CHAPTER 9: May—Abby

I got on the bus on the first Friday in May. Charlotte was going to accompany me on a baby-sitting job at Kristy's house, even though she clearly would've preferred to go with Stacey. Karen and Andrew would be at their mom's, so there would just be Emily and David Michael.

When we got to SMS, Charlotte got on and gave her note to the bus driver. I waved at her, and she joined me in the back of the bus. "Good afternoon, Stoneybrookers. Welcome aboard the Wheeze Wagon," I said, in the most monotone voice I could muster. "Please keep your hands and arms inside the window at all times. And if you somehow manage to sneeze and get some on the back of the head of the person in front of you, please wipe it off and pray that said passenger doesn't knock you into the middle of next week."

Almost immediately, Charlotte went into a laughing fit. "Where do you come up with this stuff, Abby?" she managed to gasp.

"My dad was an amateur comic himself," I said. "Well, that's what my Aunt Judith told me. Steve—you know, Jason's stepdad—went to school with him, and he told me that if there was an improv group for kids and teens back then, Dad would've been part of it."

Charlotte giggled again, then asked, "How's Anna?"

"Fine," I answered. "She got her back brace off a few months ago, and hasn't had any problems since."

If I sounded relieved, that's because I was. You see, when SMS had their health screenings a couple of years ago, Anna and I were sent home with notes for Mom, telling her to take us to the doctor to check for scoliosis. I had a mild case, but Anna's was severe enough to require a back brace, which she was to wear for two years. She was in good spirits about it, but I was acting like the stereotypical Jewish mother the whole time, and that drove Anna nuts. But when I saw her sledding, I started to feel better about the whole situation.

"That's good news," Charlotte said. When we got to our stop, we got off and headed toward the Thomas-Brewer mansion. I let Charlotte ring the doorbell.

The door was answered by Nannie, Kristy's grandmother. Call me crazy, but when Nannie answered the door, I almost expected her to say, "You rang?" like Lurch from The Addams Family.

"Hi, girls," she said. "Come on in."

As we entered the front hall and hung up our backpacks, Charlotte kicked off her sandals and put them beside the door. It's a habit Stacey says she's gotten into, because she's afraid of ruining the carpet. Since I'm almost always barefoot this time of year, I did the same.

"Now, David Michael should be home soon," Nannie continued, " and Kristy's at the Marshalls'. So if there's a problem, and you can't reach any adult, like me, Watson, Elizabeth, or one of your parents, try one of the neighbors, like Mrs. Korman, Mrs. Porter, or Mrs. Kilbourne. If they're not available, call Kristy at the Marshalls'. I've got a garden club meeting, and then I'm going to run to the store. I should be back in two or three hours, tops."

"Okay," Charlotte said.

"Charlotte, I'll take you home when I get back."

At that moment, Emily came out of the kitchen, finishing a grape Little Hug drink through a straw, and like Charlotte and me, she was barefoot. "Hi!" she exclaimed.

"Hi, Emily," I said.

When Emily saw Charlotte, she hung back. "Hi," Charlotte said, kneeling down to Emily's level. "My name's Charlotte. I'll be helping Abby today, and we're going to have lots of fun."

At this, Emily grinned, handed me her empty drink bottle, and threw her arms around Charlotte's neck. Charlotte picked her up and turned to face Nannie as I threw the drink bottle in the recycling bin.

"See you later, okay?" Nannie said, giving Emily a kiss.

"'Bye, Nannie," Emily called as Nannie headed to the door, and Charlotte carried her into the living room. As soon as that hideous pink car of Nannie's pulled out of the driveway, the door opened, and David Michael came in.

"Hi," I said.

"Hi, Abby," he answered as he set down his backpack and took off his shoes and socks. (Note to self: the next time I baby-sit here, look for a sign that says, "Shoes are prohibited in this house. Anyone who tracks in mud or dirt will be cleaning it up with a Q-tip.")

"Hungry?"

"Sure," he said. "Cottage cheese and cucumbers sound good."

Blecch! I thought. If there's one food I never really liked, it's cottage cheese. Just looking at it makes me nauseous. But I fixed David Michael's snack anyway, and he sat down at the table.

"Well, I see that Emily's got a new friend," he commented.

"Apparently so," I agreed.

During the afternoon, Emily and Charlotte played together, and David Michael did his homework. It was a pretty quiet afternoon, up until I noticed that Charlotte looked like she was deep in thought.

"What's on your mind, Char?" I asked.

"Well, I was just thinking about something that Stacey told me on our bike ride a few months ago," she answered.

"What?"

"She said Dawn's friend's mom is dying of cancer."

"I know," I said sympathetically. I remembered when Dawn had told us about that at lunch one day. "That must be so sad, huh?"

Charlotte nodded in agreement. "I was also thinking that a bunch of us could get together and make a card for Dawn's friend. You know, just to let her know that we're thinking of her."

"Oh, Char, that's a great idea!" I exclaimed. "Who should we get to sign it?"

When I asked that, Charlotte got a pen and a little notepad out of her backpack and started writing. "Let's see," she said. "How about the Pikes, the Hobart and Rodowsky boys, the Braddocks, the Kuhns, Karen and Andrew, the Papadakises, Nancy Dawes, the Arnold twins, Dru, Natalie, Jamie Newton, the Perkins girls, Jenny Prezzioso, the Gianellis, me, and of course, David Michael and Emily."

"Hey, what's going on?" David Michael asked as he took his backpack into the living room.

"We're making a card for Dawn's friend in California," I told him. "Her mom's dying of cancer."

"Oh, that's horrible," he said. "I'd be more than happy to help out."

"Good," I said. "Let's get to work."

Within minutes, the four of us were sitting at the dining room table with two pieces of yellow construction paper, glue, silver glitter, a hole punch, three pieces of white ribbon, and a box of Magic Markers. Charlotte picked up a black marker and drew a picture of the beach at sunset with birds in the sky. David Michael and Emily spread the glue and glitter around the picture, and at the very top, in purple marker, I wrote, "THINKING OF YOU".

After the glue dried, I put the pieces of construction paper together, punched three holes in the side, and tied them together with the pieces of ribbon. Then I opened the card, picked up the blue marker, and wrote, "Our thoughts and prayers are with you all." Finally, all three kids signed the card.

As I helped Emily wash the glue and glitter off her hands, I had a feeling that Dawn and her friend would appreciate the card.