Mary Anne's Book Read online

  "She's mean all the time," insisted Claudia. "I know it."

  "It's good to think in a positive way, my Claudia," said Mimi.

  I decided then that I would never complain about Mrs. Frederickson to Mimi. I wanted her to see that I would always "think in a positive

  way." I wanted Mimi to love me. Now I know that Mimi would have loved me whether I complained about Mrs. Frederickson or not.

  Mimi was the kindest, most understanding woman I've ever known. I used to pretend

  that she was my grandmother.

  At dinner that evening my father asked, "So how do you like first grade, honey?"

  "I don't like it much," I admitted.

  "You don't?" he said. He seemed alarmed.

  "Why not?"

  "There aren't any playtimes. There isn't even a dress-up corner. And no games. The

  teacher yells all the time. I want to go back to kindergarten. Claudia and Kristy want to go

  back to kindergarten, too. They said so."

  My father put on the serious expression he wore when he was teaching me something such as how to print my name or how to put a napkin on my lap before eating. "Now, Mary Anne," he said, "as you go through school you will find that your teachers all have different teaching styles. They aren't going to change because you don't like the way they act. You are the one who has to adjust. I'm

  sure Mrs Frederickson is a fine teacher. And

  I know you can be a fine student. If you behave and do your work you two will get along fine. I promise you that. Will you do your very best for me?"

  I'd do anything for my father, so I promised him I would be a good girl. But I 'made sure to add, "I still don't like when she yells."

  "Just remember," he said, "Mrs. Frederick-son is not yelling at you. She's yelling at other kids. The ones who aren't behaving and doing their work." -

  I remembered how Mrs. Frederickson yelled at Claudia for drawing a picture of a rainbow instead of practicing the letter "A." And how she'd yelled at Kristy for getting into a fight with Alan Gray during recess. "I don't like it when she yells at anybody," I told my dad.

  "Just as long as you're a good girl, I'm sure everything will be fine," he said.

  I nodded. But I wasn't convinced. So far the only good thing about first grade was that Kristy and Claudia were in my class.

  Even though Mrs. Frederickson was a yeller, I did all right in first grade. I liked the schoolwork and I especially loved to read. I would have read all the time, if there weren't so many other things I enjoyed doing, such as going to the park with my friends and playing at their houses.

  After dinner my dad and I would go into the living room and put music on the tape deck. He would do work he'd brought from the office or read the newspaper, and I would read to myself from my picture books. But when it was time for bed and I was cleaned up and tucked in, my dad would read from a chapter book. That was the best. My favorite chapter book that year was Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery. I understand now that I identified with Anne because she didn't have a mother either.

  Sometimes, when Mrs. Frederickson was yelling at the class, I'd think about what had happened in Anne of Green Gables the night before. (I wanted to put my hands over my ears, but that just would have given her one more thing to yell about.)

  The best thing about being six was living near Kristy and Claudia. Kristy's and my bedroom windows faced one another and with the blinds up we could see into each other's

  rooms. In warm weather we could talk to each other through the opened windows. Our rooms were so close that sometimes I pretended they were in the same house and that we were sisters.

  Claudia had a sister, Janine. Janine was in the third grade and was in charge of Claudia, Kristy, and me when we walked to and from school. Claudia didn't always get along with Janine. They're total opposites. Janine is the bookish type who is a genius when it comes to anything having to do with science or math.

  Claudia, on the other hand, has trouble with regular schoolwork, but she is a brilliant artist. Unfortunately, most people - including Claudia's parents - make a bigger deal about being a school genius than being an artistic genius. As a result, Claudia often feels bad about herself when she is around her sister. But since I'm also the bookish type, I was fascinated by Janine. What fascinated me the most was that she could read while she walked, just like Belle in Beauty and the Beast. (That movie hadn't come out yet, so Janine was the only one I knew who could walk and read at the same time.) Janine would walk to school with an open book in front of her face. I knew she was really reading because I'd see her turn the pages.

  Claudia and Kristy liked that Janine was

  reading instead of watching us. "It's just like we're walking alone," said Claudia.

  "We're very grown-up," added Kristy.

