Just Visiting

by Laura Dower

“Sort of?” Gramma asked.

  “Yeah,” Madison said. “I mean—it’s not like a date or anything.”

  “Of course it isn’t!” Gramma said. “So when are you two meeting?”

  “Well, we’re not meeting. Because I said no,” Madison explained. “I told him I was already going with someone. You.”

  Gramma leaned over and stroked Madison’s head. “Oh, Maddie!” she said. “Maddie, Maddie, Maddie!”

  Madison snickered. “Cut it out, Gramma. That tickles.”

  “I want you to go over to Mabel’s house right this second and tell that young man that you’ve changed your mind …” Gramma said in an animated voice.

  “Huh? I can’t do that,” Madison said.

  “Why not?”

  “Because … I already said no. And it’s too embarrassing,” Madison said. “To go all the way over to his house …”

  “Well, then, fine. Tell him at dinner,” Gramma said.

  “Dinner?” Madison asked.

  “Mabel and Mark are coming here for supper. I invited them both while you two were off playing tennis.”

  “Gramma!” Madison wailed. “You didn’t!”

  “You know, you should really trust your grandmother when it comes to this sort of thing,” Gramma replied. “Now, it’s four-thirty. Dinner is in an hour.”

  “An hour? Here?”

  Madison glanced up at the clock on the wall and groaned. She made an exasperated face at Gramma and ran up the center stairs toward her room. Phin followed closely behind, pug tail curling all the way.

  She wasn’t sure if she would change her mind about Mark’s invitation, but Madison did know that she needed to take a shower. Mark had already seen her in pj’s and this sweaty blue T-shirt today. The least Madison could do was to look nicer than nice for the surprise dinner.

  The dinner guests arrived at five-thirty sharp.

  Mabel was gabbing like crazy when she entered, but Mark didn’t say much at all. And he said even less at dinner, except to ask for salt and pepper twice.

  Something had really changed between him and Madison since that afternoon. Although she hadn’t meant to, she’d hurt Mark’s feelings by saying no to his Fourth of July request.

  Madison considered Gramma’s advice. Should she tell him she would go to see the fireworks now? Wouldn’t changing her mind to say yes right now in the middle of dinner leave Mark twice as confused about what was going on?

  Madison didn’t know what to say.

  She was swallowed up by a bad case of nerves—more nerves than she’d ever had with a boy in her entire life—more than Hart, Drew, and Egg put together.

  Was it better to let the grandmothers do all the talking?

  Mabel didn’t help matters much. She hadn’t hushed up since she came into the house, chattering on and on. Madison figured she just loved to hear the sound of her own voice. While Mark sat there silently picking at his meat loaf and peas, Mabel shared embarrassing stories of his childhood.

  Madison was horrified. At one point, she tried to catch his eye, to give him a smile so he wouldn’t be embarrassed by the attention, but Mark didn’t flinch.

  Thankfully, Gramma didn’t bring up any of Madison’s childhood traumas in the middle of their conversations. Instead she actually tried to change the subject, getting Mabel to talk about bridge, painting, and other activities coming up at the Winnetka Village Senior Center.

  Before they knew it, Gramma Helen was serving coffee and cookies. The evening was winding down—and Madison had survived.

  Or at least she thought so.

  On her way out the door, Mabel suddenly said in a very loud voice, “So, what are you two doing tomorrow?”

  Madison’s eyes opened wide. “Tomorrow?” she asked.

  “For the Fourth of July!” Mabel said, grinning. “There’s a lot going on in town.”

  “Nothing,” Mark said quickly. “Except going to the fireworks with you, Grams.”

  “That’s all?” Mabel said.

  “I think you two should go to the fireworks together,” Gramma Helen interrupted. “It’s so much more fun for the younger crowd. Mabel and I will just be boring companions. Don’t you think, Mabel?” She elbowed her friend.

  “You’re not boring,” Madison said, giving her gramma a look.

  “Ooooh no! I agree with Helen,” Mabel said. “We’re a pair of old fogies.”

  “You’re not fogies,” Mark chimed in.

