As the vehicle drives away with all the Minions, the children look at one another with puzzled faces.
Chapter Nine
As the girls sit on the edge of a mall fountain, Agnes closes her eyes and concentrates for a few seconds. Then she tosses a penny into the water. She opens her eyes, waiting for her wish to come true.
Instead, Edith emerges from the water wearing a diving mask and snorkel. Her hands are full of coins. Agnes asks, “Is that stealing?”
Edith answers coyly, “Not if my wish was that I would get a lot of free coins.”
Margo sits nearby, busily texting someone, when something catches her eye: It’s a boy! Suave, cool, and a bit dangerous, he wears black skinny jeans and a black leather jacket. She watches as he strolls behind the fountain and then disappears in its spraying water.
Getting up, Margo goes to look for the mystery boy… and slips on a patch of spilled soda. “Whoa!”
The boy quickly appears as if from nowhere and catches her.
“Cool glasses,” he tells her.
Margo laughs awkwardly, having never been complimented by a boy her age before.
“I’m Antonio.”
“I’m Margo,” she says nervously, as if she has forgotten her own name.
“I was just going to get a cookie,” Antonio says. “Care to join me?”
Margo’s stomach flip-flops. “Uh, sure,” she says as casually as she can.
They begin to walk away together when Margo is reminded of her sisters. “I’ll catch up with you guys later,” she calls over her shoulder. “Bye!”
Agnes and Edith stare after their sister.
Edith makes a face. “Can I be the first to say ewwwwww!”
Agnes shakes Edith. “We’ve got to tell Gru!”
Chapter Ten
Gru approaches Floyd’s Eagle Hair Club and adjusts a device on his belt buckle that scans for traces of PX-41. Lucy is in the cupcake shop monitoring the results. She talks to Gru through a Microscopic Transmitter in his ear.
“If it picks up any traces of the serum, the sensor in your belt buckle will make a sound like this: MEE-MO-MEE-MO-MEE-MO!”
Gru cringes at the annoying sound and says, “All right, I’m going in.” He walks inside the Eagle Hair Club.
At the reception desk, a large chair shaped like an eagle spins around. Sitting in the chair is Floyd Eaglesan, looking sinister and petting a furry object.
“It’s about time you showed up, Mr. Gru,” says Floyd.
Gru is startled. “You know my name?”
Floyd chuckles. “When someone who is follicle-challenged moves into the mall, I make it my business to know all about them. You are bald. And that is bad.” He strokes the furry object, kisses it, and then places it on the head of a mannequin. It’s a toupee! “There you go, my sweet.”
Back in the cupcake shop, Lucy monitors the chemical-tracking device. “I’m getting nothing so far,” she says to Gru through his earpiece. “I think you need to move around.”
Gru hears Lucy and rushes over to a painting of Floyd flying with eagles. “Wow, this looks interesting. What is it?” Gru thrusts his hips at the painting, trying to get the sensor in his belt buckle to pick up something.
Floyd watches him, looking suspicious. “So… you’re an art lover?”
“No serum!” Lucy says to Gru through his earpiece.
“Yeah, not so much,” Gru says to Floyd. He zips over to a podium with a trophy on it. He thrusts his hips at that, too. “How about this impressive trinket?”
But Lucy tells him the device isn’t picking up anything there, either.
Gru moves to a shelf filled with wig samples to investigate.
“MEE-MO-MEE-MO-MEE-MO!” Lucy’s device has been set off. “Behind that wall!” she tells Gru. He moves the wigs aside and tries to see what is behind the wall.
Floyd picks up a sample. “These are my trial wigs. You should take one.”
Gru is more worried about the PX-41 and responds, “No, thanks. So what’s on the other side of this wall?”
Floyd gets annoyed that Gru isn’t listening to him and snaps, “Look at me! Focus!”
Gru turns around to face Floyd, who starts his sales pitch. “Look, I know how tough it is being bald. The taunts can be so cruel. Chrome Dome, Egghead, Baldilocks…”
Gru shudders at each name as if he’s been called them before. Floyd sees that he’s now got Gru’s attention and tries to close the deal. “I promise that this wig will transform you from ugly to irresistible.”
Gru stares at the wig, getting caught up in what Floyd is telling him. He is about to respond, when Edith and Agnes burst in, both out of breath.
“Margo has a boyfriend!” yells Agnes.
“And they’re going on a date!” adds Edith.
Gru’s mouth drops open. “Date??? Boyfriend??? What???”
Still holding the sample wig, he races through the mall with the two girls.
“There she goes!” Agnes points over to Salsa & Salsa, just as Margo and Antonio go in.
Gru and the girls enter and see Margo and Antonio sitting together in the back of the restaurant. Margo laughs at something Antonio has said.
“Gross!” says Edith. “Look, they’re in love!”
Those words hit Gru like a smack in the face. “Oh no! Do not say that they are… no, no, NO!”
Antonio and Margo stare at each other longingly.
Gru grits his teeth and storms up to them. Edith and Agnes follow close behind.
“And my dream is to one day play video games for a living,” Antonio says.
“Wow. You are so complicated,” replies Margo.
Gru interrupts them, trying his best to stay calm. “Hey, Margo, I’m totally cool with this situation, but could we maybe—”
Just then, salsa music begins to play. Across the room, a curtain opens and someone leaps out, spinning like a tornado. It’s Eduardo! He lands with a flourish in the middle of the restaurant. He dances with customers and hands out business cards.
Not this guy, Gru thinks to himself with a groan.
Eduardo walks over to him and gives him a big, warm hug. “So good to see you again, mi compadre!”
Gru tries to free himself from the hug as quickly as possible.
Antonio smiles up at Gru. “Oh, I see you have already met my father.”
“What?! Father?” exclaims Gru.
“Si!” replies Eduardo. “Look at this crazy small world we live in, eh? Come. Sit. Let me get you something.”
Gru looks down and sees Eduardo’s chicken glaring at him. Eduardo picks up the chicken. Gru tries to pet it, but Pollito lunges at him.
Eduardo is surprised. “Oh, I’m sorry! Pollito is usually very friendly.” He whispers to Gru, “He had a rough night.”
The chicken gives Gru an accusatory stare. Finally, Gru can’t take it anymore and says, “Well, we really should be going. Girls, come on.” He tries to gather the girls, but Eduardo stops him, pushing Antonio and Margo closer together.
Eduardo sighs. “Young love. Is beautiful, no?”
“NO!” Gru yells, a little too quickly. He laughs nervously. “You know, they’re not in love. They hardly know each other.”
Eduardo’s face suddenly lights up. He has an idea. “You are right, cabeza de huevo! They must get to know each other better. Antonio, why don’t you invite your girlfriend and her family to our Cinco de Mayo party?”
This sounds like the worst idea ever to Gru. (And he has no idea that Eduardo just called him an egghead!)
“No, no—” Gru begins.
“Si!” chime the girls. They are thrilled at the idea, as is Antonio.
Music starts playing again, and they all begin to dance. Antonio takes Margo’s hand and twirls her across the floor.