Chapter Seven
Before any of us could believe it, December hit. Avonlea was the prettiest place I've ever seen covered in a blanket of snow. They certainly got more snow than we did in 2002. But there was no such thing as snow days. We could be seen trudging through the drifts at nine o'clock in the morning to school. The girls were given moth-eaten coats to wear, but fresh, new scarves as a Christmas present. Mike was forced to wear Mrs. Lynde's late husband's coat, which was three sizes too small for the giant kid. By the beginning of winter, we had already had two storms and three feet of snow.
Christmastime came so joyously, that we couldn't believe we had ever left home. It had been my dream to go on a horse-drawn sleigh, covered in furs and sleigh-bells. Well, my wish came true when Anne asked to come riding with her to Charlottetown to see the big Christmas tree they put up every year in the Charlottetown square.
We were packed covered in cloaks, mufflers, gloves, scarves, and hats into the back seat of the sleigh, while Marilla and Matthew sat up in front. It was the best time I've ever had. I sat in between Anne and Mike. Sara and Mell were on either end. We talked and laughed merrily and sang carols all the way up the shore road.
When we returned, Marilla asked us if we wanted to be their guests at the Christmas ball on Christmas Eve. I replied for all of us, answering an eager acceptance.
So, two weeks later, Anne came into Mrs. Lynde's guest bedroom, with arms full of material.
"Here, Sara," she handed her a dress of red gingham. "I thought that would do nice for you. Marilla picked out all of these materials, even something for Michael."
I paused; nobody called him Michael except his parents. It turned out he had a pretty nice suit and tie.
"I'm gonna look so stupid with this on," he had protested. But that made us giggle all the more and we made him put it on.
"For you, Mell, is a cobalt blue dress. Very plain, nothing too fancy, like you wanted. I thought it would do well with the nut brown color of your hair."
I watched Mell cringe slightly as she was made to put on stockings and special kid slippers.
"For you, Ann, is a pine green. This would do with the nice color of your hazel eyes and blond hair."
I smiled, wincing at the mention of blonde hair on my head and I heard Sara snigger. I picked up the dress anyhow. It felt soft under my fingertips and the material seemed light and flowy. Perfect. I slipped on the dress over a slip Anne had given me and smoothed it over, buttoning it in the back. It was long and fell right under my knees. The neck was scooped slightly and there were two sets of ruffles on the bottom. The sleeves were short and had tiny ruffles as well and the waist was slim and tied in a small bow in the back. I had ever seen anything so beautiful.
"Oh, Ann," I heard Sara croon. I slipped on stockings and some black kid slippers and walked, almost floated in front of the mirror. I gasped.
"Wow," I looked pretty good, considering…I scratched the side of my head with the remains of my bitten nails. Oh, well. Sara and I had the fun of putting our hair in curlers the night before. I took mine out now and the curls bounced loosely on the sides of my face.
"Now, what to do with it…hmm," Anne looked at my head in different angles. "It's too short to do too much with it. But let's try something loose."
She moved nimble fingers over my head, braiding and twisting. Man, I thought I was the hairdresser of the family. In five minutes, my hair was twisted into what looked kind of like a braided bun with loose curls falling about the sides of my face. I raised my eyebrows. I laughed at my reflection, then twirled around, gazing at the flying green about my waist.
I watched Anne put Sara's hair into order. It was the same thing and with her red gown, it looked exquisite.
"OK, are we done being so…so girlish?" Mell asked impatiently. I laughed again and curtsied.
"Remember your manners, Miss Scalzi. Come on, let's go."
Mike was waiting nervously in the hall by the front door. I could hear the carriage waiting outside. I stepped gingerly out into the hallway, curtsying to Mike and laughing, then grabbing my coat and scarf. He raised his eyebrows at us and I took that as a compliment.
Finally, we were on our way to what promised to be a good night. Anne herself was dressed in green as well, but a pale green with a white rose tied in her belt.
The hall where the ball was, was festooned with holly and mistletoe and wreathes and Christmas trees, everything. No party in 2002 could ever look so elegant as this one. I spotted Diana and her friends, and pulled Sara and Mell with me to join them. They were waiting anxiously by the punch table. Anne followed us after putting our coats away. Mike joined Charlie Sloane and Moody Spurgeon, watching us mysteriously.
There was a waltz playing. I gazed at the dancers on the floor, hoping that someone would ask me to dance, though I didn't know how to do ballroom dancing. I saw a tall boy with dark hair on the other side, talking with Mike. I turned to Sara.
"Hey, look who's here." I pointed, "It's Gilbert." I saw her blush and tread on my foot.
"Ow!" I said, but I understood. He was coming over. He looked at Sara, who was trembling as I touched her hand.
