Karen's Big Job

by Ann M. Martin

  “Hello, Frank,” said Elizabeth to the guard in the lobby. “This is Karen. She is coming to work with me today.”

  I stood up a little straighter and shook Frank’s hand. I held my briefcase so Frank could see it.

  Frank smiled and pushed a button to open the elevator door. (I think he thought I was an important visitor.) Elizabeth and I took the elevator to the twelfth floor. We entered a large room with a huge window and lots of framed photographs hanging on the walls. (Elizabeth said those were advertisements.) I saw ads for soap, baseballs, and candles. I also saw a huge photo of silver and copper coins. Elizabeth said it was an ad for a department store.

  “A department store?” I asked.

  “Yes,” said Elizabeth. “The coins show the money you will save by shopping there.”

  “Oh.” (I guess that made sense.)

  Elizabeth introduced me to more people. I met Ruth, the receptionist; Priscilla, a copy-writer; and Gary, an art director. “Priscilla writes some of our ads, and Gary decides how they will look,” Elizabeth explained.

  I also saw other daughters with their mothers. (I was the only one carrying a briefcase.) Some of the daughters smiled at me. I smiled back.

  A lot of the daughters were going to the art department. I loved the people in the art department. Most of them were wearing jeans and T-shirts. They sat at big tables or in front of computer screens. One man let me play with the squishy ball on his desk. A woman named Anna showed me her postcard collection and her Gumby doll. Elizabeth did not let me play with the Gumby doll too long. She wanted to get to her office.

  Elizabeth did not have any squishy toys, dolls, or postcards on her desk. Instead she had a blotter, a pencil case, and a computer. She also had framed pictures of all the people in my big-house family.

  Elizabeth put down her briefcase. I put my briefcase down, too. Elizabeth straightened her suit. I tucked in my blouse. Then Elizabeth showed me around the office some more. Here is what I liked the best:

  1) The copy machine. (It was so huge, it took up almost a whole room.)

  2) The fax machine. (It is a machine that can send and receive messages. When I was there, Elizabeth received a fax all the way from France.)

  3) The candy machine. (It had my favorite kind of chocolate bar.)

  4) The water cooler.

  Finally, Elizabeth took me downstairs to the cafeteria. The cafeteria had sea-green walls and huge windows that looked out over the water. I could smell pizza, brownies, and fresh rolls baking in the oven.

  “Would you like to eat lunch here?” asked Elizabeth.

  “Sure,” I answered. My day at work was getting better and better.

  Phones, Faxes, and Photocopies

  When we returned to Elizabeth’s office, the phone was ringing, her assistant was coming in with her mail, and someone from the art department was waiting to see her. I sat in a corner of Elizabeth’s office and watched her work.

  First Elizabeth spoke on the phone. She talked about things like product lines and sales figures. (I did not know what those things meant.)

  When Elizabeth’s assistant came in again, I tried to talk to her, but she looked busy, too. She brought Elizabeth letters to sign. Then she left to make copies.

  “Oh, Karen, could you please make me a copy of this?” asked Elizabeth. She handed me a letter her assistant had forgotten to take. I nodded, and walked to the copy machine. I had to wait in line a long time. Then I had to ask someone how the copy machine worked. When I returned to Elizabeth’s office, she was on the phone again. Boo and bullfrogs!

  I was happy when Elizabeth said it was time to go to a meeting. Elizabeth picked up a binder, a notepad, and some pencils. I picked up my notepad and colored pencils. I followed Elizabeth down the hall to a big room. (Elizabeth said it was a conference room.) A lot of people in suits sat around a long table.

  First a man stood up and passed around some charts. “These are the latest sales projections for the Steelhead account,” he said.

  I did not know what he was talking about. I tried to ask Elizabeth, but she put her finger to her lips. (I guess that meant I should be quiet during the meeting, at least until that person finished talking.) But guess what? That person talked and talked. It seemed like hours before he stopped. Then a woman in a blue dress held up something wrapped in pink and green paper. It looked like a very small bar of soap. And she started talking about something called “packaging.”

