so did the audience.
Donna leaned close to Tabby, “This guy’s really good. His lips don’t move at all.”
Tabby smiled. “I know.” Oh, how she wished she could perform like that, without stuttering or passing out from stage fright. What a wonderful way ventriloquism was to teach Bible stories and the important lessons of life.
A troubling thought popped into Tabby’s head, pushing aside her excitement over the ventriloquism routine. What would it feel like to have someone as good looking, talented, and friendly as Seth Beyers be interested in someone as dull and uninteresting as me?
Chapter 4
Wasn’t that program great?” Donna asked, as she steered her car out of the church parking lot. “Could you believe how gorgeous the chalk art picture was under the black light?”
“Uh-huh,” Tabby mumbled.
“And did you see how quickly Gail Stevens drew that picture? If I drew even half that fast, I’d probably end up with more chalk on me than the paper.”
“Hmm …”
Donna glanced Tabby’s way. “Is that all you’ve got to say? What’s wrong with you, anyway? Ever since we walked out the door
, you’ve been acting like you’re a million miles away.”
Tabby merely shrugged her shoulders in reply.
“Since my folks are out of town this weekend, and Mom won’t be cooking us her usual Sunday dinner, should we eat out or fend for ourselves at home?”
Tabby shrugged again. “Whatever you think. I’m not all that hungry anyway.”
“What? Tabitha Johnson not hungry?” Donna raised her eyebrows. “Surely you jest!”
Tucking a thumbnail between her teeth, Tabby mumbled, “I’ve never been much into—’jesting.’ ”
Donna reached across the short span of her car to give Tabby’s arm a quick jab. “I’ve seen the little puppet skits you put on for the kids at our day care. I think they’re quite humorous, and so do the children.”
Tabby felt her jaw tense. “You’re just saying that to make me feel better.”
“Uh-uh, I really do think your puppet routines are funny.”
“That’s because I’m well out of sight, and only the silly-looking dog is in the limelight.” Tabby grimaced. “If I had to stand up in front of an audience the way Seth Beyers did today, I think I’d curl up and die right on the spot.”
“You know, Tabby, ventriloquism might be the very thing to help you overcome your shyness.”
“How can you say that, Donna? I’d have to talk in front of people.”
“Yes, but you’d be talking through your dummy.”
“Dummy? What dummy? I don’t even have a dummy?”
“I know, but you could get one.”
“In case you haven’t heard—those lifelike things are really expensive. Besides, I’m only going to be doing ventriloquism for the kids at day care. Roscoe’s good enough for that.” She inhaled deeply. “Of course I have to start practicing first, and only time will tell whether I can actually learn to talk for two.”
As Seth Beyers drove home from church, a keen sense of disappointment flooded his soul. The realization that he hadn’t seen Tabby Johnson after the morning service didn’t hit him until now.
Time to Laugh Romance Collection Page 3