“Take him to the mall,” Mary Anne suggested. “He might like that.”
“Or to a movie,” I said. “Jeff loves movies. Especially scary ones.”
Mom patted Richard on the knee. “Now don’t be nervous. You and Jeff will have a wonderful time. I’m sure of it.”
Time suddenly started speeding up because all of a sudden, we reached the airport. Richard dropped us in front of the terminal and I raced to look at the check-in counter. Jeff’s flight number was flashing. That meant his plane was just landing.
“He’s here,” I squealed. “Mary Anne! Mom! Jeff’s here!”
Mom’s eyes filled with tears. “Come on, girls. Let’s go get your brother.”
The passengers were just starting to step off the plane when we reached the gate. First an old couple came through the gate, then a woman with three squirming children, then a teenager carrying a guitar. Finally a boy in a green-and-white striped T-shirt, jeans, and spiky sun-bleached hair appeared in the doorway.
“Mom!” I yelled. “Jeff didn’t have a growth spurt. He looks just the same, and he’s wearing his favorite shirt.”
Suddenly Jeff pushed through the crowd and was in our arms. “Mom, Dawn!” he cried, wrapping his arms around us and giving us big bear hugs. “I’m here. I’m really here.”
Mary Anne and Richard, who’d joined us, hung back for only a second and then they hugged Jeff, too. “The flight was great,” Jeff said. “They gave me the cheese plate. It had these neat little toothpicks —” He reached into the fanny pack he was wearing and held up two green plastic toothpicks with a tiny airplane on top. “I also got the kid fun pack. See? It has a deck of cards, a pack of crayons, and this cool Robin Hood comic book. Hey, are you ready for this? The flight attendant also handed out special barf bags for kids. I’m not kidding. Look. Mine’s got cartoons all over it.”
I draped my arm around Jeff’s shoulder and giggled. “You haven’t changed one bit.”
Jeff was so excited about being back in Stoneybrook that he chattered nonstop all the way to our house.
“Can you believe it?” he asked as he settled into the seat between Mary Anne and me. “No homework for a whole week.”
Mom turned around in her seat. “I bought your favorite frozen yogurt.”
“Double chocolate chip?” Jeff’s eyes widened. “All right, Mom!”
He gave her a high-five and I actually saw Mom blush. She was so thrilled that Jeff was home.
“I hope you got plenty of supplies because the Pike triplets will probably be spending a lot of time at our house,” Jeff added.
“Did you write to them?” I asked.
“No,” he said. “But that doesn’t matter. I wonder if they like soccer? Everyone at my school is playing it.”
“I don’t think I’ve ever heard them discuss it,” Mary Anne said. “I think baseball is their sport.”
“That’s right,” I added. “They’re in Little League.”
That didn’t seem to faze Jeff. He plunged ahead. “I think I’ll call those guys as soon as we get home. I want to go hiking, and ride bikes, and explore the secret passage.”
“Again?” I asked.
“Sure,” Jeff replied. “Maybe this time we really will see a ghost.”
“I hope not,” Mary Anne said with a shudder.
“ ’Fraidy cat,” Jeff teased goodnaturedly. He tickled her in the side. “Wimp.”
“Stop,” Mary Anne said, giggling. “I am not a wimp. I just don’t like ghosts.”
Richard, who was enjoying our chatter, called over his shoulder, “Jeff, we’re all going on a trip next weekend. But we can’t decide whether to go to Boston or Washington D.C. Where do you think we should go?”
“I don’t know,” Jeff said. “Washington’s got all those cool monuments and the Aerospace Museum. But Boston has that neat old ship.”
“Old Ironsides,” Richard said over his shoulder. “The oldest commissioned warship in the world.”
“It also has the Franklin Park Zoo, trolley rides, and whale watching,” Mom added.
“Whales? I love whales!” Jeff cried.
“But Washington D.C. has the Smithsonian Institution,” Mary Anne pointed out. “Which is one of the all-time great museums.”
“That’s true,” Richard said. “If we went to Washington, we could probably watch the Senate in action and maybe even tour the White House.”
“Do you think we’d see the President?” Jeff asked.
Richard chuckled. “I doubt it. But we would probably see a lot of people who work for him.”
