Katy's New World

by Kim Vogel Sawyer

  “Me too! Help me fold the quilt and get the tissue around it, would you?”

  The girls giggled as they folded the quilt into a neat square, bundled it with sheets of crinkly white tissue paper, and stuffed it into the bag.

  Annika fluffed the tissue sticking out of the bag’s top. “What time is the party?”

  “Seven o’clock tomorrow evening. But I’m going to Shelby’s after school to help set up for it.” Katy hunched her shoulders. “Jewel is clueless—has no idea they’re planning a party. Mr. and Mrs. Nuss are going to take her out to supper, and while they’re out Shelby, me, and some of the youth kids will decorate the house. Then when Jewel comes back, we’ll all be hiding, and we’ll jump out and yell ‘surprise!’”

  Annika grinned. “I like that idea! You can do it for me on my sixteenth.”

  Katy laughed. “But if you know we’re going to do it, it won’t be a surprise.”

  “I can act surprised.” Annika made a google-eyed, open-mouthed look with her widespread hands beside her face. Then she flicked Katy’s shoulder with her fingers. “Just make sure Caleb is there, and that’ll be more than enough party for me.”

  Katy rolled her eyes. Annika and her endless infatuation with Caleb…Well, Annika could have him! Katy did her best to avoid the milking barn when Caleb was around. He was still the most annoying person she knew—and her circle of acquaintance had grown plenty since she started high school.

  “Yeah, well, your sixteenth isn’t until next March, so we’ll worry about it then. For now, I’ll see if Dad will let me drive you home.” Her chest puffed with pride as she remembered the driving lessons she’d taken from Grampa Ben in the past two weeks. Dad said it was time she learned so she could drive herself to town if need be. She hadn’t driven alone yet, but Annika’s house was so close, surely Dad would agree.

  “Absolutely not.” Dad frowned at Katy and set his newspaper aside. “You aren’t ready for that.”

  Oh, I’m ready; you’re not ready to let me. Katy exchanged a wry grin with Annika.

  Dad rose from his chair. “I’ll drive Annika home. Go get in the truck, girls.”

  At lunch the following day, Katy joined Shelby, Trisha, Cora, and Bridget, as had become customary over the weeks of school. Today the girls were especially giggly, excited about the party that evening. Although Katy managed to keep herself controlled, she couldn’t stop a smile from growing on her face when Jewel plunked her tray down across from her. Would Jewel lose her disinterested expression tonight when everyone jumped out and surprised her? But her smile faded when Jewel sent Shelby a disgusted look.

  “Tell me again…why do I have to go to dinner with your parents?”

  Shelby put her fork down. “Jewel, it’s tradition in our family. On your birthday, you get to choose any restaurant in town, and Mom and Dad take you for a special dinner.”

  Jewel rolled her eyes. “As if I want to spend my birthday night with Mr. and Mrs. Preacher. What if I don’t want to go?”

  Cora burst out, “You want to go!”

  Bridget slammed Cora’s shoulder with the heel of her hand, nearly knocking Cora out of her chair.

  Jewel narrowed her eyes and glared at Cora. “Why do I want to go?”

  Cora sent a frantic look around the table. “Well…because…you’ll hurt their feelings if you don’t.”

  Jewel snorted. “As I said…why?”

  Shelby leaned her elbows on the table. “Listen, Jewel, it’s a big deal to Mom and Dad to do something special for birthdays.”

  “I’d rather do my own thing,” Jewel said.

  Katy believed it—Jewel’s mom had apparently set that example for her. But Jewel now had a choice to make—graciously accept the offer from Shelby’s parents or reject it. She could be like her mom, satisfying herself, or she could please the Nusses. Suddenly it became very important to Katy that Jewel do the opposite of what her mother would do.

  “It’s just one dinner,” Katy said, putting her hand on Jewel’s wrist. “And it means a lot to them. Can’t you suffer through one dinner? Sometimes doing something to make somebody else happy, even if we don’t want to, gives us happiness in the end. Try it, Jewel.”

  Jewel stared at Katy for a long time. Then she released another little snort. “Oh, whatever.” A conniving smile curled her lips. “But if it’s my choice of places, they might regret it. I’ve been wanting to go that fancy-shmancy Japanese restaurant out by the movie theater where they chop up the food and stuff right by your table. Will they take me there if I ask?”

