“I really am sorry I erased your appointment,” said Nancy.
“And I am sorry we hid the baby books. I’ll go get them!” I offered.
“I will get your suitcase,” said Nancy, climbing off her mother’s lap.
“And we will move the furniture back where it came from,” I added.
“That would be nice,” said Mrs. Dawes.
“But we will not put the dust back in the living room. And we will not put the leaves back on the lawn,” I promised.
“See? We did some good things,” said Nancy.
“You do a lot of good things,” said Mrs. Dawes. “But you know what? I would love you even if you didn’t.”
“Say Your ‘Esses’ ”
It was another rainy day recess. Ms. Colman was organizing our indoor games.
“Hey, Karen!” yelled Bobby. “Want to play Telephone?”
Bobby was teasing me. But I did not care.
“Sure,” I replied. “I’ll play!”
I heard Pamela say to Leslie, “Do you still want to play? Even if Karen does?”
“I don’t know,” said Leslie. “Some people cannot keep secrets no matter how hard they try.”
I can keep a secret, I thought. I know I can. I’ll show everyone.
We picked numbers from the box on Ms. Colman’s desk. Natalie got number one. I got number five. Ms. Colman wrote a secret sentence on a piece of paper. She handed it to Natalie.
Psst-psst-psst-psst. Natalie whispered to Bobby. Bobby whispered to Pamela. Pamela whispered to Ricky. Ricky whispered to me.
As soon as the secret went into my ear, I covered my mouth so the secret would not pop out.
“Wait,” said Bobby. “I will get you a needle and thread. You can sew your lips together.”
I could tell he was being funny. Not mean.
“Careful, Karen,” warned Pamela. “Don’t let that secret slip out.”
“Mmph-mmph, mmph-mmph” I mumbled. That meant “My lips are sealed.”
I turned to Hannie and uncovered my mouth. Then I stopped and slapped my forehead.
“Oh, no!” I said out loud. “I forgot the sentence!”
“Ka-ren!” moaned Natalie.
“Just kidding!” I replied. I turned to Hannie and whispered the secret. Psst-psst-psst-psst.
“She did it!” cried Ricky. “She kept the secret.”
Everyone clapped and cheered for me, Karen Brewer, Great Keeper of the Telephone Secret.
The secret went down the line until it reached Nancy. She was the last player.
“Okay. Here it is,” said Nancy. “Wayne, Wayne, go way, way. Gum again a nut today!”
“Oh, no!” giggled Natalie. “That was not how it started out at all.”
She read what Ms. Colman had written. “Rain, rain, go away. Come again another day.”
“That game was fun!” said Hannie.
“I have an idea for a new game,” said Natalie. “It is called Speech Class. Who wants to play?”
“I do!” I cried. Nancy, Hannie, and a few other kids wanted to play, too.
“May we borrow your mirror, Ms. Colman?” asked Natalie.
“Of course,” Ms. Colman replied. She handed Natalie a mirror from her desk drawer.
“Thank you,” said Natalie. “Okay, everyone. We are going to take turns saying our ‘esses’ while we look in the mirror. Karen, will you begin?”
I looked in the mirror and began to say my “esses.” I could see Natalie’s face behind me. She was smiling.
I could tell she was glad her speech classes were not a secret anymore. Just like Nancy was glad when her worries about the baby were not a secret anymore. Do you want to know what I think?
I think some secrets are better when they are shared.
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 © 1992 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, 1992
e-ISBN 978-1-338-05638-9
Ann M. Martin, Karen's Secret
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