Ann Martin - Kristy's Big Day

"Don't you think you're overpaying them?" he asked.

"It's only three dollars an hour," replied Mom. "That's slightly more than what they usually charge, but there are fourteen children involved. How much do you make?"

"A little more than that per hour - but I get tips," said Sam.

"Kristy! Kristy!"

David Michael came crashing through the front door and into the kitchen. He was loaded down with rolled-up artwork, his lunch box, a shopping bag, and an envelope holding old papers and worksheets. "Oh, Mom, you're home already. Hey, guess what, everybody!" He dropped all his stuff on the floor, jumped over it, and thrust a piece of paper across the table at us.

Mom took it. I peered at it. A large gold star was glued to the top.

" 'CitizenshipAward/ " Mom read. " This certifies that David Michael Thomas has been chosen best citizen of the year in Mr. Bowman's room, by his peers.' "

"That means the other kids," David Michael explained.

"Duh," said Sam. (Mom hushed him with one look.)

She turned to David Michael. "Honey, congratulations!" she said. "We'll have to frame this."

"They voted on me," David Michael told us breathlessly, "and Mr. Bowman wrote my name on the blank and gave it to me and said I should be proud. Can we put this with the other awards?"

(There's this wall in the den that's covered

withawards Charlie and Sam and I have won. There's also a table filled with trophies. Until today, David Michael didn't have any awards or trophies, so this was a big deal for him.)

"Of course," said Mom."As soon as it's framed."

Mom began helping David Michael put away all the junk he'd brought home from school. Sam and I drifted onto the back porch.

"You know," I said, stretching out in a wicker chair and putting my feet up on the table, "in about two weeks, there isn't going to be an awards wall anymore. Everything will be packed away for the move."

"Yeah, I thought of that," said Sam. He eased himself into a lawn chair and ran his fingers through his curly hair."Poor kid." (I guessed he meant David Michael.)

"Do you think Mom'11 put up our awards wall and the trophy table at Watson's?" I asked.

Sam shrugged.

"Hey, Sam, um . . . what do you think about going to the Brewers'? I mean, I know you like Watson,but. . .it's just. . . everything's going to be so different."

"I don't mind. I don't have to change schools. That's really important. None of us has to change schools. Did you know that Mom and

Watsonhave to pay to let you stay atStoney -brook Middle School instead of switching to Kelsey Middle School?"

"You're kidding.How come?"

"Because Kelsey is closer to Watson's, so technically you should go there when you change school districts. But the officials make an exception if you pay a fee. Mom has to pay for David Michael to stay atStoneybrook Elementary School, too. It doesn't make any difference to Charlie and me, though, since there's only one high school."

"I didn't know all this," I said.

"Mom and Watson are trying to make the move as easy on us as possible."

"I guess so. But Sam, we still aren't Watson's kids, you and Charlie and David Michael and I. Even though we'll be living over there, we won't be his kids.Just hisstepkids ."

"What are you getting at, Kristy?"

"Well, for instance, if Watson was my real father, and he was still a millionaire, I could ask him for big things, like a VCR for my bedroom. But since he'll only be my step, can I ask him for anything? I mean, say I need to borrow a couple of dollars and Mom's not around. Could I ask Watson? Mom said something about Watson not having to be responsible for our college educations."

"There's a big difference between four college tuitions and two dollars," said Sam.

"I know. But there's a big difference between four tuitions and a VCR, too, and I wouldn't ask him for a VCR. Where do you draw the line?In what ways is he our father?"

"Those are heavy questions," said another voice.

Charlie had come home. He joined Sam and me on the porch.

"I've been doing a lot of thinking," I told them. "You know how I don't like guessing games. Well, I don't like surprises, either. I like to know what's going to happen."

"But no one knows what's going to happen, Kristy," said Charlie, the voice of reason. "Even Mom and Watson don't really know what to expect."

"I feel like we're in a movie," I said.

"The Bride of Frankenstein?" asked Sam.

"No, not The Bride of Frankenstein."1 stuck my tongue out at Sam. Fifteen-year-old brothers are a real drag. It's too bad boys can't skip from fourteen right to sixteen or seventeen.

"I Married a Witch?" Sam guessed.

"No! It's just . . . well . . . think about it. Mom and Dad get divorced, Mom meets new guy, new guy has two kids, new guy turns out to be millionaire, Mom and new guy get

married, we move to mansion. But that doesn't mean it has a happy ending."

"Yeah, stay tuned for Part Two," said Charlie. "I know what you mean. It's hard to believe."

"And scary."

"But," said Sam, turning serious, "wecan make it work."

"You think so?" I asked hopefully. I looked at my brothers.

They nodded.

"Then stay tuned for Part Two!" I said.

Chapter 5.

The next day, I called the first emergency meeting of the Baby-sitters Club that we'd had in a long time. It wasn't easy keeping my news a secret, but I managed not to say a word about the fourteen children or the six hundred dollars until Mary Anne, Claudia, Stacey, Dawn, and I had gathered in Claudia's room.

"What's this all about?" asked Stacey. She was lying on her back across Claudia's bed with her head hanging over the side, brushing her hair.

"Yeah, an emergency on the first day of summer vacation?" said Claudia from the end of her bed where she was leafing through a fashion magazine.

"Well, maybe it's not a true emergency," I said, "but it's very important and we have to take care of it right away."

"Did something happen?" asked Dawn.

"Just this," I said. "You all know that the wedding is a week from today."

"Oh, and I can't wait!" exclaimed Mary Anne. "I know exactly what I'm going to

wear."

"I'm dying to see your bridesmaid gown," added Stacey.

The wedding was going to be on the big side. Mom and Watson had each asked a lot of guests, and they had let my brothers andme invite some people, too. Of course, my guests were theSpiers , theKishis , theMcGills , and theSchafers . They were all going to be there.

"Well, anyway, it's in a week," I said again. "And since Mom has so much to do and so little time to do it in, my relatives and some friends of Watson's decided to give her a hand."

"That's nice," said Stacey.

"It is," I agreed, "except that they all live out of town and they're all arriving by Monday - with their kids. Mom realized that while the adults are working on the wedding this week, there are going to be fourteen children who need looking after."

"Fourteen!" exclaimed Claudia.

"Yup.Seven of my cousins, four kids who belong to Watson's friend, plus Karen, An-

drew, and David Michael. At first Mom thought the kids would just have to hang around Watson's while the adults are working, but she knows they're going to be in the way. So I sort of made a suggestion."

"What?" asked Dawnsuspiciously.

"I suggested that the kids come over to my house every day this week and we'll baby-sit for them. That way the grown-ups will be able to get their work done."

"Us?Take care of fourteen children?" squeaked Mary Anne.

"Mom said that if we baby-sit for them from nine to five every day, she and Watson will pay useach. . .one hundred and twenty dollars."

I looked around the room, expecting something to happen. I thought for sure someone would screech or gasp or fall off the bed.