Ann Martin - Mary Anne And Too Many Boys

Then I started thinking about my trip to Sea City in the morning. I went through a checklist of everything I needed to take. And then I started thinking of all the things the Pikes would need to take for eight kids. Try to imagine it. Pails, shovels, beach blankets, and bathing suits, plus tons of rainy-day toys for kids of all different ages. Just thinking about it must have made me tired, because the next thing I knew, I had buried my face in my pillow and fallen sound asleep.

"Mary Anne, we're going to be late!" "I'm coming, Dad. Just one more hug." I crouched down so Tigger and I were on eye level (he was stretched out on the sofa) and kissed the top of his head. I couldn't stand to say good-bye to him.

"We'll take good care of him," Sharon promised.

"I know you will." Sharon isn't exactly a cat fan, but I think Tigger is growing on her.

After I hugged Sharon good-bye, Dad dropped me off at the Pikes'. Yow, another good-bye, I thought as he set my gear on their driveway.

"Take care of yourself, honey/' Dad said. I wasn't sure, but I thought he hugged me extra tightly, since I was going to be gone for a long time. I got through this last good-bye pretty easily, though, because Claire, Margo, and Nicky Pike all came barreling out of the garage, carrying suitcases.

"Come on, Mary Anne-silly-billy-goo-goo," Claire said. "It's time to go!" Claire is the youngest Pike and is going through an incredibly silly stage.

I helped load both cars (the Pikes always take two station wagons to Sea City) and at the very last minute, Stacey arrived with her mother. Stacey's mother looked a little sad and I knew she was going to miss her. Stacey is her only child, just like I'm Dad's only child. But Mrs. McGill would be alone for the next two weeks, while my dad would have Sharon and Tigger.

We finally straightened out who was going in which car. (I was going with Mrs. Pike,

Vanessa, and the triplets, and Stacey was going with Mr. Pike, Mallory, Claire, Margo, and Nicky.)

We were just pulling out of the driveway when Vanessa yelled, "Wait a minute. We forgot Frodo!"

Mrs. Pike turned around to smile at her. Frodo is the Pikes' pet hamster. "Vanessa, Jes-si's taking care of him at her house, remember?" Jessi has a hamster of her own named Misty, so she'd know how to look after Frodo.

"Oh, yeah." Vanessa settled back, sighing with relief.

"Now if there are no more problems, it's — "

Right on cue, the triplets sprang to life. "Sea City, here we come!"

Chapter 3.

Do you know exactly how many words rhyme with cat? I do. Vanessa used every single one of them during our trip to the beach. Vanessa is nine years old and wants to be a poet. I should say, she is a poet, because she is always making up poems. And you know what? It must be contagious, because now I find myself doing the same thing when I'm around her!

We were only a few miles out of Stoneybrook when it started. Vanessa and I were riding in the front seat with Mrs. Pike, and the triplets were bouncing around in the back. The triplets, in case you don't know, are named Adam, Jordan, and Byron, and they are ten years old.

"Can we stop for donuts?" Adam yelled. "There's a place right up ahead."

"Certainly not," Mrs. Pike said. "We'll stop at Howard Johnson's at the halfway point like we always do."

"Oh, Mom . . ." Adam whined. "We're starving."

"Adam, don't be a pest. It's all for the best." Vanessa looked very pleased with herself.

Oh, no. Here we go, I thought. "Come on, Adam. You can hold out for another hour or so," I said encouragingly.

"That's right," Vanessa went on. "It's a very short ride, and you'll soon see the tide." Jordan stuck his fingers in his ears, but she ignored him. "A day at the beach is like a fresh peach. A trip to the shore leaves you begging for more. A drive to the ocean is like a . . ." she paused, temporarily stumped.

"Mom!" Byron screeched. "Make her stop that. She's driving me crazy!"

Mrs. Pike just smiled and shook her head. I should tell you that the Pikes have very liberal ideas about raising kids. (Totally opposite from my father's ideas.) The Pike kids are allowed to do pretty much what they want, within reason. They don't have to eat foods they don't like, and they can stay up as late as they want, as long as they're in bed. Mrs. Pike would never tell Vanessa to stop making up poems because she thinks that kids should be allowed to express themselves.

"Vanessa," I said gently, "you picked a bad time to make up a — "I nearly said "rhyme," but luckily I stopped myself.

"Make up a what?" she asked with a knowing smile.

"A ... a poem."

She shrugged. "But there's nothing to do." I braced myself for what was coming. "And you know that it's true."

"Vanessa," Jordan said warningly from the backseat.

I thought fast. "I know. We'll all play a game — "

"But it won't be the same." Vanessa grinned.

I sighed. I could see it was a losing battle.

"Hey, I've got one," Adam shouted. "How's this? We're stuck in the car, and the ocean is far."

Vanessa turned around and stuck out her tongue at him. I don't think she liked being upstaged by her brother.

"Hah! You're a poet, and you didn't know it!" Jordan chimed in.

I was about to suggest a game of I Spy when Mr. Pike suddenly pulled up next to us on the three-lane highway.

"There's Daddy!" Vanessa shrieked. Mr. Pike tooted the horn, and Nicky, who is eight, pulled out his cheeks and made a really disgusting face against the window.

"Yuck!" Jordan yelled as Mr. Pike sped away. "Let's get him back!"

"Darn. It's too late now, but if we hurry up we can get him next time." Adam reached for a pad of construction paper I had tucked into a tote bag. "Quick! Anybody got a Magic Marker?"

Byron grinned. "Write something really gross!" he said, fumbling in a box of toys and art materials for rainy days.

"Um, I'm not sure this is a good idea," I began. I felt I had to speak up, since Mrs. Pike was humming along with a song on the radio and watching the road. She didn't seem the least bit worried that the triplets were planning a major war!

Adam frowned, waiting for inspiration to strike. Then he smiled, just like Road Runner plotting some awful revenge, and wrote: Batman has a Bird Brain.

Batman has a Bird Brain? I turned around to stare at Adam. "I don't get it," I said. I noticed that Mrs. Pike was gaining on Mr. Pike, and the two cars would be side by side in just a minute.

Adam hooted. "Nicky is so proud of his new Batman T-shirt, he's been wearing it day and night."

"Yeah, he bought it with his own money, and he thinks he's really cool," Byron piped up.

"He won't think he's so cool when he sees your sign," Jordan said happily.

Jordan was right. Nicky was furious. He stared at the sign, glanced down at his shirt, and turned beet-red. He shook his fist at us,

just as our car suddenly changed lanes and charged ahead of them.

The triplets were practically rolling off the seats with laughter as I racked my brain, trying to think of something to do to distract them. For the next few minutes, they turned down every single car game I could think of. I guess "Get Your Brother" was more fun.

They held up the Batman sign about five more times during the next hour — every time the two cars came side by side. Nicky was so mad, I expected to see smoke coming out of his ears!

At last we reached the halfway point. "This is it," Mrs. Pike said cheerfully.

I have never been so glad to see a Howard Johnson's in my life. Everyone piled out of the car, and after a quick trip to the restrooms, we all met at the take-out counter. Mallory and Stacey were ordering ice-cream cones for Claire and Margo, while Nicky was struggling to make up his mind.

"Get Cherries Jubilee," Mal suggested. "Or Rocky Road."