  Meanwhile, at home I was trying to teach myself to walk and read' at the same time. One Saturday afternoon, my dad found me standing in the upstairs hail reading Horton Hears a Who by Dr. Seuss. "Mary Anne, wouldn't you be more comfortable in a chair or on the couch?" -

  I looked up from my book. Where was I? I'd thought I was in the Whoville town square, not the hall. "I was practicing walking and reading'at the same time," I explained to- my dad.

  "You better stick to doing one thing at a

  time," he advised. - -

  So life as a six-year-old was interesting, fun, and challenging - until the Mother's Day tea party.

  One rainy April afternoon, Mrs. Frederick-son announced, "Every year my first-grade class holds a special tea party for their mothers."

  "I don't drink tea," Alan Gray called out.

  Mrs. Frederickson yelled at Alan for not raising his hand when he had something to say. Finally, she returned to the subject of the tea. She described how we would decorate the room, what songs we would sing for our

  mothers, and what food we would serve. "And we'll make special invitations that you'll give to your mothers," continued Mrs. Fred-erickson.

  I was beginning to feel very weird.- I didn't have a mother. What would I do?

  Kristy glanced my way and saw the tears forming in my eyes. Her hand shot up.

  "Yes, Kristy," Mrs. Frederickson said.

  "What if you don't have a mother to bring to the tea?" she asked.

  "I was just getting to that," Mrs. Frederickson answered. "If you don't have a mother, or if your mother will be at work and can't take time off, you may invite another special person in your life."

  Suddenly there was no need for tears. I could invite my dad to the tea. I remembered how he took a whole morning off from work for our Winter Holiday celebration at school. So I knew he'd try to take time off from work to come to the tea. Wow. A special tea party. I couldn't wait.

  That night I told my dad all about the tea party. "A tea party put on by the firstgraders," he said. "What a nice idea. When is it?"

  "I don't remember," I replied.

  "Well, find out and let me know," he said. -"I'll try to arrange things at the office so I can

  attend." He chuckled. "I never thought of first-graders as big tea drinkers."

  "You don't just drink tea," I patiently explained. "We're going to have lots of other things to drink. And to eat, too. But I can't tell you. It's a surprise."

  "Excellent," he said. "I love good surprises."

  As it turned out I was the one who was in for a surprise. And it wasn't a good one.

  Just before lunch period the next day, Mrs. Frederickson said we should each stand beside our desk and tell the class who we were inviting to the tea party. The first three kids said they were bringing their mothers. I began to worry that I was going to be the only one who didn't have a mother to bring to the tea. But then Rita stood up and said, "I'm bringing my auntie Marie. She's my godmother." And another kid said that he was bringing his stepmother. I breathed a sigh of relief. It would be just fine for me to bring my dad to the Mother's Day tea. Especially since the girl whose turn came just before mine said she
was inviting her grandmother.

  My turn. I stood up and said, "I'm inviting my dad to the tea party."

  Everyone in the room - except Claudia, Kristy, and Mrs. Frederickson - laughed.

  "Your dad!" hooted Alan Gray. "You're inviting your dad to a Mother's Day tea?"

  I was overwhelmed by embarrassment. How could I have been so stupid? Everyone else was bringing some kind of mother - a godmother, a stepmother, or a grandmother.,

  "Class!" Mrs. Frederickson boomed. I jumped at the sound of her voice, and sat

  down. "Quiet down immediately or there will be no Mother's Day tea party."

  Through a cloud of tears I saw that Kristy was approaching Alan Gray with her fists raised. "You stupid, dummy, jerkhead," she yelled.

  Alan Gray rose to his feet. His fists were raised, too.

  My classmates weren't laughing at me any more. All their attention was focused on Kristy and Alan. No one had dared fight in Mrs. Frederickson's classroom before. Now she rushed along the aisle toward Kristy and Alan, her volume rising to the decibels of a rock concert. "Return to your seat immediately, Miss

  Thomas," she thundered.

  "Why does he have to be so dumb?" Kristy asked, looking at the ceiling as she went to her seat.

