Hey there, Grandpa and Gram!
Your fave granddaughter here. (Abigail, in case you're wondering!) Anna and I are having so much fun in Amsterdam. Yesterday, we went to Zaanse Schans, which is just outside Amsterdam. We saw a bunch of working windmills and visited some museums and a cheese factory. (I got in plenty of cheesy jokes, believe me!) Anna and I haven't made it to the Anne Frank House yet. Don't worry, we'll get there eventually.
Today, Kristy Thomas and I were in a pedal boat race with a couple college guys. Let's just say things didn't go as planned...more on that later!
Yours Til Niagara Falls,
Abby
Kristy and I had been training hard all week. We really wanted to win the race. We jogged every morning and twice in the afternoons. Of course, there was no proper gym equipment at Verbruggenhuis, so we improvised - crunches and push ups on the staircase, chin ups on the banister, weight sets fashioned out of flour sacks. It was - more or less - nonstop training. By Friday, we were ready.
Kristy and I woke early that morning, jogged along the canal for an hour, then returned for a huge breakfast - blueberry muffins, oatmeal, cheese omelets, and fresh fruit. Kristy ate a plate of bacon, but I passed. After breakfast, Kristy called a team meeting. That's when we realized a crucial mistake in our planning: we didn't have a team.
"This is a disaster!" Kristy cried, throwing herself into her makeshift directors chair. Threw herself a little too hard. The chair collapsed beneath her.
Shannon and I stifled giggles from where we sat crosslegged on my bed.
"Silence!" shouted Kristy, attempting to bang her plastic whisk while scrambling to her feet.
I bit my lip and Shannon - brave, brave Shannon - commented, "It's not like you to be so disorganized, Kristy."
Kristy's face turned bright red. "I've been busy conditioning! Besides, technically, I had a team assembled. Mostly. You, me, Abby, and Jessi. I just neglected to fill the fifth spot,"
"Where's Jessi then?" Shannon asked.
Kristy threw up her arms. "Well, there's the sixty-four thousand dollar question! She promised to be here! Where is she? Who knows! Probably off with her rastadelorean friends!"
"Rastafarian," I corrected.
Kristy didn't even hear me. "In the Baby-Sitters Club," she told us, haughtily, "a promise means something. If it didn't, our clients couldn't trust us. I don't like what Amsterdam's don't to this club."
"Dam Dutchies," I mumbled. Kristy glared at me. Apparently, the dam jokes were wearing thin.
"No one's trustworthy anymore," said Kristy. "Running off, breaking promises, disappearing...where will it end? When a child gets hurt?"
"Calm down, Kristy," ordered Shannon.
"Yeah, seriously, Kristy. You aren't even making sense. We'll find two more people,"
Kristy's face was still red and a vein in her forehead throbbed menacingly. Shannon and I quietly slipped out of the attic. The race wasn't until three 'o' clock. We had plenty of time to round up a couple more teammates.
A little after two, Kristy, Shannon, and I were seated on a tram headed for the city centre and the Keizergracht. Kristy's arms were folded defiantly across her chest as she glared at our new teammates. Greer wasn't the problem. Alan Gray was. Unfortunately for us, he was the best we could do on such short notice.
"I'm going to kill Jessi," Kristy muttered. "Or, worse - kick her out of the club,"
Greer rolled her eyes. She didn't appear especially thrilled to be part of Team Thomas-Stevenson. (A dull team name, I admit, but at least I was able to veto Team Collie). If not for Shannon, I knew Greer wouldn't have agreed to come.
"You know, Alan, this race is important," I said, deciding I better deliver a light lecture since Kristy had - astonishingly enough - resisted the, no doubt, overwhelming desire to do so.
"I expect you'll be on your best behavior. Although, I'm not sure how you define 'best'. Try to follow our example. Just remember, not only is our pride at stake, there's a free meal riding on this!"
Alan looked at me, blankly, then burst out laughing. "I can't believe you guys brought your gym clothes to Amsterdam!"
Kristy and I glanced down at our clothes - dark blue sweatshorts with a yellow stripe down the sides and white t-shirts with the outline of a jaguar and "SMS" in yellow and dark blue block letters. Alan had already commented on our clothes three times. I really didn't understand what was so funny.
"I wouldn't be so quick to judge, dog carrier boy," snapped Kristy.
Alan covered his mouth and shook with silent laughter. Greer rolled her eyes again. I got the feeling there was trouble in paradise.
We got off the tram about half a block from the Keizergracht mooring. Shannon broke the silence as we walked down the street.
"Mom and Mrs. Carson are planning a trip to Holland tomorrow. Maria, Amanda, Mary Anne, and Mal are going. Anyone else interested?"
Kristy grumbled a reply.
"Sounds like fun," I said.
Shannon sighed. "I'm trying to convince Mom to take us to Switzerland. I'd love to see Astrid's hometown. We can get there by train,"
"What are you talking about?" asked Kristy, perking up slightly at the mention of Shannon's dog.
