"BSC050 - Dawn's Big Date - Martin, Ann M" - читать интересную книгу автора (Martin Ann M)

"Leave me alone!" mumbled Norman, through a mouthful of chocolate. He looked at me quickly, and a pink blush swept across his face.
"Norman, why don't you clean up those wrappers and we'll play a board game or something," I suggested.
"Okay," he said, gulping down the last of the cupcake.
"Where did you hide the rest?" Sarah demanded, as she looked around Norman's room. I noticed that Norman's room was as neat as a pin. He and Sarah appeared to be opposites in every way.
"Where is it, Norman?" Sarah asked again.
"There is no more," said Norman stubbornly.
Sarah turned to me. "Norman hides food in his room. We don't even know where he gets it. My mother told me that if I see it I should get rid of it. It's for his own good. Look at him. He's huge!"
/ wanted to die. So I could imagine how Norman felt. I decided to distract Sarah. "Sarah, do you happen to own the video of The Little Mermaid?" I asked. (I had a feeling she probably did.)
"Sure. Why?" Sarah asked.
"It's my favorite movie," I said, although it was kind of a stretch. "I'd love to see it again. Do you think you could put it on for me?"
"The Little Mermaid is my favorite movie, too!" Sarah cried, as if this were the most amazing coincidence on earth. As I'd hoped, she forgot about Norman and grabbed my hand. "Come on," she said, pulling me out of the room.
"Norman," I said, "do you want to see the video?"
"I guess so." He shrugged.
The TV and VCR were in the large living room, at the opposite end of the hall. Sarah popped in the video and stretched out on the rug in front of the TV. Norman joined me on the couch. "This is one of the most wonderful movies ever made," Sarah said to me, not taking her eyes off the opening credits. "I know every song by heart."
In minutes, Sarah was completely absorbed in the movie. The only time she spoke was to sing along with the songs. Although I've seen The Little Mermaid a bunch of times, I never get tired of it, either.
Norman, unfortunately, didn't feel the same way.
While Sarah sang along with the video, Norman poked my arm. I looked to see what he wanted. He had pulled a handful of Hershey's Kisses from his pocket. "Want one?" he whispered.
"No, thanks," I whispered back. "Why don't you wait until after supper?"
"All right," Norman agreed. But the next time I looked at him, he was munching on a Kiss. I don't know how he managed it. Each time I looked at him, he was chewing. I never
saw him take out a candy or unwrap it. The kid was fast.
One time I glanced at him quickly and saw him pop something into his mouth. Our eyes met. He looked at me and smiled. He didn't start chewing until I looked away again. Norman was apparently a skillful secret eater.
Toward the end of the movie (the part in which it seems as though Ursula the Sea Witch might win), I noticed Norman wasn't sitting beside me anymore. Quietly I got up and walked to the kitchen, which was just off the living room.
Norman was at the table, eating a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Beside the sandwich sat five Oreos and a tall glass of milk. "You're going to spoil your appetite for supper," I warned him gently.
"We won't eat for awhile," Norman protested. "Not until eight o'clock."
That did seem late. But how could he be hungry after eating all that cake and candy?
Just then, I was distracted by the sound of the doorbell ringing. When I got to the door, Sarah was already there. A girl her age stood on the stoop. "Can I go out and play with Elizabeth?" Sarah asked. "She lives next door."
"I guess that's okay," I agreed. "Don't leave the yard, though."
Sarah ran to get her coat. Elizabeth and I followed her. We stood together in the kitchen, waiting for Sarah. "Hiya, Normy," said Elizabeth, who was a small girl with red curls. "Eating again, huh?"
Elizabeth looked at me. "Guess what they call him in school. Enormous Hill! Isn't that funny?"
"No, I don't think it's funny," I replied.
"What's not funny?" asked Sarah, coming into the kitchen.
"Enormous Hill," Elizabeth told her. "It is so funny. You see, they say Enormous instead of Norman because it sounds like Norman, and since Norman is enormous and his last name is Hill they call him Ч "
"I understand," I cut her off. "I just don't think it's funny."
Elizabeth looked at me as if I had no sense of humor. Sarah shot a disapproving look at Norman. "Stop eating!" she shouted.
In response, Norman took his sandwich and walked off to the living room. "You're not allowed to eat in there!" Sarah called after him.
Norman didn't reply. "He isn't supposed to eat in there," Sarah told me. "It's my mother's rule."
"I'll take care of it," I told her. "You and Elizabeth go outside and play."
I was relieved when I heard the door slam.
Poor Norman. Not only was his sister a tyrant, her friend was a bully!
Enormous Hill. What a mean name. That's one thing I don't get about kids. Why are they so cruel sometimes?
"Sarah's gone," I said, as I entered the living room. "Why don't you take that sandwich back to the kitchen?" I really didn't have to worry at that point. Norman had downed most of the sandwich already.
He got up from the couch and brought his plate back to the kitchen. I was surprised to see him put back his jars, wipe the table, and place his dish in the dishwasher. Most boys his age aren't that neat. But then I wondered if it was more than being neat. Maybe it was also another way to hide the fact that he'd been eating.
When that was done, Norman sat down and started on his Oreos. "Sarah and Elizabeth were pretty rough on you," I said, settling myself beside him. "Are you okay?"
"I'm used to it," said Norman, as he popped a cookie into his mouth. "It's not just Sarah. It's everybody. My whole family bugs me about my weight."
"What do they do?" I asked.
"My mother is always taking me to these doctors. At first my parents thought something was the matter with my glands. They
thought that's why I'm fat. But the doctors said no. I just eat too much."
"What did the doctors say to do?"
"They gave me all these yucky diets to go on," Norman said, making a face. "My mother cooks stuff like kale and okra. Really gross stuff."
"I like kale," I said.