  Mrs. Frederickson was so busy restoring order to her class that she forgot why her students had been laughing and why Kristy was angry at Alan Gray. So Mrs. Frederickson never thought to tell me it would be perfectly fine for me to invite my dad. I was convinced that I'd make a total fool of myself and my dad if he came to our Mother's Day tea party.

  Chapter 3.

  On the way home from school Knsty and Claudia talked about what a jerk Alan Gray was and how he'd ruin the tea party. "He'll probably drop a tray of cookies," said Claudia.

  "And blow his nose on the napkins," added Kristy.

  They made up other dumb and gross things

  -Alan might do to ruin the party. I pretended to listen and be amused, but I was thinking about how to keep my dad from coming to the tea party.

  By the time my dad arrived home that night, I had a plan. I wouldn't tell him what day we were planning to have the party. If he didn't know when it was, he- wouldn't be able to come. -

  That night my dad didn't mention the tea party, and neither did I.

  The next day in school, Mrs. Frederickson announced that our art teacher, Mrs. Packett,

  would help us make special invitations for the party. She showed us the art supplies she and Mrs. Packett had collected for us to use. There were little circles of paper lace, metallic sparkles, and squares of shiny paper in shades of pink, yellow, blue, and purple. We would each have a stiff sheet of white paper to work on, as well as our regular supplies: crayons, scissors, and glue. I couldn't wait to make a tea party invitation! In the next instant my heart sank. Who would I give my - invitation to?

  - During lunch Claudia and Kristy talked about how, they were going to make their invitations the most beautiful ever. "I'm going to use a lot of purple on my invitation," Claudia said. "That's my mother's favorite color."

  "What's Mimi's favorite color?" I asked.

  "Blue, I think," said Claudia. -

  "Are you inviting Mimi, too?" I asked.

  "We can only bring one person," Kristy told me. "Mrs. Frederickson said." -

  That's when I got the most brilliant idea. I'd invite Mimi to the tea party. She was a woman, and like a grandmother to me. It was perfect. "Can I invite Mimi to the tea party?" I asked Claudia. -"What about your dad?" she countered.

  "It's a Mother's Day tea party," I reminded her. "So I can't bring a dad."

  "But didn't you invite him already?" Kristy asked.

  "He forgot about it," I said. "Besides, he has to work."

  "Invite Mimi then," Claudia said. "That'd be great."

  "Perfect," agreed Kristy.

  Kristy and Claudia seemed glad that I wasn't bringing my dad to the Mother's Day tea party. Now I knew for sure that it would have been a terrible thing to do.

  I sang happy little songs in my head that afternoon as I worked on Mimi's invitation. I thought it was the prettiest thing I'd ever made.

  When I walked into my house after school that day I asked my baby-sitter if I could go to Claudia's. "Just for a little while," she said. She phoned the Kishis to be sure it was okay with Mimi, then I left to deliver my invitation.

  Mimi was in the kitchen cutting up vegetables for supper. "Hi," I greeted her.

  "Hello, our Mary Anne," she said. "Claudia and Kristy are in Claudia's room."

  "I have something for you," I said. I held out the invitation.

  Mimi wiped her hands on her apron and took the invitation from me. A beautiful smile came over her face. "My, isn't this lovely!"

  exclaimed. "And blue is my favorite color."

  "I know," I said.

  She read the invitation out loud. Then she said, "I would be honored to be your guest at the Mother's Day tea party." She leaned over

  and kissed me on the forehead. "Thank you for inviting me."

  I ran happily up the stairs to tell Claudia and Kristy the good news. Mimi - my almost-grandmother - would be my guest

  The only person I couldn't share the good news with was my dad. For the next few days I had to be careful not to mention the tea party in front of him. It wasn't easy because during dinner my dad always asked me what I'd done in school that day. Now I had to leave out the most exciting -part of -the school day - preparing for the tea party. I was dying to tell him that we'd each made an illustrated book about our favorite animal that would be on display during the tea party, and that we were going to decorate the room with balloons and crepe paper. I couldn't even tell him that Kristy would be greeting people at the door, and that Claudia and I would be passing around trays of cookies.

