What happens
Eli and Jenny Jenkins, with Cliff and Alice, gather for a weekly singing practice in a small town, but Jenny and Alice are secretly planning something for Ben. Overheard phone calls and whispered talks make Eli suspicious that a surprise is being prepared. The group keeps up its singing and its cheerful banter while the plans move forward. Cliff, who runs a gas station, shares his doubts about whether his singing is good enough to pursue more training, and Alice encourages him. The evening builds toward a birthday celebration whose purpose the characters have kept from the one it is meant for.
A small town down our way, including the Jenkins home, Cliff's gas station, and the local party line telephone network.
Characters: Eli Jenkins, Jenny Jenkins, Cliff, Alice, Ben, Patience
Listen for: The whispered phone conversations and the mock military planning in the kitchen, followed by the surprise birthday party for Ben.
Written from the episode itself; it never gives away the ending. Every recording is remastered for the stream: cleaned of rumble, hiss and mains hum (and the old TV whine where we found it), then levelled in two passes to steady broadcast loudness, so one show is never quieter than the next.