We swam side by side all the way. Once Sandy swallowed water and started coughing. It was scary. We stopped and treaded water. Then we started again.
Finally the shore seemed closer. I felt my feet brush the sand. Sandy stood up first.
“You did it!” I shouted.
“Hey, I did! I really did!” replied Sandy. She sounded surprised — and gigundoly happy.
We dropped down onto the beach to rest. Then it hit us. We had done a very foolish and dangerous thing. We could have drowned.
“We better not tell anyone,” I said.
“Not a soul,” replied Sandy.
We had a big secret to keep.
The Golf Tournament
“I will meet you back in the lobby in five minutes,” I said. “Unless one of us gets caught!”
We sneaked upstairs to our rooms to change into dry clothes. Luckily no one was there. Everyone was probably already at the golf course. The tournament was about to begin.
“Let’s hurry,” I said when we met in the lobby. “If we are late, they might ask us questions.”
We ran most of the way. When we were almost there, we stopped and walked. We did not want to look out of breath.
Sandy’s parents and my family were standing together.
“Did you two have a good time?” asked Sandy’s mother.
Sandy just nodded.
“Look! There are Nannie and Sam,” I said.
They waved to us. We waved back.
“Good luck!” I called. I was not sure which of them I was wishing good luck. If one of them won, the other might feel bad. Maybe it would be better if neither of them won the tournament, I thought. But I knew they both wanted to win badly.
During the last few days, golf was practically all either of them talked about. They even took turns standing around swinging make-believe golf clubs.
“Here we go,” said Daddy. “It is Nannie’s turn. Everyone be quiet so she can concentrate.”
Click! Nannie’s golf club hit the ball. The ball sailed up in the air. It dropped down on a dark patch of grass and rolled toward a hole in the ground.
“Yea, Nannie!” I shouted.
Oops. I was the only one making noise. Everyone else was clapping quietly. I guess golf is a quiet kind of game. Sandy and I giggled because I had made so much noise.
Two other people took their turns. Their balls did not get as close to the hole as Nannie’s.
Then it was Sam’s turn. His ball drifted off to the side.
The middle of the game was kind of boring. Sandy and I sat down on the grass and looked for interesting bugs. Things started getting exciting again at the end of the game.
I heard one woman say she was surprised there were so many good players in the tournament. A man said Nannie was one of the best. Sam did not seem to mind that Nannie was doing better than he was. He kept patting her on the back. He looked very proud.
Now I could root for Nannie without feeling bad about Sam. Each time someone took a turn, the clapping grew louder. People were starting to whisper about who they thought would win. Guess what. It was Nannie. Nannie won the tournament.
Ron, the hospitality director, shook Nannie’s hand and gave her a silver cup and an envelope with dinner tickets in it.
“Congratulations,” he said. “Are you surprised you won?”
“Not really,” replied Nannie. “I am just very happy.”
We all hugged Nannie.
“We are so proud of you,” said Elizabeth.
“You played a great game,” said Sam.
“Tomorrow night I want to take everybody to dinner at Dominique’s Restaurant. It will be my treat,” said Nannie.
She even invited Sandy and her parents to come as her guests. This was great. It would be two parties in one. It would be a tournament party for Nannie and a birthday party for Daddy.
I had already written a very good friendship skit and rehearsed it with Kristy. After a couple more rehearsals, I was sure we would be ready.
Party Plans
The minute I woke up on Saturday morning, I started thinking about Daddy’s party.
Kristy had already taken Emily downstairs to have breakfast. I was looking in the closet trying to decide what I would wear to our party when Elizabeth came into the room.
“What should I wear to dinner tonight?” I asked. “I want to look extra nice for Daddy’s birthday party.”
“Birthday party?” said Elizabeth. “Oh, my goodness! I forget all about your father’s birthday. I think everyone has. Even your father.”
“Kristy and I did not forget. We have been rehearsing a birthday skit I wrote for him,” I said proudly. “And I thought Nannie was taking us all for a birthday dinner.”
“We will just have to turn it into a birthday dinner,” replied Elizabeth. “Thank you for remembering, Karen.”
Suddenly there were a million things to do. I helped Elizabeth make a list. I felt gigundoly important being the birthday party organizer.
“Let’s try to keep this a secret from Daddy. Since he has forgotten his birthday, we will make it a surprise party for him,” said Elizabeth.
Just then we heard a knock on the door.
“Are you two coming to breakfast?” asked Daddy.
“In a minute,” I replied. “I need Elizabeth to help me with something.”
“See you downstairs,” said Daddy.
“Here is the plan,” said Elizabeth. “I will go into town with Nannie, Kristy, and Emily to buy some gifts. We will stop at Dominique’s Restaurant and see if they can make a cake for us. Do you think you and Sandy could make some party decorations?”
“Sure we can!” I replied. (I am a very good decoration maker.)
It was a hectic day. Sam and Charlie asked Daddy to go sailing with them. Right after breakfast, Elizabeth, Nannie, Kristy, and Emily boarded Robert’s van heading for town.
“Um, Kristy, I have a question,” I said before they left. “You will not be able to rehearse with me today because you are going to town. And Sandy is coming to the dinner. So I was thinking maybe she could be in the skit with me instead of you.”
I was afraid I was going to hurt Kristy’s feelings. But I did not have anything to worry about. She looked very relieved.
“That is a terrific idea,” said Kristy. “I am sure you two will do a great job.”
I waved good-bye, then went off to find Sandy. She loved the idea of being in the skit with me.
“Let’s get started,” I said. “We have decorations to make and a skit to rehearse. We have a lot of work to do.”
Happy Birthday, Daddy
“Ah, yes. The party of thirteen,” said Dominique’s headwaiter with a smile. “Right this way, please.”