"Didn't you know? We bought Astrid from a breeder in Switzerland. Her mother lives on a farm outside Berne. That's the capital city. Bernese Mountain dogs are originally from there,"
"You mean, Shannon's grandmother is just a few hours from here?" asked Kristy.
"That's right,"
"Gee, Shannon, I'm sorry to hear your grandma's a dog," I chuckled.
Shannon laughed, but Kristy shot me a Look. "Shannon's grandmother is not a laughing matter," she snapped.
"That's okay, Kristy. I don't mind," Shannon assured her.
"I meant Shannon the dog," replied Kristy.
"Maybe you should hop a train and go meet this dog," said Greer.
Kristy stopped at the mooring and tilted her face upward, appearing a bit wistful. "I sure would like to shake Shannon's grandmother's paw,"
"I was joking," Greer replied, testily.
"Look, there's Justin and Tyson," I said, loudly, pointing to two figures approaching the mooring. I glanced at my watch. Ten to three. Very punctual these boys.
Kristy noticed, too. "Right on time!" she bellowed, cupping her hands around her mouth. "You'd make excellent baby-sitters,"
Greer smacked herself in the head. If Justin and Tyson thought Kristy's comment strange they didn't let on.
"Hey Abby. Hey Kristy," they greeted. "Didn't chicken out?"
"Never!" I cried.
"The Baby-Sitters Club doesn't back down," said Kristy, proudly.
Another eye roll from Greer. Amazing that they didn't fall out. Greer stepped in front of Kristy, smiling, and extended her hand to Justin. "Greer Carson,"
Justin shook her hand. "Justin. This is Tyson,"
Kristy shoved Greer out of the way and finished the introductions. Greer kept flipping her hair and flashing brilliant white and toothy smiles at Justin. Alan began to look panicked.
"Still wandering around Amsterdam unchaperoned?" asked Justin. "Having a good time?"
"Fab," replied Greer with another flip of her curly auburn hair.
"We're having a great time," I agreed.
"So are we!" said Tyson.
Justin laughed. "Yeah, Tyson's having fun now that he's fallen in love,"
Most boys would have been embarrassed by such teasing, but Tyson just grinned. "Dude, you're jealous. Stacey's hot." He blushed slightly. "I mean, she's an amazing girl,"
"Did you say Stacey?" I asked. "Stacey McGill?"
"Oh, I don't know her last name," replied Tyson. "But, she goes to Boston College,"
"It's not our Stacey then," I said.
"Our friend Stacey's missing," Shannon explained.
Justin's and Tyson's eyes widened with alarm. "Your friend is missing?" they exclaimed.
Kristy shook her head. "No, no, no. She's not really missing. Someone saw her in a bathroom Wednesday night,"
Justin and Tyson appeared unconvinced. Frankly, I was becoming a bit worried, too. Stacey may be a sophisticated New Yorker, but five days was an awful long time.
Tyson scratched his head. "Are you sure? We can go to the police and file a report. We can go right now,"
"Who's chickening out now?" challenged Kristy. She blew her whistle. "Let's go team! Move out!" She ran to the end of the mooring and whipped out her wallet.
Justin and Tyson climbed into their pedal boat. Kristy claimed she could navigate better from the back of the boat, so that's where she sat with Alan and Shannon. (Shannon in the middle. We didn't need any distractions). Greer and I sat up front. Greer wouldn't stop smiling at Justin. It was getting rather annoying. That's why we didn't recruit Claudia or Stacey. (You know, if we knew where Stacey was).
"To the Leidseplein?" Tyson called.
I gave them a thumbs up. "Yep!"
"Good luck!" Greer shouted to Justin with an enthusiastic wave. The tips of Justin's ears turned pink. Maybe he wasn't quite as cool as he let on.
"Countdown!" Kristy yelled. "Five...four...three...two...one..." Fweet! Fweet! She blew her whistle in Shannon's ear.
Shannon clamped her hands over her ears. "Gosh, Kristy! Didn't I tell you not to bring that thing?"
"You can't have a race without a whistle!" Kristy shouted.
"I meant to Amsterdam!"
"You guys!" I shrieked. "Pedal! Pedal!" Greer and I were the only ones paying attention to the race. No one else had even started pedaling!
Kristy blew her whistle again. "Faster! Faster! We've got to close the space between us!"
I've never pedaled so fast in my life. I know Greer hadn't either. When I glanced over at her, she had a strained look on her face, as if concentrating very hard. A sweat was breaking out on her forehead. Our legs were flying. Behind us, Kristy, Shannon, and Alan were working just as hard. The effort paid off. We quickly caught up to Justin and Tyson.
"Nice day-glo swim trunks, Justin," Alan snarled as we passed.
Shannon and I giggled. Justin's bright orange trunks were rather blinding. Greer must have really been in the zone because she didn't even react.
"No giggling!" barked Kristy. "We're in the lead!"
