"I'll take it," Abby volunteered. "And I'll even call Mrs. Korman to tell her." "Do you want to ride home, or are you running?" Kristy asked as Abby dialed the Kormans' number and everyone else prepared to leave.
"Mrs. Korman? What?" Abby held the phone to one ear and clamped her free hand over the other. "It's Abby Stevenson. I'm available to baby-sit for you tomorrow." She listened, then repeated, "What? . . . Okay, see you then." Abby hung up, shaking her head. "Whoa! Sounds like a war zone at the Kormans'. Melody was crying and Bill was yelling. I could barely hear a word Mrs. Korman said. I hope they reach some kind of truce by tomorrow afternoon." Chapter 3.
I looked at the telephone sitting on my night-stand. Janine was checking the math problems I'd managed to finish in the hour we'd been working together. I still had six to go, but I wanted to make sure I was doing them correctly before I went any further. If it was going to take her awhile, maybe I could sneak in a call to Josh. My parents had made it a rule that I had to finish at least some of my weekend homework on Friday. In the past, I'd had a habit of leaving everything until Sunday night and then feeling as if I couldn't face it because there was so much. I wasn't technically finished with what I needed to do tonight, but I had done a fair amount.
I stood up, stretched, and took three steps toward the telephone.
Janine's head snapped up. "Where are you going?" "I need to call Josh and tell him what time we're going out tomorrow night," I said.
"Claudia, you're aware of the restrictions on your use of the telephone before you complete your homework assignments," Janine reminded me.
I rolled my eyes. Janine sometimes talks as if she's choosing words out of a special genius dictionary, especially when the subject is schoolwork.
"There are a few principles in this assignment that need further clarification. Come sit here and we'll discuss the issues that are contributing to your errors." Janine patted the seat of my desk chair. "Don't be discouraged. You're doing an admirable job, especially in light of the fact that this concept was only recently introduced. Your errors may simply be a matter of too little attention to detail." Something I'm sure my sister would never be guilty of. I sat down. "Don't you have anything better to do than help me with math on a Friday night? I could have started with history or English. Mom and Dad offered to work with me." Looking at Janine's face, I felt bad for asking that question. She'd broken up with her boyfriend, Jerry Michaels, recently. Even though it had been Janine's idea, they'd gone out for a long time, so I'm sure it wasn't easy.
"I don't mind spending the evening with my sister." Janine smiled and pushed her glasses up on her nose. "Jerry was a person whose presence in my life expanded geometrically rather than arithmetically, taking up more time than one person should." I nodded, not quite sure what she meant, but realizing, now that I thought about it, that she used to spend more time with Jerry than with anyone else. I thought of Josh again. I wished I had more time to spend with him. But as Janine might say, time is a constant. There's only a certain amount of it.
"How about adding a little C12H22OU to this equation?" Janine asked.
I leaned over and looked at my math paper. "Which one?" Janine laughed. "C12H22O11 is the chemical compound for sucrose. The main component of your ... junk food." "You want some candy?" I asked. Janine can be so weird. Why didn't she just say candy?
"What kind do you have?" "Snickers." I opened the middle drawer in my desk, reached to the back, and found two candy bars.
"Thank you." Janine unwrapped hers and began to nibble.
"So, what have I done wrong here?" I asked, with my mouth full of chocolate, peanuts, caramel, and nougat.
"How is Josh Rocker fitting into the equation of your life?" Janine replied.
I was so surprised I stopped chewing and my mouth fell open. I'm sure it looked charming, since it was full of candy bar. I swallowed. The equation of my life was kind of out of balance at the moment, but Janine probably wouldn't be interested in that. "Josh is fun," I said.
"Fun is important," she replied, nodding.
Even I, with my normal IQ, knew that. I also knew that the sooner we finished the math, the sooner I could call Josh. I stared at the small check marks Janine had made in several places.
"The first three problems are perfect," she said.
I took a moment to enjoy my success. Janine continued, explaining the errors I'd made in the other problems. Most of them were from working too quickly, I realized. I erased the wrong answers. "Let me finish these problems and you'll be free," I said, bending over my paper. It didn't take me long.
