Whisperer by Jeanne Harrell Page B

entertainment. Too tired, he said. Jason and Amy did
likewise.
    “How about
Mandy?” someone yelled. “Doesn’t she get a chance?”
    Colt jumped in.
“Come on, she’s new. Give her a chance to acclimate to the Johnsons
et al.”
    “No, that’s
okay, Colt. I might have something to share,” she smiled
mysteriously at him. He wondered what she was up to.
    “How about a
challenge to Jeanne. Movie quotes – who said them and in what
movie?”
    Lily and Sandy
started laughing so hard, they almost fell off their chairs. Sam
doubled over, as did most people around the patio. It was a great
challenge, but unthinkable that anyone could outdo Jeanne in
movies.
    Jeanne narrowed
her eyes at her. “Okay, but ground rules. Three quotes each and
nothing horribly obscure. No foreign films or animated. All right
with you, missy?”
    Mandy squared
her shoulders, took a drink from her wineglass, licked her lips and
set down her glass. She paused for dramatic effect. Then she
purposely wiped the back of her mouth with her hand. Colt smiled at
her attempt at comic delivery. She could be funny…
    “Let’s do it.”
Mandy and Jeanne came around to sit facing each other in the
center. People got excited and started moving their chairs or
finding seats in better locations to see the action.
    “Who starts?”
Jeanne said.
    “Let’s flip a
coin,” added Sandy. He took a quarter out of his pocket. “Call it,
Mandy.”
    She looked at
Jeanne and said, “Heads.” Jeanne smiled
    Sandy flipped
the coin way up over his head – what a ham, thought Lily – and it
finally clinked on the hard patio bricks.
    “What is it,
Dad?” yelled Jesse.
    “Tails. Grandma
starts with the first movie quote. Let’s put a time limit on this
-- contestants can only take three minutes to respond. And no
helping from the anyone,” he warned.
    A hush fell
over the audience as everyone watched Jeanne and then Mandy for
reaction. Mandy looked composed, while Jeanne was lost in
thought.
    Suddenly, she
brightened.
    “Got one.
Ready?”
    “Let’s have
it,” said Mandy. She winked at Colt.
    “ ‘Fasten your
seatbelts. It’s going to be a bumpy ride.’ ” A few people gasped.
Who in the world said that in a movie? A few minutes passed and
then Mandy smiled.
    “Bette Davis in
‘ All About Eve’ .”
    “That’s
correct. Good one, dear. I thought that might be before your
time.”
    “Love Bette
Davis, Jeanne. She’s one of a kind.”
    “Mandy’s turn,”
announced Sandy. Apparently, he had appointed himself host of
tonight’s game show.
    Jeanne looked
tense. She knew this girl was good…
    “Ready?”
    “Go.”
    “ ‘I love the
smell of napalm in the morning.’ ” Mandy smiled.
    “Oh, I know
that,” said Jeanne. “What is it….let me think.” Tick, tock, went
the clock. Sandy looked at his watch.
    “Got it –
Robert Duvall in ‘ Apocalypse Now’.”
    “Correct…”
    Sandy
announced, “The score is one apiece. Next quote.”
    Jeanne thought
hard. She needed to come up with something good. Hmmm…Pause.
    “Okay. Here it
is: ‘I am big. It’s the pictures that got small.’ ” She sat back
and smiled at Sam. Mandy would never get this one.
    Colt looked at
Mandy. He had never heard that one – he was stumped. Even Lily was
wondering…
    Mandy laughed.
Then she tilted her head back, widened her eyes and laid her hand
at her throat. Jeanne knew exactly what she was doing and started
laughing. What , the audience was thinking…
    “Gloria Swanson
in ‘ Sunset Blvd.’ ”
    “Absolutely
correct and great imitation, my dear...” Jeanne looked at Colt,
“This girl is good …”
    “Okay, Jeanne,
ready? I’ve got a one for you. Probably too easy...”
    “Let me have
your worst.”
    Mandy’s voice
became silky and low, “ ‘You know how to whistle, don’t you, Steve?
You just put your lips together and blow.’ ” Whew. Colt felt
beads of sweat pop up on his face and grabbed a napkin to wipe them
off.
    Lily