We were in the lead by only about two feet. It may have been five against two, but Justin and Tyson were strong. I bet they ran track back at Florida State or something. Their leg muscles were huge. It would be a close race.
Twenty minutes later, we still had a slight lead. I didn't feel confident about a sure win though. I knew Kristy didn't either. Our team were being real troopers though. No complaints until -
"I have a cramp," huffed Alan.
"Shut up," replied Kristy. "No whiners on this team,"
"No, seriously, Kristy," Alan protested. "My leg is cramping,"
"Shake it off," Kristy told him, irritably.
"Okay," Alan stood up and started shaking his right leg. The pedal boat tipped to the right. Then to the left.
"Hey, don't rock the boat!" I yelled, only half-joking. This was costing time. Justin and Tyson were already pulling ahead.
"Knock it off, Alan," Greer snapped.
Alan continued to shake his leg. Then, he did the unthinkable. He started hopping on his left foot while shaking the right one. The pedal boat tipped dangerously to the right. No one was pedaling anymore. Even Justin and Tyson stopped.
"Alan, stop showing off!" Kristy screeched, jumping to her feet, which only worsened the tipping problem. "You're making a fool of yourself!"
Kristy and Alan were standing almost chest to chest in the small back seat, Shannon's head sandwiched between them. (And, in the most unfortunate of places, I must say). So, it was really no surprise when their weight and Alan's continued hopping sent the pedal boat tipping slightly back. Nor, was it any surprise when Alan lost his footing and careened backward, face suddenly ashen and panicked. It was, however, a bit of a surprise when he reached out for Kristy and - as far as anyone could tell - flipped her over Shannon's head. Alan and Kristy both landed in the canal with a giant splash.
Shannon and Greer screamed. Justin and Tyson appeared horrified. Alan and Kristy popped up in the water - Alan laughing hysterically and Kristy looking murderous. Releasing a deafening scream, Kristy dunked Alan back under the water. In the pedal boat, Shannon, Greer, and I weren't much better off. We too were soaked. I tried to gage the other's reactions. A quick glance told me that Greer was absolutely furious, while Shannon's reaction fell somewhere between amusement and horror. So, I did the only thing I could do.
I jumped in.
Two more splashes followed mine. Justin and Tyson had also jumped in. By then, Kristy had overcome her initial rage and was splashing water in Tyson's face. We were all giggling and having a great time when a terrified shriek cut through the air. I turned just in time to see Alan pull Greer into the water. Inside the boat, Shannon had not moved from her seat, instead gripping the seat in front of her with white knuckles, fearing she was next.
I have never seen anyone as angry as Greer when she resurfaced. Alan still had a giant, goofy grin on his face. That is, until Greer delivered a mighty sucker punch to his nose. Everyone gasped. No one, especially not Alan, was expecting that.
Silently, Greer struggled back into our pedal boat. Shannon wouldn't even move from her seat to help pull her in. Greer stood unsteadily in her seat, staring out at us. Her tan shorts were plastered against her thighs and the pale lilac tank top she'd worn made it very clear to everyone that she hadn't bothered with a bra that afternoon. Greer's lower lip trembled, but she bit it back into place again. I realized then that it wasn't us she was staring at. Almost as if operating with the same brain, Justin, Kristy, Tyson, and I all turned in the water. The sidewalk along the canal was crowded with people, all staring and snapping pictures.
Wordlessly, we swam back to our respective pedal boats and turned back toward the Keizergracht mooring. When we reached the mooring, the man running the pedal boat rentals pulled us in, grumbling. He knew exactly what had happened. The people standing around appeared puzzled though, but didn't ask for any explanation. Once we left the mooring, I decided it was time to break the silence.
"So, anyone still interested in The Pancake Bakery?"
Okay, so it wasn't the most thoughtful or considerate question. But, it was the most obvious.
Appearing absolutely scandalized, Greer spat, "I don't want any cheap damn pancakes. I'm going back to Verbruggenhuis." She turned on her heels and stalked off down the street without another word.
"I better go too. Nice meeting you," Shannon told Justin and Tyson before sprinting after Greer.
Alan appeared torn. Obviously, he wanted to eat. However, even goony Alan Gray knew that going out to eat pancakes instead of chasing after her would only make Greer angrier. He mumbled something inaudible and ran off.
"Uh...maybe we should take a raincheck," suggested Tyson. "I'm meeting Stacey in a couple hours. I don't think she'd appreciate my smelling like the canal," Tyson sniffed his shirt. Kristy and I did the same. I wrinkled my nose. We did smell kind of funky.
Justin and Tyson walked us to the nearest tram stop. None of us were able to ride the tram that afternoon though. As soon as we reached into our pockets, we discovered that the canal water had reduced our tram passes to mushy, ink smeared pulps.
"Oh no!" cried Kristy, as we started the long walk home. "My whistle fell off in the canal!"
Well, perhaps there was a silver lining after all.