  “Now, I said I agree with Helen, and that’s all there is to it!” Mabel said assertively. “This is an event for the kids, not for us old folks. And you two are the ones who have to go together. It will be fun.”

  Madison looked at Mark.

  Mark looked at Madison.

  Mabel grabbed her purse. “Well, I think this decision is made. You two are going, and that’s that. No argument, right? Right!”

  “Grams …” Mark started to say, but he cut himself off, scratching his head. “Whatever.”

  Madison could feel her whole body get clammy, like all her nerves were operating at full tilt. “Okay.” She sighed.

  Gramma Helen sensed her discomfort.

  “How about we all go together,” Gramma Helen suggested. “And then you two kids can go off to the barbecue by yourselves. How does that sound?”

  Madison looked at Mark.

  Mark looked at Madison.

  And that was that.

  Chapter 12

  THE SUN ROSE HOT and glaring on the morning of the Fourth of July. The air was stickier than sticky, too, and Madison had less than no idea what to wear. She tried on every pair of shorts and pants she’d packed, testing out color combinations and matching clothes with her different sandals. When she finally decided on the right outfit, she sat down at her laptop and headed straight for TweenBlurt.com.

  There was e-mail waiting from Bigwheels—just as Madison had hoped there would be.

  From: Bigwheels

  To: MadFinn

  Subject: Re: I am in LIKE

  Date: Thur 3 July 8:18 PM

  That guy sounds nice and you DEFINITELY have to send me a picture. But what happened to Hart from home? Do you still like him, too? You are lucky—it sounds like the best summer vacation ever!

  Yesterday we drove over the Golden Gate Bridge and all this fog rolled in while we were there. It was cool. My little sister got sick, though, so Mom and Dad are thinking of heading home early. That stinks, but this is a long trip and everyone in the camper is totally grouchy.

  How is your grandmother? Did you end up bringing the dog w/you? Has Phin ever been on a plane?

  The survey you sent to me is attached. Send me one back ASAP! HAPPY JULY 4 TO YOU!

  Yours till the bubble gums,

  Bigwheels

 

  Madison quickly opened the document with the survey questions. It wasn’t a big deal; she was just curious.

  WHAT R U LIKE?

  Name Victoria

  Nickname Vicki

  Screen name Bigwheels

  Home Washington State

  Favorite color Blue

  Favorite ice cream Lemon sherbet

  Hobbies Computers, reading

  Lucky number 8

  Pets Nope

  Brothers and sisters 1 sister + 1 brother

  Favorite subject English

  I want to travel to… Visit Madison!

  Best friend My keypal Madison!

  Everything Bigwheels sent was stuff Madison already knew, except for the “I want to travel to” and “best friend” parts. They were a huge surprise.

  Madison clicked REPLY and sent her own survey back along with a note.

  From: MadFinn

  To: Bigwheels

  Subject: Thanks a bunch

  Date: Fri 4 July 10:30 AM

  Happy Independence Day 2 U! Thanks for the survey. I got it and here’s mine—I cut & pasted it below. I hope you get 2 see a parade or something tonite.

  Y
ours till the fire crackers,

  MadFinn

  WHAT R U LIKE?

  Name Madison

  Nickname Maddie

  Screen name MadFinn

  Home Far Hills, New York

  Favorite color NEON ORANGE!!!

  Favorite ice cream Cherry Garcia

  Hobbies Animals, computers, writing in my files

  Lucky number 11

  Pets Phinnie, my pug

  Brothers and sisters None

  Favorite subject Science and computer

  I want to travel to… The moon LOL

  Best friend Aimee, Fiona, and my keypal Bigwheels

  After hitting SEND, Madison glanced up at the digital clock. It said 10:47.

  No more e-mails and notes to Bigwheels!

  No more changing outfits!

  The morning was slowly vanishing, and the moment of truth had come. She needed to get ready for her Fourth of July date—for real.