  I yawned — kind of loudly, I guess. Elizabeth looked at me and frowned. The woman in the blue dress kept talking. I stopped trying to understand what she was saying. Instead I took out my notepad. I decided to write a letter to Maxie. (Maxie is my pen pal in New York City.) This is what I wrote:

  At the bottom of Maxie’s letter I drew a picture of myself, and then I folded up the letter. (I did not want Elizabeth to see it.) Finally the meeting ended.

  When Elizabeth asked me if I had any questions, I shook my head. I did not want to admit I had not been listening. Elizabeth was starting to tell me something about the meeting when Daddy and Kristy arrived.

  I was very happy to see them. That meant we could have lunch together in the cafeteria. Then I could go to work with Daddy. I was sure his job was more exciting than Elizabeth’s.

  I was wrong. All Daddy did in his home office was talk on the phone, file letters, and send faxes. I tried to help. Once or twice, Daddy let me answer the phone. He even showed me how to use the fax machine. But I had trouble staying awake. The insurance business was even less exciting than advertising. I was thrilled when Daddy said it was time to close up his office for the day. Daddy and Elizabeth sure had boring jobs.

  Theaters, Restaurants, and Offices

  The next day, I was very happy to be at school and not at work. I decided working in an office was not for me. It would be a lot more fun to be a famous actress or a rock star. That reminded me. I needed to ask Daddy if I could take singing lessons. I wanted to be prepared for my career on the stage.

  “Karen,” said Nancy. “Did you know Tammy and Terri spent all day at their uncle’s theater?”

  “They did?” (Hannie, Nancy, and I were sitting on desks in the back of our classroom, talking. We do that most mornings while we wait for Ms. Colman.)

  “Yes, and they even got to watch a rehearsal.”

  “Cool,” I said. (I was very impressed, but I was also a teensy, weensy bit jealous.)

  “Good morning, class. Please take your seats now,” said Ms. Colman when she entered the room. I hurried to my desk. Everyone quieted down.

  “Ricky, would you please take attendance,” said Ms. Colman. (Boo and bullfrogs. I like to be the one to take attendance. It is an important job.)

  Ricky got busy looking around the room and marking Ms. Colman’s attendance book. “Everyone is here,” he announced.

  “Good,” said Ms. Colman, smiling at us. “Girls, the class would like to hear about your day at work yesterday. Who would like to speak first?”

  Several girls raised their hands. I did not. First, Pamela Harding told us how busy she had been helping her mother. “I filed important papers and I answered the phone,” said Pamela. “I even read some of her stories.”

  I loved it when Terri and Tammy talked about their day backstage at their uncle’s theater. “We watched part of the rehearsal for The Wizard of Oz,” said Tammy. “The actors were still learning their lines, so they read from scripts.”

  “We also helped paint scenery, and we threaded some needles for Mrs. Perkins. That’s the person who sews the costumes,” added Terri. “She was sewing a beautiful white and gold dress for Glinda.”

  “Who’s Glinda?” asked Omar Harris.

  “The good witch,” answered Terri.

  Audrey told the class about working in the kitchen in her father’s restaurant. “You should see the pots and pans. They are huge!” Audrey spread out her arms while she talked. “The restaurant feeds hundreds of people every day, so they have to have a lot of food ready
.”

  “Did you get to taste the food?” asked Bobby.

  Audrey nodded. “I mostly tasted the desserts. I had a chocolate layer cake, a lemon mousse — that is like a lemon pudding — and some pies with apples, honey, and raisins in it.”

  My mouth started watering. Everyone’s day at work sounded better than mine. Even the kids who went to offices had fun. Jannie Gilbert talked about her father’s exciting job at the newspaper. “Everyone had to rush to get their stories in by the deadline. There were reporters typing at their keyboards until the last minute, and photographers coming in with their pictures, and phones ringing all the time.”

  “Karen, how was your day?” asked Ms. Colman when the others had finished. (I was hoping she would not call on me.)

