Just as Long as We're Together by Judy Blume Page A

manuscripts for Leon to read. They all know somebody who's trying to write. But Leon can't stand to look at other people's work. So he tells Sadie, If I wanted to do that I'd be a teacher instead of a writer. So then Sadie says, What will I tell my friends? So then Leon says, Tell them your son is a se~/ish man who guards his free time. So then Sadie says, My friends will be very disappointed.
    So then Leon blows up and tells Sadie she has no understanding of his work. Then he slams out of the house, Sadie winds up in tears and Mom locks herself in the bedroom and won't come out. It was all very depressing."
    "Was this before Thanksgiving dinner or after?"
    "After. Sadie didn't show him the manuscripts until Friday night."
    "That was smart. So did they finally make up or what?"
    "Yes, but not until Saturday morning." She paused. "So how was your weekend?"
    "Great!"
    "Well, I'm glad somebody had a great time."
    Later, as I came out of the bathroom on my way to bed, Bruce called to me from his room. "What?" I asked, standing in his doorway.
    He was sitting up in bed with the atlas in his lap. "Dad says I should pretend he's on a business trip. He says it's just a trial separation."
    I walked over and sat on the edge of his bed. The atlas was opened to a map of California. "Did he tell you what that means?"
    "It means they live apart and think things over."
    "Did he tell you anything else?"
    "No . . . except we're going to L.A. over Christmas. Would you rather go to Marineland, Disneyland or Universal Pictures?"
    "I may not go at all," I said.
    "Then I'm not going either." He closed the atlas, looking very sad.
    "We don't have to decide yet," I said, in my most cheerful voice. "And I think pretending he's on a business trip is a good idea. I think we should both do that. . . because before you know it, they'll probably be back together. I'll bet they're back together by my birthday." I could see that made Bruce feel better so I kept going. "You know Miri Levine. . . this girl in my class? Well, her parents got divorced when we were in fourth grade and when we were in sixth. . . they got married again . . . to each other."
    "Really?" Bruce asked.
    "Yes. So let's not say anything to our friends about this separation or we'll just have to explain all over again when they get back together."
    "You don't think they'll get divorced?" Bruce asked.
    "No! Who's talking about divorce?"
    "I think I'll go to sleep now," Bruce said. "Tell Mom I'm ready for my kiss, okay?" He snuggled down under his quilt.
    "Good night," I said.
    As I was leaving he called, "Steph.. ."
    "Yeah?"
    "It wasn't that much fun in New York without you."
    "I'm not surprised." 1 danced out of his room singing, "Feed me, Seymour. . . feed me."
    I got into bed feeling a lot better. It's funny how when you try to help somebody else feel better you wind up feeling better yourself.
    24.
    Peter Klaff.
    At school everything was the same, except that Jeremy Dragon was wearing a winter jacket. On Monday morning we had a fire drill before first period. On the way back to homeroom Peter Klaff told me he'd had two warts removed from his middle finger over the holiday weekend.
    "Did your mother do it?" I asked.
    "Yeah.. . with dry ice," Peter said. "It burned." He held his finger up to my face. "You see that
    right there. . . that's where they were."
    Peter Kiaff had never stood so close to me. I pretended to be really interested in the black marks on the back of his finger. I even touched them, just to show how interested I was. Peter is growing. He comes up past my eyes now. "It~
    must be weird having your mother for your doctor."
    As soon as I said that I got a mental picture of the Kiaff family sitting around their dinner table. I could hear Dr. Klaff saying, Stephanie Hirsch was in for her yearly check-up today. Her breasts are beginning to develop.
    It's about time, Peter would say, between mouthfuls.
    She's probably going to get her period soon, Dr. Klaff would say, helping