Trixie Belden series - My prophecies for the Bob Whites

Having finished my re-read of all the Trixie Belden mysteries as a middle-aged mum, I can state with total honesty that I loved them all as much as I did when I was a young teenager, and perhaps even more. Swooping down on hilarious continuity inconsistencies I overlooked the first time round, like a seagull on hot chips, may have even enhanced the experience. This certainly includes the shocking time compression. The characters themselves remain stable and lovable, which makes me inclined to give them all a decent send-off. Having just invested so much time in them, the Bob Whites deserve the courtesy of my prophecies for their futures. 

Here is some of what I see in store for them. I'm taking care to base my predictions on the personality leads I get from the books, and not simply wishful thinking. See what you think.  

 Trixie and Jim

The undercurrents of romance between this pair have always been strong and thrilling (sigh). They've impressed many readers' hearts, but the big question is whether we can feasibly imagine them together for the long term.

My feeling is maybe... with reservations. If these two do end up together it must surely follow a rocky road to get them there. Both can be quick-tempered and stubborn when they get their minds set in a single direction. Friction frequently flares between them within the series itself, such as when Jim determines to fulfill his promise to tutor Trixie in Mystery in Arizona and she chafes under his surveillance. 

Another stumbling block may be an eventual clash between their great and noble ambitions. She wants to be the founder of a detective agency and he wants to establish his own private school for underprivileged boys. Since both passion projects will demand maximum time, toil, sweat, tears and dedication, I can't help wondering what will be left over for each other. It would have to be a true juggling act for two Type-A personalities to inject a full day with a few extra hours for couple time. 

The ultimate question is whether or not two such passionate, 'boss' people whose major goals are so divergent can hope for any type of future together. Hey, I know it's Trixie and Jim, our sentimental favourites, but there are only 24 hours in a day. At the very least, they face heaps of domestic inconveniences and may even have to put off starting a family of their own. After all, Jim's adoptive Dad, Matthew Wheeler, has had to sacrifice plenty of family togetherness for the sake of his intense lifestyle, and I doubt Jim wants to follow in Matt's footsteps in that respect.

Let's be realistic - You can have anything but you can't have everything. (I love to think they can make it happen, but it'll be hard work.)

Honey and Brian

What do you think? Neither of them are flamboyant personalities so their attraction has been presented in a gentle and low-key manner. Honey is definitely compassionate enough to make a great doctor's wife, but Brian will be on-call to patients at all times, for I imagine him as a super-duper specialist of some sort, maybe even a pediatrician. Hasn't she put up with enough fobbing off from family members in her childhood due to work pressures, without setting herself up for more in marriage? But on the other hand, she's used to it, and loves feeling appreciated.

Is their attraction really solid though, or just a thing of tradition? I can't forget that in the final book of the series, Honey has her head totally turned by another guy. And Brian does have a habit of treating her like another kid sister. This relationship might work, but equally feasibly, it might not. 

Personally, I quite like the idea of Honey Wheeler striking out for independence, realising that in her good nature, she's let her path be mapped out by overbearing Beldens. She does have her limits, and I always get the feeling that the Belden-Wheeler Detective Agency is more Trixie's brainchild than Honey's. She tends to let herself get pulled along for the ride out of fondness and gratitude. How about if she realises she'd prefer a different career (gasp!) and another guy (whoa!)

As for Brian, there may come a time when the burden of carrying his great ambition along with the onus of being the sensible, got-it-all-together eldest sibling may make him snap. His frailty has already been hinted at in The Hudson River Mystery. If our boy ever needs to be at the receiving end of care and advice as well as the giving end, it may need to come from an entirely outside source. (I quite liked his relationship with the studious Loyola Kevins, despite her unfortunate Waldorf salad, yet I think that was purely platonic.)

Bottom line is Honey and Brian together could definitely work, but I feel Honey and Brian apart offers lots of potentially interesting possibilities which I might jump on, if I was to speculate. However, they might have to end up coming back together in the long run. 

Mart and Diana

Whoa, on the surface it's admittedly easy to sweep this relationship aside as a flash in the pan, or a brief High School attraction. You may ask, 'Do these two really have anything in common?' She's a beautiful under-achiever who prioritises her physical appearance, claims to be allergic to books and prefers words of very few syllables. And he's the ultimate smarty-pants and trivia buff who thrives on research, loves reading and has a vocabulary the size of Mount Everest which he's never afraid to use. Wouldn't they drive each other insane if they lived together?