  Even Phin barked his approval when Madison got dressed in the lacy blue shirt she had borrowed from Fiona. It fit perfectly, and she wore it with faded jeans instead of shorts, just in case the bugs started biting while they were sitting on the lawn at night. To top everything off, Madison put on the moonstone earrings that Dad had given her for good luck. She was sure she needed luck to get through the evening with Mark.

  Gramma was in the kitchen, putting together a basket of food and other goodies for the afternoon and evening. They’d agreed to meet up on the main lawn near Tower Head Beach Park. Mabel and Gramma Helen would sit around chatting and playing cards into the evening, while Madison and Mark went over to the carnival and rode rides.

  Around four-thirty, the doorbell to Gramma’s house rang.

  Mark was standing outside, holding a blanket.

  “You guys ready to go?” he asked Madison through the screen door.

  “Yeah, we are,” Madison said, fidgeting.

  She wanted to say more. She needed to tell Mark that she was sorry for what had happened the day before, but she held it inside. She hoped they would have a chance to talk more once they got to the celebration.

  “Let me get Gramma,” was all Madison said. “Wait here.”

  Downtown Winnetka Village was decorated to the hilt with streamers and balloons and bright bunches of flowers. A brass quartet had set itself up in the band shell. Men and women were arranging chairs into straight rows all the way back as far as the eye could see. Volunteers dressed up as Uncle Sam handed out miniature flags to everyone who passed by.

  Madison, Mark, Gramma, Mabel, and Phinnie walked slowly along the edge of the sidewalk, careful not to bump into any of the spectators who were lining the street. Since the morning parade, the people had stayed three deep up and down the park. This event was the most popular event in town all year, Mabel said. People arrived from surrounding counties and from Chicago to see the bands, the costumes, and, of course, the fireworks.

  Phin was overwhelmed by the spectacle. He dragged his little pug body along, shaking a little because the crowd made him nervous. But the sounds and smells had his nose sniffing the air like mad.

  Music played from speakers set up near city hall.

  Cotton candy, barbecue, and fried dough vendors shouted for customers.

  Other dogs (besides Phin) scooted in and out of the crowd, dragging their owners behind them.

  The sensory overload left Madison a little overwhelmed, too. She hardly had any time at all to talk with Mark or even Gramma Helen. She spent more time checking to see that no one was stepping on her pug.

  “Look over there!” Gramma Helen said, pointing to a painted sign that read CARNIVAL TICKETS HERE.

  Before anyone could say another word, Mark was weaving his way over toward the sign. The rest of the group followed.

  The carnival wasn’t as big as the one in Far Hills, but it still had all the best rides. There were teacups for younger kids, a Ferris wheel, and a whirly ride that looked too scary and rickety to attempt. Both grandmothers voiced their concerns about the ride safety, of course.

  In addition to rides, there was the Fourth of July Fun House, the Spooky Mansion, and the Red-White-and-Blue Maze, which people wandered through to get to the flag at the center. Madison was excited to try the last one.

  “We’ll find a nice shady spot under some trees,” Gramma said, smiling. “Phinnie will be happier there. And you two kids can find us in time for supper and the fireworks. Okay?”

  Madison pointed to a giant elm tree across the park. It wasn’t so crowded over there. Mabel approved.

  “Now, don’t get into any trouble,” Mabel said, getting the last word. “We’ll be right there if you need us.”

  Mark just smiled and shuffled forward in the ticket line.

  Madison handed off Phin’s leash to Gramma Helen and said her good-byes to both of them.

  A few moments later, Madison and Mark were at the front of the line, still not talking. But Mark finally broke the silence.

  “You don’t have to stay around here,” Mark said. “If you want to be with your grandmother.”

  Madison shook her head. “Well, no, I don’t. But I want to.”

  “Huh?” Mark asked. He was next in line for the ticket counter.

  “I want to be here. I—I mean, if you’re okay with that,” Madison said, stammering just like he’d been doing the day before.

  “Well, I’m okay,” Mark said.

  “TICKETS, PLEASE! NEXT!” the silver-haired man behind the counter yelled out.

  Mark and Madison scrambled up to the window and got tickets for everything except the whirly ride. Mark wanted to try it, but Madison convinced him not to do it.

