moon boots, they climb in their truck and drive away. I cross my arms and sigh, waiting to go back to my room upstairs, feeling like a party girl endlessly without a party.
Chapter
Nineteen
It’s close to the end of April and it’s still raining. Once it was snow, then the temperature climbed above freezing, and the snow turned to rain. Either way, so much has been falling from the sky. It’s a cold, gloomy South Pottsboro rain. Grandma says, “Oh, it’s our big winter cleansing, honey. Think of all the old snow and dirty drainpipes that are being scrubbed and freshened and dressed up for spring.” She says this in a very peppy way. I’m surprised she hasn’t added her usual “Oh, don’t you love the rain? Isn’t life just full of magic!” Grandpa looks at her with a special forgiving smile and he stands with his hands clasped behind his back, as if he’s about to surprise her with a bouquet of flowers.
Then suddenly his earpiece rings. Someone is actually calling my grandpa on his cell phone headset! At first Grandpa hardly knows what to do. He gets all flustered. It turns out to be the angry lady downstairs who wants him to explain about the men in moon suits. “It was just a test,” Grandpa says, kind of shouting to be heard. “They just took some pieces away to test. They’ll let us know in ten days or so. Well, if it tests positive for asbestos, we’ll just have it removed. That’s all. No, no, it’s fine. No worries. What, me worry?” he says, laughing.
Then my grandpa gets real quiet while the lady announces loud enough so that I can hear that she is selling her condo. She doesn’t want to live with any asbestos pipes.
Grandpa shouts back, not because he’s angry, but like he’s never gotten the hang of telephones. Come to think about it, telephones were probably just being invented when Grandpa was little. Before that, I think his parents had to communicate with smoke signals. “No need to sell now,” Grandpa shouts, smiling. “It will probably be fine.”
I watch the rain out the window and I am thinking I will have to bring an umbrella to Annais’s big celebration tonight. I’m already planning my “getting ready” schedule. First I’ll take a shower. I bought some awesome pumpkin pie shampoo at the Pampered Pumpkin. Then I will put on lip gloss, a touch of blush, freshen up my nail polish, slip on my shoes (my dumb child’s-size-12 white patent leather ones.) And then the dress and the crown of rosebuds and violets. Okay. Fine. I know. It’s over the top. But I feel over the top. And besides, Benny sent me the book Thumbelina: A Fairy Tale. I can’t show up looking just like any other ordinary girl. I should show up looking like a princess. I mean over-the-top or not, a person must come to accept the true responsibility of their destiny. Right?
Just to make sure of everything, I call Reni. “Hey, Reni,” I go. “I think you’re right. I am starting to crush Benny. It’s happening. I mean, who wouldn’t love someone who could send a book like that? That book shows that person knows me all the way down to my toes. It’s my favorite book in the whole world.”
“Well, it’s about time,” goes Reni. “Opportunities like this don’t grow on trees.”
“So, Reni,” I say, “what’s everybody wearing tonight?”
“Mom says we should all wear whatever we want. Be creative. Wear anything you want.”
“Your mom is so great.” I go, “She’s just sooo my mom too. You know what I mean?”
Reni goes, “Annais is wearing this gorgeous beaded dress. It’s like flapper girl goes New Age. OMG, it’s so cool. I bet it weighs ten pounds. I’m wearing my pink Easter dress even though Henderson says I look like the Easter Bunny’s daughter in it.”
“I didn’t realize the Easter Bunny had a daughter,” I say.
“Henderson is wearing a plaid flannel shirt and jeans,” says Reni.
“Really?” I go, “How unusual. Ha ha. Do you think I can wear my new
Chapter
Nineteen
It’s close to the end of April and it’s still raining. Once it was snow, then the temperature climbed above freezing, and the snow turned to rain. Either way, so much has been falling from the sky. It’s a cold, gloomy South Pottsboro rain. Grandma says, “Oh, it’s our big winter cleansing, honey. Think of all the old snow and dirty drainpipes that are being scrubbed and freshened and dressed up for spring.” She says this in a very peppy way. I’m surprised she hasn’t added her usual “Oh, don’t you love the rain? Isn’t life just full of magic!” Grandpa looks at her with a special forgiving smile and he stands with his hands clasped behind his back, as if he’s about to surprise her with a bouquet of flowers.
Then suddenly his earpiece rings. Someone is actually calling my grandpa on his cell phone headset! At first Grandpa hardly knows what to do. He gets all flustered. It turns out to be the angry lady downstairs who wants him to explain about the men in moon suits. “It was just a test,” Grandpa says, kind of shouting to be heard. “They just took some pieces away to test. They’ll let us know in ten days or so. Well, if it tests positive for asbestos, we’ll just have it removed. That’s all. No, no, it’s fine. No worries. What, me worry?” he says, laughing.
Then my grandpa gets real quiet while the lady announces loud enough so that I can hear that she is selling her condo. She doesn’t want to live with any asbestos pipes.
Grandpa shouts back, not because he’s angry, but like he’s never gotten the hang of telephones. Come to think about it, telephones were probably just being invented when Grandpa was little. Before that, I think his parents had to communicate with smoke signals. “No need to sell now,” Grandpa shouts, smiling. “It will probably be fine.”
I watch the rain out the window and I am thinking I will have to bring an umbrella to Annais’s big celebration tonight. I’m already planning my “getting ready” schedule. First I’ll take a shower. I bought some awesome pumpkin pie shampoo at the Pampered Pumpkin. Then I will put on lip gloss, a touch of blush, freshen up my nail polish, slip on my shoes (my dumb child’s-size-12 white patent leather ones.) And then the dress and the crown of rosebuds and violets. Okay. Fine. I know. It’s over the top. But I feel over the top. And besides, Benny sent me the book Thumbelina: A Fairy Tale. I can’t show up looking just like any other ordinary girl. I should show up looking like a princess. I mean over-the-top or not, a person must come to accept the true responsibility of their destiny. Right?
Just to make sure of everything, I call Reni. “Hey, Reni,” I go. “I think you’re right. I am starting to crush Benny. It’s happening. I mean, who wouldn’t love someone who could send a book like that? That book shows that person knows me all the way down to my toes. It’s my favorite book in the whole world.”
“Well, it’s about time,” goes Reni. “Opportunities like this don’t grow on trees.”
“So, Reni,” I say, “what’s everybody wearing tonight?”
“Mom says we should all wear whatever we want. Be creative. Wear anything you want.”
“Your mom is so great.” I go, “She’s just sooo my mom too. You know what I mean?”
Reni goes, “Annais is wearing this gorgeous beaded dress. It’s like flapper girl goes New Age. OMG, it’s so cool. I bet it weighs ten pounds. I’m wearing my pink Easter dress even though Henderson says I look like the Easter Bunny’s daughter in it.”
“I didn’t realize the Easter Bunny had a daughter,” I say.
“Henderson is wearing a plaid flannel shirt and jeans,” says Reni.
“Really?” I go, “How unusual. Ha ha. Do you think I can wear my new
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