Ann Martin - Kristy And The Mothers Day Surprise

kids — all of them — were gathered under a tree with Mallory, Stacey, and Jessi, who were singing with them while the rest of us sitters got organized.

I kept hearing snatches of song, most of them sung by Mallory.

I heard: “I’ve got sixpence, jolly, jolly sixpence. I’ve got six pence to last me all my life . .

Then I heard: “Oh, we ain’t got a barrel of money. Maybe we’re ragged and funny. .

And then: “Won’t you come home, Bill Bailey? Won’t you come home?”

(Where does Mal learn all this stuff?)

Finally I heard Jessi and Stacey teach the kids a round: “Heigh-ho, nobody at home. Meat nor drink nor money have I none. Yet will I be mee-e-e-erry. Heigh-ho, nobody at home.”

The round sort of got lost because the kids were saying things like, “Heigh-ho, no one’s at my house.” But you could get the gist of it.

Anyway, while the kids were singing, Dawn, the world’s most organized person, took their bags, thermoses, lunch boxes, prizes, and extra sweaters, and organized them under a tree. When the fathers arrived to pick up their kids, nothing would be missing or hard to locate. Meanwhile, Claudia had found her art materials and was setting them out on the Kishis’

picnic tables. And Mary Anne had found the stack of books we’d borrowed from the library.

“Okay!” I called as another round of “HeighHo” came to an end. “Who wants to make a Mother’s Day card?”

“Me!” cried all twenty-one kids.

“Great,” I replied. “Everyone will get a turn, but half of you will read stories with Mallory and Jessi and me first. Then we’ll switch.”

Well, that was not the way to present things, because all the kids wanted to go first, but at last we got the problem sorted out. Live and learn.

Mal and I read Where the Wild Things Are and One Morning in Maine and The Cat in the Hat to the younger children, while Jessi read if 1 Ran the Circus and a chapter from a Paddington book to the older kids.

Then it was time for the children to trade places. The ones who had just made cards brought them over to Mal and Jessi and me. They were very proud of them.

“Look,” said Claire. “Look at my card.”

I looked. It said, “HAPY MOTH’S DAY LOVE CLAIRE.”

Shea held his out shyly. On the front was written, “Dear Mom, you are . . . “and inside was written:

Jackie’s was covered with smudges and drops of glue, with splotches and mistakes. It read:

“Daer Mom, I love you. Love, Your sun, Jackie Rod owsky.”

“Beautiful, Jackie,” I told him, and he beamed. The stories began again. The card-making began again. And before we knew it, Mynah Perkins was calling, “Hey, there’s Daddy!”

And there he was. He was followed by Mr. Pike and Mr. Prezzioso. The kids started to gather their things. The littlest ones ran to

their fathers and threw their arms around them.

Our day was over. The Mother’s Day surprise was over. I felt sort of sad. But glad, too, because it had gone so well. I listened to the kids chattering away: “Daddy! I went on a ride. Let’s tell Mommy!” said Jenny. And, “I have to tell Mommy about the balloon man,” said Jamie. And, “We found the neatest water fountains,” exclaimed Nicky. And, “Daddy, I threw up on the merry-go-round,” said youknow-who.

“Oh,” replied Mr. Pike, “Mommy will love to hear that.”

Chapter 14.

"Well?" I said.

“Well what?” replied Claudia.

The children were gone. Except for Andrew, Karen, and David Michael. They and I were at the Kishis’ waiting for Charlie to pick us up and take us home. The rest of the sitters were still at Claud’s, too. We had cleaned up every last crayon and shred of paper, but we just couldn’t bear to part. So while my little sister and brothers sat under a tree and looked at the library books, the members of the Babysitters Club lolled around on the Kishis’ porch.

“Well what?” said Claudia again.

“Well, what did everyone decide about Mother’s Day presents?” I asked, not daring even to glance at Mary Anne. “Was the Mother’s Day surprise good enough?”

“I’ll say,” said Mal. “It turned out better than I’d hoped. I bet it was the best Mother’s

Day present Mom ever got. Especially when Dad pitched in.”

“Ditto,” said Jessi.

“Ditto,” I said. “Mom got to spend the day alone with Watson, since Sam and Charlie went to school to help at a car wash to raise money for the football team.”

“And our homemade presents are finished,” announced Dawn.

“Well, they are, except for mine,” said Stacey. “But Claudia’s helping me, so I’ll be done tonight.”

“What did you make?” I asked.

Claudia, Stacey, and Dawn exchanged grins. “Personalized pins,” replied Claud. “My idea,” she added proudly.

“They’re more like brooches, though,” said Stace.

“What do you mean, personalized pins?” asked Jessi.

“See,” said Claud, “we went to the miniatures store and bought things that are meaningful to our mothers. . . . Well, I had to get Stacey’s things for her since she wasn’t here.”

“Yeah,” agreed Stacey, “and she did a good job. Like, my mom can sew, and she likes to travel and read, and she likes dogs even though we don’t have one. So Claudia bought a tiny

airplane, book, thimble, pair of scissors, and dog.”

“And then,” Dawn continued, “we mixed up the little charms with glass beads and colored flowers, and we glued everything to a metal piece with a pin attached —“

“You can get those things at the crafts store,” added Claudia.

“— and, ta-dah! A brooch. Each one different. Just for our mothers.”

“Great idea!” I exclaimed.

“I, um, made a decision. I mean about Mother’s Day,” said Mary Anne.

Six heads swiveled toward her.

“I’m giving my father a Mother’s Day present. He’s been a good father and a good mother to me, or at least he’s tried to be, and I want to let him know it.”

“Mary Anne! That’s great!” I cried. “We never thought of giving your dad a Mother’s Day present.”

The others were smiling, so Mary Anne began to smile, too. “You don’t think it’s corny?” she asked.

“No way!” exclaimed Mallory.

“What did you get him?” asked Jessi

“A book. It’s not very original, but it’s hard to know what to get men. And I have to give

him stuff on his birthday and Christmas and of course Father’s Day, too. So I can’t always be original. Anyway, I know he wants this book.”

Beep, beep!

Charlie had pulled into the Kishis’ driveway. Sam was next to him in the front seat. The car was sparkling clean. I figured they’d taken it through the car wash. Mom and Watson would be happy. The money had gone to a good cause, and the station wagon was clean.

“Come on, you guys!” I called to Andrew, David Michael, and Karen.

I said good-bye to my friends. Then my sister and brothers and I squished into the backseat, and Charlie drove home.

The six of us entered our house (okay, our mansion), bursting with news and stories. But~ we stopped in our tracks when we reached the living room. No kidding. We came to a dead halt.

There were Mom and Watson standing next to each other, very formally, their arms linked. They looked nervous, happy, and surprised all at the same time.

Karen and my brothers and I glanced from our parents to each other, then back to our parents. Not one of us said a word.

After a few moments, Watson cleared his

throat. Then Mom cleared her throat. Mom ~v~s the one who finally spoke.

“Watson and I have some wonderful news,” she said. “We just heard it this afternoon. Let’s sit down.”