Dear David Michael,
You will never guess who I met today! But, I'm not going to tell you who yet. I want to do it in person. I will say though that today was one of the most exciting days of my life. I only wish you could have been with me. Maybe when you're a little older we can go see her together.
See ya soon!
Kristy
I don't know what Shannon, Anna, and Claudia found so humorous about my attire. Sure, normally I'd rather eat a slug than wear a skirt and usually prefer holiday sweaters to pastel-colored button-ups. However, this was a special occasion. A momentous occasion! I make exceptions for such events as weddings, funerals, and first time meetings with the matriarch of Shannon's family. Personally, I thought I looked pretty snappy.
Obviously, I was excited about meeting Shannon's grandmother. Unfortunately, in the thrill of the moment I'd neglected one very important detail.
"How are we supposed to find this dog?" asked Anna.
"Please don't refer to Shannon's grandmother as 'this dog'," I barked authoritatively. "It sounds condescending. The matriarch of Shannon's family will not be degraded in such a way."
"Matriarch?" said Shannon, rather warily.
"Isn't that a butterfly?" asked Claudia.
"Huh?" Shannon, Anna, and I replied in unison. We had no idea what she was going on about. Lately, Claudia had been making even less sense than usual.
"You know," said Anna. "The whole Shannon-the-dog, Shannon-the-human thing is getting pretty confusing. The next pet you get, could you please not name it after a real person? Shannon and Emily Junior are enough."
"I noticed you mentioned Shannon-the-dog before me," commented Shannon.
I felt my face redden in anger. I had completely lost control of this expedition! Where was the respect for the presidential office? Never before had I so greatly missed my whistle. Then, I remembered a special talent of mine. I put my fingers between my lips and blew.
"Holy crap!" shrieked Anna, clamping her hands over her ears. Maybe now she'd think twice before insulting the naming practices of the Thomas-Brewer clan.
"We need order," I told them. "We're in Switzerland without permission and have no idea how to find Shannon's grandmother. No offense to Shannon, but if it were me the address of Shannon's grandmother would be ingrained on my brain. Again, no offense to Shannon,"
"Thanks, Kristy," said Shannon, a bit of rise in her voice.
I nodded. Good that Shannon could take constructive criticism so well. The rest of the BSC (and Anna) could learn a thing or two from her. "All we know is that the family's name is Inhan and they live somewhere outside Berne. I propose we split into pairs and canvas the neighborhood. Sooner or later, we'll find someone who knows the Inhans. While we're at it, Claudia and I will look for a copy shop to print up flyers."
"Are you kidding?" exclaimed Anna.
I narrowed my eyes. Since Anna's not a member of the BSC I could forgive a certain degree of insubordination. However, she was starting to get a tad uppity, questioning my Great Idea and in front of my inferiors, no less!
"Look around, Kristy," Anna continued. "Do you realize how big this city is? We're never going to find these people!"
"Do you have a better idea?" I asked, coolly.
"Yes! Cut our losses, board the train, and hope Mrs. Kilbourne and Mrs. Carson don't beat us back to Amsterdam,"
"There are no quitters in the BSC!" I snapped. "Anyone else have any ideas since mine is apparently stale?"
"Why don't we look in a phone book?" suggested Claudia.
Shannon, Anna, and I exchanged a Look. A phone book! It was so obvious. Could the solution really be that simple?
"Are there phone books in Europe?" I asked.
Claudia shrugged (which looked sort of funny with the broom handle and pails resting across her shoulders).
We walked back into the train station. Before we could search for a phone book, Shannon and Anna insisted on a bathroom break. As soon as they returned, Claudia spotted a vending machine, which she promptly attacked. Even I had to grudgingly agree that I was a bit hungry. Anna and I each bought a bag of chips and Shannon a package of peanut butter crackers. Once Claudia fished out her four Mars bars, six Baby Ruths, and two bags of smoked almonds we finally started looking for a payphone. All the dawdling was quite irksome. Where were people's priorities? We had a dog to find!
"There's a phone!" exclaimed Anna, finally getting into the spirit of things.
"And a phone book!" said Shannon.
"Good idea, Claud. Nice eye, Anna," I praised them. It's important to let underlings know their contributions are of some value.