  The day before the party, Mrs. Frederickson helped us practice introducing - our guests. When it was my turn I said, "I would like to introduce my neighbor and almost-grandmother, Mimi." No one laughed. Claudia turned around and smiled at me.

  Mrs. Frederickson had said that we should dress in our Sunday best for the tea party. So the next morning I put on my fancy dress with

  the shiny buttons. I covered it with a sweater so my dad wouldn't ask me why I was wearing my best dress to school. I looked outside. It was a beautiful spring day, not a cloud in the sky. I was allowed to wear my shiny patent leather shoes to school when the weather was good. I put them on. That morning I felt as if there were two different Mary Annes. A happy, excited Mary Anne and a sad, guilty one. The excited Mary Anne was dressing up for a special tea party. The guilty Mary Anne hadn't told her dad that she'd invited someone else, and had tricked him by not telling him the date of the party.

  I felt terrible at breakfast. I couldn't wait to leave the house. Finally, Kristy rang the doorbell. It was time to go to school. I gave my dad a quick peck on the cheek." 'Bye," I said. "See you tonight."

  I was rushing to the door when my dad called after me cheerfully. "Did you forget that today's the tea party? You'll be seeing me at school this afternoon. I arranged it so that I can leave work early today."

  I stopped in my tracks. "Okay," I said without turning around. "Bye."

  I ran out of the house, past my friends, and across our lawn to the sidewalk. I wanted to get away from my house as fast as possible. I didn't want my dad to see that I was upset.

  Claudia and Kristy caught up to me. "What's wrong?" asked Kristy.

  "How come you're crying?" asked Claudia. By then we'd met up with Janine, but she was reading and didn't even notice anything was wrong. Kristy, Claudia, and I walked ahead of her and talked about my problem all the way to school.

  "But how did my dad even know what day the tea party was?" I asked.

  We all thought about that for a minute.

  "I know how," Kristy said. "The school mailed the letter they always send when there's something for parents at school. The one with directions on where to park and to remind everybody
what time to be there."

  "What am I going to do?" I wailed. "I can't have a dad at the tea party. And I can't invite two people. Mrs. Frederickson said so. I broke two rules about the tea party."

  "Well, no one is going to laugh at you when your dad comes," Kristy growled. "I'm going to talk to Alan Gray . . ." (she raised her clenched fists) ". . . with these."

  "Maybe you should tell Mrs. Frederickson what happened," suggested Claudia.

  "Maybe," I said. But I was too shy to do that. Besides, maybe my dad wouldn't be able to make it at the last minute and I wouldn't have a problem after all.

  Kristy gave me a tap on the arm with her fist. "Don't worry," she said. "It'll be okay."

  "It will?" I said. I wasn't convinced. And judging by the worried looks on my friends' faces, I knew they weren't either.

  Mrs. Frederickson was in a great mood that day. She said we all looked lovely and that she thought we even behaved better when we were dressed like ladies and gentlemen. I went through the morning with huge butterflies in my stomach. Everyone else was excited about the tea party, but I was terrified. Especially -when, during penmanship, we each printed a sign in big letters with the name of our guest. "These will be your guests' place cards," Mrs. Frederickson explained. "We'll put them on their chairs."

  I faced the blank piece of white cardboard. Which name should I write? "Ms. Mimi Yamamoto"? Or "Mr. Richard Spier"? Maybe I should write "Ms. Mimi Yamamoto and Mr. Richard Spier." I was sitting there pondering this question when Mrs. Frederickson, who was walking around the room to check our work, stopped at my desk. "Well, aren't you the slowpoke today, Mary Anne," she remarked.

  "I don't know what to do," I admitted. Maybe, I thought, this is the time to explain that I had invited two guests to the party. But

  it was too late. Mrs. Frederickson began scolding me. "Well, you'd know what to do if you'd listened to directions instead of daydreaming."

  "I'm sorry," I said.

  "The instruction, Miss Spier, is to write the name of your guest. Do you understand now?"

  "Yes," I answered.

  After Mrs. Frederickson moved on to the next kid, I printed Mr. Richard S pier on the card. Then I turned it over and printed Ms. Mimi Yamamoto on the other side.