  “Then where do we go first?” Mark asked.

  Madison felt shy all of a sudden, as if she had had the wind knocked out of her. “I don’t know…” she said.

  “Do you want to try that maze?” he asked. “It seems cool.”

  “Okay, that sounds good,” Madison said, not really making a decision.

  “Fine, let’s go,” Mark said. He ran ahead. They would have to wait in another line there.

  “I can’t believe how crowded it is,” Madison said once she caught up to him.

  “Yeah, it’s like this every year,” Mark explained. “Usually I just go around on all the rides by myself. I plow through the people. It’s easy when you’re alone.”

  “Oh,” Madison said, wondering if he liked it better alone than with her.

  Mark could read her mind. He shook his head. “No, I didn’t mean it like that. What I meant was—”

  “Mark, I’m really sorry about the other day,” Madison blurted.

  “Huh?” he said.

  “I’m sorry that I acted so weird. I just didn’t know what to say. I get like that sometimes.”

  “That’s cool,” Mark replied. “I mean, you’re not totally weird.”

  Madison laughed. “Not totally?”

  “Well, you’re not as weird as my grams, right?” Mark joked. “I think you’re really nice.”

  Madison’s chest expanded with the compliment. She got her wind back.

  “You’re nice, too,” she said sweetly.

  All at once, Mark started to jump around like he was excited or nervous or both. He switched subjects instantly.

  “Race you through the maze!” Mark said, pulling out the wad of tickets from his pocket.

  Madison threw her hands into the air. “Sure,” she said. “Whoever gets there first…”

  But before she could finish her thought, the race was on. Once they stepped inside the entry gate, Mark zoomed around a corner to get to the middle of the maze. Madison took another route, bumping into other kids and parents along the way. Although the sun was in her eyes, she managed to find the middle first. There was a giant flagpole there. She leaned up against it.

  Mark straggled in a few moments later, grinning. He knew he’d been beat.

  “Around that first turn … man …” he said, breathless. “I kept running
into dead ends!”

  “Where do you want to go next?” Madison asked.

  “Let’s ride the Ferris wheel,” he suggested.

  Once again, they were really talking—back to being summer vacation friends.

  After the Ferris wheel (which got a little stuck while they were rocking in the seat at the top of the wheel), a spin around the teacups (which made Madison dizzier than dizzy), and a walk through the Fun House (which Mark rated “lamest” on a scale of “lame to lamest”), they made their way back through the crowds toward the old elm tree.

  People had blankets and chairs pitched everywhere. Dogs raced around, and picnic baskets still littered the lawn even though it was getting late.

  Madison could see Gramma Helen and Mabel from far across the park.

  “This is really fun,” Mark told Madison on their way back. “I’m glad you’re here.”

  Madison blushed. “Thanks. Me too.”

  “But I shouldn’t have eaten that last batch of fried dough,” Mark said, rubbing his belly. He burped, and Madison laughed. For some reason, it didn’t gross her out the same way it did when Egg or Hart burped.

  “Well, look at YOU!” Mabel said, putting down her hand of cards to wave hello to Mark and Madison as they approached.

  “How was the carnival?” Gramma Helen asked with a big smile.

  Madison smiled back. “Fun,” she said. “We rode almost everything.”

  “Except the whirly ride,” Mark added, grinning at Madison.

  She nodded and blushed, then bent down to pet Phin, who was rolling around on the cool grass.

  The sky slowly turned from pink to gray as dusk approached. Everyone around the elm tree was settling onto their blankets in preparation for the evening’s musical performance and fireworks. Madison found an open spot to sit on the corner of Mabel’s enormous quilt. Mark sat on the opposite corner.

  As darkness fell, the trumpets started to play. Gramma Helen hummed along to George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue. Mabel tried to hum, too, but her humming was loud and a little off-key. Madison was sure that everyone was staring.

  Around nine o’clock, the first official Fourth of July rocket shot into the air and exploded in an arc of white and blue. Gramma Helen reached for Phin, who barked and shoved his nose under the blanket. He was scared of the booms.