Ann Martin - Mary Anne Saves The Day

"I know." I tried to think of a way to explain what was going on. "We're . . . we're playing Telephone."

"We are? Then wait. Okay, everybody," Mallory said to her brothers and sisters. "Let's sit down in a line, right here in the living room. And Kristy, you sit at that end, and Mary Anne, you sit at the other end. Now, start the game, Mary Anne."

Just for fun, I leaned over to Adam, who was next to me, and whispered, "Kristy Thomas is a nosy, bossy, busybody."

Adam giggled. Then he whispered to Jordan, Jordan whispered to Claire, and the game was underway.

By the time the message reached Kristy, she looked puzzled.

"What?" said Mallory. "What did you hear?"

"I heard, 'Cranky Tommy's nose is a bossy, busy boy.' "

The Pike kids laughed hysterically.

"Okay, Mary Anne, now tell us what you really said," cried Mallory.

What I really said? I'd forgotten I'd have to do that. There was no way I could tell what I'd really said. I thought for a moment. "I said, 'Crystal tambourines — ' "

"No, you didn't," interrupted Adam. "You

said 'Critical — ' I mean 'Christopher — ' I mean. . . . Oh, I don't know what you said!"

Everyone was laughing again. "Kristy, you start one this time," I suggested.

Kristy ignored me.

Oh, brother.

I whispered to Adam, "Tell Kristy to start the game."

By the time the message reached Kristy, she said, "Tired carrots take the blame?"

"No, start the game!" shouted Adam.

We played a while longer, letting different kids take turns being on the ends. Luckily, Kristy and I never had to sit next to each other.

Promptly at six o'clock, Byron looked at his watch and announced, "It's time for dinner! Let's eat!"

"Okay," replied Kristy. "Into the kitchen, everybody!" She seemed to have forgotten that she'd said dinner was at 6:30.

I could see that she planned to take charge. "Wash your hands," I told the kids.

"No, we don't have to," said Nicky.

"Not unless we want to," added Margo.

Kristy smirked at me.

In the kitchen, pandemonium broke out. Ten people were scrambling around, getting out plates, forks, spoons, and glasses, and pulling food out of the refrigerator.

Kristy stuck her fingers in her mouth and whistled shrilly.

Silence.

"Now hold it!" said Kristy.

"We need some order," I added.

"What?" said Kristy. "Did somebody say something?"

"She said we need order," replied Mallory.

"We need order," Adam told Byron.

"We need order," Byron told Jordan.

"We need order," Jordan told Vanessa.

"We need order," Vanessa told Nicky.

"We need order," Nicky told Margo.

"We need order," Margo told Claire.

Claire hugged Kristy around the knees and grinned up at her. "We need order, Kristy," she said. "Whatever that is."

Kristy actually smiled. "Tell Margo to sit down."

"Sit down," said Claire, finding her place at the long table in the kitchen.

Margo sat. "Sit down," she told Nicky.

Nicky sat. "Sit down," he told Vanessa.

Vanessa sat. "Sit down," she told Jordan.

Jordan sat. "Sit down," he told Byron.

Byron was already sitting down, waiting for food to appear in front of him. "I am sitting," he said. "Sit down," he told Adam.

Adam sat. "Sit down," he told Mallory.

Mallory sat. "Sit down," she told me.

"No," I said, smiling. "1 am going to serve you guys."

And that's how the rest of dinner went. Not once did Kristy and I have to speak to each other, and the Pike kids never realized anything was wrong. They thought we were playing a great game, and I could tell they were probably going to play it themselves for a long time. I felt slightly sorry for their parents.

By the time we finished dinner, it was after seven o'clock. The meal had taken an unusually long time because every word of conversation had to be repeated nine times and go all the way around the table, with much giggling. I finally put an end to the meal when Nicky, who was sitting between Claire and Jordan, turned to Jordan and said, "Tell Claire she's a hot-dog-head."

"Claire, you're a hot-dog-head," Jordan told Vanessa.

"Claire, you're a hot-dog-head," Vanessa told Adam.

By the time the sentence reached Claire and she said to herself, "Claire, you're a hot-dog-head," Nicky laughed so hard he spit his milk across the table.

"Okay, guys," I said. "Dinner's over. Help us clean up and put the dishes in the washer,

and then we'll go do something."

"Do what?" asked Mallory.

"Put on a play," I said firmly, not bothering to look at Kristy. I didn't care whether she wanted to or not, and I didn't want the question asked ten times before I found out.

When the kitchen was clean (part of being a good baby-sitter is leaving a tidy house behind you) I gathered the kids and a reluctant Kristy downstairs in the rec room. "Now," I began, "we're going to put on — "

" — whatever you want," Kristy supplied.

I tried not to look as angry as I felt. I'd been planning on suggesting a Winnie-the-Pooh story because there were so many Pooh characters and I thought that even Claire and Margo would know some of the tales.

But at Kristy's words, everybody started shouting.

"The Phantom Tollbooth!" cried Vanessa.

"Chuck Norris!" yelled Adam and Jordan.

"Peter Rabbit," suggested Claire.

After about ten minutes of arguing, we decided to put on two plays. Under Kristy's direction, the triplets and Mallory were going to put on a play called Super-Girl Meets the Super-Nerds. (A sound effects record was going to be involved.) Under my direction, Nicky, Vanessa, Claire, and Margo were going to put

on Peter Rabbit. I took them upstairs to rehearse in the living room.

The Pike kids had lots of fun with their plays, and by the time I looked at my watch again, it was 8:30. Yikes! It was time for Margo and Claire to be in bed, and time for Nicky and Vanessa to start getting ready for bed. Furthermore, if Mr. and Mrs. Pike weren't home in about twenty minutes, I wouldn't be home by nine. But they had promised, and they usually kept their promises.

I took Margo and Claire upstairs and put them to bed, while Nicky and Vanessa changed into their pajamas. Kristy stayed downstairs with Mallory and the triplets. When the littlest ones were settled, I closed the door to their room gently.

"You guys want a story?" I asked Nicky and Vanessa.

"Yes! Yes! We're in the middle of Pippi Longstocking!"

So we read a few pages. I looked at my watch. Five minutes to nine! What was I going to do? If I left early, the Pikes would be upset. After all, they were paying for two sitters. If I got home late, Dad would be upset.

Luckily, just as I was starting to panic, I heard the Pikes arrive. I shooed Nicky and Vanessa into their bedrooms. "Your mom and

dad will say good-night to you in a few minutes," I assured them.

Then I dashed downstairs. There was no time for dignity. "Mrs. Pike," I said breathlessly, not daring to look at Kristy, "I've got to be home right now! It's almost nine."

"I know, Mary Anne. I'm sorry we're late. We got caught in a traffic jam on the way back. Hop in the car with Mr. Pike, you two," she told Kristy and me. "He'll give you a lift home. Oh, and he'll pay you when he drops you off."

"Okay," I said. "Thanks. 'Bye!"

When Mr. Pike let us off in front of our houses, it was five minutes after nine. He paid us a little extra, since they'd been on the late side, which was nice of him. Then he drove off. I sprinted for my front door. Just as I reached it, I heard Kristy call from the darkness, "Baby, baby, baby!"

Humiliated, I let myself inside.

My father was waiting for me.

Chapter 10.

"Hi, Dad," I greeted him apprehensively.

"Mary Anne, I was just starting to worry."