Four year old Ruthie Camden grinned up at her older sister.
"Ruthie, you know something. Tell me!" cried Lucy.
"It's for me to know and you to find out!" Ruthie taunted, sticking out her tongue.
"UGGHH!" Lucy screamed, stomping up the stairs. Ruthie had a habit of being the "information center" of the Camden household. She absorbed everything around her, even at her young age.
Upon entering her bedroom, Lucy heard Mary talking on the phone.
"Uh, gotta go. But I'll talk to you later." Mary said, hanging up the phone.
Lucy looked at her questioningly. "Who was that?"
Mary thought about lying but decided against it considering she was about to burst with excitement. "Just a guy from school….that asked me on a date!!"
Lucy jumped on top of Mary's bed. "Is he cute? Does he have a brother? I'm a woman now, you know!"
Mary, laughing, said, "I don't know. But you can ask him when he comes over."
Lucy, happy as a lark, scurried straight to her closet to pick out something to wear. "Wait. Do Mom and Dad know about this?"
Mary glanced at the floor. "Not exactly. But he's a really nice guy and he won't be staying long...like a little over an hour or so. Just don't tell them, ok?"
Lucy thought about it for a moment and then agreed. Flipping through her closet faster than a tornado, Lucy eyed each outfit with severe concentration.
"Luc, he's my date…what are you getting all dressed up for?" asked Mary.
"Mary, if he has a brother I'm not going to look like…like this!" Lucy said in disgust.
"Whatever Luc, just don't use any of my makeup." With that, Mary left their bedroom.
Lucy, after two hours of looking through her wardrobe, finally found the perfect dress. It was black, with short, fluttery sleeves and came down to just above her knees. She often read in magazines about the perfect "little black dress." At 13, and very boy-crazy, Lucy had dreamed of the night she could finally wear it. After all, Eric and Annie didn't know she bought it herself with her allowance money. Falling back onto her bed, she sighed. She could not wait for tonight. Even if Mary's date didn't have a brother, she could still look nice, couldn't she?
After dinner, Reverend Eric Camden and his wife, Annie addressed their five kids.
"Matt, you have a date tonight, correct?"
Matt, who had just recently gotten his license, grinned. "Yep."
"Okay, so Mary, that leaves you in charge of Lucy and Simon. Ruthie has a play date with Mrs. Bink's great-grandson. We'll pick her up on our way home from the movies." spoke Annie.
Matt left, and not too long after, so did Eric, Annie, and Ruthie.
Mary looked at Simon. "Okay, I have a da….a friend coming over so I want you to behave and stay in your room, got it?"
Simon scowled. "I'm not a baby, you know."
"Yes, Simon. We know." Mary sighed. "Now, if you need anything, just call for Lucy. She'll be around here somewhere."
Simon, being ten years old, hated being bossed around but knew he wasn't going to win this conversation. Muttering to himself, he ran up the stairs to play with his action figure, "The Tick".
About twenty minutes later, the doorbell rang. Mary hollered, "I'll get it!"
Lucy, who was intent on showing off her dress and new pink berry lipgloss, fled down the stairs before Mary could even get out of her room.
Opening the door, Lucy's eyes opened wide. "Hi. Um, I'm…Lu...Lucy Camden. Are you here for Mary?"
A tall, muscular guy, Todd often attracted the stares of all ages of women. He smiled at Lucy. "Hi Lucy, you're very pretty. It's nice to meet you."
Just then, Mary made it to the front door. "Hi Todd. Bye Lucy."
Lucy smiled up at Todd, shot Mary a dirty look, and slowly walked back upstairs. But, she wasn't planning on staying up there for long.