Ann Martin - Dawn And The Impossible Three

The first interesting thing that happened was that Pop-Pop sat himself down next to Mr. Spier and said, "So Richard, how are things at Thompson, Thompson, and Abrams?"

"Oh," replied Mary Anne's father, "I haven't been with them in quite some time."

"Oh?"

"No, I started my own firm about four years ago. I practice in Stamford."

"Oh?"

Ill

"Yes. It's doing very well, too. Leaving Thompson's was the best decision I ever made."

"Oh?"

(It's amazing how many meanings the word oh seems to have. Mr. Spier's oh had sounded surprised. Pop-Pop's first oh had sounded suspicious. His second oh had sounded impressed. His third oh had sounded sort of awed.)

Mary Anne and I glanced at each other. That conversation seemed to have gone all right.

A little while later, Granny leaned over and said, "Richard, are you still living on Taylor Street?" (Taylor Street is the neighborhood Mr. Spier had grown up in.)

"Why, no," he replied. "We live on Bradford Court. Mary Anne's mother and I moved out of the house on Taylor Street several months before Mary Anne was born."

Again Mr. Spier sounded surprised. He was probably wondering why my grandparents didn't know all this stuff. The truth is, Mom and her parents rarely discuss Touchy Subjects. And their three Touchiest Subjects at that time were the divorce, my father, and Mary Anne's father. I was beginning to think that Mom had brought Granny, Pop-Pop, and Mr. Spier together just so that my grandparents could see how well Mary Anne's father had done for

himself, not to mention the fact that he's a perfectly nice, normal guy.

Toward the end of the meal, Pop-Pop got into a discussion of banking laws with Mr. Spier. (Pop-Pop is a banker.) The talk went on and on. Sometimes they seemed to be arguing, but at the same time enjoying themselves. The rest of the time they were agreeing with each other and talking earnestly.

Mom looked so happy about that that she relaxed and became involved in a conversation about the Phil Donahue show with Granny and Mrs. Barrett.

Kristy and Mary Anne and I, satisfied that things were going well, snuck over to the bam where Kristy and 1 took turns swinging through the loft on the rope, while Mary Anne sat outside on a bale of hay and daydreamed.

Later, as the guests were leaving, Mrs. Barrett asked if 1 could baby-sit after school on Tuesday. I was busy, but Mary Anne was free, so she took the job.

I decided that it had been a good day all around, even if it had been chilly. I went to bed that night and had a lovely dream in which Mom and Mr. Spier got married and Mary Anne and I were in the wedding. It was a beautiful ceremony, except that the bride and groom were wearing ski jackets and snow pants.

Chapter 12.

When Mary Anne got home from the Bar-retts' that afternoon, the first thing she did was call me. She was extremely miffed.

"Dawn," she exclaimed, "how can you possibly sit at the Barretts' so often?"

"What do you mean?" 1 asked,

"What do 1 mean?! They're terrors, that's whatlmean'.lfl were their mother, 1'dhave. . . . 1 don't know what I'd have done, but I'd have done something by now. Something drastic."

"You've sat for them before," I pointed out.

Mary Anne calmed down somewhat. "I know, and they were a little wild then, but nothing like today."

"Maybe it was the weather." It had been raining for three days.

"Maybe. That must have been part of it, but you always get along so well with them. They really like you. It's almost as if you have — what do you call it? — some kind of chemistry with them. I don't think we have any chemistry at all."

"They do like me," I admitted. Lately Buddy had come over to our house more and more often, and since Suzi had learned how to use the phone, she had started calling me, although she never had much to say. "What did they do today?" I asked Mary Anne.

"What didn't they do?" she replied. She began to describe the afternoon. The first part of it sounded very familiar. When Mary Anne rang the bell, Buddy, Suzi, and Pow had answered the door. Buddy was wearing the cowboy hat and swimming flippers and was aiming his ray gun at Mary Anne.

He greeted her with a, "Fshoo, fshoo. Bzzzzt," followed by a gleeful, "I got you! You're dead! You're completely dead!"

Although Mary Anne didn't mention anything about not using guns, she did say, "Well, I'm not dead for long, because I'm coming into your house. Stand aside, Martian man."

"Martian man?! I'm not a Martian man. I'm a cowboy from Venus. And this is my Venus weapon." Buddy jumped into a position of offense, legs spread, arms extended, holding the ray gun stiffly. He aimed it first at Mary Anne, then at Pow. But suddenly he dropped the gun and gave Suzi the Bizzer Sign instead.

Suzi burst into tears.

Marnie, sitting alone in her high chair in the kitchen (wearing only a diaper), burst into tears, too. (Sometimes tears are contagious.)

"Hi, Mary Anne!" called Mrs. Barrett as she rushed downstairs. She ignored the crying children, frantically threw on her raincoat, and as usual, ran out the door without giving the

baby-sitter any instructions. Mary Anne did, however, hear her call, "Don't forget that Mamie's allergic to chocolate!" as she got into her car.

"Great," muttered Mary Anne, closing the front door.

Mrs. Barrett wasn't going on an interview that afternoon. She was just running errands and wanted to do them by herself. Mary Anne could see why.

In order to get the kids under control, Mary Anne sent Buddy outside to walk Pow. He asked if he could wear the flippers, and Mary Anne said yes, since she thought the walk would take longer that way.

Then she gave Suzi a cracker and told her to go try to find Sesame Street on TV. Suzi stopped crying right away. With Suzi and Buddy occupied, Mary Anne turned her attention to Mamie.

"Okay, Marnie-o," she said, lifting her out of the high chair. "First we'll get you cleaned up, then we'll get you a fresh diaper, and then we'll get you dressed."

"No-no," said Mamie.

"Yes-yes," said Mary Anne.

Mamie screamed while Mary Anne wiped her face, changed her diaper, and dressed her.

Then suddenly she stopped crying. Mary Anne held her up to a mirror and said, "Pretty!"

Marnie made the ham face. She was back to her usual sunny self.

Mary Anne was just carrying Marnie downstairs when Buddy returned with Pow. He took Pow's leash off, hung it in the kitchen, patted the dog affectionately, ran into the playroom, and gave Suzi the Bizzer Sign.

Suzi burst into tears.

Marnie burst into tears.

Mary Anne was back where she started. "Buddy," she said, "you give one more Bizzer Sign to anyone today — anyone — and you'll have to stay in your room until your mother comes home."

"No, I won't."

"Yes, you will. I'm in charge here and what I say goes."

"Will you tell my mom if I'm bad?"

"I might."

"Tattletale."

Mary Anne shrugged her shoulders. "That's the way it is." She turned to Suzi and Marnie. "Okay, you guys, quiet down. You know what we're going to do today?"

"Not read," said Buddy.

"Not color," said Suzi.

"Not watch TV," said Buddy.

"Not play Candy Land," said Suzi.

"Nope," replied Mary Anne. "I can tell you're tired of the same old rainy day stuff. Today we're going to go outdoors for a puddle walk, and then we're going to come back inside and go camping and have a picnic."

"Really?" cried Buddy.

"Yes," answered Mary Anne. "Now, to take a puddle walk, the first thing you guys have to do is find your bathing suits. Do you know where they are?"

"Yes, yes!" shouted Buddy and Suzi, jumping up and down.

Marnie tried to jump up and down, too, but all she could do was bend her knees and make the ham face.