"Martin, Ann M - Baby-sitters Club - Super Special 01 - Baby-sitters on Board!" - читать интересную книгу автора (Martin Ann M)

One of us would reply, "Six," and then they'd give us any help we needed. It was all so easy and pleasant and natural.
The very first place we went was the Universe of Energy. It turned out that Marc was just as crazy about dinosaurs as Claire and Margo were.
"I know all about dinosaurs," he said as we waited in line. "Tyrannosaurus rex, stegosau-rus, brontosaurus, allosaurus Ч "
"And the birds were called dactyls," Claire interrupted.
"Pterodactyls," Margo informed her.
When we were finally inside, we were shown into a "traveling theater" with huge long seats that are more like train cars. We sat on a special one at the back that was designed to have enough room for Marc's wheelchair. The lights went out, just like in a regular movie house, and we watched films about energy and the long-ago times in which fossils were created.
And then our seats began to move! They turned around until they'd formed a sort of train, and we rode right out of the theater Ч and into a primeval forest. Soon we were in dinosaur land.
The kids were beside themselves as we rode through the darkness with the moving dinosaurs towering over us.
"Look!" Margo exclaimed. "It's a bronto-saurus!"
"Hey, there's an allosaurus and a stegosau-rus having a fight!" said Marc, awed.
Nothing impressed them more than that fight. It was all they talked about as we waited on line for the World of Motion.
After the World of Motion, they were laughing so hard that the Kubackis had to warn Marc to calm down.
"But did you see those accident scenes?" he said. "The bike accident? And the car accident with the boxes of fruit knocked all over the street?"
The World of Motion is about transportation, and the kids loved it (although not as much as they loved the dinosaurs). The ride was a lot of fun, and practically every scene made them giggle.
After the World of Motion we went to the Magic Eye Theater at Journey Into the Imagination and saw the Michael Jackson video "Captain EO." The kids thought it was funny, exciting, and deliciously scary.
When the video was over, the Kubackis said that Marc needed some time to rest and take his medicine, so we went to a restaurant in the World Showcase for lunch. The little outdoor tables there were so small that we let the girls and Marc sit at one, while I sat at another with the Kubackis.
That was when the sad thing happened.
The kids were chattering away and I said something to the Kubackis like, "It looks as if Marc is having the time of his life."
"We hope so," replied Mrs. Kubacki. And
she kind of choked on her words.
"What's the matter?" I whispered, suddenly feeling afraid.
The Kubackis glanced at each other. There was an embarrassing silence. Then Mr. Ku-backi said in a low voice, "Marc is going to have major surgery in a couple of weeks. Heart surgery. It'll be very risky."
I figured out what he wasn't saying: that Marc might not survive the operation. I was stunned. "Does he know?" I managed to ask.
"He knows about the surgery," replied Mr. Kubacki, "but not the risks. There's no need for him to know that. We took this vacation together . . . just in case. And we want him to be happy. If ... anything happens, this is one of the good times Mrs. Kubacki and I will be able to look back on." Mr. Kubacki reached for his wife's hand.
I swallowed hard. I couldn't let myself cry. Not there. Not then.
I saved it for late that night when Marc's last day at Disney World was over. I lay in the darkness wondering why it was that some people are given health, and others are given trials or tests. And why such a little boy as Marc had to be given such a big test.
Claudia.
"Here they come! Here they come!" called Karen Brewer.
She meant Mickey and Minnie Mouse.
The parade was moving down Main Street in the Magic Kingdom and we were finally there to see it.
When I say "we," boy, do I mean we! Everyone was there: Kristy and her family, the Pikes, and all us baby-sitters. Plus, I was standing with Timothy, Dawn was with Parker and two little boys, the youngest Pike girls were with Marc Kubacki and his parents, and Kristy had brought along Mr. Staples. I thought I'd even seen Alexandra, that weird friend of Mary Anne, hanging around. All the kids were in front, right on the curb for the best view of the parade, and the rest of us were standing behind them. The only person who could have
made the group more complete was my Secret Admirer. Since we'd been at Disney World he'd left a stuffed animal at the door to our room, and sent me some barrettes and a note saying I was "as beautiful as ever" Ч but he hadn't shown his face.
I couldn't dwell on him, though. Not when I was holding Timothy's hand and feeling grown-up.
"Some parade, huh?" Timothy said to me.
"I'll say," I agreed.
A gigantic upside-down birthday cake with the candles stuck in the bottom (or the top) went by and Claire, Margo, Karen, and Andrew burst into giggles.
A jolly, laughing Winnie-the-Pooh went by and waved to Marc Kubacki. It was Marc's turn to giggle. What a great sight.
So why did Stacey suddenly look like she was about to cry? Her face crumpled up Ч just for a second. Then she made an effort to control herself. What was going on? I'd have to ask her about that later.
Alice in Wonderland skipped down the street and I watched her blow a kiss to Karen Brewer.
"Hey, Tim! Tim!" someone called from behind me.
Karen pretended to catch the kiss and blow it back.
"Tim!" the voice called more insistently. "Timothy!"
I turned around. Did the person the voice belonged to mean my Timothy?
I nudged him. "I think someone's calling you," I said.
Timothy had turned bright red. "Naw," was all he said.
But at that moment a hand clapped down on his shoulder. "Timothy! Hey, little brother, are you in outer space?"
It was that weird girl, Alexandra Carmody.
"Little brother! You're Timothy's sister?" I asked the girl.
"Unfortunately."
"How come you didn't tell me you had a sister?" I exclaimed, turning to Timothy.