Ann Martin - Claudia And The Terrible Truth

"What's that?" asked their dad, cupping his ear. "I don't think I heard you." "YES," the boys said together.

"That's better." Mr. Nicholls smiled at me. "I'll be back in a couple of hours. Help yourself to a snack," he said, dropping the stern voice he'd been using with his sons. "The boys may have one cookie each, and they know the rules about where to eat them," he added, giving Nate a significant look. Nate dropped his eyes. Maybe he had a hard time remembering the rules, whatever they were.

Mr. Nicholls leaned toward the hall mirror to check his tie. Then he picked up his briefcase, said good-bye, and left. I suddenly realized I had no idea where he was going. Normally I'd have asked for an emergency phone number, especially with a new client. But I knew Mrs. Nicholls was at the library so I decided it didn't matter.

"I hope he's going to a job interview,” muttered Joey as soon as his father's car had pulled out of the driveway.

"Joey!" said Nate. "Shhh. He'd be mad if he heard you say a bad thing like that." What was so bad about it? I wasn't sure I understood. Then a light dawned. Maybe Mr. Nicholls was out of work and ashamed about it. I didn't think there was anything wrong with being out of work. Lots of people find themselves in that position. I remember when Mal's dad lost his job. But maybe Mr. Nicholls was sensitive.

"What kind of work does your dad do?" I asked Joey.

"He used to work for a computer company,” Joey answered. He didn't seem to want to say any more about it than that. "Can we please have our snack now?" he asked.

"Sure," I said. "Cookies, here we come!" "You better take your shoes off first," said Nate.

I raised my eyebrows.

"He's right," said Joey. "It's so we don't track in mud."

"But there's no mud — " I began. Then I stopped. If that was the house rule, it wasn't my business to question it. I untied my Pumas (totally hip '70s-type sneakers — very cool at SMS) and left them with the other shoes lined up in the front hall.

The kitchen was spotless. Four high-backed wooden chairs sat around a square wooden table, each chair pushed in perfectly straight. The counters were wiped clean, and canisters, for coffee, tea, sugar, and flour were lined up like little soldiers. There wasn't a single dish in the gleaming sink, and I didn't see a single fingerprint on the door of the fridge. I looked around, amazed. I'd never seen a kitchen so tidy, especially in a house with two boys.

"Dad likes a clean kitchen," Joey explained, as if he'd read my mind. He pointed to a cabinet over the fridge. "The cookies are up there." I opened the cabinet door to see a neatly arranged row of cereals, crackers, and cookies. I reached up and took out a bag of Chips Ahoy. Then I found a plate in another cabinet (do I have to mention how perfectly stacked the china was?) and put a few cookies onto it. "Milk?" I asked the boys.

They exchanged a look. "No, thanks," said Joey, speaking for both of them.

I shrugged. "Okay." I pulled out a chair and sat down. They did too. We each took a cookie, and the boys sat quietly, nibbling at theirs.

I studied the boys. Joey was thin, with dark brown hair. His eyes were big and green and worried-looking. He reminded me of some kind of shy animal, maybe a deer. Nate was chunkier, though he was still shorter than his older brother. He had big brown eyes, and brown hair with blond highlights, like his dad's. I remembered meeting Mrs. Nicholls at the library. She was a birdlike woman with chin-length blonde hair and green eyes.

I helped myself to another cookie and offered the plate to Joey and Nate. They shook their heads. "Oops," I said, remembering. "That's right. Your dad said one each." I shoved the plate aside.

The boys were a little shy, but they seemed friendly enough. Being new in town, maybe they needed a little help meeting people. Suddenly I had a great idea. "Hey, you know what?" I asked. "My friend Stacey is babysitting right next door, for Stephen Stanton-Cha. He hasn't lived here for very long. I bet he's thrilled to have you two for new neighbors!

"We met Stephen already," said Joey. "He's really nice. And he has tons of cool toys and stuff." For the first time, I saw his eyes really light up with interest.

"He's cool," agreed Nate.

"So, why don't we hang out over there for awhile?" I asked. "I know Stacey and Stephen would be glad to have us." Nate looked excited. "Can we really go?" he asked.

"Sure, why not?" I answered.

"I don't know," said Joey, shaking his head. "We're not supposed to leave the house unless Mom or Dad is with us." "Oh, right," said Nate. The excitement had gone out of his voice.

"But I'm the baby-sitter," I said. 'And I would be going with you." Joey looked unsure. "It's okay, really," I promised. "I've taken care of plenty of kids, and none of their parents ever minded if I took them to play with other kids, as long as we were home on time." "Let's go, Joey. Please?" begged Nate.

"I'll leave a note for your parents," I said. "We always do that anyway. Your mom will probably be home at a little after five. I don't know when your dad's coming home, but it won't be for awhile." My reassurances must have worked, because finally Joey agreed. "Okay, but we're not going to stay too long," he said.

"Great," I said, jumping up to give Stacey a call. "I'll just make sure they're around." As I headed for the phone on the wall I noticed Joey and Nate standing up and pushing their chairs in carefully. Nate even pushed mine in, making sure the placement was exactly right. And Joey rinsed off the plate we'd used and stuck it into the dishwasher.

I made the call and wrote the note, and we were on our way.

As I'd guessed, Stephen (who's seven, like Joey) was happy to see us. The three boys were soon playing happily with Stephen's new computer game while Stacey and I hung out and watched.

"They're cute kids," Stacey whispered to me.

I nodded. "I think they'll fit in here just fine," I said.

Just then, Joey stood up and ran to the window. "I thought I heard a car," he explained after he'd looked outside. "But I guess it wasn't Dad." "Even if it was," I said, "he'd know where to find you." That didn't seem to reassure Joey. He kept popping up to look out the window every few minutes, and soon Nate was doing the same.

Stacey and I exchanged glances. "What if we invite Stephen over to your house?" I suggested. Maybe the boys would feel more comfortable at home.

"No!" said Nate.

"We're not supposed to invite people over," explained Joey.

"Maybe next time, when you've had the chance to ask your parents first," I suggested. "Meanwhile, why don't you try to relax and enjoy yourselves today?" That helped for about five minutes. Then Mrs. Stanton-Cha came home, and at the sound of her car in the driveway both boys jumped up like jack-in-the-boxes.

"I guess it's time we headed home," I told them. Obviously they weren't going to relax.

When we returned to the Nichollses', both boys still' seemed jumpy. I saw Joey find the note I'd left. He crumpled it up and threw it out. Then he put the pen I'd used in precisely the same place I'd taken it from, near the phone. After that, he and Nate sat down at the kitchen table to wait for their parents' return.

Mrs. Nicholls was the first one home. She came into the kitchen looking tired, but her eyes lit up when she saw the boys. "Hi, sweeties," she said. "Did you have fun with Claudia?" "I think they did," I said, rushing to confess. It was as if the boys' nervousness was contagious. "We went over to the Stanton-Chas', next door. My friend Stacey was there, sitting for Stephen. I hope that was all right." Mrs. Nicholls didn't seem upset. "That sounds nice. Why don't you boys say good-bye to Claudia and then run along and do your work?" she suggested.