“R–retire?” Penny looked shocked. “A–are you serious?”
“Well, of course.” He nodded. “I’m sixty-five. My hands are stiff and sore after years of working. I’ve worked hard for you.”
“He has, hasn’t he?” Penny gazed at Mr. Whipple lovingly. “We have no complaints about your work, Bud. You’ve made our company what it is today.”
“Thank you.” He shook his head. “But it’s hard to go on working under such tough circumstances, especially when I still love your brothers so much. They’re my friends. Always have been, always will be.”
At this point, Penny erupted. “I might as well tell you the whole truth.”
“What is it, sister?” Candy asked.
“I’m just so tired of all of this,” Penny said through her tears. “It’s been years. Why can’t we just put the past in the past where it belongs and get on with our lives?” She sniffled. “Will we ever be a family again or will we always be divided like this?”
“I don’t know,” Mr. Whipple said, drawing her into his arms. “But one thing is for sure. I don’t want to start off our new life together with all of these problems hovering over us.”
“Our new life together?” She gave him a hopeful look.
He gently brushed her cheek with the tip of his finger. “Yes. If you’ll have me, Penny. I want you to be my wife.” He looked around the exhibition hall and then turned back to her with a shrug. “Not a very romantic proposal, I suppose. And I don’t even have a ring yet. But I’d be the happiest man on the planet if you would agree to marry me.”
At this point Penny let out a whoop that was so loud it scared several people in nearby booths. Seconds later Candy joined in and then the girls added their squeals of celebration. Before long, people were gathered round, trying to figure out what had happened.
Kate watched it all in great amusement. Not only had she been wrong about Mr. Whipple’s involvement with the flat pretzels…she had totally missed the obvious. He and Penny were in love. With a sigh, she looked at Alex and shrugged. “I don’t mind telling you I’m glad we were wrong this time.”
“No kidding.” Alex’s cheeks turned pink as Mr. Whipple gave Penny a kiss, right there in front of everyone in the place. “Being wrong isn’t always bad.”
Just then, Penny looked at Mr. Whipple sternly. “Just one more thing,” she said, pointing her finger at him. “What did you mean when you said you were going to ‘get’ me?”
“What?”
“The girls said they overheard you in my office, saying you were going to ‘get’ me.”
He laughed. “I meant I was going to win your heart, Penny. That’s all.”
Kate sighed with relief. She was happy she had misunderstood.
Everyone began to talk at once. Kate started to join in but found herself distracted. In the back of her mind she still had to wonder about those flat pretzels. Something…or someone…had caused them to go flat. And Kate only had one day left to figure it out! Looked like she’d better get busy!
Mending Fences
On the final morning of the competition, Kate awoke to discover the rain had finally stopped. She could hardly believe her eyes when she saw the sun streaming through the window.
“Awesome!” She sprang from the bed and looked out the window at the amusement park. “We’ll get to ride the rides after all!”
Her heart raced with anticipation, especially as she looked at the big roller coaster. Oh, what fun she and Alex and Dexter would have. Finally!
Her mother laughed as Kate went on and on about the amusement park.
“I would think you would be more excited about the fact that they’re going to announce the winner today,” she said. “Isn’t that why we came to Hershey, after all? So you and your invention could be showcased?”
Kate shrugged. “Honestly, mom. I don’t really care about that. As long as God is happy with me and I’ve done my best, I already feel like a winner.”
“Good for you,” Her mother said, giving her a tight hug. “That’s my girl. Now, let’s get dressed and meet the others for breakfast.”
Kate stood at the window another moment or so, noticing it had fogged up. Probably from all of the moisture and heat over the past few days. She took her finger and ran it across the glass, making a little smiley face. As she did, she thought about those flat pretzels once again.
“Hmm.” Maybe the Twisted Twins hadn’t been sabotaged at all. Maybe the answer was as simple as the smiley face now staring back at her.
