Karen's Surprise

by Ann M. Martin

  When Andrew and I walked inside the big house we smelled all sorts of good things. There was more turkey, of course, and I thought I could smell onions and apple pie and even the pecan pie!

  “Mmm,” I said. “Yum!”

  Kristy helped Andrew take his coat off, and I handed her mine.

  “Don’t you guys look nice,” she said.

  Andrew scowled and tugged at his collar.

  I fanned out my dress and said, “Thank you.”

  Then everybody — all ten people — went into the living room. My big house family was dressed up, too. Especially Emily. She was wearing a new party outfit. It was a red dress with smocking on the front. She was also wearing a big red headband, and white tights and Mary Jane shoes like mine.

  “Happy Thanksgiving, Emily,” I said. (It was her very first Thanksgiving.)

  “Turkey!” replied Emily. I was not sure if she meant dinner or me.

  “I’m starving,” announced Sam.

  “Then I will bring out the cheese and crackers,” said Nannie. “But we can’t eat dinner for awhile. Karen and Andrew just ate at their mother’s house.”

  “Oh,” groaned Sam.

  And David Michael moaned, “I can’t wait. I’m hungry now.”

  I looked at Andrew. I felt bad. I could tell that he felt bad, too. We were holding up dinner at the big house. Everyone had to wait because of us.

  But then Nannie said, “Besides, the turkey isn’t ready yet.” So we felt better.

  Andrew and I did not eat any cheese and crackers. But everyone else did. They managed to wait until four o’clock. Then Nannie said, “Turkey’s ready!”

  “Yea!” cried David Michael.

  “It’s about time,” muttered Sam.

  I held Andrew’s hand as we walked into the dining room. We sat next to each other. Andrew was sorry he had made Sam angry. Also, he was still full.

  So was I. But when I saw all the wonderful food that Daddy and Elizabeth and Nannie brought to the table, I thought I might be able to eat another meal.

  Andrew could not eat. He just picked. (No one cared.)

  But I ate more turkey and the peas with onions and the rice and of course some of the sweet potatoes. (I skipped the salad, though.)

  By the time we were clearing the table, I was very, very full. I was a stuffed turkey.

  Maybe Nannie felt the same way, because she said, “Let’s take a break before we eat dessert.”

  But Sam replied, “Do we have to? I’m still hungry.” (Sam could eat up the dining room and still be hungry.)

  “Who wants dessert now?” asked Nannie.

  “Me!” said almost everybody. (But not Andrew and I.)

  Even so, when Nannie brought those pies out, I said, “Oh, boy!”

  Andrew did not eat dessert. But I ate a piece of pecan pie with ice cream on top. I could not help it. Then — “Daddy?” I said as I pushed my plate away. “I don’t feel so good.”

  Karen’s Stomachache

  “What’s the matter?” Daddy asked me. He jumped up from his place at the table.

  “My stomach hurts,” I said.

  “Are you going to barf?” asked David Michael. He looked really interested.

  “No,” I said. “But my stomach hurts a lot.” I began to cry.

  “Oh, Karen,” said Daddy. “I think you ate too much. Come here.”

  Daddy held out his arms. I let him pick me up and carry me to my bedroom in the big house. Then I lay down. I hugged Moosie and Tickly.

  “Let me get you something for your tummy,” said Daddy.

  “No,” I moaned. “I don’t want anything. Not even medicine. I’m too full.”

  “Okay,” replied Daddy. “Maybe you can fall asleep. Maybe you’ll feel better after a nap.”

  “Okay,” I said. But I knew I would not fall asleep. My stomach hurt too much. So I just lay on my bed. Sometimes I clutched Moosie and Tickly. Sometimes I clutched Moosie and Tickly. Sometimes I clutched my stomach. I tried not to wrinkle my party dress.

  Once, Kristy came in. “How do you feel?” she asked.

  “Not too good,” I said honestly.

  “Andrew is all tired out,” Kristy told me. “He fell asleep on the couch in the living room. Everyone was talking and laughing, and Andrew fell sound asleep.”

  I tried to smile.

  “I guess I’ll let you rest,” said Kristy. “Your mom will be here soon.”

  After Kristy left, I listened to the sounds in the big house. I heard Elizabeth say, “Uh-oh, Emily!” Then she brought her upstairs and changed her out of her new clothes and into a pair of overalls.

  I heard Charlie shout, “All right! Touch-down!” He was probably in the den. He said there was going to be a good football game on TV that afternoon.

  I heard dishes clattering and knew that somebody was cleaning the kitchen.

  At last I heard, Honk, honk! Mommy had come. She was waiting for Andrew and me to run out to the car. But neither of us could. I heard the front door open, and then I heard Daddy call, “Lisa?” (That’s Mommy.) “Can you come in for a minute?”

  When I heard the front door close, I knew Mommy was inside. But I just could not get up. I was pretty sure Daddy was telling her that I did not feel well and that Andrew was asleep.

  She might have to wait awhile before she could take us home.

  It would serve her right, I thought. The grown-ups had ruined Thanksgiving.

  Never Again

  I lay around on my bed for awhile longer. Finally I heard Andrew say sleepily, “Hi, Mommy.” I decided I felt well enough to get up. So I laid Moosie and Tickly on my bed. “See you guys next weekend,” I told them.

  Then I went downstairs. I walked very carefully, because my stomach still hurt. But it did not hurt as much as before.

  “Karen!” said Mommy when she saw me. She was sitting in the living room with Daddy and Elizabeth and Nannie and Andrew. She does not like to spend time with Elizabeth. They feel uncomfortable when they are together. It was nice of Mommy to wait for me.

  “How are you feeling?” she asked me.

  “A little better,” I said in a sad voice.

  “Poor pumpkin,” said Mommy. “Come sit on my lap.”

