“We’re both seven,” said Hannie. “How old are you?”
Melody said she just turned seven. (That was good.) She said she liked pets. (Even better.) And she liked dressing up. (Perfect!) We would have to introduce her to Boo-Boo (maybe) and to Shannon and to Pat the cat. And we would teach her Lovely Ladies.
Melody introduced us to her mommy and daddy, her brother, Bill (he’s nine), and her baby sister, Skylar.
“Where do you live?” asked Melody.
“I live two houses over,” said Hannie. “And I have a brother. He’s nine. His name is Linnie. Plus, I have a little sister. She’s two. Her name is Sari.”
“I live over there, across the street,” I said. I pointed to Daddy’s house. I told her about everybody who lived there. (I did not tell her about Mommy’s house. I would save that for another time.)
“Are you going to go to Stoneybrook Academy? That’s where we go,” said Hannie.
“No. I am going to go to Stoneybrook Day School,” said Melody.
“That’s where Amanda went. She’s the girl who used to live here,” I explained. “But going to different schools did not matter. We got to play together a lot anyway.”
Secretly I was glad Melody was going to Stoneybrook Day School. I liked her. But Hannie and Nancy and I were the Three Musketeers. And if Melody went to our school and we all got along really well, we might have to become the Four Musketeers. And who ever heard of that?
“Want to take a walk with us?” I asked. “We could show you around the neighborhood.”
“Okay. I just have to ask my mommy and daddy,” Melody replied.
“I hope they say yes. We will show you the witch’s house!” I said.
I did not want to scare Melody. But I wanted her to know that living in Stoneybrook — especially with me and Hannie for neighbors — was going to be pretty exciting.
Old Friends, New Friends
“Guess what, Moosie!” I said. “There’s a new girl in the neighborhood. And she is really nice. Her name is Melody.”
I was up in my room. Hannie and I had shown Melody all around the neighborhood. She thought it was really neat. Especially Morbidda Destiny’s house. She said there were not any witches where she came from.
Then Melody’s mommy wanted her to help with Skylar. And Hannie had to go shopping with her family. But that was okay. I had some thinking to do. I needed to think about good-byes.
When Mommy and Daddy got divorced, I had to say good-bye to being a one-one. And I had to say good-bye to having Daddy around most of the time. That was sad. But Mommy and Daddy each got married again, and I got two families. I love them so much.
When my goldfish, Crystal Light, died, I had to say good-bye. And I was mad and sad at the same time. But then I got Crystal Light the Second. And she is a really great fish.
Before that, Louie, David Michael’s collie, died. When we said good-bye to him, we were very sad. But then we got Shannon, David Michael’s new puppy. She isn’t Louie. But we love her.
And two weeks ago, I had to say good-bye to my friend Amanda. But now Melody is here. And we are going to be friends.
“So, Moosie,” I said, “sometimes you have to say good-bye to people and pets and things. And that is sad. But other ones come along. They do not take the place of the ones you lost. But they make you feel a lot, lot better.”
“Karen! Mail call!” It was Kristy. Wow! I hardly ever get mail. I raced downstairs.
“Where is it? Where is my mail?” I asked.
Kristy handed me a letter. It was from Amanda! On the back was a flower. Under the flower was written, FORGET ME NOT!
I ran back upstairs so I could read the letter to Moosie. And I took out the little wooden ladies Amanda had given me. I lined them up so they could listen, too. Here is what the letter said:
“Look at that, Moosie!” I exclaimed. “I had to say good-bye to Amanda, but now I have her letter.”
That is a good thing, I thought. Even when you have to say good-bye to someone, they can still be with you. You could have a letter, or pictures, or special memories.
I wrote an answer to Amanda right away. On the back of the envelope I drew a heart. Inside the heart I wrote, U R 2 NICE 2 B 4-GOTTEN!
“I hope you heard everything I said to you about good-byes, Moosie. Because I have to say good-bye to you now. But don’t worry. I am only going to the corner. I will be back very soon.”
I gave Moosie a big kiss.
Then I went outside to mail my letter to Amanda. I hoped I would see Melody on the way.
About the Author
ANN M. MARTIN is the acclaimed and bestselling author of a number of novels and series, including Belle Teal, A Corner of the Universe (a Newbery Honor book), A Dog’s Life, Here Today, P.S. Longer Letter Later (written with Paula Danziger), the Family Tree series, the Doll People series (written with Laura Godwin), the Main Street series, and the generation-defining series The Baby-sitters Club. She lives in New York.
Copyright © 1991 by Ann M. Martin
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This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
First edition, 1991
e-ISBN 978-1-338-05596-2
Ann M. Martin, Karen's Good-Bye
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