“Kate, are you coming?” her mom called out.
“Y–yes.” She wanted to sign onto the internet to do some research. If only she had the time! Then she could prove that her theory was right.
“We need to hurry up and get ready,” her mother called out.
“Coming!” she hollered. She would simply have to do her research later. Hopefully she would have time before leaving the festival.
After getting dressed, Kate and her family met Alex and her parents in the dining room for a quick breakfast. While there, Kate tried to sign onto the internet on her watch, but couldn’t get a signal.
“Everything okay?” Alex asked.
Kate sighed. “I’m just working on a theory, but I can’t get technology to work with me. I’m having internet troubles.”
“That’s funny,” Alex said. “You know more about technology than any of us!”
Kate just shrugged. They finished their breakfast and headed back to the exhibition hall for the final morning of the festival.
When they arrived at the booth, Alex lifted her video camera and pointed it at Kate.
“Just two more hours and they’ll announce the winner,” she said. “Are you nervous?”
“Nah.” Kate shrugged. “Not really. I prayed about it last night, and I definitely believe God is in control. We don’t always have to be winners to win His approval.”
“Oh, I know,” Alex said. “And I agree. But winning can be fun too.” She gave Kate a little wink, then stopped recording.
Kate started pulling out the candies and pans, and then got busy making candy-covered pretzels. She didn’t have any trouble with the chocolate today…none at all. This definitely confirmed her earlier suspicions. Yes, that smiley face was definitely a clue as to why the pretzels had gone flat over the past couple of days. But how—and when—would she prove it?
Her cell phone rang, and she smiled as she saw Elizabeth’s number. Kate answered the phone with a cheerful, “Hello!”
“Hi, Kate,” Elizabeth said. “I just wanted to let you know that I’m praying for you today.”
“Thank you.”
“How are things going over there?” Elizabeth asked. “Any more clues?”
“Maybe!” She told Elizabeth everything that had happened with Mr. Whipple. Then she talked about her most recent theory about what might have happened to make the pretzels flat.
“Oh Kate, that’s probably it!” Elizabeth said.
“I wanted to sign onto the internet and do some research,” Kate said with a sigh, “but I can’t get a signal on my watch and using the laptop is out of the question because I’m at my booth in the exhibition hall. I need to pay attention to the people stopping by.”
“Would you like me to research it?” Elizabeth asked. “I can call you back in a few minutes.”
“That would be awesome,” Kate said.
“You know, it’s funny…” Elizabeth said, and then paused. “When we first met at camp, I didn’t know much about the internet. You were the one! Just goes to show you how much we’ve learned from each other since we met.”
“Yes, and you’ve always been the mother of our group, caring for all of us and praying,” Kate said. “You’ve taught me that prayer is far more important than anything else I do.” After hesitating a moment, she added, “I’m so glad you’re my friend, Elizabeth.”
“Same here.”
They ended the call and Kate went back to work, making candy-covered pret
zels for everyone who stopped by her booth.
About an hour before the big announcement, Candy and Penny returned to the exhibition hall wearing their pink uniforms. Mr. Whipple walked beside them. He couldn’t seem to stop smiling. Kate didn’t blame him. He had a lot to smile about! They stopped at Kate’s booth, chattering a mile a minute.
“How are things going today, Kate?” Penny asked. “Better, I hope.”
“Yes, it’s been an awesome morning so far,” Kate said. “The candy-covered pretzels are turning out fine.”
She started to explain her theory about why their pretzels had gone flat, but the funny smile on Bud’s face distracted her. Kate turned to face him, wondering what he was up to. Seconds later, Penny looked his way too.
“Are you smiling because you’re happy?” Penny asked at last. “Or are you smiling because you’re up to something?”
“Maybe a little of both.” He grinned. “I have a surprise for you girls.” He paused. “I hope you find it a pleasant surprise. I’ve brought someone to see you.”
