All Dads on Deck

by Judy Delton

  OTHER BOOKS YOU WILL ENJOY:

  A CERTAIN SMALL SHEPHERD, Rebecca Caudill

  GEORGE WASHINGTON CARVER, Sam and Beryl Epstein

  A GIFT FOR TÍA ROSA, Karen T. Taha

  A GRAIN OF RICE, Helena Clare Pittman

  I DON’T CARE, Marjorie Weinman Sharmat

  MOLLY’S PILGRIM, Barbara Cohen

  SEE YOU TOMORROW, CHARLES, Miriam Cohen

  STARRING FIRST GRADE, Miriam Cohen

  FIRST GRADE TAKES A TEST, Miriam Cohen

  JIM’S DOG MUFFINS, Miriam Cohen

  Published by

  Bantam Doubleday Dell Books for Young Readers

  a division of

  Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group, Inc.

  1540 Broadway

  New York, New York 10036

  Text copyright © 1994 by Judy Delton

  Illustrations copyright © 1994 by Alan Tiegreen

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the Publisher, except where permitted by law.

  The trademarks Yearling® and Dell® are registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and in other countries.

  eISBN: 978-0-307-80002-2

  v3.1

  For Jayne Perala, and Camp Hi Ho,

  with love and thanks

  for being such faithful friends

  of the Pee Wees

  Contents

  Cover

  Other Books by Yearling

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Dedication

  1 Jody’s Back!

  2 The Temporary Pee Wee

  3 Hooks, Lines, and Sinkers

  4 No Hook for Molly

  5 Fish Food

  6 Donuts and Shrimp

  7 Emergency!

  CHAPTER

  1

  Jody’s Back!

  “I want that cereal!” shouted Sonny Stone, grabbing the box from the grocery store shelf. “It has a free rocket ship in it!”

  Sonny’s mother was pushing the grocery cart with the twins in it. There was lots of apple juice and milk and baby cereal in the cart, too.

  “It has too much sugar in it, Sonny,” she said patiently. “It’s bad for your teeth. Put it back.”

  Sonny lay down on the grocery store floor and kicked and screamed.

  In the next aisle, Molly Duff and Mary Beth Kelly were getting grape Popsicles. It was spring, and school was just out. The weather felt hot like summer. It was time for Popsicles. Mary Beth was Molly’s best friend.

  “Listen!” said Mary Beth. “That sounds like Sonny screaming.”

  Molly listened. There was no mistaking that voice. Sonny was in the same Pee Wee Scout troop as the girls. Troop 23. They had heard his whining many times. His mother was assistant troop leader.

  “He’s such a baby,” said Mary Beth. “He acts like he’s two instead of seven.”

  Sonny Stone was a mama’s boy. He did not have a father until last year when his mother married Larry Stone, the fire chief. They had adopted twins from another country, Lee and Lani. So Sonny now had a father and a sister and a brother. Everyone said he would not be such a baby now, but he was worse instead of better, Molly thought.

  “He’s more spoiled all the time,” said Molly in disgust. Most of the time Molly felt sorry for Sonny because everyone picked on him and teased him. But sometimes even she got disgusted.

  The girls walked around to the next aisle. Sonny was waving his arms and kicking out with his legs and screaming.

  “If I were his mother, I’d be embarrassed to have a kid like that,” whispered Mary Beth.

  “I want that rocket ship!” Sonny yelled.

  Mrs. Stone picked up the box of cereal with the rocket ship. She put it in the cart.

  Molly was shocked. “He needs to be told no. He keeps getting his own way.”

  Sonny got up off the floor and made a face at the girls.

  “How nice to see you, girls,” said Mrs. Stone. “We just ran into Rachel and her father in the bread aisle.”

  Rachel Meyers was another Pee Wee Scout.

  Molly and Mary Beth talked to the twins, who were happy and smiling. Just as they waved bye-bye to them, a wheelchair came flying around the corner of the cereal aisle and skidded to a stop at their feet.

  “Jody!” shouted Molly. “You are back in town! Are you coming to Pee Wee Scouts tomorrow?”