"Janine?" She'd stood up while I was working. I turned in my chair to see her standing in front of my dresser, holding a pair of feather earrings up to her ears.
"What do you think?" she asked, turning around.
"Hmmm," was my enthusiastic response. Not in a million years could I imagine my sister going out in public in feather earrings. She tended to wear tiny gold balls and pearl studs, when she bothered with earrings at all. "I'm finished correcting the problems. I'll work on the rest of the assignment while you're checking these." "Maybe then we could bake cookies together?" Again I looked at Janine.
"We seldom indulge in any activities together beyond math homework, Claudia. It might be fun." Janine looked so hopeful. Did she truly want to be with me, or was she lonely? Oh, well. Maybe I could sneak in a telephone call to Josh while the cookies were baking.
I was about to agree when there was a knock on the door. "May we come in?" Mom asked.
I quickly shoved our candy wrappers in my math book.
"Sorry to interrupt your study session," Dad said as he and Mom stepped into my room. They looked around, and I could almost hear what they were thinking. I tend to be creative in my room decor too - clothes draped over furniture and on the floor, the bedspread artistically wrinkled.
"Something has come up," Mom began.
Janine and I sat up a little straighter. Mom looked awfully serious.
"It's good news," she added, her eyes sparkling. "I think." "Tell us," I said.
Mom pulled and patted the bedspread, removing the wrinkles. Then she and Dad sat down facing us.
"The news is good for me, anyway," Mom began. "I've been invited to attend a library convention in Chicago." "That's wonderful," Janine put in. "Is it the one you mentioned last summer? There were some speakers you were anxious to hear." Mom nodded. "Yes. The representative from our region, southern Connecticut, has to have back surgery and won't be able to attend. He asked me to go in his place. So it isn't good news for Mr. Christian." She looked at Dad. "But I guess it is for me." "The convention is next weekend," Dad continued. "You may remember Jim Simpson, who used to work at the firm with me. He and his family moved to Chicago and we haven't seen him in several years. Your mom and I thought this might be the perfect opportunity to visit the Simpsons." He cleared his throat.
I didn't remember Jim Simpson, but Janine was nodding, so maybe she did. Chicago has a wonderful art museum and a science museum Janine would probably love. Would we miss any school? "It sounds great," I said. "I'd love to visit the Art Institute again. When do we leave?" Mom and Dad exchanged looks. "We," Mom stressed the word, pointing her finger at Dad, then at herself, "need to leave on Thursday." Ohh. This was just a Mom-and-Dad trip, I thought, disappointed.
"We talked to Russ and Peaches," Dad began.
Russ and Peaches are my favorite aunt and uncle, the parents of my favorite cousin, baby Lynn. Having Lynn around all weekend would definitely help make up for missing out on a trip to Chicago.
"But they really have their hands full taking care of Lynn," he finished.
"We can help them with Lynn," I said.
"We have another idea," Mom said. "How would you girls feel about staying here alone? Not alone, exactly, since there would be two of you." She laughed nervously. "We'll only be gone from Thursday evening through Sunday afternoon." A weekend with no parents? Janine and me here alone, together? I could leave my homework until Sunday night because no one except my sister would be here to help me - and surely she'd have things to do on a weekend with no parents. This was sounding better and better.
I glanced at Janine and found her looking at me, her eyes gleaming in a way I wasn't too sure I liked. She turned to Mom and Dad. "That sounds like a well-thought-out plan to me. I'd be delighted to take care of Claudia." Take care of? Mom and Dad didn't say anything about Janine "taking care of" me. They said leave us here alone together.
"Claudia?" Everyone's eyes were on me.
"Sounds like a plan to me too. But..." "Wonderful." Mom stood up and actually clapped her hands.
"Of course we'll leave money for pizza one evening," Dad assured us.
'And I'll prepare casseroles and leave them in the freezer," Mom said.