  Shelby nearly wilted. Relief showed in her eyes. “They’ll take you anywhere in town.”

  Jewel stabbed her fork into the green beans on her plate. “Great.” She jammed the beans into her mouth and spoke around them. “If I gotta hang out with Mr. and Mrs. Preacher, might as well milk it…”

  Shelby sent Katy a grateful look, and Katy winked in reply. After school, Katy trailed Shelby and Jewel to Mrs. Nuss’s car. Jewel poked her thumb at Katy.

  “Why’s she comin’ with us?”

  Shelby and her mom exchanged a quick glance, and Mrs. Nuss said, “Shelby and Kathleen have a project to complete this evening.” She took the large paper grocery sack from Katy that disguised Jewel’s gift bag and put it in the trunk. “Is that everything, Kathleen?”

  “Yes, ma’am.” Katy swallowed a snicker as she climbed into the backseat with Shelby. When they reached the Nuss house, Jewel headed downstairs to watch television, and Katy and Shelby huddled in the bedroom, sorting through the decorations Mrs. Nuss had purchased. Katy glanced at the clock every few minutes. Time crept so slowly it seemed to stand still.

  Finally five o’clock arrived, and Shelby’s dad returned from the church. A few minutes later, Shelby’s parents left with Jewel, who scuffed out the door wearing her usual bored face. Katy couldn’t wait to see that face erased! The moment the car left the driveway, Katy and Shelby flew into action. They strung colored streamers from the ceiling light to the outer walls in the living room, creating a crinkling canopy of color. Katy blew up balloons until she was out of breath, and Shelby taped a huge banner proclaiming, “Happy 16th birthday, Jewel!” on the wall facing the front door.

  Shelby carried up a huge cake that her mother had hidden in the basement laundry room—“Jewel never goes in there,” Shelby proclaimed—and set out plates, cups, and plastic forks. Katy decorated a table to hold Jewel’s gifts and placed her rainbow gift bag right in the middle. Her heart pounded as she considered Jewel’s reaction to the gift. Oh, please let her like it! So much work had gone into the quilt. If Jewel acted bored or indifferent, Katy didn’t know how she’d handle it.

  Other kids began arriving around six, and the excitement level raised to a near fever pitch. Although Katy hadn’t been around Shelby’s youth group before, they treated her as if she’d always been a part of the gang.

  At six forty-five, Shelby instructed everyone to find hiding places. Some kids crouched behind the couch and chairs in the living room; others zipped around the corner into the kitchen or plastered themselves against the hallway wall. Shelby turned out all the lights in the house. Someone—one of the boys, Katy was sure—let out an evil bwa-ha-ha laugh, and several girls squealed.

  “Shh!” Shelby cautioned.

  Muted giggles floated around the shadowy room.

  Katy stationed herself at the window and peeked out from a slit in the curtains. The muscles in her legs twitched and her heart thudded in her chest. Were all surprise parties this exciting? She could hardly wait to see the look on Jewel’s face! At five ’til seven, a car pulled into the driveway, and Katy hissed, “They’re here!”

  Shelby dashed out of her hiding spot and joined Katy. But then she frowned. “That’s not Dad’s car.”

  The girls watched as a woman stepped out of the vehicle and then stood in the driveway, looking toward the house. The porch light illuminated her face. Shelby gasped.

  “Who is it?” Katy whispered.

 
“That’s Jewel’s mom!”

  Chapter Twenty

  “What should we do?” Shelby whispered.

  Katy grabbed the doorknob. “Let her in.”

  “But—but—”

  “Shelby, what better surprise than her own mother being at her party? You know Jewel will want her here.” Katy swallowed a lump of jealousy. She’d give anything to have her own mother walk into her life. But that couldn’t happen.

  “But what if her boyfriend shows up too?”

  Katy peeked out again. Jewel’s mother still stood beside the car, looking toward the house with her hands deep in the pockets of her jacket. “There’s nobody with her. She just wants to see her daughter on her birthday. We can’t leave her out there.” Something else struck Katy. “And we need to have her move her car or she’ll ruin the surprise!”

  Shelby nudged Katy out of the way and dashed out the door. Katy pressed her nose to the window and watched Shelby trot to Jewel’s mother. Her arms flew out as she talked, and then Jewel’s mother got into her car. She backed out of the driveway and disappeared around the corner. Shelby paced on the lawn, looking up and down the street. A moment later, she gestured—a frantic waving of her hand—and Jewel’s mom jogged onto the lawn. Together, the two came into the house.