Shannon and I both grabbed the phone book and tugged it back and forth until reaching a silent truce. Shannon held the book while I flipped quickly through its pages, finally landing on the "I" section. Shannon scanned the listings with a finger.
"There're seven listings for Inhan," I announced. "How'll we know which one?"
"Here it is!" cried Shannon, jabbing her finger at a name. "Jann and Maria Inhan! I recognize their names! They sold Astrid to us!"
Claudia threw her arms into the air. "Yippee!"
"Augh! Claudia!" Anna shrieked. "You dropped one of your pails on my foot!"
Quickly, I jotted down Jann and Maria Inhan's address. "Let's go team! Move out!" I yelled with a wave of my hand. I led the way to the entrance, Shannon, Claudia (occasionally whacking passersby), and Anna (slightly limping) following close behind. Outside the station a cab was waiting at the curb. A middle aged man and woman were headed for it.
"Excuse me!" I shouted, shoving passed them. "This is a Baby-Sitters Club emergency!" I dove through the open door into the seat beside the cabbie.
If the man and woman had any objections they didn't voice them. Maybe because Claudia knocked the woman to the ground with her broom handle.
"We need to go to Geisterstrasse seven," I told the cabbie. "Fast as you can legally go. No! Faster than that!" This was one time I wasn't concerned with the reputation of the Baby-Sitters Club.
The cabbie stared at me, blankly. Then, he rattled off a bunch of words I didn't understand.
"He doesn't speak English!" cried Anna.
The cabbie nodded. " Ja. No English,"
"This is a disaster!" wailed Shannon, flipping through a German-English dictionary. Good thinking on her part to bring that along. If I hadn't been so upset I would have pointed that out.
"Why don't we just find a cabbie who speaks English?" asked Claudia.
"Shh, Claud," I hissed. "We're trying to think,"
Shannon leaned over the seat and spoke slowly to the cabbie. "Ich bin Shannon. Ich bin Amerikanerin,"
"What'd you say?" I asked.
"She just introduced herself!" Anna exclaimed, grabbing the dictionary out of Shannon's hands. "How is that going to help us?"
"That's the only German I learned for the trip! Other than asking directions to the U.S. Embassy!"
We were getting nowhere. As usual, it was up to me to take charge. I'm not the president of the Baby-Sitters Club for nothing, you know. I took out the Inhan's address and shoved it at the cabbie. "There," I said, sternly, pointing to the street number. The cabbie, who so far had watched us with slight fear in his eyes, nodded and pulled out into traffic.
During the drive through the (truly gorgeous) city we continued our attempts to communicate with the cabbie. Shannon tried her French on him (nothing), Anna spoke some Hebrew she learned for her Bat Mitzvah (nope), and Claudia recalled bits of Japanese Mimi taught her (which probably wasn't recognizable to even a native speaker). I even tried my hand at a little Spanish. Apparently, he didn't speak that either. Or else, he simply didn't know where to buy a good burrito.
Once we were out of the city we gave up. Not so much for lack of interest (everyone was having a chilly time!), but because we were so taken with the beauty of the countryside. Ever driven through the Alps? It's amazing. Right then and there, I decided to convince Watson to take the family (and the BSC!) on a Swiss ski vacation next Christmas. (He is a millionaire, after all).
"The hills are alive with the sound of music," trilled Claudia, off-key.
"That's Austria," corrected Anna.
"We're in Austria?" replied Claudia. "My lederhose!"
"No. The Sound of Music is set in Austria. You're in the wrong country. Stop singing,"
For awhile, we had silence. Then, Claudia started again.
"Climb every mountain – "
"Still Austria,"
"But, they were climbing to Switzerland," protested Claudia.
"They were climbing toward Germany. Salzburg borders Germany, not Switzerland. In real life, the von Trapps hopped a train to Italy. So, again, stop singing,"
Claudia leaned forward and whispered in my ear. "Kristy, Anna's killing my childhood,"
Just then, the cabbie turned onto a bumpy dirt driveway. It was then that I had my first look at the home of Shannon's grandmother. Usually, I'm not a very emotional person, but there was a definite tightening in my chest. All I could think was "this is where it all began".
I jumped out of the cab before it was even at a complete stop. Smoothing the light wrinkles from my skirt I studied the farmhouse. It was an old three-story with peeling white paint and faded green shutters. Three rocking chairs sat on the porch and a clothesline was strung up beside it with several dresses blowing slightly in the gentle summer breeze. It was idyllic. The perfect place for a dog to grow up.
