"Today is a very important day," Miss Barlow told the class. "It's the day your report cards go home to your parents. It tells them how well you're doing and in what areas you need to improve. You must get your father or mother to sign it and bring it back to school tomorrow."
She walked down the aisles handing out brown envelopes to the students. Anna opened hers and found a white card with marks on it. She didn't know what they meant and decided to ask her mother when she got home.
She and Mary Lou both went straight home to show their report cards to their mothers. Patty beamed when she saw Anna's.
"Very good, Anna! You got an 'A' in everything except math. You got a 'B' in math."
"Math is kind of hard sometimes," Anna admitted.
"I know it is. I was horrible in math. A 'B' is still a good grade. Your father will be so proud of you when he finds out! And listen to what Miss Barlow wrote about you: 'Anna is a joy to have in my class. She is a very bright little girl. She needs to work on remembering to raise her hand when she wants to say something.'"
"That is hard to remember," said Anna.
"Well, it's important, so you do need to work on it. Other than that, you're doing very well." Patty smiled and gave her daughter a hug. She showed the report card to Anton when he got home from work. He was pleased as well.
"This calls for a celebration," he told his daughter. "How would you like to go to the zoo on Saturday?"
"Hooray!" said Anna. "Can i bring Mary Lou with us?"
"You can ask her mother if it would be all right," said Patty.
After dinner, Anna called Mary Lou. Her mother answered the telephone.
"This is Anna," said Anna. "is Mary Lou there?"
"Sure, just a minute." Anna heard Mrs. James calling Mary Lou to the telephone, and a moment later, she heard her friend's voice.
"Do you want to go to the zoo with me and my family on Saturday?" asked Anna.
"Just a minute," said Mary Lou. "I'll ask my Mommy." Some rustling and banging noises followed, and then Mary Lou returned. "She said that will be fine."
On Saturday morning, Anton stopped in front of the ice cream parlor to pick Mary Lou up. He honked his horn, and several minutes later, Mary Lou appeared in a sleeveless light green dress with pink piping around the waist. Anna opened the door, and she got in beside her.
At the zoo, they came to the primates first. A small, furry, reddish-brown animal clung to the bars in front of the cage, shrieking loudly.
"He sure is noisy!" Anna remarked.
"He is a gibbon," Anton told her. "He is trying to scare us away because he is afraid we will hurt his wife and baby."
"I can't see them," said Anna. Anton pointed to the back corner of the cage, where two similar-looking creatures huddled in the corner.
"Oh, there they are!" said Anna. "Hi, Mr. Gibbon! We won't hurt you!"
The gibbon shrieked on, oblivious to her words. The kangaroos were next. Anna and Mary Lou watched the adults hopping around, while in his stroller, Simon chortled with glee.
"Kangaroos come from Australia," Anton explained.
"Is that close to Germany?" asked Anna.
"No. Australia is a long way from Germany. It is in the Southern hemisphere. When it is winter in America and Germany, it is summer in Australia."
"So things are backwards there?" asked Anna.
"Some things are, yes."
"Do people in Australia walk on their hands?" asked Mary Lou.
Anton laughed. "No. They walk on their feet, just like we do."
Next was the petting zoo. Anna and Mary Lou walked around petting the sheep and goats. A calf licked Simon's face, and he giggled.
Everyone was getting hungry by now, so they walked to the cafeteria. Anna saw that it was more like McDonald's than her school cafeteria. You went up to the counter to order and wait for your food to come out. There were tables to sit at in front of the counter.
After lunch, they went to look at the birds and the big cats, then the reptiles and amphibians. They left a couple of hours after lunch. Simon fell asleep on the way back home.
On Monday, Anna was sitting in class listening to Miss Barlow when her mind began to wander. She remembered what Mary Lou had said at the zoo and drew a stick figure with his legs up in the air.
"What are you drawing?" whispered Susie.
"It's someone in Australia walking on his hands," Anna whispered back.
"Anna and Susie!" Miss Barlow said sharply. The entire class turned to look at the girls. Anna felt her face burning.
"Please bring that to me." With reluctance, Anna trudged to Miss Barlow's desk with Susie right behind her. She waited as the teacher looked at the picture, then handed it back.
"Please show this to the class and tell them what it is."
Anna held the picture up so the other students could see. "This is a picture of someone in Australia walking on his hands." The class laughed and, out of the corner of her eye, Anna saw Miss Barlow smirk. It made her feel much better.
The teacher quickly became serious again. "This picture is going in your permanent record, Anna, and it will be shared with your mother at the next parent's conference. You and Susie both know that whispering and passing notes in class is not allowed, and the next time it happens, it will mean a trip to the principal's office. Do I make myself clear?"
"Yes, ma'am," said Anna and Susie together.
"Very well. You may return to your seats."
At least she didn't write a letter home today, Anna thought as she returned to her seat. Patty wouldn't find out about the incident until the next parent's conference, and maybe by that time, it wouldn't make her angry.