Ann Martin - Mary Anne And Too Many Boys

"Hey, I just thought of something," she said. "I've got a string bikini that would look great on you. It's one of those green metallic ones. You know, the kind that always looks wet?"

"No thanks," I said quickly. "I'm all set." I could just picture what my father would do if he thought I was packing a string bikini forSeaCity ! Even though Dad has mellowed a lot in the last few months, he's still pretty conservative. It's hard to believe, but in the old days, I had so many rules, I felt like I was in boot camp. I had to be home by nine, I had to wear my hair in pigtails, and worst of all, my father picked out my clothes for me. I think part of the reason is that my mother died when I was little, and Dad had to be a mother and a father to me. Luckily, he has loosened up a lot, even though he will never be as casual about things as Sharon (Dawn's mom) is.

I was Dawn's first friend when she moved to Stoneybrook after her parents got divorced. We got along great from day one. You can imagine how surprised we were when we discovered that her mom and my dad went to high school together, and that they'd even gone steady. Their story is very romantic (and a little sad) because although they'd loved each other, they'd broken up. Why? Because Dawn's grandparents didn't approve of my father! Anyway, years later, when Sharon and my dad met each other again, they realized that they still were in love and finally decided to get married. All of us moved into Dawn's house, and although things were a little rocky at first, everyone is happy now.

"Mary Anne, I have some suntan lotion for you." Dad tapped on the open bedroom door and then came in, followed bySharon .

"Thanks, Dad, but I've got tons of sunblock." I learned my lesson the last time I went toSeaCity and ended up looking like a lobster. For some reason, I am one of those people who never tan. I just go directly from dead white to flaming red, followed by some painful peeling.

"How about toothpaste, shampoo, and stationery?" Dawn's mom asked. She fumbled in the pocket of her pink jumpsuit, looking a little

distracted. "And I bought each of you a roll of stamps, but what in the world did I do with them?"

It's really funny whenSharon tries to be organized and in control, because she's the most disorganized person I've ever met. If you don't believe me, you should see our kitchen. Last week, I found the grocery list (with a pencil still attached) in the refrigerator, and a very ripe tomato in the coupon drawer. I couldn't tell you how they got there, and I betSharon couldn't, either.

"Oh, dear," she said, searching in her pocket again. "Would you believe I actually made a list of what you both would need for two weeks?" I'd believe it.Sharon is a great list-maker. The trouble is she always loses a list five minutes after she writes it.

"Don't worry, Mom," Dawn said reassuringly. "I'm ready to go. I just have to throw in a beach cover-up and a hair dryer, and then I'll be all packed."

"It's true," I said, catching Dad's worried glance. "The room just looks like a disaster. She's really in good shape."

"You could have fooled me," Dad said, shaking his head.

One of the reason's Dawn's room looked so cluttered is that it is very small. All the rooms

in Dawn's house are small, because that was the style back then. I should explain that when Dawn's mother moved to Stoneybrook fromCalifornia after her divorce last year, she bought a house for herself, Dawn, and Jeff. (Jeff is Dawn's younger brother.) But not just any house — a farmhouse that is so old it's practically an historic landmark. It was built in 1795, and has an outhouse, a barn, and an old smokehouse. It looks like a large, creepy dollhouse, the kind of place that a ghost would love to call home. (And probably does!) Dawn and her mom are crazy over it. Jeff, her brother, wasn't crazy over anything in Stoneybrook, though, so he eventually moved back toCalifornia to be with his dad.

But back to Dawn, who was sitting on her suitcase to close it. "I think that about does it," she said, looking a little flushed with the effort. Dawn was dressed for traveling, which meant she was wearing a beautiful Laura Ash-ley dress and had swept her long blonde hair back in pearl barrettes.

"Then let's have a quick dinner and be off to the airport,"Sharon said. "I made something special for your last meal here, Dawn," she added, heading for the door.

Dad and I exchanged a look. Neither one of

us likes health food as much as Sharon and Dawn do.

"Something special?" I ventured. I was starving and hoped she hadn't made one of her famous tofu casseroles.

"Something you both like,"Sharon said, stopping to put an arm around me. "Spinach lasagna, tossed salad, and Italian bread."

"That sounds great!" I breathed a sigh of relief.

"And for dessert," she went on, "Tofu Delight!"

It was nearlyseven o'clock when we got to the airport, and I could tell Dawn was feeling a little nervous about her flight toCalifornia . She checked her purse three times to make sure she had her ticket, while the four of us strolled up and down the long concourse.

"Did you bring some snacks for the trip?" I asked her.

"Of course." Dawn grinned and patted her canyon bag. "An apple, some dates, and two granola bars. Plus they give you something to eat on the plane."

"Something cardboard,"Sharon said crisply.

"No," Dawn laughed. "Something edible. I

checked." She paused and looked at me. "I left that new mystery book on your dresser for you to read. And if you want to take any of my tapes toSeaCity , they're in the shoe box in my closet."

I smiled. Dawn and I don't usually have the same taste in music, but it was a nice thought. "Thanks," I said slowly. I was surprised to find that my voice was a little quavery. It was crazy, but I was already starting to miss Dawn.

Maybe she felt the same way, because she looked at me very seriously. "I wish you were coming with me, Mary Anne. You'd loveCalifornia ."

I shrugged. "I'll have my hands full with all those Pike kids inSeaCity ."

She smiled. "I know, but remember not to work all the time. Take some time out to have fun."

Dawn's flight was announced then, and Sharon enveloped Dawn in a big hug. "Are you sure you have everything?" she asked for the dozenth time. "Tickets, money ..."

"Everything, Mom," Dawn told her. They looked amazingly alike. Blonde, blue-eyed, and pretty.

Dad hugged Dawn then, even though I think he felt shy about doing it. Dad always feels a little uncomfortable around kids, prob-

ably because I am his only child and the two of us lived alone for so many years.

Dawn turned to me with her arms outstretched, and the tears welled up in my eyes. "Oh, Dawn, I'm really going to miss you!" I blurted out.

"Me, too," she said awkwardly, patting my back. "I just hate good-byes." She pulled away to look at me and I saw that her eyes were misty. "Don't make me cry, okay? I can't get on that plane with mascara dribbling down my cheeks!"

"Okay," I said, sniffling a little. I was trying hard to be brave, but deep down, I felt like bawling. I couldn't believe I was losing my stepsister for two whole weeks.

"Send lots of postcards!" Dawn called as she headed toward the gate. "And tell me everything!"

"I will," I promised. I dabbed at my eyes with a tissue.

"She'll be back before you know it," Dad said consolingly.

I nodded, afraid I would start crying again. Suddenly two weeks seemed like two years.

It was impossible to sleep that night. I tossed and turned, thumped the pillow, and tried to imagine what Dawn would do when she

reached California. I pictured her having lemonade with Jeff and her father. Maybe they were relaxing outside on a big wraparound deck. Dawn told me her father has a really cool house with terra-cotta floors and skylights in almost all the rooms. Plus they have a housekeeper, so she doesn't have to worry about kitchen duty.