“Like Secret Service guys,” I added, knowing Jeff would really like that.
“Well, we have a few days to decide,” my mother said. “In the meantime, Richard and I have a big surprise for you.”
“What is it?” the three of us asked.
“Next Sunday, I’ve arranged for a photographer to come to our house and take a family portrait.”
“A portrait?” Jeff repeated. “You mean a photo?”
“Same thing.” My mom laughed. “Only this one will be very large. I plan to have it framed and put over our mantelpiece.”
“Ooh, that’s beautiful,” Mary Anne said. I knew without even looking at Mary Anne that tears were probably welling in her eyes. She can get so sappy over things like this. However, I was feeling a little misty-eyed myself. Jeff was back with our family. We were going to have two days off from school, and we had a fantastic trip to look forward to. Things couldn’t have been better.
Buddy Barrett was sitting cross-legged on the top step of the front porch when Mallory arrived to baby-sit. He stared down at the ground, his chin in his hands. Suzi sat slumped next to him, clutching a doll.
“Hey, Buddy. Hey, Suzi,” Mallory said as she trotted up their front walk. “What’s the matter?”
Buddy shrugged. “We’re waiting for them.”
“Them? You mean Mr. DeWitt’s children?”
Buddy nodded. “I don’t know why they have to come over here. I liked Franklin better by himself.”
Suzi looked at her brother, then folded her arms across her chest and stuck out her lower lip. “Me, too.”
“You guys are going to have fun,” Mallory said. “Aren’t his kids about your age?”
Buddy shrugged again. “I don’t know.”
Mallory had never seen the Barrett kids so glum. She decided she had to do something to put them in a good mood fast — or the afternoon would be a disaster.
“Come on, let’s go inside. I want to show you something.”
Buddy and Suzi followed Mal into the house and the three of them nearly collided with Mrs. Barrett. Her arms were loaded with a picnic basket, two blankets, an umbrella, and a Thermos. “Oh, Mallory, am I glad you’re here. Help!”
Mallory rushed forward and caught the Thermos just before it hit the floor. “Are you okay, Mrs. Barrett?”
“I’m supposed to make lunch for ten people. How do I do that? I can barely make dinner for four.”
Mrs. Barrett’s hair, which usually looks perfect, had fallen over one eye. And she hadn’t put on her lipstick yet. “Franklin will be here in ten minutes.” She groaned. “I just don’t know what to do.”
“Look, why don’t you finish getting ready and I’ll pack the lunch,” Mallory suggested. “What are you planning to make?”
“Sandwiches, but I don’t know what Franklin’s children like to eat. What if I guess wrong?”
“Do what my mom does,” Mallory said. “Pack a loaf of bread, peanut butter, jelly, and slices of cheese and ham. Then everyone can make their own.”
“That’s so simple.” Mrs. Barrett shook her head. “Now why didn’t I think of that?”
“It sounds like you have a lot on your mind,” Mallory said, hoping to make Mrs. Barrett feel more comfortable. “If you’ve got some apples, I’ll pack those. We’ll just cut slices for dessert.”
Mrs. Barrett gave Mallory a hug. “You’re a lifesaver,” she exclaimed, runni
ng up the stairs.
Mallory felt a tug at the sleeve of her windbreaker. Buddy and Suzi were staring up at her expectantly.
“What were you going to show us?” Suzi asked.
Mallory hit her forehead with the heel of her hand. “I almost forgot. I wanted to show you two how to make hats to wear on the picnic.”
“Hats?” Buddy made a face. “But I already have one.”
“I bet you don’t have a pirate hat,” Mallory said, mysteriously. “That you have to make special. Do you have any old newspapers?”
Suzi and Buddy raced off to find some. Meanwhile Marnie, who had been sitting in the high chair in the kitchen eating a cracker, began to cry.
“More,” she wailed.
Mallory got Marnie another cracker from an open box in the cupboard and stuck it in her hand. Then she raced around the kitchen, pulling open cupboards and tossing different food items into Mrs. Barrett’s picnic basket.
“We found some paper,” Buddy declared as he and Suzi burst into the kitchen, their arms full of old newspapers.
“All right,” Mal said, closing the basket lid. “Sit at the table and I’ll show you how to fold a pirate’s hat.”
