Just Visiting

by Laura Dower

  Madison, on the other hand, squeaked with delight.

  “This is pretty cool, huh?” Mark whispered, edging a little closer to Madison’s corner of the quilt without seeming to realize it.

  Madison nodded in the half dark. “Uh-huh,” she said. “It’s like magic.”

  Ka-boom!

  More fireworks exploded in the skies over the park and over Lake Michigan.

  Ka-boom!

  The crowd gasped and sighed in unison.

  At one point, Phinnie tried to dart away. Madison threw herself across the quilt to catch onto his collar. Her knees touched Mark’s as she fell forward.

  “Phin!” she yelled, picking herself up. She was practically in Mark’s lap, but he wasn’t moving away.

  “Whoops,” he said in a doofy voice.

  Madison giggled nervously. “Yeah, whoops.” She pushed herself upright and grabbed ahold of Phin’s collar and leash for good.

  Ka-boom! Boom! Boom!

  “Are you two having fun?” Mabel yelled out. “Isn’t this spectacular?”

  Mark looked at Madison, and he didn’t look away, not even to see what was exploding next. She could see the flash of fireworks across his nose and chin—a blur of whites and greens and purples all at the same time. Her stomach flip-flopped like it had never flip-flopped before.

  Ka-boom!

  This was the Fourth of July Madison had always wanted.

  Chapter 13

  FIREWORKS

  I don’t know how to write this down. My hands are shaking. All of me is shaking.

  I guess I will just say it:

  Mark kissed me.

  HE KISSED ME AND I KISSED HIM BACK!

  I haven’t told a soul. I don’t even know how I feel. It is so weird to want something for so long and then have it happen. Only it wasn’t with the person I expected.

  Rude Awakening: Sometimes it’s better to follow my heart—not my Hart.

  I have to send an e-mail to Bigwheels. She will flip out, I know. And I don’t know what Aimee and Fiona will say. They have both had their first kisses already, so it’s no biggie for them. But it is SUCH a huge deal for me. Mark is my new and improved crush.

  I can’t believe I didn’t want to come visit Gramma.

  What was I thinking?

  Madison closed her file and opened her e-mail so she could write to Bigwheels with all the details of the first kiss.

  Her hands were still shaky on the keyboard and mouse as she wrote.

  She kept spacing out in the middle of sentences, too. All she could think about was the way Mark looked and sounded from the night before.

  She wanted to relive every moment all over again.

  From: MadFinn

  To: Bigwheels

  Subject: GUESS WHAT HAPPENED TO ME?

  Date: Sat 5 July 9:52 AM

  I hope ur trip is still happening & that u didn’t have to go home early. Thanks for ur e-card of the bridge, too. I think I may save it as a screen saver when I get back 2 Far Hills. Ur the BEST!

  N e way, the most incredible thing happened to me yesterday and I don’t even know what 2 say about it so I will just tell you as many details as I can remember.

  I went to the local fireworks and carnival with my gramma Helen and the boy next door and his grandmother. At first Mark and I were acting all weird together, but then we got along better and went on all these rides. He is so funny and cute. I had all these butterflies in my tummy while we were hanging out together.

  Sometimes I think you just KNOW when something cool is about to happen, you know? I felt that way yesterday.

  I was so right.

  He KISSED me. Can you believe it? Right there in my gramma Helen’s backyard, too. We came back from the fireworks and we were walking Phinnie around before we said good-bye. Earlier that night we had been sitting close and I felt all tingly. You know that feeling? N e way, as we were walking around the yard, our hands sort of touched and then we were actually HOLDING hands. His was a little sweaty, but that is okay because it’s July, right? And maybe mine was sweaty, too.

  We held hands for almost ten minutes. I could feel my heart beating faster. And just before he went back over to his grandmother’s house, he squeezed my hand and leaned in and kissed me. Okay, he actually kissed half my mouth and part of my cheek, but it was so nice. I think I froze up a little bit because he moved back with this strange look on his face like, “What did I do wrong?”

