Karen's Christmas Tree Read online

  It sounded like Linny, Hannie’s brother. As soon as I heard his voice, I hung up. I was too scared to say anything. I dialed Nancy’s number next.

  Ring, ring, ring! The phone rang three times before someone picked up.

  “Hello?” said a voice. It was Nancy! I hung up right away.

  I would have liked to have talked to my friends. But I only had ex-friends, and I did not know what to say to them.

  Three Wishes

  At school the next morning, Ms. Colman handed out paper and gave us a special writing assignment.

  “I would like you to write a short composition about a holiday wish,” said Ms. Colman. “I would like to know what each of you wishes for most for Hanukkah, Christmas, or Kwanzaa.”

  I had a lot of wishes this year. The truth is I have a lot of wishes every year. I always wish for new toys and doll clothes because they are fun to have. I always wish for “no guns” because guns are dangerous and hurt and kill people.

  I had the same wishes this year, but I also had two special wishes. I wished Mrs. Drucker would get well and come home soon. Mommy visited Mrs. Drucker at the hospital. She said Mrs. Drucker was getting better every day. So my first special wish was already working.

  My other special wish was not working as well. I wished that my fight with Hannie and Nancy were over. I picked up my pencil and began to write. Ms. Colman had said to write a short composition. But I had a lot to say. Besides, I wanted Ms. Colman to know everything about our fight. Maybe she could help us end it, since we were having a hard time ending it on our own.

  I wrote at the top of my paper, My Christmas Wish. Below that I wrote in big letters so Ms. Colman could not miss it, “I WISH MY FIGHT WITH MY TWO BEST FRIENDS WAS OVER.” Then, as fast as I could, I wrote the story of what happened. And I wrote about how miserable I felt. (Even though I am an excellent speller, I was not sure how to spell miserable. So I wrote that I felt bad.)

  “Class, it is time to finish up your compositions,” said Ms. Colman. “Karen, would you like to collect them?”

  Uh-oh. I still had a few more things to write. But I did not want to miss a chance to do an important job.

  “If you need a couple more minutes, I can ask someone else to collect the papers,” said Ms. Colman.

  “No, I am done!” I replied.

  I quickly scribbled “The end” at the bottom of my paper. I jumped out of my seat before Ms. Colman could ask someone else to collect the papers.

  I started at the front of the room and worked my way back. Hannie’s and Nancy’s papers were the last two I collected. On my way to the front of the room, I took a peek at Nancy’s wish. It said, “I wish my fight with my best friend, Karen, was over.” I smiled to myself. Nancy’s wish was the same as mine.

  I peeked at Hannie’s paper. She had the same wish.

  I breathed a sigh of relief. My friends wanted to make up as much as I did. Now all we had to do was figure out how.

  Talking Again

  After school, it was my turn to get on the bus first. Nancy waited, then found a seat in another row. Without planning it, we had started taking turns getting on the bus first. One day I was first. The next day Nancy was.

  Whoever got on first, got off last. I watched Nancy hop off the bus and run down the street. I followed slowly. Then Nancy stopped to check her mailbox and I caught up with her.

  I love getting the mail in December. You never know what will pop out of the box. Christmas cards. Gifts. An elephant …

  Only none of those things was in the box. There were bills, advertisements, and more bills.

  “Hello, girls!” called Mr. Drucker from across the street. “How are you doing today?”

  “Fine!” I called back.

  “Me too!” called Nancy. “How is Mrs. Drucker?”

  “Is she coming home soon?” I called.

  “She will be home a week from Saturday!” replied Mr. Drucker. “That is almost a week earlier than the doctors expected. She is doing very well.”

  “Say hello to her from me,” said Nancy.

  “Me too!” I called.

  Mr. Drucker had a great big smile on his face. I had never seen him look happier.

  “Thank you, girls. And thank you for the beautiful get-well cards,” said Mr. Drucker. “See you later.”

  Hmm. I had made a get-well card for Mrs. Drucker. I did not know Nancy had made one, too. I looked her way. When I saw Nancy looking back at me, I looked away again.