Ten minutes later, Buddy and Suzi were sporting triangle-shaped hats as they munched on the saltines Mallory had gotten out for Marnie. They were still quieter than usual but they seemed content. For the moment.
Ding-dong.
Buddy and Suzi turned to each other and whispered loudly, “They’re here!”
BARROOO!
Pow, the Barretts’ basset hound, who had been sound asleep on the living room couch, sprang into action. He galloped into the foyer, nearly tripping Mrs. Barrett as she hurried to open the front door. Standing on the front porch was Franklin DeWitt and his four children: eight-year-old Lindsey, six-year-old Taylor, four-year-old Madeleine, and two-year-old Ryan.
Mrs. Barrett smiled warmly. “Franklin, come in —”
“Aaaahhhh!” Ryan took one look at Pow and leapt into Franklin’s arms.
Mallory quickly dragged Pow by the collar into the kitchen. When she returned to the foyer, she found Mrs. Barrett and Franklin introducing their kids to each other. It was pretty clear that Franklin’s children weren’t very excited about meeting the Barrett kids. The seven of them stood silently, staring at each other, which made Mrs. Barrett even more nervous.
“Well,” she said, in an overly cheery voice, “you kids will have plenty of time to talk in the car. We better get going.”
But when the two families opened the doors to Franklin’s car, they realized they wouldn’t fit.
“Oh, dear,” Franklin said, scratching his head. “I forgot there are ten of us. Seven kids, two parents, and a baby-sitter. We need a bus to handle this big a crew.”
“We’ll just take two cars,” Mrs. Barrett suggested. Then she clapped her hands together and asked, “Who wants to ride in which car?”
The DeWitt children huddled around their father while Buddy whispered to Mallory, “I don’t want to ride with them.”
Mrs. Barrett shrugged at Franklin. “I’ll take my kids and Mallory. You take yours and we’ll just follow you to Lawrenceville.”
“Sounds good to me,” Franklin said. “All right, kids. All aboard!”
As they followed Franklin out of Stoneybrook and onto the highway heading north, Mallory tried to make conversation with the kids. “Lindsey looked really nice,” she said to Buddy. “And I bet she’s in your grade.”
“Who cares?” he mumbled.
Mrs. Barrett made a sour face in the mirror. “Buddy, don’t talk like that. Mallory’s right. Lindsey does seem like a nice girl, and Taylor looks fun, too. If you just give them a chance, I’m sure you kids will —”
The rest of her sentence was cut off by a loud explosion from the passenger side of the car.
“What was that?” Suzi yelled.
She was answered by the ker-thump, ker-thump of a flat front tire.
“I-I can’t believe it,” Mrs. Barrett spluttered. “I just can’t believe it.”
“Honk your horn, Mrs. Barrett,” Mallory said. “So Mr. DeWitt will know you have to stop.”
Mrs. Barrett beeped the horn, then pulled off to the side of the road. Luckily Franklin saw her and was able to pull over and walk back to her car.
While Franklin and Mrs. Barrett changed the tire, Mallory watched the kids. She spread a blanket on the grass by the side of the road for them to sit on. What amazed her was how quiet they were.
“Do you guys want to sing a song?” Mal asked, trying to think of something entertaining.
No response.
“We could play a game.” Mallory racked her brain to remember the car games her family played on long trips. “We could play Alphabet Plates. We look for license plates from states like Alabama and Arkansas and then work our way through the alphabet. And the first person to get the closest to Wyoming wins.”
“Okay,” Buddy said. “I’ll try it.”
Franklin’s children exchanged quiet looks, then nodded in agreement. Mallory remembered that the younger kids couldn’t read yet so she added a twist to the game. “And for you guys, first we’ll look for a red car, and then a blue, and a green, and so on.”
The kids smiled wanly. Mallory was relieved when Franklin finally got the spare tire on Mrs. Barrett’s car and they could load up again.
However, when they arrived at the petting zoo, all of the picnic tables were occupied.
“This is incredible,” Franklin said, squinting at the rows of tables filled with families. “It’s never this crowded. Ever.”
“Mommy, I’m hungry,” Suzi said, hungrily eyeing the plate of fried chicken on a nearby picnic table.
