Chapter Six
I woke up clutching the moon charm. There was such a happy feeling in my chest that I wanted to jump and shout. I loved it here, just as I always thought I would. And my friends didn't seem to mind being here either.
Over the next few weeks, we made friends with some of our classmates. Anne presented Sara, Mell and me to Jane Andrews, Ruby Gillis, Diana Barry, and even Josie Pye. Josie was just as snotty as she was in the books and I hated her from first look. She seemed to have this permanent sneer upon her face. And her nose always looks as if someone stuck something really disgusting underneath it. And the worst part about her was that she was filthy rich, wearing all the "latest fashions." Of course, I had to put that in quotes because Mrs. Lynde would be horrified to see the latest fashions in Fairfield, Connecticut.
Mike, meanwhile had gotten quite chummy with Gilbert and Charlie Sloane and Moody Spurgeon. They had taken to the habit of playing football during dinner hour and recess. Let me tell you, it was great having recess again. It was like being a little kid again. Well, it's kind of impossible not to when you're in the same classroom as four-year-olds. Sara, Mell and I were invited to join the group of girls during dinner hour and got into the fun ritual of reading out loud and sharing each other's snacks with everyone. It was actually really fun. The current book they were reading was The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. Sara went wholeheartedly into the discussion of this novel. She amazed the other girls with what she knew. Everyone loved to hear me read aloud, which boosted my confidence quite a bit. I had always loved to read aloud, but had never really done in front of anyone, save my little sisters. It was a new experience. I became not quite so quiet and shy with the girls of Avonlea and felt like a different person.
Before I knew it, they had summer vacation. Finally, we could stay in bed as long as we wanted. The four of us went swimming everyday and there were picnics, picnics, picnics. It must have been the "thing" to have picnics. We were invited almost twice every week and it was very enjoyable. Even Mell had adjusted to singing without her discman.
"I'm amazed you've lasted this long without your music, Mell," I said one evening sitting out on the porch with her and Sara. Mike was off somewhere.
"I'm amazed at myself too," she replied. "and I'm getting used to the idea of no toaster ovens, no Weezer pictures, no microwaves, no air- conditioning, no heating, no electricity, no—
"All right, we get the picture," Sara cut in.
It was sunset and the day had been a hot humid one, just like a mid- July day should have been.
"Just think—if we were at home, it would have been cold and windy and icy like November. Here we don't have to worry about that."
"Oh, yeah, I totally forgot all about Fairfield." Mell said. "I'm actually having fun here. It's so laid back and life is not as fast and demanding as it is in 2002."
"No piano lessons, no choir rehearsals, no dance classes, no annoying conformation classes…yup, life here is definitely good."
We watched the sun dip below the hills and twilight filled the summer sky. I sighed and thought, life couldn't be better, it's so stressful in the future.
We saw Mike jogging up to the house all sweaty and tired.
"Another football game?" I asked in disbelief. "Is that all your life revolves around?"
"No," he said, looking at me and gasping for breath. He collapsed on the porch stairs, ripping off his shoes.
"Aaww!" Mell groaned, covering her nose. "Mike, that's awful!"
"Sorry, we don't have real showers around here."
"Still, you should try to keep some sanitary habits."
Now, that we had been living together for quite some time, Sara and Mell had adjusted to Mike and had joined with me in the fun of tormenting him. It was so much more fun having more people on your side.
"Well, we'd better go in," I said, pinching my nose and standing up. Mike, I could tell, was glaring at my back and I could hear him mumbling, "You are all out to get me, I swear to God."