  Jody George had a big grin on his face. He was a Pee Wee, too, but had been away on a trip with his parents. It was fun to have Jody in the troop. He let the Pee Wees ride in his wheelchair, and he had great parties at his house.

  “We just got back from Florida,” he said. “I’ll be there.”

  Jody’s hair was longer and his skin was tanned. Molly wished her family would travel to Florida.

  Jody talked about Disney World and the rides he went on.

  “I went on the roller coaster!” he said.

  “In your wheelchair?” asked Mary Beth.

  Molly and Jody laughed, and Mary Beth turned red.

  “No,” said Jody. “My dad carried me on.”

  Molly tried to think what it would feel like to be carried onto a roller coaster and a Ferris wheel and even upstairs or to the basement. Jody had a lot of fun, but it didn’t make up for the fact he could not play baseball or ice-skate. But he seemed to handle that pretty well.

  “Well, I gotta go. We’re going to a movie. See you tomorrow.”

  Jody shoved off from the floor with his feet, and his chair sped down the aisle to where his dad was looking for him.

  Sonny had opened the box of cereal and was looking for the rocket ship. Molly gave the twins a hug, and she and Mary Beth went to pay for their Popsicles.

  “That’s illegal, to open stuff before you pay for it,” said Mary Beth. “We should report Sonny.”

  “His mother should say no,” said Molly.

  Outside, Molly’s little dog Skippy was jumping up and down, waiting. He was tied to a parking meter by his red leash. Molly broke a little piece off her Popsicle and gave it to him.

  He tasted it and dropped it on the sidewalk.

  “It’s too cold for him,” said Mary Beth, laughing.

  Skippy licked the purple blob slowly until it was gone.

  When the girls got to Molly’s house, they sat on her front steps in the spring sun. It felt warm on their hair.

  “I’m so glad school is out!” said Mary Beth. “We’ve got all summer to just fool around.”

  “We won’t have time to fool around,” said Molly. “Tomorrow we find out what Pee Wee badge we earn next. I hope it’s a fun one.”

  Actually, all the badges were fun, she thought. Everything she and her friends did at Scouts was fun. Singing and telling about their good deeds and going on field trips and eating Mrs. Peters’s chocolate cupcakes.

  What would the new badge be? Molly wondered. And what adventures did their leader have planned for them this summer? Mrs. Peters was full of surprises. Tomorrow they would find out what they were.

  CHAPTER

  2

  The Temporary Pee Wee

  At one o’clock all the Pee Wees dashed over to Mrs. Peters’s house. During the school year the meetings were at three o’clock, but now that school was out they could start earlier.

  Mrs. Peters was the leader of Troop 23. The meetings were at her house. She had a husband named Mr. Peters and a baby named Nick, who were not Scouts. (Mr. Peters was too old and Nick was too young.)

  Molly met Mary Beth at the corner. When they got to Mrs. Peters’s house, Jody’s dad was getting his wheelchair out of
their car. He carried it down to Mrs. Peters’s basement. Then he carried Jody down, too.

  “Hello!” called their leader to Molly and Mary Beth. She put her arms around them.

  “It’s good to have Jody back again!” she said.

  “I missed our meetings,” said Jody.

  Downstairs, Sonny was already sailing his plastic rocket ship over the tabletop. Rachel was there, too, and Roger White. Roger was often mean, especially to Rachel. Molly was sure there was something good about Roger. She just hadn’t found out what it was yet.

  Kevin Moe was reading a book, even though it was summer and he didn’t have to. That’s how smart Kevin is, thought Molly. Kevin wanted to be mayor of their town when he grew up. Maybe even president after that. Molly liked Kevin. She was going to marry him someday, but he didn’t know it yet.

  Mrs. Stone was bringing down paper plates to put their snacks on, and unfolding more chairs around the table. She stopped to give Jody a welcome-back hug.

  “Are we all here?” Mrs. Peters smiled, counting noses.

  The Pee Wees heard a sneeze from upstairs. “Tracy is here,” said Rachel. Tracy had allergies. Behind her came Tim Noon and Lisa Ronning. They all scrambled into chairs. Jody and Kevin were playing a game of Go Fish.

