Kristy's Book Read online

  “The next thing we have to figure out is what your punishment will be,” Mom said. “Your father and I will decide that when he comes home. But for now, you will stay in your room.”

  “Does Dad know I went to the movies?” I asked.

  “Not yet,” she replied. “He’s covering an out-of-town football game. He’ll know soon enough.”

  After my mother left my room I went to my window. Mary Anne was standing there watching me. She was crying her heart out. I smiled and made an okay sign with my thumb and finger so she would know I wasn’t mad at her.

  I lay down on my bed again. I tried to make up more adventures for Car Girl, but I couldn’t think of any. My mind was too busy wondering what my punishment would be. I also wondered if my father would be as angry with me as my mother and brothers were.

  When I heard my father come home, I opened my door and stuck my head into the hall to hear what I could hear. My mother was talking very seriously, but I couldn’t make out exactly what she was saying. Then I heard my father laugh and my mother scold him for laughing. Then they started arguing. I knew it was my fault they were fighting.

  Recently I asked my mom about that day. She said my dad thought what I did showed spunk and that I shouldn’t be punished. She told him that she wasn’t raising her daughter to be irresponsible. I think what she meant was she didn’t want me to grow up to be irresponsible like him.

  My mother won the argument, because before dinner she came to my room and told me what my punishment would be. “First, you may not go to Mary Anne’s and Claudia’s houses alone. If you’re invited to their houses I will bring you and pick you up. Also, your bedtime is now eight-thirty again. Lastly, your father is taking your brothers to see Car Man tomorrow. And you may not go.”

  “That’s not fair,” I protested. “How come they don’t have a punishment?”

  “You told them a lie,” she said. “And they believed you. Do you think they should be punished for trusting you?”

  “I guess not,” I whispered. “But they’re mad at me.”

  “They’ll get over it,” my mother said. “They weren’t perfect when they were your age. And they still aren’t. We all make mistakes, Kristy. And we all have to pay for our mistakes.”

  Well, I paid for my mistake all right. I hated having someone walk me to Claudia’s house and even walk me next door to Mary Anne’s. And going to bed at my old bedtime was boring. But worst of all, I wouldn’t see the rest of Car Man. I would never know what happened to four-inch-high Todd Jones.

  Saturday afternoon I watched out the window when my father and brothers left for the movie. Dad was kidding around with them. They were already having a good time. Then I thought, If only my brothers weren’t mad at me I could ask them to tell me about the rest of the movie when they get home. And that was when I had another brilliant idea. But I would need Claudia’s and Mary Anne’s help if it was going to work.

  I went downstairs to find my mother. “Mom,” I said in a sad little voice, “can Mary Anne and Claudia come over and play with me?”

  I guess she felt sorry for me, because she said yes right away. When Claudia and Mary Anne arrived I described my plan. They said they would help me. That it would be fun.

  Two hours later, when my brothers came home from the movies, my friends and I were sitting in the middle of the living room floor playing with my collection of model racing cars and a bunch of dolls. We’d made a set for our characters that looked something like the Car Man set for Fire Breath’s hideout. I had told Claudia and Mary Anne everything that had happened in the movie up to the moment my mother had interrupted it. That was when Charlie and Sam walked into the living room.

  Sam said, “What are you doing?”

  “Playing Car Man,” Claudia answered.

  I rolled a model car along the carpet. “Va-room. Va-room,” I said in my Car Man voice. “I’ll get you, Fire Breath. You won’t hurt the people of Biglee City.”

  Claudia put a big doll’s foot on top of the car. “Oh, yeah,” she said. “How’d you like to smell my breath, Car Man?”

  “That’s not what happened,” Sam mumbled.

  “Want to play with us?” I asked my brothers. I rolled the car toward Sam’s feet. “You can be Car Man.”

  “Play with a bunch of dolls?” Sam said. “No way.”

  “They’re not dolls,” said Mary Anne. “They’re actors in a movie.”

  “We’re pretending the special effects and everything,” added Claudia.