  “Kathleen,” Shelby said as she closed the door, “this is Mrs. Hamilton.”

  “Ms. Hamilton,” the woman corrected. Her voice held a hard undercurrent that reminded Katy of Jewel. “But you can call me Becky.”

  “It’s nice to meet you,” Katy said, but she couldn’t bring herself to call the woman by her first name. She pointed toward the kitchen where two kids peeked out in curiosity. “Do you want to hide in there?”

  Mrs. Hamilton raised her eyebrows.

  Shelby said, “We’re all planning to jump out and surprise Jewel when she gets back.”

  “All?” The woman sounded skeptical.

  Several heads peeked out of hiding places. Kids waggled their fingers in shy hellos. Jewel’s mother looked around, her eyebrows high.

  Katy said, “Jewel will be really happy to see you.”

  “Yeah. Yeah, I hope so…”

  Shelby pointed at her wristwatch and shot Katy a frantic look. Katy stepped forward. “Go ahead and go into the kitchen, Mrs.—Ms. Hamilton. We’ll let you know when Jewel gets here.”

  Ms. Hamilton glanced around at the decorations again and whistled through her teeth as she walked toward the kitchen. Just as she stepped around the corner, Katy heard another car. She whirled and peeked out. “Now they’re here!”

  Shelby grabbed Katy’s hand and together they dashed behind the nearest chair. Katy held her breath, listening to the soft mumble of voices carrying from outside. The doorknob turned, and when the door opened Shelby yelped out, “Surprise!”

  On cue, the other kids leaped from their hiding places, hollering, “Surprise! Surprise!”

  Jewel stumbled backward, her mouth wide open. Katy clapped and called, “Surprise, Jewel! Happy birthday!”

  Mr. Nuss flipped on the lights, and everyone swarmed Jewel, pulling her into the center of the room. Her gaze bounced from the kids to the streamers to the banner. Her mouth stayed open, as if she couldn’t believe what she was seeing. Katy laughed and looked around the sea of smiling, happy faces. But one face was missing. Had Jewel’s mother sneaked out the back door?

  She separated herself from the talking, laughing group and hurried to the kitchen. Jewel’s mother stood in the far corner, leaning against the counter. Her arms were wrapped across her middle, and she looked as uncomfortable as Katy had felt her first day of school.

  Katy edged up beside her. “Ms. Hamilton, aren’t you going to come tell Jewel happy birthday?”

  The woman pushed her hair behind her ear and waved her hand toward the living room. “That table of presents out there…” She raised her chin, her expression defensive. “I didn’t bring a gift.”

  Katy thought about her own mother, and she knew exactly what to say. “Having you here will be present enough for Jewel. Please come out.”

  Ms. Hamilton ran her hands through her hair again then tugged her jacket down over the waistband of her jeans. She nodded. “All right.” Katy led her around the corner. Jewel stood in the center of the kids with her back to Katy. Katy called, “Jewel?”

  Jewel turned. “What?” And then her eyes bugged. “Mom?”

  The group of kids fell silent.

  Ms. Hamilton took one shuffling step forward. “Happy birthday, Jewel.”

  Jewel’s lips flew into a smile, but then she ran her hand over her mouth, resuming her normal, I-don’t-care face. But she bobbed her head in a greeting. “G-good to see you. Did…” Her gaze jerked around the room. “Did Hugo come with you?”

  Jewel’s mother hung her head for a moment. “He’s…at home.”

  Jewel nodded, and something in her eyes made Katy’s heart ache. Jewel’s mother was here, at her party, but she hadn’t stepped fully back into Jewel’s life. The silence in the room lengthened, becoming uncomfortable. Somebody needed to say something. Katy poked Shelby, who jumped and let out a little squeak. Someone tittered, and then two more people laughed, and some of the tension drained from the room.

  Mr. Nuss threw his arm around Jewel’s shoulders. “What do you want to do first—eat cake or open presents?”

  “Cake! Cake!” the boys chanted.

  But Jewel held her stomach with both hands. “I can’t eat cake yet. I’m too full. So let’s do presents.”

  The boys moaned, elbowing each other. Katy rolled her eyes. Boys! Were they always hungry? One of them clutched his stomach and collapsed onto the floor in a fake faint. The others laughed, and Katy had to cover her mouth to hold back her own giggles.