  “Mrs. Peters!” shouted Rachel. “Kenny and Patty Baker aren’t here!”

  Just as she said that, the door slammed upstairs and the Baker twins came in. They were out of breath.

  “We’re late because our cousin’s plane was late!” shouted Kenny. His face was red.

  The cousin was there. She stood between them. She had long blond hair and looked older than Pee Wee age.

  “Guilty!” said this cousin, stepping forward with a big smile on her face. “My name is Ashley Baker and I’m from California. Planes are always late, aren’t they? In winter I stay in Florida with my grandma, but my real house is in California.”

  The Pee Wees stared. This cousin talked a lot. But she was glamorous. What was she doing here?

  “Ashley is staying with us for the summer,” said Patty. “She belongs to another Scout troop. She’s just a temporary Pee Wee.”

  Ashley was combing her long blond hair. It looked to Molly like she might have a little lipstick on. A Pee Wee with lipstick!

  Ashley had shorts on, and a red T-shirt with a sweater over her shoulders, tied by the sleeves.

  “Isn’t it too soon for shorts?” whispered Lisa.

  “Not in California,” Tracy whispered back.

  Ashley flounced over to her chair and sat down at the table as if she had been coming to Mrs. Peters’s house all her life.

  “Well, welcome, Ashley. We are glad to have you here. And welcome back to Jody, too! Our little troop is growing this year!”

  Ashley’s hand was waving. “I’m only temporary,” she reminded Mrs. Peters.

  “Well, you’re welcome as long as you care to stay,” said their leader.

  Roger groaned. “We’ve got enough Pee Wees already,” he grumbled.

  Mrs. Peters glared at him.

  “We want to do everything we can to make our new members welcome,” she said. “It is always a good thing to bring new faces and fresh ideas into a group.”

  Mrs. Peters talked about past meetings and past badges. Then the Pee Wees sang the Pee Wee Song and said the Pee Wee Pledge. Then she asked if anyone had good deeds to report.

  Ashley’s hand shot up.

  “This dude is taking over our troop,” muttered Roger.

  “Yes, Ashley,” said Mrs. Peters.

  “Mrs. Peters, I have more than one good deed. Number one, I helped the movers when they packed stuff. I made sure they packed the valuable stuff in tissue paper.

  “And number two, my grandma’s housekeeper sprained her wrist, so it was up to me to help out.”

  Here Ashley sighed. “I polished the silver. That was a big job.”

  The Pee Wees were speechless. Who was this person with valuable things and a housekeeper?

  No one else raised a hand. Molly didn’t feel like telling about how she picked up doggy-doo with plastic wrap in her yard, after hearing about someone who cleaned silver and had a housekeeper.

  Rachel’s hand was waving.

  “Mrs. Peters, I cleaned forks and spoons for my mom, too.”

  Finally some other Pee Wees told their good deeds. Tim said he planted tomato seeds in milk cartons, and Tracy said she made salt and pepper shakers out of her allergy-pill bottles to take camping.

  “I read stories to my grandpa on our trip,” said Jody.

  “Well, good!” said Mrs. Peters brightly. “Those are a lot of good deeds! And now we are going to move on to our new business, which is earning a brand-new badge!”

  The Pee Wees cheered and clapped. They stamped their feet, and Roger whistled through his teeth. Mrs. Peters held up her hand for silence.

  “What is our new badge?” cried Mary Beth.

  “It’s about a holiday that is coming up soon,” she said.

  “Fourth of July?” shouted Roger.

  “Mother’s Day!” shouted Tim.

  “Mother’s day is past,” said Ashley. “I’ll bet it’s Father’s Day!”

  “Ashley is right!” said their leader. “The holiday is Father’s Day.”

  “How come a perfectly strange person comes in and gets to answer our questions?” demanded Sonny. “I knew that.”

  Mrs. Peters frowned at Sonny, even though his mother was assistant troop leader.

  “I’m going to give my dad a tie I made,” said Rachel.

  Before all the Pee Wees could tell about their gifts, Mrs. Peters said, “This badge won’t be about gifts this year.”

  Roger stuck his tongue out at Rachel.

