Six months later…
Joey stood in silence at the back of the club, gazing in reverence at the stage as if it were an altar in a church. He took a deep breath and smiled contently. He could barely believe where he was. This bright, boldly coloured club was the newly renovated Chuckles Unlimited. And it was his – partly.
Joey recalled how he had approached Ted about Chuckles Unlimited after closing the case of the fire. Joey hadn't known where his sudden assertiveness had come from; it was like the Spirit of Perpetual Laughter had possessed him and had led the way for him to be the saviour of Chuckles Unlimited. "Ted," Joey had said authoritatively to Ted, "I want to buy a stake in the club. You and me – we can make it work. We'll bring the club back to its glory days of developing talent. Maybe I can't be a comedian, but at least I'd still be around comedy, and you'd be able to keep the club, which is your dream fulfilled. We both need this. Please – don't make me go back to Simpletown and technical writing. Besides, a wise bear once told me not to give up on your dream so easily." Ted's response had been simply: "Joey, I've always admired your moxie."
A brief flicker from a spotlight brought Joey's focus back to the present. In a few minutes, Chuckles Unlimited would be welcoming in customers for the first time in a month. A shiver of excitement shot up Joey's spine as he realized that the grand re-opening was going to be a smash; a queue had formed outside the club hours earlier with people who wanted to secure their spot at tonight's special show of famous comedians who had gotten their start at Chuckles Unlimited. Tonight was also special for a couple of other reasons: Baab would be back behind the bar, doing what she loved, fresh from completing her sentence of community service, and, Joey would be hosting the show. Joey had made good on a promise to Ted that he would continue to dabble in comedy. Serendipitously, he became somewhat of a sensation on Open Yuks nights – his routines were so awful that the patrons came to admire his resilience and ability to not take himself too seriously.
This 'new' Joey – who possessed confidence, a sense of purpose, and a sense of humour about himself - was comfortable knowing that he would probably never be the comedian he had wanted to be. But he knew now that he didn't need to be, and that nothing would stop him from trying, anyhow. And that was enough to make Joey feel like he got the last laugh every night.