That's how the summer went the entire time. Swimming all day, then Mike would go off to play football with the "guys" and then he'd meet us on the porch at twilight and in between we'd have picnics with Anne and her friends. Mrs. Lynde didn't bother much with us and let us do as we pleased. We made sure to be extra polite to her, for without her we'd still be sleeping in the barn. I think she really began to like us, despite our "strange ways" as she calls them. Once, when Anne was over in the beginning of July, we were in Mell's and my room, rehearsing "Uptown Girl." She was actually getting the hang of it. We started this dance to it and it was really fun with the four of us. Mrs. Lynde had walked in with laundry and just shook her head, like we were crazy. I know she's telling about us to everyone she knows, just like her, the old gossip. Besides that everyone likes us for being fun, energetic, kind people, there's a rumor that we're all crazy. I don't blame her. We have such good times. Avonlea and me were really getting along well.
September rolled along and all four of us had intentions of going for the beginning of the next term, not worrying about home because it was all too fun here. It really was like an extended vacation. Though it had its downfalls.
Mr. Philips did exercises in history where we had to mention mistakes that had happened in the past. I made the mistake of shouting out, "Hitler and the Holocaust!" and everyone looked at me. I turned red, remembering that World War two hadn't commenced yet. School was really very easy, as they weren't so high-tech as we were, so we knew everything already. By October, we were all promoted to the seventh reader, the highest in the class. Still, we had no problems, except for geometry. I just couldn't get it. Anne and I would try to coach each other with the problems and we couldn't crack them. Sara once taught the class during a geometry session, trying to make it as easy as possible, but it didn't work. At least, I had thought, when I get back, I'd be a better math student.
Socially, we were the pick of the year. Everyone wanted us at their parties. They were really sort of dull parties and we were invited only because we knew how to "liven things up a bit." Of course, we tried to tell jokes, but they didn't even understand the concept of "knock, knock" jokes, which made the jokes all the more funnier. We'd say "Knock, knock" and pretend to knock on a door and they would say, "But there's no door and couldn't you just ring the doorbell?" It was so hilarious watching their face expressions when we started singing and dancing to Billy Joel or some modern music. One time, we taught them all the Macarena and had them dancing till night had fallen, around and around in circles. By the end of that night, we were so sick of that song and quite dizzy. But it was quite a success.
I woke up clutching the moon charm. There was such a happy feeling in my chest that I wanted to jump and shout. I loved it here, just as I always thought I would. And my friends didn't seem to mind being here either.
Over the next few weeks, we made friends with some of our classmates. Anne presented Sara, Mell and me to Jane Andrews, Ruby Gillis, Diana Barry, and even Josie Pye. Josie was just as snotty as she was in the books and I hated her from first look. She seemed to have this permanent sneer upon her face. And her nose always looks as if someone stuck something really disgusting underneath it. And the worst part about her was that she was filthy rich, wearing all the "latest fashions." Of course, I had to put that in quotes because Mrs. Lynde would be horrified to see the latest fashions in Fairfield, Connecticut.
Mike, meanwhile had gotten quite chummy with Gilbert and Charlie Sloane and Moody Spurgeon. They had taken to the habit of playing football during dinner hour and recess. Let me tell you, it was great having recess again. It was like being a little kid again. Well, it's kind of impossible not to when you're in the same classroom as four-year-olds. Sara, Mell and I were invited to join the group of girls during dinner hour and got into the fun ritual of reading out loud and sharing each other's snacks with everyone. It was actually really fun. The current book they were reading was The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. Sara went wholeheartedly into the discussion of this novel. She amazed the other girls with what she knew. Everyone loved to hear me read aloud, which boosted my confidence quite a bit. I had always loved to read aloud, but had never really done in front of anyone, save my little sisters. It was a new experience. I became not quite so quiet and shy with the girls of Avonlea and felt like a different person.
Before I knew it, they had summer vacation. Finally, we could stay in bed as long as we wanted. The four of us went swimming everyday and there were picnics, picnics, picnics. It must have been the "thing" to have picnics. We were invited almost twice every week and it was very enjoyable. Even Mell had adjusted to singing without her discman.
"I'm amazed you've lasted this long without your music, Mell," I said one evening sitting out on the porch with her and Sara. Mike was off somewhere.
