another word, son,” the superintendent said. He turned to look at Caroline again and said, “I trust there will be no more outbursts.”
Eddie clapped her hands over Caroline's mouth. “There won't,” she promised.
The superintendent turned to Wally again. “Gymnastics,” he said.
Wally missed it. He put a k after the c, but when he walked offstage and the girl behind him was declared the winner, his shoulders were straight and his head erect, and he looked like a man released from prison.
“Caroline, how could you?” Mrs. Malloy whisperedangrily across Eddie's lap. “You ruined his chance to go to the state contest!”
And Caroline realized she had done it again— embarrassed her family. She had stood up before the largest audience she had ever faced and blown it. Nobody clapped and cheered. Nobody threw flowers. They hated her, and she deserved it. Her family was not proud of her in the least, and certainly neither were the Hatfords. Even Peter was scowling at her, and when the contest was over at last and both families moved toward the aisle to leave, Peter whispered to Caroline, “You are in deep, deep doo-doo.”
Twenty
Apology
T he only time Wally could remember being so relieved was the time he thought he'd broken his leg but had only sprained it. He had been all ready to misspell a word on purpose, but he really had not known whether gymnastics had a k near the end or not.
He could not get off the stage fast enough, but as he took his place in the second row and glanced behind him, he noticed Beth and Eddie with their hands over their faces and knew that Caroline was in trouble.
But he could not have felt better himself. Not only had he kept Caroline from going to the state contest and being so stuck-up they couldn't stand her, but her outburst had made her whole family angry with her.
It wasn't until he looked back over his other shoulder, however, that he saw the disappointment in his parents' faces. And suddenly he discovered that he had blown the one thing he was really good at. Nobody seemed to know he was around until they wantedsomething spelled. When Josh or Jake was writing a report and needed to know how a word was spelled, he'd usually call out to Wally instead of using the dictionary.
“Hey, Wally, does judgment have an e after the g ?” Josh might say.
Or Jake would call, “Wally, does Connecticut have one t at the end or two?”
Even his parents asked him to spell a word now and then.
But just because he was a good speller, did that mean he had to worry all the way through Buckman Elementary that he would have to go to the county contest? If he won the county contest, he'd have to worry about going to the state, and if he won that, he'd worry about going to the national! What did his parents expect of him, anyway? To become President of the United States?
When he joined his family later, his mother put her arm around his shoulder and said, “That was such a shame about Caroline, Wally. I think she got you rattled. You should have been the winner.”
“No, it's okay,” Wally said. “You know how I feel about contests.”
His dad patted him on the back. “Well, no one else in the family ever got as far as a county spelling bee, son. We're right proud of you.”
“Thanks, Dad,” said Wally. It was nice to be noticed for a change. By his family, anyway.
As everyone moved toward the center aisle, Wallynoticed that Caroline seemed to be trying to get out of the auditorium as fast as possible, but Coach Malloy's big hand reached out, grabbed her shoulder, and hauled her backward a few steps until she was face to face with the Hatfords.
“Wally,” said Coach Malloy. “I think my daughter has something to say to you.”
“I—I'm s-s-sorry,” Caroline stammered.
“For what?” her father demanded.
“For—for trying to help Wally,” said Caroline.
“No, that is not what you were trying to do,” Coach Malloy said.
“For—for … ”Caroline's face
Eddie clapped her hands over Caroline's mouth. “There won't,” she promised.
The superintendent turned to Wally again. “Gymnastics,” he said.
Wally missed it. He put a k after the c, but when he walked offstage and the girl behind him was declared the winner, his shoulders were straight and his head erect, and he looked like a man released from prison.
“Caroline, how could you?” Mrs. Malloy whisperedangrily across Eddie's lap. “You ruined his chance to go to the state contest!”
And Caroline realized she had done it again— embarrassed her family. She had stood up before the largest audience she had ever faced and blown it. Nobody clapped and cheered. Nobody threw flowers. They hated her, and she deserved it. Her family was not proud of her in the least, and certainly neither were the Hatfords. Even Peter was scowling at her, and when the contest was over at last and both families moved toward the aisle to leave, Peter whispered to Caroline, “You are in deep, deep doo-doo.”
Twenty
Apology
T he only time Wally could remember being so relieved was the time he thought he'd broken his leg but had only sprained it. He had been all ready to misspell a word on purpose, but he really had not known whether gymnastics had a k near the end or not.
He could not get off the stage fast enough, but as he took his place in the second row and glanced behind him, he noticed Beth and Eddie with their hands over their faces and knew that Caroline was in trouble.
But he could not have felt better himself. Not only had he kept Caroline from going to the state contest and being so stuck-up they couldn't stand her, but her outburst had made her whole family angry with her.
It wasn't until he looked back over his other shoulder, however, that he saw the disappointment in his parents' faces. And suddenly he discovered that he had blown the one thing he was really good at. Nobody seemed to know he was around until they wantedsomething spelled. When Josh or Jake was writing a report and needed to know how a word was spelled, he'd usually call out to Wally instead of using the dictionary.
“Hey, Wally, does judgment have an e after the g ?” Josh might say.
Or Jake would call, “Wally, does Connecticut have one t at the end or two?”
Even his parents asked him to spell a word now and then.
But just because he was a good speller, did that mean he had to worry all the way through Buckman Elementary that he would have to go to the county contest? If he won the county contest, he'd have to worry about going to the state, and if he won that, he'd worry about going to the national! What did his parents expect of him, anyway? To become President of the United States?
When he joined his family later, his mother put her arm around his shoulder and said, “That was such a shame about Caroline, Wally. I think she got you rattled. You should have been the winner.”
“No, it's okay,” Wally said. “You know how I feel about contests.”
His dad patted him on the back. “Well, no one else in the family ever got as far as a county spelling bee, son. We're right proud of you.”
“Thanks, Dad,” said Wally. It was nice to be noticed for a change. By his family, anyway.
As everyone moved toward the center aisle, Wallynoticed that Caroline seemed to be trying to get out of the auditorium as fast as possible, but Coach Malloy's big hand reached out, grabbed her shoulder, and hauled her backward a few steps until she was face to face with the Hatfords.
“Wally,” said Coach Malloy. “I think my daughter has something to say to you.”
“I—I'm s-s-sorry,” Caroline stammered.
“For what?” her father demanded.
“For—for trying to help Wally,” said Caroline.
“No, that is not what you were trying to do,” Coach Malloy said.
“For—for … ”Caroline's face
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