CHAPTER 4: December—Mary Anne

It was about a week before Christmas, and the BSC members—the high school ones, that is—were at the Stamford Lanes bowling alley. Normally, I'm not the most athletic person in the world, but recently, I decided to give bowling a try. And no, playing it on the Kormans' Nintendo Wii doesn't count, either. Kristy, Bebe, the two guys, and I were in one lane, and the others were in one beside us.

After everyone had taken a turn, I said, "Hey, Kristy, I'm going to the snack bar. Do the rest of you want anything?"

After everyone had placed their orders, Kristy and I headed to the snack bar. "Have you thought about the future of the BSC?" I asked as we got in line.

Kristy nodded. "You know, Mary Anne, I was thinking that in March, we'd induct the next generation of officers, but their offices wouldn't take effect until after the first of July. I've already talked to Karen, and she's agreed to take over when I go to college in the fall."

"I remember having the Baby-sitters Training," I said. "Is that why we did it?"

"Yeah."

"That's a good idea," I said as we approached the counter to place our orders: hamburgers for Stacey and Jessi; a cheeseburger for Jason; nachos for Claud, Abby, Mal, and Bebe; and French fries for Kristy, Logan, and me. We also ordered a Diet Pepsi for Stacey; Pepsi for Kristy, Claud, Jessi, and me; Sunkist for the guys; and Sprite for Abby, Mal, and Bebe. And yes, everybody chipped in for all this food.

On the way, I happened to glance over my shoulder at the TV on the wall, and saw that Alvin & the Chipmunks was on—specifically, the episode where Simon was nervous about kissing his co-star in the school play. It reminded me of the last time I baby-sat for the Salem twins, and that episode happened to be on. When it got to the part where Alvin and Brittany accidentally kissed each other, Rose actually jumped up and ran to the bathroom. I knew she wasn't really sick, but she and Ricky were still grossed out by it.

While we waited for the food, Bebe and the guys happened to join us at the counter. "We thought you might need some help carrying this food back," Logan said. As the drinks appeared on the counter, and I marked which one was the Diet Pepsi, we paid the cashier, then Logan and Bebe put the drinks in the drink carriers and back to our group.

"Thanks," I said as the guy behind the counter handed me my change. By then, Logan and Bebe were returning for the food. Logan grabbed the burgers and an order of nachos; Bebe grabbed the cheeseburger and two orders of fries; I grabbed two more orders of nachos; and Kristy grabbed what was left, which was the rest of the nachos and fries.

"Here you go," I said to my friends as I set the food down.

"Thanks," Stacey said.

After we finished eating, we threw our trash away and returned to our game. Logan got a spare, and I got a strike. Well, you know what they say about beginner's luck, right?

Amidst the surprised gasps and congratulations, I noticed that Mal was awfully quiet. "Mal?" I asked. "Are you all right?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah," she said. "Um—actually, is there someplace we can talk in private?"

"Sure," I said. I had a feeling I wasn't going to like what Mal had to say. I followed her to the ladies' room, where we checked under the stalls to make sure that no one would be eavesdropping. After we decided it was safe, Mal turned to face me. "What is it?"

"Well," she began, "I didn't know who else to tell this to, but last night, Jordan told me that he wanted to talk to me about something."

"Is something wrong?"

"Well, that's just it. I don't really know," Mal answered. "I know it's not right to judge people because they're different, but I..." Mal took a deep breath before blurting out, "I think Jordan's gay."

As soon as those words came out of Mal's mouth, I just stood there, dumbfounded. Then after a minute, I managed to ask, very softly, "Are you sure about this?"

Mal nodded. "I'm pretty sure, Mary Anne," she whispered as a tear slid down her face. "I should've had it figured out a long time ago. Remember last summer when Dawn and Jeff came for a visit?"

"Yeah. What about it?"

"Well, the whole time they were here, I saw Jordan looking at Jeff kind of, lovingly—is that the right word?" Mal told me. I could tell she was fighting the sobs that were coming as I nodded. "And the night before they left, I overheard Jeff telling Jordan that he was straight, and not to worry about him telling anyone how he'd been acting."

"Wow," I murmured. "How did Jordan take it?"

"I think he took it pretty well," Mal said. "I'm still so worried about him, though. I've heard some pretty horrible stories about how gay people are treated, and I couldn't stand it if anything bad happened to him."

"Do your parents know?"

Mal shook her head. "The worst part is, Adam and Byron hardly ever talk to him anymore," she went on. "I'm just glad my other siblings don't ignore him completely, but Jordan still feels terrible, like this whole thing is his fault. I've tried talking to him, and you should've heard me telling Adam and Byron off. What'll I do, Mary Anne?"

And that's when she really started crying. I don't think I've heard anyone cry this much since Mimi's funeral.

"Oh, come here, honey," I said soothingly, wrapping Mal in a hug. I was also crying by now, and not just for Mal, but also for my other gay friends. The thought of what they must have endured, and what was yet to come, was unbearable.

After Mal and I finished crying, we returned to the others, finished our game, and left the alley. Somehow, nobody could tell that anything was wrong, and that was just fine with me. I wasn't about to tell them what Mal had told me.

Please don't let them treat Jordan too horribly, I thought as I got in my car. In spite of being worried about Jordan, I was also looking forward to Christmas.

A few days later, we arrived at the Hartford Airport. We were picking up Dawn and Jeff, and taking them back on the 28th.

When we got inside the airport, Dad said, "You go on. I'll have a surprise for you in a little bit." I wondered what he was talking about.

About an hour later, twenty minutes before Dawn and Jeff's plane was due to come in, Dad joined us outside the security area. Grandma Baker was right behind him. "Grandma!" I exclaimed, hugging her.

"Hi, sweetie," she smiled.

"How long are you staying?"

"A week."

"Mary Anne," Dad said. "I'm going to take Verna to get her luggage, and we'll meet you outside, okay?"

"Okay," I agreed. With that, Dad and Grandma walked off.

A little while later, Dawn and Jeff's plane came in, and within minutes, they had joined us outside the security area. And not surprisingly, there was yet another round of hugs.

It was the best Christmas anyone could ask for.