These are all valid points, yet somehow it never works when I try to imagine either of them with anyone else. I can never shake off the idea that these two really are perfect for each other, and arguably have more in common than it may at first appear. For starters, they are both highly creative, both grapple with their own forms of deep insecurity, and there's always a strong thread of chemistry woven through the series that never loses its pull. These two are forever shooting surreptitious glances at each other for support and understanding. And they really do lift each other up in an opposites attract sort of way. Therefore, they are not really so different at all. 

I can imagine them working together on a collaborated book, with Mart writing the scintillating story and Di doing the wonderful artwork. 

I picture Mart as quite the traditionalist, maybe more so than his brother Brian, and Di as a happy and fulfilled homemaker. I can imagine them married with a set of twins; a boy and a girl. Twins run in Diana's family, and Mart has always hated being mistaken for Trixie's twin, so why not give him a real pigeon pair of his own for poetic justice? They could be called Cosmo and Lucy, if it's not too heavy-handed. Haha, no, how about Kathryn and Kenny? (Okay, my apologies if you're groaning.)  

Dan Mangan

What's in store for our intense, dark-eyed, dark-haired Irish lad with his regrettable past? Canon has indicated an attraction to Cousin Hallie Belden, yet in true form, he wasn't able to make it to reunite with her in The Sasquatch Mystery, along with the other Bob Whites. If she wants him, she'll have to come and get him, for he never has a spare moment away from work to set foot out of New York State. 

To be honest, I like the thought of threshing around more in Dan's family background and his relationship with Regan. As uncle and nephew, they are clearly committed to each other, yet keep each other at arm's length, as Mystery in Saratoga indicates. There's a black hole that was never explored and I would've appreciated a bit more digging around in it.

This is just my idea, but what if there were dark feelings in the past directed from a very young Bill Regan toward his sister's husband, Tim Mangan, who got a mention in The Black Jacket Mystery. This is obviously something poor Dan has no idea about, and when it comes to light, it hits him out of the blue. Oh, I'd have a field day were I ever to attempt some series fan fiction. It's all about mysteries and what a real life mystery that would be. The Secret of the Regan/Mangan backgrounds. 

Oh course Dan needs some romance too, but I haven't figured out with who. I do have a few ideas.

Bobby Belden

He was always too little to be a true Bob White during the unbelievably short period of time the series claims to cover, but I think he deserves to be included here too. 

Could trouble, romance or a mixture of both be on the cards for the youngest Belden sibling? You bet!

I imagine this imp leading his family a merry dance when he reaches his teenage years. They'll long for those tedious but predictable days when he used to command his sister and brothers to read him 'Peter Rabbit' a hundred times a sitting. In turn, it's not easy being the youngest, and I have a hunch Bobby's rebellion may break out in unique and unexpected ways. 

I imagine him growing up to be a devastatingly cute guy, a bit like Mart but without Mart's solid sense of responsibility or sound work ethic. And unlike his look-alike brother, Bobby will always be willing to let those blonde curls grow wild and free. Perhaps I can even picture an awkward sort of romantic triangle involving him and the two female Lynch twins. And I can also envisage him meeting up again with Gaye Hunya, the melancholic little piano virtuoso from The Marshland Mystery. Make it a sort of lovers' square, with three girls taking vested interest in Bobby Belden. Heck, yeah. 

Yeah, a teenage Bobby Belden. Watch out world. 

Over to you

Okay, that's how I imagine their futures playing out. As far as the three couples are concerned, I foresee a strong 'maybe'; a tentative 'no' and a definite 'yes'! And those dark horses in the form of Dan and Bobby add to the mix to keep us guessing. Isn't there more than enough reason for us to think that even though we've finished the 39-book series, there is enough to keep our collective imaginations ticking for the long term.

But it's goodbye for now.

Bye, Peter and Helen, Brian, Mart, Trixie and Bobby. I'd love to be a guest at Crabapple Farm any day you care to invite me.

Farewell, Matt and Madeleine, Jim and Honey. And a fond goodbye to your faithful and contented staff, Miss Trask, Regan, Tom and Celia. Keep up the good work, folk.

I guess Jupiter, Starlight, Strawberry, Lady and Susie deserve a neigh too. And their friends, Sunny and Spartan. Keep dancing, Spartan.

Cheerio all you Lynches, I know your opulence doesn't always sit well with you, but enjoy it as much as you can. Diana, I hope you can marry your loving, supportive, bookworm farmer boy and escape the tedium of wealth ASAP.

See you Dan, I hope life will reward you for your hard work. 

And bye for now to the other residents of Sleepyside we've come to know so well. Mrs Vanderpoel, keep up the windmill cookies, and likewise Mr Maypenny with the succulent hunter's stews. Good riddance Mr Lytell, you old grouch. And Sergeant Molinson, you might want to seriously consider taking a young female partner on board. 

Bye! I'll visit Sleepyside again soon.