  Charlie sat on the floor next to me. “Can I be Fire Breath?” he asked.

  “Sure,” I said.

  Charlie tugged on Sam’s pants leg. “Come on, Sam. You be Car Man. It’ll be fun.”

  Sam sat down with us, too. My brothers aren’t great actors, but we did learn how Car Man ended. Then we all made up our own Car Man story, with Car Girl and Car Boy. My best friends, my brothers, and I had a lot of fun that afternoon.

  The other day I asked my mother to tell me more about when my father left. She didn’t really want to talk about it, but I told her I needed to know, not just for my autobiography but for myself. So we went to her room and closed the door.

  She told me that during the years they were married she and my dad argued a lot. Sometimes he’d say things like, “I’m fed up with this life.” Or, “I’d be better off without you and the kids.” Then one night he didn’t come home from work. He still wasn’t home at mid-night. Since he had stayed out late before she wasn’t worried, just angry. But when she woke up in the morning, he still wasn’t there. Then she was worried.

  Mom called Dad’s boss at the newspaper to ask if she knew where he was. His boss said, “Patrick quit. He told me he was heading west. I figured you were all going together, Mrs. Thomas. I’m so sorry.” When Mom hung up the phone, she knew that my father had left her.

  That must have been awful for my mother. She had four kids to raise on her own. And hardly any money. For awhile she hoped he’d come back, so she told us kids that Dad was away on business. But I knew something was seriously wrong. There were plenty of clues. First of all, Mom cried a lot and would become angry at us for the littlest things. And when Mom’s friends would come over for coffee and a visit, everyone would stop talking as soon as one of us kids would walk in the kitchen.

  A couple of weeks after Dad left, Mom finally told us, “Your father has decided to live somewhere else. I’m sure he will call and talk to you about it soon.” We had dozens of questions about this situation, such as when he would call us and why had he left. All she could answer was, “I don’t know.” Or, “I wish I could tell you that.” And, “I’d like to ask him that myself.”

  Charlie was angry at our father. Sam was angry, too. But Sam was more angry at Mom than at Dad. One day Sam blurted out that it was her fault that our father left. She didn’t scold him, but she went to her room and closed the door. Charlie was really mad at Sam. “She’s probably crying again right now,” he told Sam. “And it’s your fault.” My brothers usually got along pretty well with each other. But now it seemed they were always fighting.

  I was sad and confused after Dad abandoned us. I wondered what I’d done wrong that would make my father want to leave me. Even David Michael, who was just a baby, noticed that his daddy was missing. He kept asking for da-da. During those first months after Dad left, David Michael and our new puppy, Louie, became best friends. I think my brother needed Louie.

  One night, about six months after my father left, my mother asked us to meet her in the living room for a family meeting after dinner. “I have an announcement to make,” she said. (We all started to talk at once, wanting to know what she was going to tell us.) “I’ll tell you when we’re settled in the living room,” she said.

  A few minutes later she was sitting in the rocker with David Michael on her lap. My brothers and I sat in a row on the couch. I was secretly praying that my mother was going to tell us that our dad was coming back. I was angry at him for leaving us, but I s
till missed him like crazy. Charlie had the same idea. “Is Dad coming home?” he asked.

  “No,” my mother answered. “What I have to say is not about your father.” That’s when I started to worry that something was wrong with our mother. What if she were sick and going to die? Without a father and mother what would happen to us?

  My mother began by saying, “I’ve tried not to let your father’s leaving affect you kids too much, but you must have noticed that things have been pretty tight around here without his salary. You also know that I’ve been looking for a job.” We all nodded. “Well, I’m starting a full-time job in Stamford on Monday,” she said with a big smile. “It’s a terrific opportunity for me. And it pays pretty well.”

  “A job, Mom,” said Charlie. “That’s great.”

  I looked down at my worn-out sneakers. “Can I buy a new pair of sneakers?” I asked.

  “Yes, Kristy,” she answered. “You finally can.”

  “Can I go play now?” Sam asked.

  Charlie stood up to leave the room.

