"BSC034 - Mary Anne and Too Many Boys - Martin, Ann M" - читать интересную книгу автора (Martin Ann M)

"And Burger Garden," Stacey went on. "Remember those Crazy Burgers?"
"Of course I do," I said. "Burgers topped with bacon, Swiss cheese, pickles, and orange sauce."
"Orange sauce? Yuck!" Jessi looked slightly sick.
"It's not what you think," I told her. "They just mix the ketchup and mustard together.
The Pike kids love it, don't you, Mal?"
"We sure do." Mal nodded enthusiastically. Mallory is the oldest of eight kids, so naturally she is a terrific baby-sitter. The last time she went to Sea City she was a little young to babysit, so Stacey and I had all the responsibility for her brothers and sisters. Now that Mal is older, her parents have decided to pay her to help us out. But just from time to time. For the most part, they want her to have fun and enjoy her vacation.
Every year Mal's family rents a big house at the beach, and the kids love it. Stoneybrook is on the water, but it isn't the same thing. It isn't a "beach town" the way Sea City is. There must be a million things to do in Sea City, and I don't mean just the ocean and the boardwalk.
"Remember how much fun we had at Trampoline Land?" Stacey said.
"And Fred's Putt-Putt Course!" Mal exclaimed. "I love miniature golf. And the Ferris wheel, and oh, Candy Kitchen and Ice-Cream Palace!"
Kristy looked a little put out by this trip down memory lane, so I decided to change the subject.
"How about you, Claudia? Are you all set for Vermont?"
"I think so," she said softly. She looked a
little wistful and I knew she was thinking of Mimi, her grandmother. Mirni died recently, and this year's vacation in the mountains just wouldn't be the same without her. The Kishis were even going to a different spot, because it would be too painful to go back to the old place.
"I suppose we can close the meeting now," Kristy said reluctantly. I know she was disappointed that most of us were taking off for exciting places, while she and Jessi would be stuck at home in Stoneybrook.
"Gosh, I'm going to miss everybody," I said suddenly. It had just dawned on me that I wouldn't see my friends for two whole weeks!
Before I had a chance to get misty-eyed (I cry very easily), Kristy thumped me on the shoulder. "Hey, don't turn on the waterworks. We're all going to write each other!"
"That's true," I said, trying to cheer up, "but it won't be the same." I could feel a lump rising in my throat and swallowed hard. "I'll send everybody tons of postcards. And make sure you write me back," I pleaded. (We had already exchanged addresses.)
"Of course we will," Jessi promised. "Kristy and I will tell you about our baby-sitting jobs."
"And we'll write everything in the club notebook," Kristy said. (The club notebook is
like a diary. We write up what happens on every job we go to. Leave it to Kristy to be businesslike at a time like this.)
I hate good-byes, so I didn't object when Stacey pulled me toward the hallway. "Have a great time, everybody!" she yelled over her shoulder. Dawn and Mallory were already ahead of us, thundering down the stairs, eager to start their vacations. Kristy and Jessi looked a little sad standing in Claudia's bedroom, and I could feel myself getting weepy again.
"Come on, Mary Anne!" Stacey exclaimed. "Sea City is waiting for us."
She was right. I wiped away a tear that was threatening to trickle down my cheek. Who could cry when it was vacation time?
Chapter 2.
"Which do you like better? The pink or the blue?"
Dawn snatched up identical bikinis from her dresser drawer and waved them at me.
"Urn ... I like them both," I said.
"Honestly, Mary Anne! You must like one a teeny bit more than the other." She collapsed on the bed next to her open suitcase. It was late Friday afternoon, and her bedroom looked like a tornado had just ripped through. Dawn was packing for California, and every single surface was littered with clothes. She could have held a rummage sale. When our parents got married, we started out as roommates, but it was a disaster, and we decided on separate rooms. I glanced at the piles of clothes scattered around and remembered why.
"You look great in pink and blue," I said defensively. "I wasn't just being polite. Anyway, why don't you bring both of them? You
can always use an extra suit at the beach."
Dawn started to laugh. "An extra suit!" she said, sitting up and drawing her knees to her chin. "I'm bringing six bathing suits with me Ч three bikinis and three tank suits."