He gestured to the right and the crowd parted to reveal two men with silver hair.
Candy gasped and she whispered, “Donald! And Steve.”
“We’ve come to see you, sisters,” the taller one said with a hint of a smile. “At last.”
Kate could hardly believe it. These must be the Bender brothers. They drew near and Penny flung her arms around their necks. “Oh brothers!”
Donald’s eyes filled with tears. “This visit is about twenty years overdue. Can you ever forgive us for waiting so long?”
“Forgive you?” Candy shook her head. “We are just as much to blame. I…I can’t believe we let this silly competition between us go on for so long. Can you forgive two silly, stubborn old women?”
“Of course.” Donald nodded and then Steve joined him.
Kate looked at the first brother, then the second one. Then she looked back at the ladies. Yes, she could definitely see a family resemblance. They all had green eyes and fair skin, and each one had matching smiles.
The brothers and sisters began to talk at once, making it difficult to follow the conversation. After a while, Kate stopped trying and just enjoyed their friendly chatter.
After a few moments, both of the Bender brothers looked her way. She waved.
“Who do we have here?” Donald asked. “One of the young inventors?”
“Oh yes,” Candy said. “You won’t believe how talented she is. Penny and I are sponsoring her in the competition.”
“But you still haven’t told me who she is.” Donald extended his hand and Kate took it, giving it a warm shake. Oh, did it ever feel good to finally meet these two, especially now that she’d figured out they hadn’t really sabotaged the pretzel factory!
Candy quickly introduced them. The taller of the men was Donald. The one with the crooked smile was Steve. Both looked like nice men. Kate especially liked Steve’s long silver mustache and twinkling green eyes. He looked like a lot of fun.
The reunion between the brothers and sisters lasted for several minutes. Kate tried to keep an eye on the time. After all, the winner of the festival would be announced at noon. She wanted to chat with several passersby, but that was impossible with the Bender family directly in front of her table! She continued to make candy-covered pretzels, handing them to Donald and Steve as she went. At one point, Donald looked her way with an admiring smile.
“Wow. You made these?”
She nodded. “Yes, sir. I love using my Turbo Heat-Freeze.”
He drew near to look at it more closely.
Kate spent the next few minutes telling him all about it. He looked impressed, especially when she got to the part where she was sharing about how fast it worked.
“That’s amazing,” he said when she finished. “Truly amazing. Our large machines take quite a long time to cook and then we always have to add time at the end of the process for the chocolate covering to cool down. People could get burned, otherwise.”
“Yes, this is really interesting, Kate,” Steve said. “We love seeing new technology at work.”
Candy sighed as he said this. “I guess you boys still think Penny and I are old fuddy-duddies for wanting to do things the old-fashioned way.”
“Not exactly,” Donald said. “We know you care about quality and want to keep the pretzels just like they did when Pop was alive.”
“He was always so much fun,” Steve said. “What a great businessman he was too.”
“Yes, he was always so willing to look at new ways to do things,” Donald agreed.
Kate pursed her lips and stared at Donald suspiciously. “Old-fashioned is nice too,” she said.
“Of course.” He shook his head. “Listen, we’re not going to try to argue with you about…well, about anything. We’re tired of bickering. Very tired.”
“Same here,” Penny said. “It’s exhausting.”
“Remember what things were like when our parents ran the business?” Steve asked. “Remember the stories they told about losing the farm during the Depression? Remember how Pop started the pretzel factory on a wing and a prayer?”
“A wing and a prayer?” Alex asked. “What does that mean?”
“It means they had very little money in the bank,” Candy explained. “Almost none. But Pop had a good idea.” She paused as tears filled her eyes. “A great idea. And even though he didn’t have much money, he took that great idea and turned it into a great business.”
“A business that his children argued over,” Steve said with a sad look on his face.
“And we’ve missed out on so much in each other’s lives,” Penny said, tears rolling down her wrinkled cheeks. “I don’t know my brothers at all…or your wives and children.”