  Then I started thinking. In just nine days Mrs. Drucker would be home. That meant we had only nine days to get the tree if we wanted it for a welcome-home surprise.

  I looked at Nancy again. She was looking at me again.

  “Well, if we are going to collect money for the tree, we better get started right away,” I said.

  “I know. I was thinking the same thing,” replied Nancy.

  “Maybe we could start collecting this afternoon. I’ll ask and then call you, okay?”

  “Okay. Talk to you later,” said Nancy. “ ’Bye.”

  Nancy ran into her house. I ran into mine. Neither of us had apologized. But at least we were talking. I felt a little bit better than before.

  Apologies

  Mommy said I could collect money from the neighbors if I followed a few rules. I could go only to the homes of people I knew well. I could ring the bell only once. I could ask only one time. (No nagging or begging.) I had to be home before dark. Nancy and I had to stick together.

  I called Nancy right away.

  “Can you go?” I asked.

  “Yes, but I have a few rules to follow,” replied Nancy.

  They were almost exactly the same as mine. We met in front of my house and started down the block. We rang the bells at our friends’ houses first.

  Ding-dong!

  “Hi, Mr. Gianelli!” we said.

  “Hello, Karen. Hello, Nancy. Bobby isn’t home right now,” said Mr. Gianelli.

  “That is okay. We are not here to see Bobby. We would like to talk to you,” I said. “We are trying to raise money to buy a new blue-spruce tree for the Druckers. Their tree died this summer and Mrs. Drucker is in the hospital.”

  “A new tree would cheer them up so much,” said Nancy.

  “I would be happy to help,” said Mr. Gianelli.

  He reached into his pocket and counted out his one dollar bills. There were a lot. He dropped them all into the small canvas bag Nancy’s mother had given to us.

  “Thank you, Mr. Gianelli!” said Nancy and I.

  We rang the bell at Kathryn and Willie Barnes’s house next. Mrs. Barnes answered the door. Kathryn, who is six, and Willie, who is five, were right behind her.

  “We are collecting money for a good cause,” I said.

  Nancy told the story of the Druckers and their tree.

  “I will be right back,” said Mrs. Barnes.

  “Me too,” said Kathryn. She ran off, with Willie following behind.

  Mrs. Barnes came back with her wallet. Kathryn and Willie came back with their piggy banks. They all dropped money into the bag.

  “Thank you!” said Nancy and I together again.

  So far we were doing great. The Bartons’ house was next. The Bartons are the newest family on the street. The kids are Jackie, who is seven; Lynda, who is eight; Meghan, who is four; Eric, who is ten; and Mark, who is twelve. Everyone made a contribution.

  “Wait,” said Mrs. Barton. “I have an idea.”

  She went away and came back with a string of holiday lights and a bag of tinsel.

  “You can use these to decorate the Druckers’ new tree,” said Mrs. Barton.

  “What a great idea!” I said.

  “It is so nice that you are doing this together,” said Mr. Barton. “You two must be very good friends.”

  Nancy and I looked at each other. After days of not talking, we did not feel like such good friends anymore.

  We went to a few more houses. Our neighbors were very generous. A few more people co
mmented on what wonderful friends Nancy and I seemed to be. I could not stand it any longer. I wanted us to be wonderful friends again.

  “I am sorry I made you cry the other day,” I said.

  Nancy smiled at me. “I am sure you did not mean to,” she said. “I am sorry I ganged up on you with Hannie.”

  “It’s okay,” I replied. Suddenly it did not matter. “I think we better go home now. It is starting to get dark.”

  When we walked into the house, Mommy said she was proud of us for following all the rules and for collecting so much our first time out. She offered to help us count the money, but we told her we needed to make a phone call first.

  We hurried to call Hannie.

  “Guess what!” Nancy and I said into the phone together. “We made up!”

  Nancy let me talk to Hannie myself. I apologized for being a meanie-mo. Hannie apologized too. The Three Musketeers’ fight was finally over. Hooray!

