CHAPTER 2: LIZZIE IS MAD AT GORDO

Aghast, Lizzie asked Gordo, "Didn't you watch that movie on cable TV, Miracle on 34th Street?" Because only a few nights ago, her parents sat her down to watch this "Classic," as they called it, so she assumed all parents everywhere were doing the same. What she mainly remembered about the movie was that all the grownups who didn't believe in Santa Claus were ultimately proven to be silly, stupid and quite wrong.

But Gordo scoffed. "My parents would never make me watch such a preposterous movie!"

"Well, maybe they should!" Lizzie shot back. "Because if you had seen it, then you would know that Santa Claus is real!"

"Lizzie," Gordo said indulgently. "That was just a movie. People can say anything they want when they make movies, and other people believe it, just because it's in a movie. Don't you know that?"

Yes, Lizzie knew that. She knew it because last year at this time her parents had taken her to see The Santa Clause, about a dad who accidentally gets roped into being Santa, and of course that couldn't be real! Dads were not Santa Claus! But it certainly didn't prove Santa Claus himself wasn't real! And that was the point now, wasn't it?

"It's called…it's called…suspension of disbelief," Gordo said, bringing out a phrase he'd heard his father use on numerous occasions.

Now Lizzie was hopping mad at Gordo. He was trying to cloud the issue by using big words, so she decided she didn't want to talk to him anymore, and for her argument-ending statement chose, "Well…well…it doesn't matter! You're just being stupid, Gordo! You're being stupid and mean!"

"What's wrong?" Kate asked at hearing Lizzie's raised voice. Kate was always one to gravitate toward drama.

"Gordo doesn't believe in Santa Claus!" Lizzie replied, being sure to fill her voice with disapproving astonishment.

Kate sneered. "Oh, that! That's because he's Jewish," she explained simply.

"It is not!" Gordo replied, deeply offended. "Lots of Jewish kids believe in Santa Claus. Santa Clause is not just a Christian symbol of the holidays. He's a secular symbol."

Lizzie gasped again, thinking Gordo had said something other than "secular."

"You ARE mean!" Lizzie yelled at Gordo. "You're mean, and stupid and…and…and a doody head!"

"Doody head" was a term she had learned from her little brother Matt. She had no idea where he had picked it up, but felt sure it would finally put an end to this absurd argument.

"Okay, be that way," Gordo said calmly. "But just ask your mom and dad, and they'll tell you—No! No! Wait!" he amended quickly. "Don't tell them! Don't tell them I said anything!"

Gordo chastised himself for not thinking before he spoke. He suddenly knew with absolute clarity that if Lizzie tattled on him, her mom would call his mom, and then he would be subject to "a talking to." His parents would not punish him, of course (as they didn't believe in punishing children) but they would no doubt let him know how very disappointed they were in his behavior. He hated it when his parents were disappointed in his behavior.

"Yeah, sure!" Lizzie erroneously surmised by Gordo's sudden cover-up. "Of course you don't want me to tell anyone what you said! Cos then everyone will know what a doody head you are! And then you'll be in trouble! Big trouble."

"Yeah, that's it," Gordo agreed quickly. "I don't wanna get a reputation as a doody head. I take it back, okay? I take it all back. There is a Santa Claus. Of course there's a Santa Claus! Don't ever tell anyone I said differently, okay?"

Gordo sat back on the seat and mentally kicked himself for having to be such a great big know-it-all all the time. Maybe Lizzie was right. Maybe he was nothing more than a stupid doody head.