"May I have this dance?" he asked her. She nodded and curtsied. Nearly all the girls behind me sighed. I almost laughed, but I held it in. I watched them twirl away. Anne looked annoyed. I grabbed her arm and pulled her towards the music.
"Come on, Anne!" we took hands and, laughing gleefully, twirled and stepped in time to the music. As I looked around, many of our classmates had found dance partners, even Mell, who looked strange in a old-fashioned dress, I had never seen her in one, was talking to some guy with glasses. Diana was talking with Moody and Jane with Charlie. As I looked at Charlie Sloane, I realized, he really was as bug-eyed as the book said he was, and just full of, well, Sloanishness. Then I saw Mike sitting by himself in the corner, drumming his fingers on his knee.
"Hold on," I told Anne and ran over to him.
"Hey, you," I yanked him off the chair, which was difficult, as he is twice as tall as me, "Need a dance partner?"
"But I don't know how to—
"You can stand on my feet. Wait, no, OW, I was kidding."
The waltz was still going on and I tried unsuccessfully to teach Mike to dance, he kept stepping on my feet as well as others around him. I wish I had a video camera, but unfortunately, they weren't invented yet. I winked at Sara, who was still on the arm of Gilbert; she winked back and grinned a grin a mile wide. I looked down at Mike's feet and they were all messed up.
"No, no, no. It's ONE, two, three, ONE, two, three. Yeah, almost, step, step, step, turn. OW!"
It went like that for the rest of the waltz. When it finally stopped, I let go of Mike's sweaty hand and trudged over to the punch table, where Gilbert was buying Sara a glass of punch. I bought one as well and gasped out to Sara, "That's the last time I teach him anything! My feet will be sore for weeks!" Mike joined us, laughing, but was beet-red.
"Dancing is much too hard," he sighed.
"You make it too hard," I shook my head.
The night ended triumphantly. Mike tried again on a gavotte, but it was too spirited for talking, so I couldn't yell instructions. It was quite late, when we climbed into the carriage, laughing and talking. I bit my lip to keep from giggling when I saw Sara come out on Gil's arm. He handed her into the carriage and was gone.
"So how was your night?" I asked mischievously.
She just smiled and giggled secretively.
On our ride home, Mell fell asleep on Sara's shoulder. I stayed up, gazing at the silent falling snow against the fir trees. Avonlea looked like a snow globe, or the cover of a Christmas card. Christmas was so wonderful and that Gilbert was so cute!
Before any of us could believe it, December hit. Avonlea was the prettiest place I've ever seen covered in a blanket of snow. They certainly got more snow than we did in 2002. But there was no such thing as snow days. We could be seen trudging through the drifts at nine o'clock in the morning to school. The girls were given moth-eaten coats to wear, but fresh, new scarves as a Christmas present. Mike was forced to wear Mrs. Lynde's late husband's coat, which was three sizes too small for the giant kid. By the beginning of winter, we had already had two storms and three feet of snow.
Christmastime came so joyously, that we couldn't believe we had ever left home. It had been my dream to go on a horse-drawn sleigh, covered in furs and sleigh-bells. Well, my wish came true when Anne asked to come riding with her to Charlottetown to see the big Christmas tree they put up every year in the Charlottetown square.
We were packed covered in cloaks, mufflers, gloves, scarves, and hats into the back seat of the sleigh, while Marilla and Matthew sat up in front. It was the best time I've ever had. I sat in between Anne and Mike. Sara and Mell were on either end. We talked and laughed merrily and sang carols all the way up the shore road.
When we returned, Marilla asked us if we wanted to be their guests at the Christmas ball on Christmas Eve. I replied for all of us, answering an eager acceptance.
So, two weeks later, Anne came into Mrs. Lynde's guest bedroom, with arms full of material.
"Here, Sara," she handed her a dress of red gingham. "I thought that would do nice for you. Marilla picked out all of these materials, even something for Michael."
I paused; nobody called him Michael except his parents. It turned out he had a pretty nice suit and tie.
"I'm gonna look so stupid with this on," he had protested. But that made us giggle all the more and we made him put it on.
"For you, Mell, is a cobalt blue dress. Very plain, nothing too fancy, like you wanted. I thought it would do well with the nut brown color of your hair."
I watched Mell cringe slightly as she was made to put on stockings and special kid slippers.
"For you, Ann, is a pine green. This would do with the nice color of your hazel eyes and blond hair."
I smiled, wincing at the mention of blonde hair on my head and I heard Sara snigger. I picked up the dress anyhow. It felt soft under my fingertips and the material seemed light and flowy. Perfect. I slipped on the dress over a slip Anne had given me and smoothed it over, buttoning it in the back. It was long and fell right under my knees. The neck was scooped slightly and there were two sets of ruffles on the bottom. The sleeves were short and had tiny ruffles as well and the waist was slim and tied in a small bow in the back. I had ever seen anything so beautiful.