"Oh," I said, feeling a little silly. Dawn really dresses like an "individual," and to her, a bathing suit is more than something to swim in. It's a fashion statement.
"Hey, I just thought of something," she said. "I've got a string bikini that would look great on you. It's one of those green metallic ones. You know, the kind that always looks wet?"
"No thanks," I said quickly. "I'm all set." I could just picture what my father would do if he thought I was packing a string bikini for Sea City! Even though Dad has mellowed a lot in the last few months, he's still pretty conservative. It's hard to believe, but in the old days, I had so many rules, I felt like I was in boot camp. I had to be home by nine, I had to wear my hair in pigtails, and worst of all, my father picked out my clothes for me. I think part of the reason is that my mother died when I was little, and Dad had to be a mother and a father to me. Luckily, he has loosened up a lot, even though he will never be as casual about things as Sharon (Dawn's mom) is.
I was Dawn's first friend when she moved to Stoneybrook after her parents got divorced. We got along great from day one. You can imagine how surprised we were when we discovered that her mom and my dad went to high school together, and that they'd even gone steady. Their story is very romantic (and a little sad) because although they'd loved each other, they'd broken up. Why? Because Dawn's grandparents didn't approve of my father! Anyway, years later, when Sharon and my dad met each other again, they realized that they still were in love and finally decided to get married. All of us moved into Dawn's house, and although things were a little rocky at first, everyone is happy now.
"Mary Anne, I have some suntan lotion for you." Dad tapped on the open bedroom door and then came in, followed by Sharon.
"Thanks, Dad, but I've got tons of sunblock." I learned my lesson the last time I went to Sea City and ended up looking like a lobster. For some reason, I am one of those people who never tan. I just go directly from dead white to flaming red, followed by some painful peeling.
"How about toothpaste, shampoo, and stationery?" Dawn's mom asked. She fumbled in the pocket of her pink jumpsuit, looking a little
distracted. "And I bought each of you a roll of stamps, but what in the world did I do with them?"
It's really funny when Sharon tries to be organized and in control, because she's the most disorganized person I've ever met. If you don't believe me, you should see our kitchen. Last week, I found the grocery list (with a pencil still attached) in the refrigerator, and a very ripe tomato in the coupon drawer. I couldn't tell you how they got there, and I bet Sharon couldn't, either.
"Oh, dear," she said, searching in her pocket again. "Would you believe I actually made a list of what you both would need for two weeks?" I'd believe it. Sharon is a great list-maker. The trouble is she always loses a list five minutes after she writes it.
"Don't worry, Mom," Dawn said reassuringly. "I'm ready to go. I just have to throw in a beach cover-up and a hair dryer, and then I'll be all packed."
"It's true," I said, catching Dad's worried glance. "The room just looks like a disaster. She's really in good shape."
"You could have fooled me," Dad said, shaking his head.
One of the reason's Dawn's room looked so cluttered is that it is very small. All the rooms
in Dawn's house are small, because that was the style back then. I should explain that when Dawn's mother moved to Stoneybrook from California after her divorce last year, she bought a house for herself, Dawn, and Jeff. (Jeff is Dawn's younger brother.) But not just any house Ч a farmhouse that is so old it's practically an historic landmark. It was built in 1795, and has an outhouse, a barn, and an old smokehouse. It looks like a large, creepy dollhouse, the kind of place that a ghost would love to call home. (And probably does!) Dawn and her mom are crazy over it. Jeff, her brother, wasn't crazy over anything in Stoneybrook, though, so he eventually moved back to California to be with his dad.
But back to Dawn, who was sitting on her suitcase to close it. "I think that about does it," she said, looking a little flushed with the effort. Dawn was dressed for traveling, which meant she was wearing a beautiful Laura Ash-ley dress and had swept her long blonde hair back in pearl barrettes.
"Then let's have a quick dinner and be off to the airport," Sharon said. "I made something special for your last meal here, Dawn," she added, heading for the door.
Dad and I exchanged a look. Neither one of
us likes health food as much as Sharon and Dawn do.