He led us to our table. Sandy and I were each wearing brand-new party dresses. That afternoon, we had met a woman on the beach who was selling clothes. Our dresses were handmade and tie-dyed. All the colors we saw at the fruit market were in mine. It was pink, orange, yellow, and green. Sandy’s dress was different shades of blue. It looked like the sea and the sky.
“You girls look beautiful for Nannie’s celebration,” said Daddy.
“Thank you,” we replied.
I squeezed Sandy’s hand. Daddy still did not know the party was for him. We had done a good job of keeping the surprise. Robert had helped. He had hidden Daddy’s gifts on the van and dropped them off at the restaurant when he finished work. (We invited him to the party. But he wanted to go home to his family.)
I watched Daddy’s face as we walked into our private room at the back of the restaurant and shouted, “Surprise! Happy birthday!”
Daddy was so happy. He was beaming.
The room looked gigundoly great. Balloons and streamers were everywhere. There were party hats and horns. Presents were piled high on a table.
“I forgot all about my birthday,” he said.
“You can thank Karen for reminding us,” said Elizabeth.
“Thank you, sweetheart,
” said Daddy, giving me a hug.
“You are welcome,” I replied. “Daddy, I would like to give you my gift right away. Otherwise I will be too nervous to eat supper.”
Putting on a show, even for my family, made me nervous. I had butterflies in my stomach.
“What kind of gift would make you nervous?” asked Daddy.
“You will see,” I replied. “Sam, drum-roll, please.”
Everyone took a seat. Sam drummed his hands on the table like a real drummer in a band. I grabbed the bag with our costumes. Sandy and I ducked out of the room and put them on. We each wore a mask with whiskers and a cat’s tail. We ran back into the room and I introduced the play.
“Sandy and I will be performing together,” I said. “The show is called ‘Cool Cat Friends.’ ”
Everyone enjoyed our skit. When we were done, we read a poem I wrote.
“Someone I know likes you well and true.
“If she were not a scaredy cat, she would tell you who.”
We went around the room together telling each person why we liked them. When we got to Daddy, I recited a poem all by myself.
“I am the one who likes you well and true.
“Now that it’s your birthday I will sing a song to you.”
I sang “Happy Birthday,” and everyone joined in.
“Bravo!” said Daddy. “Thank you for the wonderful gift.”
Everyone clapped for us. I felt gigundoly proud.
We ate a delicious dinner. Then the waiters brought out a pineapple cake with birthday candles. (Pineapple was all they could make on short notice.)
Daddy opened his gifts. He got a lot of St. Philip souvenirs. (I was glad my gift to Daddy was the skit I wrote. It turned out to be special after all.) Nannie showed off her silver cup. Then we all had a surprise.
A band walked into the room playing “Happy Birthday.” When they finished, the leader said, “My name is Peter. I am a cousin of Robert’s. He sent me as a birthday gift, a tournament gift, and a farewell gift to his favorite family.”
Another cousin. I could hardly believe it. Even though Robert could not be at the party, he helped us celebrate our last night on the island. We had a blast!
Pen Pals
The next morning, we were up early getting ready for our flight. I was gigundoly sad to be leaving.
“Karen, did you leave any shells on the island?” asked Kristy.
I laughed. I was taking home an awfully big bunch.
“I think there are a few left on the beach,” I replied.
Our flight was scheduled to leave late in the morning. It was a good thing because we had a few small disasters. Andrew lost one of his sneakers. Emily was crying because she was tired. And the lock on Daddy’s suitcase got jammed.
But we had solved all our problems by the time we went downstairs for breakfast. We met Sandy and her parents in the coffee shop. They were going home a few hours later than we were. So Sandy and I had plenty of time to say good-bye.
Our parents said it was okay for us to take a walk to the beach when we finished eating. (I was sure we would not get into any trouble. There was not enough time!)
“I wish we lived closer together, so we could visit each other,” said Sandy.
“So do I. But we can write to each other. We can be pen pals,” I replied.
“I promise to write as soon as I get home,” said Sandy.
“I will write to you from the airplane,” I said.
“I will write to you before I leave the island!” replied Sandy.
I looked over my shoulder to make sure no one was close enough to hear me.
“We should not have gone so far out in the water yesterday,” I whispered. “But you really are a very good swimmer. You should try snorkeling some time.”
“I know I am a good swimmer,” replied Sandy. “And the doctors and my parents said I can swim and do anything I want. I have just been afraid.”
“Well, I think it is time to be brave,” I said.
“Karen! We have to go,” called Daddy.
Sandy and I ran back to the hotel to exchange addresses. Then we hugged and waved good-bye. The next thing I knew, my family and I were in Robert’s van on our way to the airport.
“Thank you for everything,” I said to Robert. “Say good-bye to all your cousins for me.”
“I will. I hope you will come back to this island very, very soon,” replied Robert.
I slept during most of the plane flights. So I did not get to write to Sandy. I promised myself I would write to her as soon as I got home.
But I was very busy and I forgot. A few days passed. Then a couple of weeks. Then a couple of months. I kept meaning to write. But I never got around to it. I did not receive a letter from Sandy either. She must have been busy, too.
That’s the way it is sometimes with pen pals. Then all of a sudden you have a surprise. My first letter from Sandy arrived on a Tuesday, three months after I had returned to Stoneybrook. Here is what it said:
This was a very good letter. I was happy that Sandy was feeling braver. And I was happy that she knew I was still her friend even though I had forgotten to write.
I did not want to forget again. I took out a piece of pink paper and a purple pen. At the top, I wrote Dear Sandy. Then I wrote a long letter. I had a lot I to tell my very good island friend.
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 © 1996 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, 1996
e-ISBN 978-1-338-05899-4
Ann M. Martin, Karen's Island Adventure
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