Gatwick Bear and the Secret Plans (16 page)

“Do you think we should move to another airport?” asked Jet.

“No”, replied Gatwick, “this is my home”.

“Let's go and look at the notice in the restaurant window, let's see if it's going to open again. Maybe they're on holiday”, said Jet.

“I don't think so, it was completely empty”, Mama Bear said sadly.

“Let's go anyway”, Little Sister said.

So, off they went to the empty restaurant. The notice read:

 

RESTAURANT TO RENT

DEAL ALSO INCLUDES 4 ROOMS AND 2 BATHROOMS

ALL NEWLY-REFURBISHED

EXCELLENT OPPORTUNITY

 

Then followed all the contact details, which they didn't bother reading.

“What does
‘
rent' mean?”, Gatwick asked.

Mama and Little Sister said that they'd never ever been there, so they didn't know where rent was either. Jet knew what it meant. Some of his friends had rented a chest of drawers to nest in, somewhere on the outskirts of London.

“What you do”, Jet explained, “is to give someone money to let you use something that's theirs”. Now that he had explained it, it sounded complicated to him: “You can have the restaurant for as long as you give them money every month”. The bears understood now.

“Let's go and see if our luggage has arrived. I'm a little worried about my dinner set”, said Mama.

So, they all headed for baggage reclaim. The lady saw them coming and recognised them at once.

“Oh”, she said, “I was just thinking of you. Your luggage is here”. And, there they all were piled up against the wall. Little Sister was so chuffed to see her pink suitcase again that she danced a light jig. They trundled their luggage to the broom cupboard.

“Why don't we rent the restaurant?”, Mama said.

Gatwick thought they ought to sit down and think. He placed his finger on his chin and asked Little Sister what she thought: “I think it's the greatest idea ever”.

“OK, let's phone them”. They all went to look at the number on the notice, then waddled off to the nearest phone box.

“Hello!” Gatwick said.“I'd like to rent the restaurant at Gatwick Airport. Have I got the right number?”

“You certainly have”, answered the agent.

They decided that the viewing would take place that afternoon. The agent told them that if they signed the contract and paid the first three months' rent in advance, they could have it straight away. The bears loved the idea. When Mama saw the kitchen, she couldn't believe her eyes

she didn't know that such well-equipped kitchens existed. She put her apron on there and then. The living quarter round the back was spacious and had big windows. Seeing their excitement, the agent whipped out the contract and showed Gatwick where the dotted line was. Gatwick drew a muffin on it, paid the man and the deal was done. A quick hand-paw shake, and Gatwick was given the keys.

The agent gave them the phone number of interior designers for restaurants, and for the living quarters, John Lewis had everything they needed. Gatwick phoned them as soon as he could find the right coins. They didn't waste time in coming round and measuring the place up. Soon the whole lot was newly-furnished

it looked as good as the Grand Hotel they'd stayed at.

The bears invited Jet to live with them, but he said he preferred the outdoor life. He would come and give them a helping wing during the busy periods. Flying is very handy, if you're a waiter. Of course, Jet would have all the free food and drinks he wanted.

The bears took down the notice from the shop window and replaced it with a new one:

COME IN !

GREAT MENU ONLY £10

For that you get:

spaghetti

ice-cream

fizzy drink

*

LOOK AT ALL THE  SPAGHETTI  WE'VE GOT:

spaghetti with hamburgers

spaghetti with fat chips

spaghetti with smoky bacon

spaghetti with fish fingers

spaghetti with salt and vinegar

spaghetti with steak pie

spaghetti with crinkled chips

spaghetti with sausages

spaghetti with tuna sandwich

  spaghetti with potato wedges

   spaghetti with baked beans

 spaghetti with curly wurlies

spaghetti with chicken nuggets

 spaghetti with cheeseburger

 spaghetti with thin chips                                                                                                                          

 spaghetti with crisps

spaghetti with yorkshire pudding

spaghetti with shepherd's pie

spaghetti with egg and bacon

*

AND LOOK AT ALL THE DELICIOUS ICE-CREAM WE'VE GOT:

Italian ice-cream made by Mama: 50 different flavours

*

FIZZY DRINKS

Any colour you like

*

MUFFINS

A free chocolate muffin for every customer

*

With Mama as cook and the little bears and Jet as waiters, the place became an enormous success. People from miles around came to eat at the restaurant, even if they weren't catching planes. Passengers started flying from Gatwick Airport rather than Heathrow, and to make sure they got a table the smart ones booked their table over the internet soon after they'd booked their flight. Some passengers missed their planes, for second helpings. Eagles, vultures, ravens, hawks, rooks, roosters, sparrows, and other birds the bears didn't recognise, all went to eat delicious
‘
worms' there. It was a place where you could dine with celebrities and where spaghetti was free for the homeless.

After closing time, the bears got down on their paws and furry knees and cleaned and polished the whole restaurant until it was spick and span. Their hard work and friendly service resulted in their getting: The Best Restaurant of the Year Award.

Every hour, on the hour, Mama would come out of the kitchen and join Gatwick and Little Sister in the aisles, between the tables, where they danced to the tune of
Knees Up Mother Brown
for two minutes and a half. Even Jet took part when he was there.

For the dancing, Gatwick wore his smart red waistcoat on top of his blue one... Some of the more outgoing customers joined in dancing with the bears. The name of this awesome restaurant was:

 

THE END

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