  “Okay,” I replied. “But don’t say any more food words.”

  Everyone laughed.

  Then Andrew climbed onto Daddy’s lap, and Daddy said, “I think we need to have a talk.”

  “What did I do wrong?” asked Andrew.

  “Nothing.” Daddy smiled. “I meant, I think we all need to have a talk. Thanksgiving didn’t work out very well, did it?”

  “No way,” I answered. “I am never going to eat again in my whole life.”

  “Never?” asked Andrew, wide-eyed. “Not even dessert?”

  “Not even dessert. And especially not turkey,” I added.

  “That’s okay,” said Nannie.

  “I’m still tired,” Andrew announced.

  “This day,” said Mommy, “has been too much for Karen and Andrew.”

  “Much too much,” I agreed.

  “Do we have to do this again next year?” asked Andrew. “I hope not, because I don’t want to.”

  “Neither do I,” I said. “Please can we do something different? I don’t ever, ever want to have two celebrations on the same day. Not two birthdays, not two Easters, not two Christmases, and especially not two Thanksgivings.”

  “I would like to open presents on Christmas Eve at one house, and on Christmas Day at the other house,” said Andrew.

  “Me, too,” I said. “That spreads things out. Why can’t we have one Thanksgiving on Thursday next year, and another one on Friday?” I asked.

  “I think you will,” Mommy answered. She glanced at Daddy and he nodded.

  “Why did we have to have two Thanksgivings today?” asked Andrew. “I forget.”

  “Because … because we were all being a little selfish,” Elizabeth spoke up. “At least, the adults were. Your daddy and I wanted Th
anksgiving on Thursday.”

  “And so did Seth and I,” said Mommy. “Especially since your grandparents were coming. I guess we didn’t think how you and Andrew would feel.”

  “Do you promise that we’ll never do this again?” I asked.

  “Never again,” said Daddy.

  “Thank you.” I sighed.

  “We better go now,” said Mommy. So Daddy got our coats. He carried Andrew to the car. I walked outside, holding Mommy’s hand.

  On the way back to the little house, Mommy said, “Guess what. Granny and Grandad are staying until Sunday.”

  “Oh, goody!” exclaimed Andrew and I together. Then I added, “Nancy can finally meet Granny.” (Granny and Nancy are pen pals. They write letters to each other. But they have never met. It’s a long story.)

  By the time we got home, I was asleep.

  It Isn’t Easy Being a Two-Two

  Thanksgiving vacation was over.

  It was Monday. School had started again. I did not mind, of course. Now it was the Christmas season. I could not wait to decorate our classroom.

  I was relieved that Thanksgiving was over. My stomachache was gone. I was eating again (even though I had told Andrew I never would). But I wanted to forget Thanksgiving Day.

  “It was awful,” I had said to Nancy on the day after Thanksgiving.

  And, “It was terrible,” I had told Hannie over the phone.

  Everyone else had had great Thanksgivings. Before school started, my friends and I talked about them.

  “I had so much fun with my grandparents,” said Hannie. “They brought presents for Linny and Sari and me.”

  “We had Grandma B over,” announced Nancy. “After dinner we sang songs and Grandma B played the piano.”

  I did not say that after dinner all I did was get a stomachache.

  Ricky said, “My cousins weren’t so bad after all. Christopher didn’t break anything, and Nate only cried when he had to leave.”

  “I had a sleepover with my cousins,” said Natalie. “On Thanksgiving night we stayed up until midnight. Then we snuck into the kitchen and made turkey sandwiches. Our parents — ”

  “Well, I’m back!” someone interrupted Natalie.

  It was Pamela, of course. And of course, Leslie and Jannie were with her.

  Pamela took off her coat. She was wearing a new outfit. It was a flowered jumpsuit. But best of all, on her head were Mickey Mouse ears. Pamela was written on them in gold wiggly cursive.

  “I brought presents for my friends,” said Pamela.

  “You did?” I cried.

  “Yup.” Pamela pulled some more Mickey Mouse ears out of a bag. The first pair said Jannie. The second pair said Leslie. She had not brought hats for anyone else.

  Leslie and Jannie put their ears on and smiled. Pamela said, “Disney World was so, so fun. We did everything. We went on Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride, and we went in the castle, and we went to Frontierland and Epcot Center. And I went on Space Mountain three times and I did not get sick.” Pamela gave Ricky and me a Look.

  I inched closer to Hannie and Nancy. We were still the Three Musketeers, even if we did not have matching hats like Pamela, Leslie, and Jannie.

  “Well,” I began, “my two Thanksgivings were gigundo fun. My brother and I watched the parade on TV, right to the end. My grandparents came as a surprise. Four of them. And Granny and Grandad brought presents. And, let’s see. Since I had two dinners, I got to eat lots of desserts. I had a baked apple and three kinds of pie.” (Not all of this was true.) “It was a wonderful day.”

  Everyone looked at me.

  “Lucky duck,” said Leslie. (Pamela punched her arm.)

  I glanced at Hannie and Nancy. They knew how my Thanksgiving had really been. But they would not tell. They are my best friends, and best friends keep secrets.

  There was one secret that I had not told even Nancy and Hannie, though. This is the secret:

  Sometimes it isn’t easy being a Two-Two.

  About the Author

  ANN M. MARTIN is the acclaimed and bestselling author of a number of novels and series, including Belle Teal, A Corner of the Universe (a Newbery Honor book), A Dog’s Life, Here Today, P.S. Longer Letter Later (written with Paula Danziger), the Family Tree series, the Doll People series (written with Laura Godwin), the Main Street series, and the generation-defining series The Baby-sitters Club. She lives in New York.

  Copyright © 1990 by Ann M. Martin

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  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  First edition, 1990

  e-ISBN 978-1-338-05584-9