  Being Grown-up

  I woke up the next morning with a very grown-up idea in my head. I think I must have dreamed it. I could hardly wait to get to school to tell Hannie and Nancy about it.

  Nancy and I sat together on the bus. But I did not tell her my idea then. I wanted to tell my friends together.

  I was happy Hannie was in the classroom when we arrived. I could not wait another minute to say what was on my mind. I went to the back of the room with Nancy.

  “Nancy and Hannie,” I said, “I think it is wonderful that you will get to see Annie together. I hope you have a great time.”

  There. I had said it. Then I got a surprise. Hannie told me what was on her mind. It was very grown-up too.

  “I do not think Nancy should take me to the play after all,” said Hannie. “Choosing one friend out of two is too hard. I would not feel right going to the play knowing that you could have gone if I hadn’t.”

  “But wait! I do not want to go instead of you,” I replied.

  “Hold everything!” said Nancy. “Isn’t anyone going to go with me?”

  “Someone will go with you. But it cannot be one of us,” said Hannie. “You need to take somebody else.”

  “Who will Nancy take if it is not one of us?” I asked. “We are the most fun.”

  “Good morning, class,” said Ms. Colman, who had just arrived. “Please take your seats.”

  “See you at lunch,” I said. “We will think of someone you can take to the play.”

  I had trouble keeping my mind on my schoolwork. I was too busy thinking about Nancy and her extra ticket. I looked around the room, trying to decide who Nancy would have fun with besides Hannie and me. I decided that no one would be as much fun as one of us. That is why we are the Three Musketeers.

  I hoped we were not letting Nancy down. Maybe Hannie or I should go with her after all.

  I did not have to worry. At lunchtime Nancy made an announcement.

  “I know who to take,” she said.

  “Who?” asked Hannie and I together.

  “I will take Grandma B!” replied Nancy. “Grandma B told me to take a friend. She is my friend. And she bought the tickets. We will go together.”

  “That is a great idea,” said Hannie.

  “It is perfect,” I said. “You always have fun with Grandma B. And it will make her so happy to go with you.”

  That was it. Our problem was solved. I was gigundoly proud of the Three Musketeers for being so grown-up.

  Giving Gifts

  We went to Nancy’s house after school.

  “Are you girls hungry for a snack?” asked Mrs. Dawes.

  “I am,” said Nancy. “But I would like to make a phone call first. I want to call Grandma B.”

  Nancy’s mother said she would make the snack while Nancy made her call. Hannie and I listened to every word.

  “Hello, Grandma B. It’s me, Nancy. I am calling to invite you out. I would like you to come see Annie with me. Will you, please?”

  We watched a smile spread across Nancy’s face. She gave us the thumbs-up sign. When she hung up, Nancy said she thought she had made Grandma B very happy. Yippee!

  We ate our snack — melted cheese on toast and warm apple cider. Then the Three Musketeers got ready to make someone else happy.

  Hannie already had her Wish Tree money with her. Nancy went up to her room to get hers. I ran next door to get mine. I also grabbed a roll of gift-wrapping paper. It had drummers, toy soldiers, and shining stars on it.

  “We can wrap the gift while we are there,” I said to my friends.

  “Good idea,” said Nancy.

  Mrs. Dawes bundled up Nancy’s baby brother, Danny. Then we piled into the car, buckled up, and rode to the Unicorn Toy Store. It was time to buy our Wish Tree gift.

  The store clerk smiled when he saw us.

  “We have money to buy our gift,” I said. “Could you please show us where the toy trucks are?”

  The clerk pointed down an aisle at the back of the store.

  “You’ll find what you are looking for there,” he said.

  The Wish Tree star was still taped to my money container. I carefully took it off and reread Martin’s wish.

  Hannie walked over to a huge fire truck that kids could ride in. “I wish we could get this one for Martin,” said she.

  “I am sure we do not have enough money for that,” I replied.

  “How about this one?” asked Nancy.

  She held up a small red plastic fire truck. It did not look too exciting.

