CHAPTER 3: November—Stacey

It was the Tuesday before Thanksgiving. I'd just gotten in the door when the phone rang. "Hello?" I answered.

"Hi, Boontsie," Dad's voice said.

"Hi, Dad," I said. At the same time, I thought, I wish he'd stop calling me that. I'm a junior in high school, for God's sake. "What's up?"

"What are your plans for Thanksgiving?"

"Well, Mom and I are having our Thanksgiving dinner tonight," I said as I got the turkey out of the fridge and a cake pan out from under the sink. "Then I'm getting on the train after school tomorrow, spending Thanksgiving with you and Samantha, and then I'm going back to Stoneybrook the following Sunday."

"Sounds like a plan," Dad said. "I'll see you tomorrow at 6:00."

"Okay, Dad, see you then."

As I hung up the phone and started on the turkey, I couldn't help feeling excited, and was looking forward to Thanksgiving.

The next day, as soon as I got home from school, I dropped my stuff off, brought my suitcase into the living room, and waited for Mom. As soon as she came home, we went to the train station. I was leaving with my car with her, not only because she might need it, but almost everybody in New York takes either a cab or the subway. I mean, have you tried finding a parking space there? It's like pulling teeth.

As soon as we got out of the car and stepped onto the platform, we hugged. "See you Sunday," Mom said.

"See you," I said as I grabbed my suitcase and headed for the train.

"All aboard!" the train conductor called out as I climbed the steps and got on the train. When I found a place to sit, I put my suitcase at my feet.

As the train headed to New York, I began to make my plans. I decided that on Friday, I'd start my Christmas shopping at Macy's and Bloomingdales, which happens to be one of my favorite stores. Jason once told me that his uncle works there, but I haven't met him yet. When Kristy, Claudia, Mary Anne, and Dawn visited me in New York for the first time, I took them there, and Mary Anne almost got arrested for shoplifting. Luckily, the security guard let us go, once he understood that my friends were the tourists.

Another thing I remembered was that when I was little, Mom worked at Macy's, but when I was diagnosed with diabetes, she quit her job. I guess she thought I was an invalid who needed round-the-clock care.

When my parents divorced, and Mom and I returned to Stoneybrook, she started looking for a job, and before too long, she started going on interviews. In fact, one day, Mom collapsed during an interview, was rushed to the hospital, and diagnosed with pneumonia. I was getting ready to spend a weekend with Dad, but was about to bail out, because I couldn't find someone to stay with Mom. I'd called various neighbors, and Dad called someone from a visiting nursing service, creating all kinds of confusion. I wasn't able to attend a banquet that Dad was being honored at, so I made him an award of my own. He says it's on the bulletin board beside his desk.

When the train arrived in New York, I picked up my suitcase and followed everyone ahead of me off the train. I saw Dad and Samantha in the crowd. "Hi!" I called, waving, as I ran to them.

"Hi, Stacey," Samantha called back. I gave each of them a hug.

"Ready for Thanksgiving?" Dad asked.

"Mm-hm," I answered. "In fact, I've got it all figured out. On Friday, I want to start my Christmas shopping at Macy's and Bloomingdale's."

Dad nodded.

As we headed back to the apartment, another memory came back to me. When I was in kindergarten, Macy's had sponsored a Cinderella float, and I still remember how that had been one of my favorite movies. I guess you could say I was obsessed with it. I was invited to be on the float, because like I said, Mom had been an employee there at the time. The only downside was, when it was on TV, I was sitting on the opposite side of the float, out of camera range. As it later turned out, all that could be seen was a corner of my coat. I was so disappointed, but something good came out of it, though: Cinderella almost lost her crown, but after I retrieved it, she let me keep it. That really meant the world to me. It currently sits on the top shelf of my bookcase at Mom's house. Someday, if I ever have a little girl, I'll probably give it to her.

As soon as we got back to the apartment, Samantha started dinner while I put my stuff in my room.

As I sat down to dinner, I was really looking forward to Thanksgiving.

Two days later, just as I'd planned, I started my Christmas shopping. We'd watched the Macy's parade from our apartment window, then spent the day at the apartment, and caught that evening's performance of Wicked. Even though the music was good, the plot line sucked. I guess I'm just partial to The Wizard of Oz.

Anyway, on Friday morning, I started my Christmas shopping at Macy's, where I bought a necklace with a teardrop pendant for Claud (and no, I'm not going to make her sing, "What a very nice pendant...", or sing at all), a set of monogrammed handkerchiefs for Dad, and a personalized writing pad for Samantha. Speaking of Macy's, I just found out that there's going to be one opening at the Washington Mall in January, only it's going to be a lot smaller and cheaper than the one in New York.

When I got to Bloomingdale's, I bought a necklace with a sapphire stud for Mary Anne, and a glass picture frame for Mom. I just knew they'd love them.

At the counter, I noticed that the person who rang up my order was a middle-aged African-American man who looked like Billy Dee Williams. His name tag read "Aaron". I wondered if he was Jason's uncle.

"I'm giving this necklace to one of my friends in the Baby-sitters Club back in Stoneybrook," I told him.

"Stoneybrook?" he repeated. "I've got family there. My sister-in-law and her family live there."

"Really?" I asked. "What's her name?"

"Diann Everett," he answered.

That's when it started to click with me. "I think I know them. Do you have a nephew named Jason?"

"As a matter of fact, I do."

"I thought so," I smiled. "Jason's a great guy, and he's also in the Baby-sitters Club."

As soon as I said that, he lowered his glasses and looked at me. "Are you Stacey?" he asked.

"Uh-huh," I nodded affirmatively.

You should've seen the look on that man's face when I confirmed who I was. "Jason and Bebe have told my family so much about you girls," he said warmly. "And don't worry, they were all good things. You know, we still have that video of your school's production of Carnival."

"Yeah, that was such a fun show," I smiled.

"I'm glad you girls enjoyed yourselves. Okay, that'll be $32.50," he said as he finished ringing up my order and totaling the items. I gave him $35, and he gave me back my change.

"Thanks," I said as he put my receipt in the bag. As I grabbed it, I added, "And don't worry, I'll make sure to tell Jason I met you."

"That'd be great," he smiled as I walked away. I met Dad at the entrance, and we hailed a cab back to our apartment.

As the song in Gypsy says, small world, isn't it?