  David Michael wiggled out of Mom’s lap.

  I was about to ask if he could play outside with me for a little while before it got dark, when Mom said, “Sit down. This family meeting is not over.” Charlie and Sam sat down. David Michael was back on Mom’s lap.

  “This new job is great,” Mom continued. “But in case you haven’t noticed, I have a full-time job already — right here in this house. How do you think I’ll manage two jobs?”

  “Gee,” said Charlie. “Who’s going to take care of David Michael?”

  “I’ve figured that part out,” Mom replied. “He’ll go to a day-care center that’s between here and Stamford. I’ve already signed him up. I’ll leave him off on my way to work and pick him up on the way back.”

  “So it’s okay then,” Charlie said. He stood up again.

  “Not all okay,” my mother said. Charlie sat down again. “I think I do a few other things around here besides take care of David Michael.”

  “Like cook,” I offered.

  “And wash our clothes,” added Sam.

  “Are we going to have a maid?” asked Charlie.

  My mother laughed. “I’m not going to make that much money. I’ll just about make enough to pay the expenses we have now. So, first of all, you guys are going to have to be your own baby-sitters. The three of you are to come right home after school each day.”

  Charlie and Sam moaned. (I had to come home right after school anyway, so it was no big deal for me.)

  “Charlie,” my mother continued, “you’ll be in charge of Sam and Kristy.”

  “I can take care of myself,” insisted Sam.

  “Me, too,” I added.

  “The oldest will be in charge,” my mother explained. “But of course you are all responsible for yourselves. I know it’s been difficult for you kids these last few months, but you’ve been great. That’s why I know I can count on you.” Her eyes were filling with tears.

  I gave her a hug. “Don’t worry, Mom,” I assured her. “We’ll be okay.”

  “Who’s going to cook?” asked Sam. “Charlie can’t cook.”

  “I’ll pick up take-out food on the way home,” Mom said. “We’ll have to eat a lot of take-out during the week.”

  “Good idea, Mom,” Charlie said. “We can have pizza. Remember, I like it with onions.”

  “And anchovies on mine,” said Sam. “Two slices.”

  “And we can have Chinese food sometimes, too,” I added.

  “I’m nervous about starting this job and leaving you guys,” my mom said. She smiled at each of us. “But with kids like you I know it will be okay.”

  Boy, was Mom ever in for a surprise!

  Monday was Mom’s first day at her new job. It was weird to see her come down to breakfast dressed up in a suit and high heels instead of old jeans, a sweatshirt, and sneakers. After breakfast she carried David Michael to the car. I carried her briefcase for her. I liked carrying that briefcase.

  When she was behind the wheel and ready to go, I handed her the briefcase. “Wish me luck,” she said. “See you tonight.”

  “Good luck,” I called as she backed out of the driveway. She gave a little toot on the car horn and drove off. Charlie, Sam, and I were on our own.

  Just then Claudia came across the street to pick me up for school. As we crossed the lawn to Mary Anne’s I told her, “My mom started her new job today. Want to come over to my house to play after school?”

  “Sure!” she answered.

  Our house was a very popular spot that week. Our friends loved the idea that we were on our own. Mom hadn’t told us, “No other kids in the house after school.” I guess in all the confusion of starting her new job, she forgot to tell us, or maybe she figured it was an unspoken rule. Mom was picturing her three darling children doing their homework and quietly waiting for her to come home with dinner.

  Here’s what we had to eat for dinner the first four nights of our new life:

  Monday: Pizza

  Tuesday: Chinese Food

  Wednesday: Pizza

  Thursday: Chinese Food

  Mom didn’t have time to buy regular groceries during the week. Or maybe she forgot. So by Friday morning there was no bread for toast. We were out of orange juice. And there was only enough milk for David Michael’s bottle and Sam’s cereal, which meant none for the rest of us. Charlie ate leftover sesame noodles cold from the container for breakfast. “Puke,” I said. “How can you eat that for breakfast?”

  “I left the fried rice for you,” he said.