  That’s when I leaned forward a little bit and we kissed again. This time it was really on the lips. It only lasted a split second, but he had really soft lips, I could tell that much. I CAN’T BELIEVE THIS HAPPENED TO ME!

  And I can’t believe I have to see him again today. I want to sooo much, but I don’t know what to say.

  What do you say to someone who kissed you?

  What if one and a half kisses didn’t matter to him as much as me?

  I will keep you updated after I figure out what to do. Write back sooner than soon, ok?

  Yours till the lip sticks,

  MadFinn

  p.s. :X (or else)

  Madison hit SEND and put her laptop into its snooze function. She wanted to write more, but she had to eat some breakfast first. Gramma was sipping a cup of tea. Phin was asleep at her feet in the dining room.

  “Good morning!” Gramma said in her cheeriest voice as Madison shuffled into the kitchen in her pj’s. “I made some pancakes.”

  Madison smiled. Pancakes were another food that was hard to eat without feeling happy. Mom always made them to celebrate a special occasion. Gramma could probably tell this was one of those.

  “So the Fourth of July celebration was fun last night, wasn’t it?” Gramma asked.

  Madison nodded and took a bite of blueberry pancakes smothered in syrup. “Mmmnuh-huh,” she mumbled with a mouthful of food.

  “That Mark is such a sweet boy,” Gramma said, winking.

  Phinnie jumped up on Madison’s knee, begging for his own bite of pancake. Madison sneaked him a bite under the table.

  “He’s nice,” Madison answered, barely able to contain her grin.

  “You know what? I think he likes you, Maddie,” Gramma whispered, like she was giving away a big secret. “You can tell by the way he looks at you.”

  “Gramma!” Madison exclaimed, embarrassed. “He does not.”

  Gramma shook her head. “Tsk, tsk, tsk,” she clucked. “I think he does.”

  Mark’s face popped into Madison’s thoughts again. She could feel the way last night felt all over again: the warm temperature, the smell of barbecue, the sounds of fireworks exploding, and the way it felt to hold hands…

  “Oh—don’t forget that your mom wants you to call her later,” Gramma reminded Madison. “You’ll have to tell her the big news.”

  “What big news?” Madison said, playing dumb. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Gramma.”

  Gramma Helen grinned again. “Oh, well, you know me. I don’t know what I’m talking about. I guess I’ll just clear away these dishes, then.” She wandered into the kitchen with a stack of plates.

  “Why were you saying that?” Madison asked, chasing after her. Phin followed closely behind.

  Standing by the sink, Gramma started humming Rhapsody in Blue the way she had the night before. “I don’t know. Maybe you should go visit Mark and see what he’s up to today?” she hinted.

  Madison wrinkled her eyebrows together. “Gramma!” she said, unable to hold back her smile. “I can’t believe that you think—”

  She cut herself off.

  Of course Gramma knew that there were more sparks going off in Winnetka that night than the ones in the air over the park.

  “Looks like another sunny day today, doesn’t it?” Gramma said.

  Madison gave her a big bear hug. “You’re the best, Gramma,” she cooed, squeezing hard.

  “So are you, dearie,” Gramma replied, kissing Madison’s head. “So are you.”

>   Mabel answered the bell when Madison rang it over at the house next door.

  “My, my!” Mabel said, opening the door wide.

  “Come on in! I didn’t think I’d see you so bright and early today!”

  Madison walked in slowly, glancing around for signs of Mark.

  “Yeah, I got up early today,” Madison said. “Um … is Mark around?”

  “Yes indeed,” Mabel said. “He’s just packing up all of his stuff.”

  “Packing?” Madison asked.

  Mabel frowned. “Oh, didn’t he tell you? He’s going back to his parents in Chicago today. My ankle seems to be doing better, so he’s headed home. I sure will miss him…”

  At that exact moment, Mark came into the room. His eyes lit up when he saw Madison standing there. “Hey!” he cried with a smile.

  But Madison wasn’t sure what to say now that she’d learned he was leaving Winnetka. “Hey,” she mumbled.

  “What’s up?” he asked.