  “This badge is going to be for something we are going to do for our dads. And with our dads. We are going to plan a fishing trip for Father’s Day. The trip is on a Sunday. We will learn all about different kinds of fish, and about lakes and how to keep them clean. We will learn boat safety and how to bait a hook. And when we all know the rules, we will have a wonderful fishing trip with our dads.”

  Some of the Pee Wees cheered loudly (the ones with dads). Some of them booed (the ones without dads—and the ones who didn’t like worms).

  “Is there a prize for the biggest fish, Mrs. Peters?” asked Kevin.

  “No, it isn’t necessary to have the biggest fish. It is more important to make the holiday a good one. To get the badge, you will each learn how to fish, and try to catch one, even if it’s just a small one. Now, if you are uncomfortable hooking a fish, you can draw a picture of a fish, or read about them and tell us some unusual facts.”

  Mrs. Peters went on to say that the Pee Wees who had no father at home could bring an uncle or a friend or a big brother in his place.

  Ashley was waving her hand. She stood up and announced, “Mrs. Peters, I already have a fishing badge. I caught a marlin on my uncle’s yacht.”

  “Rat’s knees!” whispered Molly. “What’s a marlin?”

  “What’s a yacht?” whispered Mary Beth back.

  Now Rachel was on her feet. “I caught a tuna when I was in California,” she said. “Can that qualify for my badge, Mrs. Peters?”

  “Tuna comes in a can, not on a hook,” cried Tim.

  Mrs. Peters had her finger on her lips. She kept it there until everyone sat down.

  “These badges will be only for fish we catch on this fishing trip,” she said. “I have a list here of everything you will need to get ready for the trip. Mrs. Stone will pass the lists out. At our next meeting we will talk more about it. Now it’s time for refreshments.”

  “Yeah!” shouted the Pee Wees. They loved cupcakes.

  After they ate, they helped clean up the basement and went outside to play games until it was time to go home.

  “What kind of a name is Ashley?” muttered Lisa.

  “I think it’s a boy’s name,” said Tracy.

  “It can be either one,” said Jody. “I
saw a girl named Ashley on TV.”

  On the way home, Molly overheard Rachel asking Ashley about her family.

  “My mom is a medical doctor,” said Ashley. “An M.D. She specializes in contagious diseases.”

  “Like chicken pox?” squawked Sonny. “Or measles? I got shots for that stuff.”

  “You got shots because my mom did research on immunization.”

  “Pooh,” said Sonny. “I don’t believe it.”

  Ashley stamped her foot, and her blond hair swung around.

  “I don’t lie!” she said.

  Mary Beth turned to Molly and said, “She knows more than Rachel.”

  Molly agreed. But was this a good thing? One know-it-all in a troop was enough. Two was going to be murder.

  CHAPTER

  3

  Hooks, Lines, and Sinkers

  “I hear you and I have a big Father’s Day fishing trip coming up!” said Mr. Duff at supper.

  “How did you know?” asked Molly. “We just found out!”

  “Mrs. Peters called all of the parents to get permission,” said Mrs. Duff, passing Molly the pasta salad. “We all will help get the equipment ready.”

  “We get a fishing badge,” said Molly. “We have to catch a fish.”

  “I intend to catch the biggest fish in the lake,” said Molly’s dad. “A shark.”

  “There are no sharks in our lakes.” Molly laughed.

  “In any lake,” agreed her mother. “Sharks are in the ocean.”

  “It isn’t the size that matters anyway,” said Molly. “We don’t need a big, big fish to get our badge. Any fish will do.”

  “A goldfish?” asked Mr. Duff.

  Molly wrinkled her nose at her father and made a face. She knew he was kidding.

  “Do I get a badge, too?” asked Mr. Duff.

  Molly laughed at the picture of her dad wearing a badge.

  “You’re too old,” she said.

  At the next meeting, the first thing Mrs. Peters did was talk about water safety.

  “We will rent a small launch,” she said. “That way we can all be on the same boat. A regular rowboat only holds four. And you cannot stand up in a rowboat. In a launch we can walk around and stretch our legs. And we can all be together. Everyone must be sure to wear a safety jacket at all times.”