"Another party?" said Karen.
"This time it is for a queen," her chief said. "We want to build a factory in her nation. When she visits here, we will need a party."
Karen was sad. " Too bad," she said. "My friend Michael just went on a trip on a train. He would disappear just when we need him."
"Well, you have 4 days this time, and the hotel can fix those meals on nice plates, pour those nice wines, and fold all the nice cloth napkins. But there is another huge problem."
"Why am I not surprised?" Karen said. "Let me guess, the queen is really a king."
"Worse," said the chief. "Some political enemies in her country want to take her and make the nation pay to get her back."
"I guess we don't invite anyone extra to the party." Said Karen.
"But serious...They've already tried to take her. 2 times…One time her flight was delayed, so they missed her. Another time there was violence. They wounded a lawman who tried to stop them. So they have been accused of a crime already."
"Forgive me, but I just do parties." Karen said, wisely starting for the door.
"We have their pictures. A filmmaker named George got them with his camera. So someone may arrest them before the party."
"Or NOT!" said Karen. "I have sympathy for her. But it sounds like someone could get hurt at this party. It frightens me!"
"Don't worry. There is a man I've hired who does this for a business. His name is Harold. He seems to possess the knowledge to defeat these men."
So Karen called Harold that day. They met at the hotel room where the party would be in 4 days. Harold said he had a business before as a sign painter.
"My idea," said Harold, "Is to dress you like the queen and dress the queen just like you. You look just like her."
"And then you save her, and they carry me away." said Karen, rolling her eyes. "So tell me, how successful were you at painting signs?"
"Well, when they see you are not the queen, they will let you go. Probably."
"Or NOT. Or maybe they will even let me go alive," Karen was jumping up and down now, holding her hand in the air, waving it in tight circles. " Now it’s my turn. I have an idea now. My idea is why don't we just shut this party down permanently before someone does some damage!"
"No one ever likes my ideas at first." Harold said.
Just then some men burst in to the room, kicking open the door. They ran in and took Karen by the arm.
"Hey, that's not the queen," said Harold.
One of the men looked carefully at Karen, up and down. "Looks like the queen to me."
The other man held out his hands. "Well, you know, we've never really seen the holy queen. They always protect her and we just get these bad pictures on the news. So where is she now?"
Karen said, "Did you think she was coming today?"
One of the men looked at a newspaper article, and then turned to the other. "That's 4 days from now. Can't you read an airline time?"
"I got the time right. I just got the day wrong." His face was a shade of red.
"Well, nobody's perfect." said Karen, setting her lips like a kiss.
"So…what now?" asked Harold. He was still very nice. He knew they had guns.
"What do you mean 'What now!'" said one of the men. "We just wait for the queen."
"Sorry, but you'll be waiting a long time," said Harold.
"Just 4 days. We'll get a room at this hotel. But you're natives here. You are our insurance against the lawmen marching in here on us."
"I'm feeling ill," said Karen, holding her chest. "But I have some powder in my bag that is a good cure."
"Are you playing with us?" said one of the men.
"No, she just needs some water, I think." said Harold.
"Now what were you saying? That we'd be waiting a long time? Do you know something we don't know?"
"Only that the queen delayed her visit….until next year. We're here to give back this party room," said Harold.
"It's a nice town…Want to stay a year?" said Karen.
The door opened and the hotel man from the front put his head into the room.
"May I help you with anything?" the hotel man said.
"Well, yes…" said Harold, "Could you get a taxi for our two friends here?"
Ready-to-Use
a.
native: native speaker
b.
alive:
stay alive
c.
permanent:
permanent address
d.
sorry:
feel sorry
for someone
e.
tight:
hold tight