  “Oh, nothing. I was just coming over to see if maybe you wanted to hang out … but your grandmother tells me you’re leaving … and gee, I guess. …”

  She tripped over her words.

  Mark shook his head. “No! I’m just packing up because my dad told me to be ready later today. I’m not actually leaving here until after six. That’s when he’s coming to get me.”

  The phone rang and Mabel hurried to answer it, leaving the two of them alone together. The room was quieter than quiet.

  “So …” Madison said.

  “So …” Mark said.

  “Want to go for a walk with me and Phinnie?” she asked. “I know it’s in the middle of everything, but…”

  “Yeah, sure,” Mark said. “We can walk the beach up to the dog. I mean, we can walk the dog up to the beach.”

  Madison giggled.

  He grabbed his baseball cap and they went back next door to Gramma Helen’s to get Phin. He was extra playful that morning, so they had their hands full walking him down the busy road and over to the beach.

  Everywhere Madison looked, she saw signs of the preceding day’s events: burnt-out sparklers, dead-wood bonfire branches, and rusty cans. There had been a huge Fourth of July party on the beach as well as the park. The cleanup crew would probably be arriving soon.

  The pair kicked sand and rocks out of the way as they paraded down the beach with Phin. Mark picked up a giant pinecone and handed it to Madison.

  After strolling along for twenty minutes or so, they finally stopped to sit by the dunes. Phin roamed in and out of the grass that grew wild up and down the beach nearby. Madison had his doggy leash hooked onto a bench to keep an eye on him.

  “This is a nice beach,” Mark said. “I came here when I was little.”

  Madison pushed a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “What was it like then?” she asked.

  “Pretty much the same,” Mark said. “It seemed bigger, though.” He smiled.

  “I hate to leave,” Madison admitted. “To go back to Far Hills and Lake Dora. That lake isn’t as much fun as this one. That’s for sure.”

  “I wish I didn’t have to leave, either,” Mark said. “This trip has been better than I expected.”

  “I wish you didn’t have to leave, either,” Madison joined in.

  “Yeah, it was cool that we met,” Mark said.

  All at once, he reached out and took Madison’s hand all over again, only his hand wasn’t so sweaty this time. She grabbed on to it tightly and then glanced around to see if anyone was spying. Of course, no one was even looking.

  “Maybe we’ll both be here just visiting at the same time some other time?” she asked.

  Mark nodded. “Maybe. Do you have e-mail?”

  Madison laughed out loud. “Of course I have e-mail!” she said.

  “Yeah, I’m online a lot. And I’m in the computer club at school,” Mark said.

  “You are?” Madison asked. She couldn’t believe that through all their conversations over the past few days, neither of them had mentioned her favorite thing in the world.

  “So I’ll write if you give me your e-mail address,” he promised. “If you’ll write back.”

  Madison giggled. “Of course I will.”

  Phin started barking at something in the sand, and they turned around to see him attacking (or trying to attack) a stick. The stick was winning.

  “Rrrrrrrrrrrooooooooff!” the dog wailed, jumping around so much that he sent sand flying in every direction. Madison ran over to calm him down.

  “I think I better get back home,” Mark said. “Grams needed help with some other things before I go.”

  “Your dad is coming to pick you up?” Madison asked.

  “Yeah, we live pretty close, actually, in the city. I told you that, right?”

  Madison nodded. “You did.”

  “Anyway …” Mark said, standing up. “I’m heading back.”

  But he didn’t move.

  Madison stood up, too.

  “I really should hang out here with Phinnie for a while,” Madison said. “He’s so hyper today for some reason. And we’re leaving tomorrow, so—”

  “Well, good-bye, then,” Mark said abruptly.

  “Good-bye, then,” Madison said.

  Mark reached out to give Madison a hug but missed and ended up craning his neck out over her shoulder, so it felt like more of a lean than a hug. He didn’t hold on for very long, either—and laughed a little as he pulled away.

  Nothing was really funny. It was just jitters. Now Madison was the one making the boy nervous.

  Madison pulled her handmade card out of her pocket and handed it to Mark.

  “I put my e-mail address on it, too. Just in case,” Madison said.

