Lara Bergen: Sophie the Chatterbox

Mrs. Belle’s eyes were wide. She looked surprised. So did Kate.

“My goodness! Sophie, you’re a little chatterbox today!” Mrs. Belle exclaimed.

Chatterbox? Again?

Sophie stood up very straight. She proudly raised her chin.

“I’m just being honest, Mrs. Belle. From now on, that is who I am,” Sophie said. She tugged on her shirt so her H showed better. “Sophie the Honest, at your service!”

“I see! So tell me, and be honest! What can I get you girls to eat?” Mrs. Belle said.

That was when Kate spoke up. “Cookies, please!”

Mrs. Belle got out a box of cookies with fudge stripes on top. She poured two cups of milk and let the girls squeeze chocolate into them.

“Whoa!” Mrs. Belle said. “I think that’s enough.”

Sophie stopped squeezing and licked her fingers. Then she remembered what she had been waiting for all day.

“Kate! You have to tell me your big news!” she said.

“Oh, right!” Kate said. She took a sip of chocolate milk and grinned. “But first, do I have a mustache?”

Sophie rolled her eyes. “Yes,” she said. She sipped her milk so she had one, too. “Now go on!” she told Kate.

Kate turned to Mrs. Belle. “Mrs. Belle, tell Sophie about your daughter!”

Mrs. Belle winked. “Well, she’s moved back to town. Finally!” she told Sophie.

“Oh …, “ Sophie said. She guessed that was exciting … for Mrs. Belle.

Kate leaned over. “That’s not all,” she said.

Then Mrs. Belle told Sophie that her daughter had bought a horse farm.

“Oh,” Sophie said. That was more exciting.

Then Mrs. Belle told Sophie that her daughter had invited Kate to come ride horses. And that Kate could bring two friends. And sleep over. And they could do it all that weekend!

“Oh!” Sophie said. That was not just exciting … it was the most fantastic, amazing, awesome thing ever, in the whole world!

“Have you ever ridden a horse before?” Mrs. Belle asked.

“No. Never.” Sophie shook her head. “But it has always been my lifelong dream,” she said very seriously.

Kate looked at her funny. “It has?”

“Yes, honest!” Sophie said. “I just didn’t know it until now.”

Then Sophie looked at Kate. And Kate looked at Sophie.

“Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” Kate asked.

“I think so!” Sophie said.

They gulped down their milk and each grabbed a handful of cookies.

“Thanks a lot, Mrs. Belle!” they said. “We have to go outside and practice!”

Sophie and Kate ran straight to Kate’s swing set. They straddled the swings like they were horses. They grabbed the chains and rocked and yelled, “Giddyup!” as loudly as they could.

“Whoa!” Kate said at last. She patted the air where her horse’s head would be. “Easy now, Lightning. Not too fast.”

Sophie pretended to pat her horse, too. “Good girl, Buttercup. Nice jumping!” she told her.

Then Sophie suddenly thought of something. Something that made her horse stop. Was pretending to ride a horse honest ?

“What’s wrong, Sophie?” Kate asked. “You look like your horse threw you off.”

Sophie sighed. She swung her leg over the swing so that she was facing forward.

“What’s wrong is that I forgot to be honest. No more pretending for me,” Sophie said.

“Huh?” Kate said. “But we like pretending.”

“I know. But pretending isn’t honest,” Sophie said. “At least, I don’t think so.”

Sophie sighed again. This time, Kate sighed with her.

They were both quiet for a minute.

“Can I still pretend?” Kate asked.

Sophie nodded. “Sure. Why not?”

Kate started to gallop on her horse. Then she stopped. “It’s not the same by myself.”

“Sorry,” Sophie said glumly. She didn’t want to ruin Kate’s fun, but she had to be true to her new name!

“That’s okay,” Kate said. “The only problem is that we pretend a lot.”

They were both quiet again.

“I know! Let’s talk instead,” Sophie said, swinging back and forth. “Tell me. Who else are you going to ask to come to the horse farm?”

Sophie knew that was a tough question, since Kate could only bring two friends. Sophie was Kate’s number one best friend. But there was a four-way tie for number two. Grace and Sydney sat at their table in room 10. And Eve and Mia played the most with them at recess.

Kate shrugged. “Grace is nice,” she said. “But she can be a little bossy. And Eve and Mia are fun. But Eve still can’t sleep over. She always has to call her mom. And Mia laughs really, really loud. She could scare the horses. So I guess I’ll ask Sydney. What do you think?” Kate asked.

Sophie nodded. “I think that sounds good,” she said honestly.

Then Kate chewed her hair. Sophie knew she did that when she was nervous.

“But what if Grace and Eve and Mia find out?” Kate went on. “I don’t want them to be mad. Or feel bad.”

Sophie waved her hand.

“Don’t worry,” she told Kate. “Sydney is good at keeping secrets. How could anyone find out?”

Sophie could not wait to get home and tell her mom the big news.

But her mom asked her a question first: “Sophie, how was school?”

Sophie had to be honest!

By the time Sophie got to the butter-churning part, her mom had to stop her.

“I’m sorry, Sophie,” her mom said. “I want to hear more. I really do. But you’re such a chatterbox today. And I have so much to do.”

Chatterbox! Again?

Sophie was just trying to be honest! Why did grown-ups ask questions if they didn’t want to hear the truth?

Still, honestly, she was glad to stop talking about her day. She spotted Tiptoe, her kitten, near her feet. She bent down and scooped her up. Then she tickled Tiptoe’s chin. Tiptoe liked that, Sophie knew.

Sophie looked at the stove. A pot of red sauce was bubbling. It smelled very, very yummy. “What are you making, Mom?”

“Lasagna. Dad’s favorite. I want to surprise him,” her mom said.

“Can I help?” Sophie asked.

Her mom smiled but shook her head. “I’m sorry, but I have to do this fast so I can clean the house,” she said. “Aunt Maggie called. She invited herself over for dinner. Again.”

Sophie’s mom’s smile was gone. She looked at the clock and let out a groan. “What is Aunt Maggie’s problem?” she asked.

Sophie shrugged and told the truth: “I do not know.”

Sophie’s mom smiled again. “I don’t, either. I just hope she doesn’t bring any more junk with her. If only she knew we throw most of it out,” she said, shaking her head.

Brring- brring- brring!

“Could you answer the phone, Sophie?” her mom asked. Her hands were covered with cheese. “If it’s for me, just say I’m not here, please.”

Sophie ran for the phone. She was happy to get it. Almost always, her mom or her dad or her older sister, Hayley, answered it first.

Sophie punched the “talk” button. “Hello?”

“Hello!” said a very loud voice on the other end. “Aunt Maggie here! Who is this?”

“Hi, Aunt Maggie. This is Sophie.” She cleared her throat. “Sophie the Honest!”

She couldn’t help smiling. What a good name she had picked!

“Sophie the who ?” said Aunt Maggie. “Sophie the Olive ?”