Ann Martin: Claudia And The Sad Goodbye

it. I know that sounds weird, but I really feel it's true."

I eased myself off the bed, where I'd been sandwiched between Dawn and Mary Anne, crossed the room to my closet, and emerged with the collage. I set it on the bed, and my friends crowded around for a look. At first nobody said a word, and a cold feeling washed over me. "It's terrible, isn't it?" I said. "It's really dumb."

"Oh, no," breathed Dawn. "It's perfect. It — it says Mimi all over. I mean, itisMimi. It's Mimi the way we want to remember her."

"Yeah," said Kristy, Jessi, and Mal.

And Mary Anne burst into tears. I think that was what finally convinced me that the collage was all right, not all wrong, that I'd done my job. The collage really was a tribute. In Dawn's words, it said Mimi all over.

I decided I could show it to my parents and Janine. And I decided to do so that night after dinner.

I waited until the kitchen had been cleaned up and everyone was about to begin their evening activities. Janine was heading upstairs to her computer, Mom was sitting down at the desk in the living room to pay bills, and Dad was just opening the paper.

"You guys?" I said.

My parents and sister turned toward me.

"I have something to show you." Even though my friends had honestly loved the collage, I began to feel nervous again.

"What is it, sweetie?" asked Mom.

"It's something for Mimi," I replied. "And something for us to remember her by. I'll go get it." I ran to my room, retrieved the collage from my closet, and brought it back downstairs. Then I stood before my family with the front of the collage pressed against my chest.

"Well," I said, "urn, this is it." I turned it around.

"Why, Claudia, it'sperfect!"exclaimed my mother, stepping forward for a closer look.

Dad and Janine peered at it, too, and it was Janine who glanced at the fireplace and said, "I think we should hang it over the mantelpiece."

"That's a wonderful idea," agreed Dad.

But I said, "Thanks. Thank you, guys, for wanting to put it in the living room, but I had a different idea. I mean, if you don't mind, I was wondering if we could put the collage in Mimi's room. I know it's going to become our guest room, but it's been Mimi's room for as long as I can remember, and I like leaving

the — the flavor of Mimi there."

"Well, of course you can," said Mom and Dad at the same time. (If they'd been any younger they would have had to hook pinkies and say "jinx.")

And so we hung the collage in Mimi's room. We put it right over her (empty) dresser. Then the four of us stood back and looked at it, feeling quite pleased.

"Mimi would have loved it," said Dad.

The next Saturday was art-class day, of course, and two unusual things happened. First of all, Corrie arrived on time, not early. In fact, Myriah and Gabbie were already in the basement by the time Mrs. Addison dropped Corrie off.

Second, when all the children had arrived, Mary Anne announced, "Claudia, today you are not allowed in the basement."

"But I'm the teacher," I protested, surprised.

"And I'm second-in-command," Mary Anne countered, "and the kids are third-in-command. And we say, 'Out.' Today you are on vacation because we're working on something special and secret."

Ah-ha! Asecret. I knew it.

"Go upstairs and work on your painting or something."

So I did, all the time wondering just what was going on in the basement. I wasn't worried, with Mary Anne in charge, but I was awfully curious.

Just before class was over, Mary Anne called me back down to the basement. I practically flew there. When I hit the bottom step I was greeted by two things: the sound of Jamie, Marilyn, Carolyn, Corrie, Myriah, Gabbie, and Mary Anne shouting, "Surprise!" (while Matt signed to me), and the sight of the kids' mural-collage.

"It's for Mimi! It's for Mimi!" cried Jamie, jumping up and down.

Mary Anne smiled at me. "The kids thought this up on their own. They didn't know a thing aboutyourcollage for Mimi. They started talking about this two weeks ago. They wanted to do something for Mimi, just like you did."

I leaned over the table to get a good look at the collage. It didn't really have much to do with Mimi herself, and it was kind of messy — blobs of glue here and there, cotton balls hanging by threads, fingerprints, drippy paint, but the kids were terribly proud of it.

"I'll tell you what we're going to do with

it," I said, after I had thanked everyone about a million times. "We're going to put it in Mimi's room, where it belongs. But it's so big I'll have to wait until Dad can help me."

That was okay with the kids. It was time to leave anyway. Just as the doorbell started ringing with arriving parents, Corrie tugged at my arm and pulled me to a corner of the basement, away from the others.

"Imade something foryou,"she said. "Something special. Mimi deserved a — a what do you call it?"

"A tribute?" I suggested.

"Yes, a tribute. And so do you. So this is for you."

Corrie thrust something at me that she'd been hiding behind her back.

I took it carefully. It was a sketch, and I could tell it was a sketch of me. It was very good.

"Thank you, Corrie," I whispered, kneeling down to give her a hug.

"Mrs. Addison's here!" Janine called just then from upstairs.

"Right on time," said Corrie with a grin.

I grinned back. It was nice to know I'd made a difference in Corrie's life. It was even nice to know who had helped me to make that difference.

Mimi.

As soon as the basement was cleaned up and everyone had gone, there was something I would have to do. So I did it just after the last kid had been ushered out the door.

I climbed the stairs slowly to the second floor and opened the door to the attic. I turned on the light.

My portrait of Mimi was leaning against an old filing cabinet where I'd left it the morning she had died. Now I picked it up, brought it into my room, and hung it in its old spot.

I stood back to look at it.

I couldn't say anything to it because of the big lump in my throat.

I just let Mimi smile down at me. After a few moments, I smiled back.