Looking around, I had to fight back tears. It was almost time. Any moment, I would meet her.
A woman appeared on the porch. She wore a salmon-colored housedress and a puzzled expression. A man in overalls came around the side of the house and joined the woman on the porch. Butterflies fluttered in my stomach as my friends and I approached the house.
When we reached the porch steps I curtsied and greeted the Inhans. "Guten tag, Herr und Frau Inhan,"
I hoped to make a fresh impression. I took a deep breath and unfolded a piece of notebook paper that had been clutched in my hand the entire drive. I cleared my throat and began to read from the paper.
"Good afternoon. My name is Kristin Amanda Thomas. I'm thirteen years old and an eighth grader at Stoneybrook Middle School in Stoneybrook, Connecticut. I am also the founding president of The Baby-Sitters Club, but perhaps we'll talk more about that later. Besides babysitting, I enjoy softball, physical education class, and maple sugaring. But most importantly, I am the proud and lucky owner of a Bernese puppy named Shannon. She brought my family joy and hope during one of the darkest times in our lives. I am here today because I believe Shannon's grandmother lives on this farm. As of yesterday, it's been my life dream to meet her,"
"Uh, Kristy…" Shannon whispered.
"What?" I snapped. She was ruining a beautiful moment!
Shannon jerked her head toward the porch. Frowning, I lowered my paper. The Inhans were staring at me with gaping mouths and the same puzzled expression the cabbie wore only minutes earlier.
"Oh no!" I wailed. "They don't speak English either!"
"Why doesn't anyone in this country speak English?" Claudia demanded, crossly.
"We'll figure this out," promised Shannon, patting my shoulder. What a true friend! She took a step forward and addressed the Inhans. "My…name…is…Shannon…Kilbourne – " she spoke slowly.
"They're not stupid," said Anna. "They just don't understand English,"
Shannon flushed bright red. "Oh, right." She tried again. "Kilbourne. Kilbourne. From Connecticut. In America. You sold us Astrid of Grenville. Astrid? Uh, Bernese Mountain dog?"
The Inhans remained silent a few seconds more, then Frau Inhan nodded. "Bernese? Ja!" She cupped her hands around her mouth and bellowed, "Silke! Silke!"
"What the freak is a Silke?" asked Anna.
Before anyone could reply an enormous Bernese Mountain dog came bounding out of a nearby pasture. She sailed over the wooden fence in a single graceful leap. She was breathtaking.
"Shannon's grandmother," I gasped, my eyes welling with tears.
I bent down and enveloped Shannon's grandmother in my arms. I buried my face in her furry neck, so the others wouldn't see my tears. I inhaled her musty, doggy smell. It was Heaven.
"You know, Kristy, I'm pretty sure Astrid's mom was named Helene," said Shannon.
"Silke is obviously a nickname," I replied, waving her away. "Don't ruin this lovely moment." I stood up, still scratching Silke behind the ears. "The camera, Claudia. We must record this day for posterity."
The Inhans looked on, still with those strange expressions on their faces (was it a Swiss thing?), while Claudia snapped photo after photo of Silke and me. Shannon posed for a few, too, as did Claudia. Anna refused, so I kicked her in the shin and dragged her into the frame. Herr Inhan was kind enough to take a few group shots. Afterward, Silke and I played together in the yard while Frau Inhan served the others apple strudel on the porch. Dirty and sweaty, I finally had to admit that the wonderful day was at its end. Claudia polished off her fifth and final strudel and I said a tearful goodbye to Silke. I promised that one day we would meet again.
Herr Inhan drove us back to the city. (In a Ford Escort! In Switzerland!) Silke chased the car down the driveway, barking a sorrowful farewell. Hanging out the window, I waved to Silke until we rounded a bend in the road. I could no longer see her, but knew her face and joyful spirit would forever be imprinted on my heart.
We arrived at the train station tired, but buoyant inspirit. It had been an exhausting, but fantastic day. Luckily, the next train to Amsterdam was just boarding. We bought our tickets and sprinted to the platform. The conductor was just about to close the door when I dove threw it. He chuckled and pulled everyone else in. As the train pulled away from the station Anna spoke the words that turned my euphoria to panic –
"Where's Claudia?"