“And grandchildren,” Steve said, sitting behind her and pulling out his wallet. He began to show off pictures of his grandchildren. “This pretty little girl with the blond hair is Maddy. I always said she looked like you girls when you were little. Same blond hair and everything.”
“Oh, what a little doll!” Penny sighed. “I can’t believe I’ve let my anger and bitterness keep me from getting to know her. That’s so sad.”
“Sad for all of us,” Steve said. “We’re all to blame.”
“I have grandchildren too,” Candy said, reaching for her wallet to show off the photos. “You never really got to know my daughters and granddaughters, boys,” she said. “But I think you would love them!”
“I’m sure we would,” Steve said.
She started showing off her photos and before long everyone in the booth was laughing and having a wonderful time. Kate’s parents arrived at the table with Alex’s mom and dad. They looked on, smiling.
“Wow, they really have forgiven each other,” Alex whispered. “It’s…it’s like a miracle, isn’t it?”
“It’s always a miracle when relationships are restored,” Kate’s mother said. “And God’s heart is very happy when we put our differences behind us and mend fences.”
Kate’s heart began to pound as she looked at Phillip. She looked at her mom. “I, um, well, I guess I have a few fences in my own life that need mending.”
Her mom smiled. “Ah, I see. Working things out with Phillip, right?”
Kate nodded. “Was it that obvious that we haven’t been getting along?”
Her mother gave a little shrug. “A little obvious, I guess. But I’ve been paying attention because I could tell you both want to win the prize so badly.”
“I don’t care about winning anymore,” Kate said. “Honestly, I just want things to be okay between us. Is that silly?”
“Of course not.” Her mother pointed at the Bender brothers and sisters. “Do you think what’s happening here is silly?”
“No way.” Kate shook her head.
God always loves it when we reconcile with people, Kate.”
“Reconcile?”
“You know. Make up. Get over our differences. God loves that.”
&
nbsp; Kate smiled. “I see.”
Her mother reached to give her a hug. “You know, my mama used to have an old saying: ‘Doesn’t matter who started it. You be the one to end it.’”
Kate thought about that as Penny and Candy continued to chatter with their brothers. She looked up in time to hear Steve share something important.
“I’ve been walking with the Lord for a while now,” Steve said, his gaze shifting to the ground. “And I know that I’m supposed to forgive others and move on. The Lord’s been working with me on this.”
“And me as well,” Penny said. “I’m just a stubborn old woman.”
“It’s one thing to know what’s right and another thing to actually do it,” Candy said. “I guess we’re all guilty of knowing but not doing.”
“That happens, no matter how old you are,” Kate’s mother added. “I once quarreled with my best friend, and we didn’t speak to each other for days.”
“Same here,” Alex’s mother said. “Only, in my case, it was my mother. We argued over something silly and didn’t talk for weeks. In fact, I can’t even remember what it was, now that I think of it.” She laughed. “Just goes to show you, in the long run the only thing that matters is forgiving and moving on.”
Steve pursed his lips. “Sisters, we once argued about technology. Donald and I wanted to use newer, modern technology and you two girls wanted to stick with the old way of doing things.”
Penny sighed. “That does lead to one little problem, something we haven’t discussed.”
“What’s that?” Donald asked.
“For the past couple of days, our pretzels have been turning out flat. We can’t figure out why.”
“Oh, I know! I know what’s been causing it!” Kate raised her hand, as if answering a teacher’s question in school. She cried out, “It’s the humidity!”
The Pretzel Pickle
Penny stared at Kate, her mouth half-open. “The humidity has been causing our pretzels to fall flat? Are you sure, Kate?” She did not look convinced.
Kate nodded and started to say something. At that very moment, however, a text message came through on her phone. She had to laugh when she read Elizabeth’s words: YOU WERE RIGHT! IT’S THE HUMIDITY!
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