“Me, too, Daddy,” Madeleine cried. “I want to eat.” She tugged on her father’s pant leg. “Now!”
“We’d all like to eat,” Franklin said. “But there aren’t any picnic tables. And the ground is gravel, so we can’t very well sit on it.”
Mallory shifted the picnic basket she was carrying. “I’ve got a suggestion,” she volunteered. “Why don’t we make the sandwiches out here in the parking lot? Then the kids can carry them when we walk through the zoo.”
“Excellent idea!” Franklin said. He turned in a circle and spotted a little patch of grass by the front entrance. “We’ll make lunch right over there.”
Mallory, Mrs. Barrett, and Franklin set up a sandwich assembly line that was lots of fun for the kids. They started a contest to see who could make the thickest peanut butter-and-jelly sandwich. Finally everyone was holding a sandwich in one hand and a paper cup of apple juice in the other.
“Are we ready to visit the wild kingdom?” Franklin joked.
“Yes!” the children cheered. “Let’s go.”
For a second, Mallory thought they might have a pleasant afternoon after all. But that ended the moment they reached the petting zoo. A goat snatched Madeleine’s sandwich out of her hand and swallowed it in one gulp.
“Daddy!” she howled. “That rotten goat stole my food.”
That set Ryan off. “Pick me up, Daddy!”
“Here’s my sandwich,” Franklin said to Madeleine. “Eat that.” Then he scooped Ryan up in his arms. “There’s nothing to be afraid of, son. Goats are harmless.”
“I’m scared,” Ryan cried, burying his nose in his father’s shoulder.
The strain was starting to show in Franklin’s voice as he patted his son’s back. “Okay, calm down,” he said hoarsely. “They’re just ordinary goats and chickens. You don’t need to cry.”
“Daddy,” Taylor said, tugging on his father’s sleeve. “Let’s go into the barn. The Clydesdale horses are there.”
Mrs. Barrett nodded at Franklin. “Good idea.”
It took a few minutes to herd two strollers and seven children out of the corral area and into the barn. Once they were inside, the kids started complaining again.
“It stinks in here,” Lindsey said, pinching her nose.
&n
bsp; “And it’s dark,” Taylor added.
“I’m hot,” Suzi said.
“There are too many people,” Buddy grumbled. “I can’t see.”
The air in the barn was heavy and the crowd of people huddling around the horse stalls made even Mallory start to feel a little claustrophobic. Finally, the people crowding in front moved and the others could step forward. That’s when Marnie threw up.
“Oh, gross,” Suzi cried, springing away from her sister. “Marnie got sick.”
Mrs. Barrett was starting to look more than a little frazzled. “Franklin, I think we should cut this visit short and go to the park,” she declared. “At least it will be cool there.”
The ten of them trooped back to the parking lot. Mallory felt as if all they’d done since the trip had begun was load and unload kids from cars. But she was looking forward to the park. At least she’d be able to sit down and not worry about entertaining the kids. They were going to see the play Hansel and Gretel.
“Look at all these parking spaces!” Mrs. Barrett exclaimed as she pulled into the empty lot by the park’s theater. “I’m going to take that as a good omen.”
It wasn’t. The deserted parking lot meant they were too early. The sign outside the box office said the performance would start at three o’clock. Over an hour to wait.
“What kind of a theater is this?” Mrs. Barrett said, shoving back the lock of hair that had fallen over one eye. “All matinees begin at two. Everyone knows that.”
Franklin, who was trying to make the best of things, suggested they skip rocks across the pond. That sounded like a good idea, except for the fact that there were no stones within sight of the pond. The water’s edge was swampy and Suzi and Madeleine promptly soaked their shoes and socks. They had to go barefoot till the play began.
Mallory and Franklin and Mrs. Barrett were relieved when it was time for the show to start. Unfortunately, ten minutes into the play, the witch appeared and frightened Marnie so badly that Mrs. Barrett had to take her out of the theatre.
After the play Franklin took his kids to his car while Mallory led Buddy and Suzi to Mrs. Barrett’s car. Mrs. Barrett sat in the front seat with her forehead resting on the steering wheel. Marnie was in the back, asleep in her carseat.