"I'm amazed at myself too," she replied. "and I'm getting used to the idea of no toaster ovens, no Weezer pictures, no microwaves, no air- conditioning, no heating, no electricity, no—
"All right, we get the picture," Sara cut in.
It was sunset and the day had been a hot humid one, just like a mid- July day should have been.
"Just think—if we were at home, it would have been cold and windy and icy like November. Here we don't have to worry about that."
"Oh, yeah, I totally forgot all about Fairfield." Mell said. "I'm actually having fun here. It's so laid back and life is not as fast and demanding as it is in 2002."
"No piano lessons, no choir rehearsals, no dance classes, no annoying conformation classes…yup, life here is definitely good."
We watched the sun dip below the hills and twilight filled the summer sky. I sighed and thought, life couldn't be better, it's so stressful in the future.
We saw Mike jogging up to the house all sweaty and tired.
"Another football game?" I asked in disbelief. "Is that all your life revolves around?"
"No," he said, looking at me and gasping for breath. He collapsed on the porch stairs, ripping off his shoes.
"Aaww!" Mell groaned, covering her nose. "Mike, that's awful!"
"Sorry, we don't have real showers around here."
"Still, you should try to keep some sanitary habits."
Now, that we had been living together for quite some time, Sara and Mell had adjusted to Mike and had joined with me in the fun of tormenting him. It was so much more fun having more people on your side.
"Well, we'd better go in," I said, pinching my nose and standing up. Mike, I could tell, was glaring at my back and I could hear him mumbling, "You are all out to get me, I swear to God."
That's how the summer went the entire time. Swimming all day, then Mike would go off to play football with the "guys" and then he'd meet us on the porch at twilight and in between we'd have picnics with Anne and her friends. Mrs. Lynde didn't bother much with us and let us do as we pleased. We made sure to be extra polite to her, for without her we'd still be sleeping in the barn. I think she really began to like us, despite our "strange ways" as she calls them. Once, when Anne was over in the beginning of July, we were in Mell's and my room, rehearsing "Uptown Girl." She was actually getting the hang of it. We started this dance to it and it was really fun with the four of us. Mrs. Lynde had walked in with laundry and just shook her head, like we were crazy. I know she's telling about us to everyone she knows, just like her, the old gossip. Besides that everyone likes us for being fun, energetic, kind people, there's a rumor that we're all crazy. I don't blame her. We have such good times. Avonlea and me were really getting along well.
September rolled along and all four of us had intentions of going for the beginning of the next term, not worrying about home because it was all too fun here. It really was like an extended vacation. Though it had its downfalls.
Mr. Philips did exercises in history where we had to mention mistakes that had happened in the past. I made the mistake of shouting out, "Hitler and the Holocaust!" and everyone looked at me. I turned red, remembering that World War two hadn't commenced yet. School was really very easy, as they weren't so high-tech as we were, so we knew everything already. By October, we were all promoted to the seventh reader, the highest in the class. Still, we had no problems, except for geometry. I just couldn't get it. Anne and I would try to coach each other with the problems and we couldn't crack them. Sara once taught the class during a geometry session, trying to make it as easy as possible, but it didn't work. At least, I had thought, when I get back, I'd be a better math student.
Socially, we were the pick of the year. Everyone wanted us at their parties. They were really sort of dull parties and we were invited only because we knew how to "liven things up a bit." Of course, we tried to tell jokes, but they didn't even understand the concept of "knock, knock" jokes, which made the jokes all the more funnier. We'd say "Knock, knock" and pretend to knock on a door and they would say, "But there's no door and couldn't you just ring the doorbell?" It was so hilarious watching their face expressions when we started singing and dancing to Billy Joel or some modern music. One time, we taught them all the Macarena and had them dancing till night had fallen, around and around in circles. By the end of that night, we were so sick of that song and quite dizzy. But it was quite a success.