"Oh, Ann," I heard Sara croon. I slipped on stockings and some black kid slippers and walked, almost floated in front of the mirror. I gasped.
"Wow," I looked pretty good, considering…I scratched the side of my head with the remains of my bitten nails. Oh, well. Sara and I had the fun of putting our hair in curlers the night before. I took mine out now and the curls bounced loosely on the sides of my face.
"Now, what to do with it…hmm," Anne looked at my head in different angles. "It's too short to do too much with it. But let's try something loose."
She moved nimble fingers over my head, braiding and twisting. Man, I thought I was the hairdresser of the family. In five minutes, my hair was twisted into what looked kind of like a braided bun with loose curls falling about the sides of my face. I raised my eyebrows. I laughed at my reflection, then twirled around, gazing at the flying green about my waist.
I watched Anne put Sara's hair into order. It was the same thing and with her red gown, it looked exquisite.
"OK, are we done being so…so girlish?" Mell asked impatiently. I laughed again and curtsied.
"Remember your manners, Miss Scalzi. Come on, let's go."
Mike was waiting nervously in the hall by the front door. I could hear the carriage waiting outside. I stepped gingerly out into the hallway, curtsying to Mike and laughing, then grabbing my coat and scarf. He raised his eyebrows at us and I took that as a compliment.
Finally, we were on our way to what promised to be a good night. Anne herself was dressed in green as well, but a pale green with a white rose tied in her belt.
The hall where the ball was, was festooned with holly and mistletoe and wreathes and Christmas trees, everything. No party in 2002 could ever look so elegant as this one. I spotted Diana and her friends, and pulled Sara and Mell with me to join them. They were waiting anxiously by the punch table. Anne followed us after putting our coats away. Mike joined Charlie Sloane and Moody Spurgeon, watching us mysteriously.
There was a waltz playing. I gazed at the dancers on the floor, hoping that someone would ask me to dance, though I didn't know how to do ballroom dancing. I saw a tall boy with dark hair on the other side, talking with Mike. I turned to Sara.
"Hey, look who's here." I pointed, "It's Gilbert." I saw her blush and tread on my foot.
"Ow!" I said, but I understood. He was coming over. He looked at Sara, who was trembling as I touched her hand.
"May I have this dance?" he asked her. She nodded and curtsied. Nearly all the girls behind me sighed. I almost laughed, but I held it in. I watched them twirl away. Anne looked annoyed. I grabbed her arm and pulled her towards the music.
"Come on, Anne!" we took hands and, laughing gleefully, twirled and stepped in time to the music. As I looked around, many of our classmates had found dance partners, even Mell, who looked strange in a old-fashioned dress, I had never seen her in one, was talking to some guy with glasses. Diana was talking with Moody and Jane with Charlie. As I looked at Charlie Sloane, I realized, he really was as bug-eyed as the book said he was, and just full of, well, Sloanishness. Then I saw Mike sitting by himself in the corner, drumming his fingers on his knee.
"Hold on," I told Anne and ran over to him.
"Hey, you," I yanked him off the chair, which was difficult, as he is twice as tall as me, "Need a dance partner?"
"But I don't know how to—
"You can stand on my feet. Wait, no, OW, I was kidding."
The waltz was still going on and I tried unsuccessfully to teach Mike to dance, he kept stepping on my feet as well as others around him. I wish I had a video camera, but unfortunately, they weren't invented yet. I winked at Sara, who was still on the arm of Gilbert; she winked back and grinned a grin a mile wide. I looked down at Mike's feet and they were all messed up.
"No, no, no. It's ONE, two, three, ONE, two, three. Yeah, almost, step, step, step, turn. OW!"
It went like that for the rest of the waltz. When it finally stopped, I let go of Mike's sweaty hand and trudged over to the punch table, where Gilbert was buying Sara a glass of punch. I bought one as well and gasped out to Sara, "That's the last time I teach him anything! My feet will be sore for weeks!" Mike joined us, laughing, but was beet-red.
"Dancing is much too hard," he sighed.
"You make it too hard," I shook my head.
The night ended triumphantly. Mike tried again on a gavotte, but it was too spirited for talking, so I couldn't yell instructions. It was quite late, when we climbed into the carriage, laughing and talking. I bit my lip to keep from giggling when I saw Sara come out on Gil's arm. He handed her into the carriage and was gone.
"So how was your night?" I asked mischievously.
She just smiled and giggled secretively.
On our ride home, Mell fell asleep on Sara's shoulder. I stayed up, gazing at the silent falling snow against the fir trees. Avonlea looked like a snow globe, or the cover of a Christmas card. Christmas was so wonderful and that Gilbert was so cute!