  Then I spotted a truck tucked away behind the rest. It was shiny. It came with a ladder. It was not too big or too small.

  “If I were getting a fire truck, I would want this one,” I said, carefully taking it from the shelf. I held it up to show my friends.

  “That’s the one!” said Nancy.

  “How much does it cost?” asked Hannie.

  We checked the price tag. With the discount we had just enough money to pay for it. Ding, ding! It even had a little bell.

  We marched back to the front of the store.

  “We would like to buy this fire truck,” I said. “And if you would please give us scissors and tape, we will wrap it up ourselves.”

  “That is a fine truck,” said the clerk. “You are going to make a child very happy on Christmas morning.”

  You know what? That made us happy, too.

  The Most Special Tree

  “Good morning, Goosie!” I said.

  It was Saturday morning. I was up early because I was so excited. This was the Saturday that Mrs. Drucker was coming home!

  Nancy and I had gone out a few more times to collect money for the Druckers’ tree. Once Mommy came with us so we could go to houses that were a little farther away. We collected all the money we needed and enough lights to make the whole town of Stoneybrook glow!

  I knew Mommy and Seth were already up because I could hear them in the kitchen. I ran downstairs to say good morning.

  “Why don’t you call Nancy and invite her to join us for breakfast?” asked Seth.

  “All right,” I replied. “What are we having?”

  “How about French toast?” said Seth.

  I called Nancy right away. (I think I woke her dad.) Nancy said she would come over as soon as she got dressed.

  We ate Seth’s yummy French toast. Then Mommy drove Nancy and me to the nursery.

  “Girls, I am going to let you pick out the tree yourselves. When you find one that you like, I will come see it,” said Mommy.

  Nancy and I looked at each other. This was a big responsibility. We were choosing the tree that our whole neighborhood had chipped in to buy.

  “We picked a very good fire truck,” I said. “I know we will pick a good tree, too.”

  Mommy sat down on a bench where she could watch us and wait till we made our choice.

  Uh-oh. Choosing a tree was not going to be as easy as choosing the fire truck. There were so many beautiful trees — tall trees, full trees, bluer trees, greener trees.

  “We’d
better look at the prices,” said Nancy. “Some of these may be too expensive.”

  It was true. Some of the trees cost more money than we had. That made our job easier. But it was still hard.

  Then, at almost the same time, we saw a very special tree off in a corner.

  “It looks like the Druckers’ old tree,” said Nancy.

  “It sure does,” I said. “I bet they would like that.”

  We studied the tree. We studied it from top to bottom. We walked around and studied every side. We looked at the price tag.

  “Let’s check the other trees one more time,” said Nancy.

  We looked at the other trees, but none was as special. We called to Mommy.

  “This is the one!” I said, pointing to the tree. “What do you think?”

  “It is a beauty!” Mommy replied. “It is full and healthy. And it looks a lot like the Druckers’ old tree.”

  Nancy and I smiled. We had done our job very well.

  We paid for the tree. Then two men who worked at the nursery tied it up and loaded it into the car. When we got home, we called everyone in our neighborhood. The plan was to meet at eleven o’clock sharp in the Druckers’ front yard. We would decorate the tree together. (Mr. Drucker was already at the hospital.)

  Seth and Mr. Gianelli carried the tree across the street to the Druckers’ yard. We left it in the pot because the earth was too cold for planting.

  By eleven o’clock all the neighbors had arrived.

  “It is perfect!” said Mrs. Barton. “The Druckers will be very pleased.”

  We strung the lights and tinsel. Some neighbors brought ornaments, and we hung those, too. We were ready.

  The Druckers would not be home until the evening. That is when Seth would light the tree. I could hardly wait.

  Welcome Home!

  Mommy had made friends with a nurse at the hospital. The nurse promised to call us when the Druckers left. It was late in the afternoon when the phone rang. Mommy answered it. When she hung up, she smiled.

  “The Druckers are on their way home,” she said.

  We called all the neighbors again. This time the plan was for everyone to come over right away. We all gathered in the Druckers’ yard.