  He smiled and took it.

  Phinnie howled as Mark turned and trudged up the beach, waving one last good-bye. Madison tried to tell the dog to be quiet, but then Phin started to jump around and she got distracted. By the time Madison looked up to see Mark walking away again, he was gone completely from her view.

  The water was calm except for a light breeze that rippled across the surface. Madison noticed all the colors in Lake Michigan at once—not just blues anymore, but greens and yellows and cloudy whites.

  The magic really was here.

  And she finally had some to call her very own.

  Chapter 14

  “DID YOU PACK ALL the clothes we did in the wash yesterday?” Gramma Helen asked Madison as she closed her suitcase. “I left a folded pile downstairs for you.”

  “I think I have everything,” Madison said, sitting on the edge of the bed before she zipped her luggage.

  At her feet, Phin was stretched out on the floor, panting. He knew something strange was going on. He had a sixth sense about suitcases. Madison wondered if he knew another airplane ride was in his future.

  “Is this yours?” Gramma asked. She was holding the pinecone from the beach.

  Madison took it and smiled. “Oh yes.” She carefully wrapped it in a tissue from the nightstand and placed it into her airplane carry-on bag. She hoped her laptop wouldn’t squash it.

  Gramma’s eyes got a little wet again. “I wish you could visit me more often,” she sniffled. “I hate to see you go.”

  “Oh, Gramma!” Madison said, burying her head in Gramma’s side, which smelled just like the roses from her car.

  “I’m just a sentimental old mush, aren’t I?” Gramma said, still sniffling. “But you’re getting so big, and soon you’ll be all grown up. Where has the time gone?”

  “Playing crazy eights,” Madison joked. “That’s where!”

  Gramma laughed out loud. “Everyone here loved meeting you,” she said. “Especially Mabel. And she said that Mark liked you very much. He didn’t want to go back to Chicago yesterday. How about that?”

  Madison smiled. “Really?” she said.

  “Really,” Gramma said, winking. “Told you so.”

  Gramma helped Madison carry the bags to the front door. S
he handed her a pouch for the plane ride with two peanut-butter sandwiches and some green grapes. There were two sandwiches because Madison would be meeting Mom on the flight home. She’d be connecting upon her return from San Francisco. Madison was glad she wouldn’t have to travel alone.

  “Good-bye, Winnetka!” Madison said as they pulled out of Gramma’s driveway. She waved to Mabel’s house, too.

  All the way to the airport, Phin whined from his carrier. By the time Madison and Gramma left him off with the baggage handler, however, he’d tired himself out. Madison watched as he was led into the back room to board the flight.

  The trip home had begun, and Madison could feel the excitement building inside her. She would miss Gramma, for sure, but she was eager to see Aimee and Fiona, her bedroom, and, of course, Mom.

  They waited by their gate for Mom to appear, sipping cola and talking more about Mark, Mabel, and the fireworks from the other night. Gramma bought Madison two fashion magazines to read on the plane home, too.

  “Well, here you are!” someone called out to them.

  Madison looked up to see her mom walking quickly toward their gate. In her arms was a large, rectangular wrapped package that intrigued Madison. Was this a present for her? Mom put it down on the floor gently.

  She embraced Gramma Helen first—and held on for a big squeeze.

  “Was my daughter good?” Mom asked Gramma teasingly. She reached over and wrapped an arm around Madison’s shoulders.

  “She was a little troublemaker!” Gramma said, faking exasperation.

  Mom raised her eyebrows and looked at Madison, who shrugged.

  “That’s me,” Madison said. “I’m serious trouble, Mom.”

  The three of them laughed as an announcer pre-boarded their flight. Gramma dug around in her purse for Madison’s ticket.

  “Oh—this is for you, Mother,” Mom said to Gramma, handing her the big package. For a split second, Madison was bummed, since she was sure the gift was for her. But she got over it. Gramma looked so surprised.

  “For me?” she said, starting to sniffle all over again like she’d done at the cottage. She hugged Mom tightly. “I’m sorry we didn’t spend more time together this visit, dear,” she said.