  “Uh, fine,” I said. (I hoped it was okay to lie a little.) “In the morning, I went to work with Elizabeth. She’s my stepmother.” (I did not really have to explain. Most of the kids know about my two families.) “She works for an advertising agency. I, uh, went to a big meeting with her. In the afternoon, Daddy took me to work with him. He works at home for an insurance company. He, um, let me answer the phone. And he taught me how to use the fax machine.” I stopped talking. No one asked me any questions about my day. That was fine with me. It did sound pretty boring compared with the others.

  Ms. Colman smiled at me. “Thank you, Karen,” she said. “It sounds like you all learned a lot. We are going to continue learning about careers. I am planning a Career Week the week after next. I would like each of you to bring in one of your parents to talk to the class about his or her job.”

  I gulped.

  “So, please start thinking about which of your parents you would like to invite to school,” said Ms. Colman as the final bell rang.

  “I do not want Daddy or Elizabeth to come to school,” I muttered. But no one heard me. My classmates were packing up their books and rushing out the door.

  A Big, Fat, Hairy Lie

  A few days later Ms. Colman made another announcement. “Class,” she began. “By the end of the day, I would like you to tell me which parent you plan to invite. I also need to know what your parents will be talking about.”

  Darn. I was hoping Ms. Colman had forgotten about Career Week. I still did not know what to do. I could not invite Elizabeth. Her job seemed way too boring. And Daddy’s job had been even more boring than Elizabeth’s. I sighed, and tried to concentrate on our lesson.

  “Where is the Nile River?” asked Ms. Colman.

  I did not raise my hand. (That is very unusual. I am usually the first one to raise my hand in class, especially when I know the answer.)

  “In South America,” answered Chris Lamar.

  “No, it is not. It is in Africa,” said Bobby Gianelli.

  “Good, Bobby,” said Ms. Colman.

  Ms. Colman told us more about Africa. She showed us pictures of the African savannah. And she told us about some of the animals that live there — zebras, rhinoceroses, and lions. (I adore listening to Ms. Colman, but today I was having trouble paying attention. I was too worried about Career Week.)

  At lunch I hardly ate anything. Nancy and Hannie were busy talking about inviting their fathers for Career Week. They did not notice that I was not eating or saying anything. That made me a little cross.

  “Who are you inviting for Career Week?” Nancy finally asked me.

  “I have not decided yet,” I answered. Nancy gave me a funny look.

  At recess I sat alone on a bench. “Karen, come play with us,” said Hannie. She was jumping rope with Nancy, Natalie, and Audrey.

  “I do not want to,” I said. I wanted to think some more about who to invite.

  I wished I could ask Mommy or Seth to come to school, instead of Daddy or Elizabeth. Seth works as a carpenter, and he makes beautiful things. Mommy sometimes helps him in his studio, but mostly she stays home and takes care of Andrew and me. Those jobs had to be more exciting than Daddy’s or Elizabeth’s. But I could not invite Mommy or Seth because this was a big-house month. And that would hurt Daddy’s and Elizabeth’s feelings.

  My choice was between Daddy or Elizabeth. And I did not want either of them. Nothing I could do would make their jobs sound interesting. I would be the only one in the school with boring parents. This was not fair!

  By the end of recess I was in an even worse mood. I stormed back to our classroom. I did not stop to talk to Hannie and Nancy.

  “Girls and boys, have you decided which parent to invite?” asked Ms. Colman.

  “Yes,” answered my classmates.

  When Ms. Colman called on me, I did not know what to say. Then I did something I knew was wrong. I lied. I told Ms. Colman that Daddy and Elizabeth could not come to school for Career Week. “They are both going to be out of town,” I explained.

  Ms. Colman smiled at me. “All right, Karen. We will not expect them then.”

  I felt like a rat.

  A Picture, a Pillow, and a Play

  At dinner that night I was not very hungry. I still felt bad about lying to Ms. Colman.

  “Karen,” said Kristy after we finished eating. “We are having another meeting about Mom’s birthday.”

