Ann Martin - Dawn's Big Move

"Doing errands," Mary Anne answered.

I yawned and plopped down at the table again. "I am doing nothing today. I don't even want to move."

Mary Anne laughed. "I know what you mean. Are you almost finished?"

"Eating?" I replied. "Mary Anne, I just started."

"Oh, okay. I'll do the dishes when you're done ... so you can shower and get dressed."

"Uh-huh."

"You know, I haven't seen you wear those nice cream-colored drawstring waist pants you bought last month, and that ribbed cotton T-shirt with the buttons down the front. That would look nice."

"Mm-hm."

I wondered what on earth had gotten into my sister. There I was, slurping cereal, my eyes barely open, looking forward to a day on which I had planned absolutely nothing — and Mary Anne was already dressing me.

The moment I finished my breakfast, Mary

Anne took away my bowl and put it in the sink. "Uh, I was kind of looking forward to seconds," I said.

"Oh, sorry. Well, Dad'11 be back any minute. I guess it would be nice for us to be ... you know, dressed and ready."

"Ready? For what?"

"You know ... for the day. That's all. I mean, he may need us to do things. The normal stuff."

I shrugged. "Yeah. I guess."

"I was just thinking, I really adore that outfit," Mary Anne reminded me.

"Okay, okay, I'll wear it."

I began the long, long climb upstairs. Each step was fresh torture. When I reached the top, I was exhausted. But even though my body was a mess, my mind was finally waking up.

Something was going on. I knew it. Mary Anne never acted the way she had acted at breakfast. Why did she want me to get ready so fast? How come she kept talking about that new outfit? And where were Mom and Richard, really?

I didn't need to be a genius to figure out she had planned a surprise. That was it. People were coming over, and Mary Anne didn't want me looking like the Swamp Thing.

In the warm water of the shower, my mus-

cles started to feel a lot better. I ran into my room and put on the outfit Mary Anne wanted. I made sure my hair was dried and combed, and I even put on a little bit of makeup.

I could hear noises downstairs. I slowed down a little. If Mary Anne was directing people into hiding places, I didn't want to spoil things.

After a few minutes, I stood up and stretched. "Oh, I feel much better!" I said loudly. "I'm all ready, Mary Anne."

"Great," Mary Anne called up.

"Here I come!"

"Okay."

I walked slowly down the stairs. Mary Anne smiled and said, "You look fabulous!"

I walked nonchalantly into the dining room. No one was there. I wandered into the living room, the den. Empty. No one behind couches or under tables.

Mary Anne was tidying up the house, not saying a word.

Ding-dong.

The doorbell! They were waiting outside, ready to come in. "Should I get it?" I asked.

"If you want," Mary Anne replied.

With my biggest smile, I flung the door open.

It was Richard. Alone. " 'Morning/' he said. "I'm back."

I looked over his shoulder. I expected to see heads popping up from behind bushes.

Wrong.

"Any volunteers to accompany me on a dangerous mission to the grocery store?" Richard asked.

Mary Anne came into the living room. "Great," she said. "We weren't doing anything."

We walked out to the car. I began to feel excited again. Of course! They were taking me to a party.

Minutes later, Richard pulled up to our destination.

The grocery store.

We bought some detergent and paper towels and tuna. Then we left.

I sank into the backseat of my car. In my drawstring pants, I was sure I had looked smashing in the household goods aisle. Ho-hum.

"Didn't you want to drop off something at Kristy's?" Richard asked Mary Anne.

"Oh! Right, the math book she forgot!" Mary Anne said. She reached into the glove compartment. "I put it in here yesterday, just so I wouldn't forget — and then I forgot."

Richard drove across town. He pulled into the driveway of the Brewer mansion. "Try not to gab too much/' Richard said. "Sharon'll be home soon."

"I'll stay in the car/' I said.

"No, come on," Mary Anne insisted. "Kristy will want to see you."

Blink. The light went on in my mind. This was the party. They were waiting behind Kris-ty's front door. The math book was just a trick.

Mary Anne rang the bell, and Kristy answered right away. "Hi!" she said. "Hey, thanks for the book. I can't believe I forgot it."

The house was empty behind her, and quiet. No decorations, no nothing.

But it was okay. I could deal with it. I was a big girl.

"Oh!" Kristy suddenly said. "You will not believe the size of the zucchini Watson found in the vegetable garden! Want to take a look?"

"Sure," Mary Anne and I replied. See? All was not lost. Maybe I wasn't getting a party, but at least I'd get to see a very large vegetable.

Kristy led us through the huge house and out the back door. I walked through it, stifling a yawn.

"SURPRIIIIIISE!"

The yawn caught in my throat. My mouth froze in the open position.

A flash went off, blinding me. Great. Someone had taken a photo of me, looking like Monstro the Whale.

When my eyes cleared, I could see a crowd of smiling faces. Stacey, Claudia, Jessi, Mal, Logan, and Shannon were there, as well as a whole bunch of our charges: the Pike, Barrett, Newton, and Papadakis kids, and Charlotte Johanssen.

"Like the decorations?" Suzi Barrett asked. "I was on the committee."

"They're beautiful]" 1 said.

They were, too. A banner that said BON VOYAGE, DAWN! hung from Kristy's huge maple tree. Two picnic tables were set up with homemade California-theme centerpieces made of odds and ends and Elmer's glue: one was an airplane and the other was a round face with sunglasses. On the back wall of the house, the kids had put up a mural. The scene was a beach, with a blonde girl lazing in the sun and writing letters. On the sand next to her were envelopes, and on each one was written the name of one of my charges. Across the top was written WE LOVE YOU, DAWN! PLEASE WRITE!

"That's your going-away gift," Charlotte said to me. "We know just how to fold it so you can take it with you."

I looked at Mary Anne. For the first time in our lives I started crying first.

Then Vanessa decided to read her poem. Well, let me tell you, all us BSCers were basket cases. Kristy's lawn didn't need any watering after that. I started hugging everyone left and right. The kids stared at us blankly.

"Okay, enough mushy stuff," Jordan Pike said. "Time for blindman's buff!"

Guess who was the blind man? Yours truly. The games committee had really done its work. We played Pin the Tail on the Donkey, scatch, Red Light Green Light, and Twister. Some of the kids disappeared inside for video games, but Watson chased them back out.

All the while, Buddy kept asking Kristy, "Is it time for the cake yet?"

Finally Kristy could take it no longer. She, Buddy, Margo, Nicky, and Claire went into the kitchen. First Claire came out with a huge tray full of chocolate chip cookies. Then Buddy proudly displayed the cake, which was roughly the shape of a haystack and the color of mud. Its icing had been applied in thick globs.

"Yummmm!" the kids squealed.

Margo then appeared with bags of chips and pretzels, and Kristy brought out a punch bowl. Last came Nicky, who beamed as he held up

the tofu-rhubarb pie. "Kristy said you'd like this best of all!" he announced.

"Oh, I will!" I replied. "I can't wait to eat it!"

As the kids crowded onto the benches, I began pouring drinks.

"Uh-uh-uh!" Logan said, waving me away. "You're the guest of honor."

I sat down with my tofu-rhubarb pie. A piece of chocolate icing flew by me from left to right. Buddy spat out a flake of garlic skin they hadn't seen in the cake. Claire got up from the table, clutching my leg for balance and leaving a large brown stain on my drawstring pants. I heard the trickle of apple juice seeping through the crack of the picnic table onto the deck floor. At the end of the table, Adam Pike began a burping contest that grew into an all-out war.