  The idea of fried rice for breakfast made my stomach turn. I took a box of crackers and a jar of peanut butter from the cabinet.

  My mother didn’t seem to notice that there wasn’t any breakfast food in the house. She was drinking a cup of coffee, feeding David Michael applesauce, and mumbling something about being on time for a meeting that began at nine o’clock.

  Just then David Michael threw his bottle on the floor. Our puppy Louie jumped on it and bit into the plastic. Then he shook the bottle with his head, which sent the milk flying everywhere, including on Mom’s suit. David Michael laughed. No one else did.

  Sam pulled the bottle away from Louie and took him outside. Charlie cleaned up the milk mess. I finished feeding David Michael. And Mom went upstairs to change her clothes.

  When Mom and David Michael were in the car and ready to leave, I handed her the briefcase. “Thanks, Kristy,” she said. “You guys are being great. I’m really proud of how well you’ve taken care of yourselves this week.”

  “No problem, Mom,” I told her. I thought, but didn’t say, “It’s fun.”

  On the way home from school that afternoon I asked Claudia and Mary Anne, “You coming over to my house again?”

  “Okay,” said Mary Anne. She was always happy for an excuse to get away from her baby-sitter.

  “I’ll bring candy,” offered Claudia. “And caramel popcorn.”

  Snacks were one of the greatest parts of being on our own. Mom’s idea of an after-school snack was an apple or a slice of cheese with crackers. She never let us have candy or super-sweet cookies. But our kids-on-their-own snacks were something else! By Wednesday we’d gone through all the sweet stuff in my house, including an old jar of Marshmallow Fluff and some stale leftover Christmas cookies. Claudia seemed to have an endless supply of junk food. I was never sure how she managed to have so much of it. I’m still not sure. I’m just grateful.

  By four o’clock my friends and I were in my kitchen opening the bag of caramel popcorn. Charlie and Sam were in the living room playing a video game and eating their share of Claudia’s candy.

  Claudia ripped open the popcorn. “Oh, pew,” she said. “This popcorn stinks.”

  I took the bag to smell it. That’s when I noticed Louie scratching at the screen door to come in. I leaned over and pushed open the door for him. He ran in between my legs and I lost my balance. The bag of popcorn went flying. “Ugh!” I scream
ed. “It’s Louie that stinks. What’s that awful smell?”

  Just then Charlie came into the kitchen, followed by Sam. “Something stinks,” complained Charlie. “What is it?”

  “Time to brush your teeth, Kristy,” teased Sam.

  No one laughed. By then we all knew what was stinking and why. We made a circle around Louie, who lay in the middle of the sticky popcorn spill with his chin on his folded paws. He looked ashamed.

  “He’s been sprayed by a skunk!” Sam exclaimed.

  “He smells awful!” cried Mary Anne.

  “We have to give him a bath,” I declared.

  “In tomato juice,” added Charlie.

  “Tomato juice?” Claudia and I said in unison.

  “That’s the way to get the skunk smell out,” Charlie explained. “Shampoo doesn’t work on skunk smell.”

  “How do you know?” asked Sam.

  “Rick told me,” answered Charlie. “It happened to his dog.”

  Tomato juice. I remembered seeing some tomato juice in the top cabinet when we were on a hunt for snacks. “We have two big cans of tomato juice,” I said. I climbed on the stool to find them.

  As I reached for the cans, a pile of paper plates and a stack of paper cups fell out of the cabinet and onto the floor. I would pick them up later, when I swept up the popcorn. First we had to get rid of that skunk smell. Skunk smell in a house is a lot stronger than when you drive past it in a car.

  “We should wash him upstairs,” said Charlie. “In the big tub.”

  Charlie grabbed Louie’s collar and led him through the living room and up the stairs to the bathroom. Sam followed with a can of tomato juice. I carried the second can and a can opener. Mary Anne and Claudia followed me. We were holding our noses.

  We had to close the bathroom door so all of us could fit in there. I opened the window to let out some of the skunk smell.

  “Charlie, how are you going to put Louie in the tub without getting skunk all over you?” I asked.