  “Okay,” I said. I was not in the mood to plan a party. But I forced myself. I plopped myself down on Kristy’s beanbag chair.

  “We have to talk about food and decorations,” said Kristy.

  “Cupcakes and candles,” shouted Andrew.

  “Shh,” I said. “Elizabeth might hear you.”

  “Oops,” whispered Andrew.

  We talked about the food and decorations we would make. Kristy wrote everything down in her notebook. Here is what her list looked like:

  Food

  1. Lemonade — Karen will make.

  2. Punch — Charlie will make.

  3. Birthday cake — Kristy and Karen will bake and decorate with icing flowers.

  4. Sandwiches — Sam, Charlie, David Michael, and Andrew will make.

  5. Salads — Nannie will make? (Will have to ask her.)

  6. Popcorn and potato chips — Kristy and Karen will buy.

  Decorations

  1. A giant card — from all of us. (We will draw pictures and write poems and funny notes in it.)

  2. Balloons — use what we have in house.

  3. Candles — use what we have in house.

  4. Tablecloth and napkins — Kristy and Karen will buy.

  5. Flowers — we will all pick big bunches from the garden.

  “We could start working on the card right now,” said Kristy. She rummaged behind her desk and pulled out a giant sheet of poster board, and some Magic Markers and colored pencils. I began drawing bouquets of daffodils in one corner of the light-blue board.

  I was having a lot of fun, until Kristy started talking about Elizabeth’s presents. That reminded me. I still had not thought of a good idea. I felt worse when I realized that everyone else had already started making their special gifts.

  “Sam and I are working on the footstool,” Charlie reported. He sat writing a funny poem to Elizabeth in one corner of the card.

  “I am writing my play,” said David Michael. “It’s about a magic sunflower called Marvin.”

  “What is magic about Marvin?” I asked.

  “He is taller than all the other flowers in the garden. And he can talk,” answered David Michael.

  “What happens to Marvin?” I wanted to know.

  “Um, I am still working on that.”

  “Could I be in your play?” I asked politely.

  “Maybe,” answered David Michael. “But so far Marvin is the only character.”

  I sighed. (I had been sighing a lot lately.)

  Kristy pulled out the pillow she was making. It was shaped like a cat, and she was sewing on buttons for the nose and eyes. It looked gigundoly cool. Even Andrew had started working on his picture of a garden. Everyone except me was getting a present ready. I hoped I would think of something. I was feeling a little nervous.

&
nbsp; Career Work

  “Does anyone know what these are?” Natalie’s father asked our class. He held up large sheets of blue paper with white lines drawn all over them.

  “They look like plans for something,” said Omar.

  “Good,” said Mr. Springer. He sounded very impressed with Omar. “They are indeed. They are the plans for a house. We call them blueprints.” Mr. Springer is an architect. He gets to design all kinds of buildings. He showed us how to find the stairs, windows, and fireplaces on the plan. Then he told us the house had a secret passageway.

  “Cool,” said Chris.

  “Could we come play in this house when it is finished?” asked Bobby. Everyone laughed.

  It was the first day of Career Week. My classmates’s parents were giving gigundoly good presentations. I still felt guilty about lying to Ms. Colman. But I was glad neither of my parents was coming to school. They would seem so boring next to the other parents.

  I loved it when Terri and Tammy’s uncle told us about his theater. He brought in real stage props — the things the actors hold in the play. He let us hold Glinda’s magic wand and the broom that belonged to the Wicked Witch of the West. “There is someone backstage who only handles props. It is that person’s job to find what we need for the show. He or she also takes care of all the props while the show is running.”

  Best of all, Mr. Barkan passed out some scripts and let us act out some scenes from the play. I insisted on being Dorothy. (She is the star of the show.) Pamela and Nancy wanted to be Dorothy too. So we took turns. I think Mr. Barkan liked the way I read. He told me I had a voice that projects.

  “What does that mean?” I asked.

  “It means everyone in the theater will be able to hear you,” answered Mr. Barkan.

  I felt very proud.