  Jewel sat on the sofa, and Mrs. Nuss insisted Ms. Hamilton sit beside her. Kids perched everywhere—on the furniture, on the floor, wherever they could find a spot. Shelby and Katy took turns carrying gifts to Jewel. She opened them carefully, folding the wrapping paper and making a neat stack beside the couch. She passed the gifts around so everyone could admire them.

  Katy’s heart nearly pounded out of her chest when she handed Jewel the rainbow gift bag containing the quilt. As soon as Jewel took it, Katy clasped her hands together and scuttled back to the gift table. Jewel clicked her redpainted fingernail on the rhinestones. “Cool bag—this is epic.” She checked the little name tag. “This came from Kathleen? No way!”

  “Way,” Katy said automatically, imitating kids she’d heard at school. A laugh blasted from the group, but Katy ignored it. She watched Jewel reach into the bag and tug out the tissue-wrapped bundle. Jewel unwrapped it slowly. The quilt fell open across her knees in an explosion of colors. Several girls released little “ohs” and sat forward to get a better look. Jewel touched each square that held a name, her brows low. Then she shot a puzzled look at Katy. “Did you make this?”

  Katy nodded. “It—it’s a friendship quilt. Since you, Shelby, Trisha, Cora, and Bridget spend so much time together at school, I put all of your names on the front. Mine too.” Her ears heated, and she scurried forward to flip the quilt onto its back. The verse from Proverbs filled the center in Annika’s neat, calligraphic script. “One of my friends from Schellberg embroidered the verse. But we left lots of space, and I brought a fabric pen with me so everyone here can sign the back, if you want them to.”

  Jewel stared at the quilt. “This is…real nice, Kathleen. Thanks.” There was little enthusiasm in her tone, but Katy knew Jewel was good at hiding her feelings. So Katy wasn’t offended.

  Jewel’s mother smiled up at Katy. “Yes, it’s very nice. You’re a talented girl.”

  Katy’s ears burned even hotter. “Thank you.”

  Jewel handed the quilt to Katy. “Yeah, if people wanna sign it, that’s fine.” She looked straight into Katy’s face. She didn’t smile, but the bored look was gone. “It’s real cool, Kathleen. Thanks.”

  Katy smiled and nodded.

 
“Get to the rest of the presents,” one of the boys hollered, “so we can eat cake!”

  Jewel shook her head and rolled her eyes. But then she laughed and reached for the next gift.

  The remainder of the evening passed quickly, and at ten o’clock kids left for their own homes. Katy retrieved her backpack from Shelby’s bedroom so Mr. Nuss could drive her home. When she entered the living room, Jewel stepped into her pathway. Jewel stood with her weight on one hip—an insolent pose. Katy hugged her backpack, uncertain what to expect.

  “Cora told me that quilt you made is supposed to be for my hope chest.” A funny grin twitched at the corner of Jewel’s mouth. “I don’t have one of those.”

  Katy licked her lips. “You don’t have to put it in a chest. You can hang it on the wall or drape it over a chair.”

  “Oh, I know. I’m just kidding.” Jewel sighed, glancing toward the kitchen. Her mother leaned on the doorjamb, sipping a cup of coffee. “I don’t have a hope chest, and I don’t have much hope of my mom ever…” She swallowed and looked at Katy again. “But hey—at least she was here, right? That’s something.”

  Katy nodded eagerly. “It’s a lot.” More than I’ll ever have…She touched Jewel’s shoulder. “Happy birthday.”

  “Yeah. It was…happy.”

  Mr. Nuss bustled forward. “You’re ready, Kathleen? Good—I told your dad I’d have you home by ten thirty, so we’d better get moving.”

  As Katy left, she glanced over her shoulder in time to see Jewel saunter to her mother’s side. Ms. Hamilton reached out and tucked Jewel’s hair behind her ear. Jealousy stabbed through Katy’s chest as she hurried after Mr. Nuss.

  Sunday before service, Annika panted to Katy’s side as she hung her sweater on a peg in the women’s cloakroom. “Did she like it?”

  Katy spun and hugged Annika. “She loved it.”

  “What did she say?”

  Katy drew in a deep breath. Annika didn’t know Jewel the way Katy did, and she didn’t want Annika to feel the gift had been a flop. “It’s not so much what she said, but how she looked when she opened it. Jewel’s not very good at expressing herself, but I know she loved it.”