"Claudia and I are perfectly capable of cooking for ourselves. It will be fun, won't it, Claud? Planning meals, cooking them? We can rent a couple of videos. Maybe we can go shopping! I can't wait!" Again, everyone was staring at me. I forced a smile. The look in Janine's eyes made me wonder what she planned to shop for. Matching sister outfits, maybe?
Already, I was nervous.
Chapter 4.
Abby had known things weren't going very well between Melody and Bill as early as the telephone call she made on Friday, to tell Mrs. Korman she would sit for the kids on Saturday afternoon. She'd hoped that they'd reach a truce before it was time for the sitting job. At first, it seemed as if they had.
Since the Kormans live on Abby's street, she walked to their house.
The doorbell hadn't finished chiming before Mrs. Korman flung open the front door. "Come on in, Abby. We'll be ready in a moment," she said, leading the way to the back of the house.
When they reached the kitchen, Mrs. Korman lifted Skylar out of her high chair and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "Mr. Korman and I are taking Skylar to a gym class this afternoon. We shouldn't be gone too long." Through the door to the den Abby could see Mr. Korman down on one knee talking to Bill. Bill's arms were folded tightly against his chest and he was looking at the floor.
"The phone number of the gym is posted by the telephone. Melody is upstairs in her room. I'll let her know you're here. I have to grab Skylar's bag," said Mrs. Korman, her eyes darting back and forth between Abby and the scene in the den.
"I'll take Skylar for you." Abby held out her arms and Skylar buried her head in her mother's shoulder.
Mrs. Korman handed her to Abby.
"Hey, Skylar, are you going to learn to do some somersaults? Cartwheels, maybe?" Abby asked.
Skylar yawned.
"Let's clean you up a little. Everyone will know you had applesauce for lunch." Abby carried her to the sink, ran warm water over a paper towel, and wiped Skylar's face. Skylar twisted her head and pulled away.
"You look all fresh and rosy now. We'll do the same thing to your high chair." Abby picked up the empty bowl with traces of applesauce on the sides and placed it on the counter, then ran the towel over the tray of the high chair.
Mr. Korman joined them and Skylar reached out to him. He took her from Abby. "Did Mrs. Korman tell you where we're going?" he asked.
"Yes. And she showed me the number by the phone." Mrs. Korman reappeared. "Melody will be down as soon as she finishes picking up the game she and Bill were playing," she said. "What's the weather like? Do we need jackets?" "It's perfect outside," Abby said.
"Let's go." Mrs. Korman held the door for her husband. 'Are they going to behave?" Abby heard her say to Mr. Korman as the door shut.
"Hi, Bill!" Abby joined him in the den, where he was slumped on the sofa watching a movie. "How's school?" Bill is nine. He and Melody go to Stoneybrook Day School.
"Okay, I guess. Better than home. At least it keeps me away from my bratty sister for awhile," he said.
"Is this a video?" Abby asked, recognizing the movie.
"Nope. It's on cable today. I love this part," he said, staring at the screen. Abby got the message. He didn't want to be disturbed.
She decided to go upstairs and say hi to Melody, who is seven. As Abby walked to the back staircase, she wondered what it would be like to live in a house this big. Her house is large and so is Kristy's, but the Kormans' house is the biggest one on the street.
Melody was sitting in the middle of the floor, picking up the pieces of a board game, one at a time. "I don't see why Bill doesn't have to help. He was playing too," she said to Abby before Abby had a chance to say a word.
"I think Bill is watching a movie," Abby said. As soon as she saw the expression on Melody's face, she wished she hadn't mentioned it.
Melody jumped to her feet. "He knew I wanted to watch the cartoon marathon. And Mom said I could." She pushed past Abby and ran downstairs.
Abby followed close behind.
"It's my turn to watch the television in here," Melody announced as she barged into the den. She picked up the remote control and switched the channel. "Mom said I could at lunch, and I know you heard her." "Did you hear your mom say that, Bill?" Abby asked.
"Let her watch her cartoons. I'll go upstairs and watch in Mom and Dad's bedroom." "Fine. I don't want you in here anyway." Melody curled up on the couch.
