Leading Ladies #2 by Elizabeth Cody Kimmel Page B

Philosophers on the Sisyphean Conundrum of the Poverty Cycle
.
    â€œI am
not
flattered. And you left Cheez-It crumbs in the spine!”
    Before Tally could respond, her sister turned and abruptly marched off, taking the book with her. Tally flopped back in her chair and sighed like the weight of the whole world had just lifted off her shoulders.
    Mrs. Janeway smiled at me. “You girls enjoy your show and give a shout if you need anything,” she said. Then she turned and followed her outraged older daughter down the hall.
    â€œTallulah and Marlene?” I asked Tally with a grin.
    â€œAfter Tallulah Bankhead and Marlene Dietrich,” Tally said, beaming. “My Dad’s a
huge
old movie buff. My sister was plain old Molly until she got to college, but now that she’s a philosophy major we all have to call her Marlene.”
    â€œI didn’t even know you had a sister,” I said. “Is she on a break from college?”
    Tally shook her head, ripping open the box of Twinkies with enthusiasm.
    â€œNope, she goes to Hillston U. You know, over in Stipville. She lives here instead of in the dorms. It saves a pile of money.”
    â€œThat’s great,” I said.
    â€œNo, it isn’t,” she said. “Oh, four minutes to go!”
    Tally dug around the seat cushion frantically, then pulled out a remote and pointed it at the television. As I shifted on the couch to get more comfortable, Tally switched the TV on with one hand while tossing me a Twinkie with the other. The timing was sort of off, and I ended up partially sitting on the little cake and squashing it.
    After an embarrassing ad for a shampoo for guys with no hair (Scalp Suds!) and a brief October Chill update from the FlashFive News Team weather specialist, it was time for the main attraction. Tally bounced up and down in her chair and sang along with the theme music.
    â€œNebula Wars, we will fiiiight . . . on planets of yonder, through black holes of niiiiiiight . . . our Techutron foe and their nanoprobe bliiight . . . shall bow to the force of our Rebel-bred miiiiiight . . .”
    Tally really had a great voice, though she couldn’t sound less like little orphan Annie at the moment. I settled in to watch the show, unwrapping my flattened Twinkie and taking a bite. I had never seen
Nebula Wars
before, so I was sort of lost plot-wise. But I liked the main guy, Commander Saunders, and it was fun that every time a new scene started we looked for Gideon Barrymore. The show was more than half over when Tally shot up out of her seat.
    â€œThere he is!” she squealed, pointing at the screen.
    All I saw was a quick shot of three men in lab coats. The camera was focused on Commander Saunders and a short, yellow-haired man standing next to him.
    â€œExplain,” barked Commander Saunders.
    The camera panned back to one of the scientists.
    â€œThuh Gidih Bah!” Tally attempted to exclaim, stumbling over her own words and a mouthful of Twinkie. But she was right. It was him, right there on the screen. He was playing an actual Science Guy in outer space. It is the weirdest feeling ever to see someone you know on TV—it had never happened to me before.
    â€œMy sensor readings indicate the presence of nano-tech radiation emissions,” Science Guy said.
    â€œIn plain English,” barked Commander Saunders. Science Guy blinked once before pointing at the short dude.
    â€œCommander, this man is a Techutron!”
    The camera zoomed in on Commander Saunders’s grim face as the music blared in a Major Plot Twist crescendo. Then the screen went black, and the commercial for the bald-guy shampoo came on again.
    â€œCan you believe it?” Tally shrieked.
    â€œI can’t!” I cried. “That was him. Your director! He was really on the show!”
    â€œDid you see the way he blinked?” Tally asked. “Right before he pointed? Isn’t he