by Laura Dower
Madison jumped out of her chair for the phone. That was a very good idea. She didn’t feel like talking about Mom or Mom’s dates anymore.
This time when she dialed, Fiona answered.
Madison listened while Fiona rambled on for a half hour about how strange it was that she’d passed out—even for the shortest time. “I never do that!” she said. And Fiona didn’t even remember when the doctor gave her the shot with the gigantic needle.
After she hung up, Madison checked online for another response from Bigwheels. But there were no keypal e-mails to be found. The only things in Madison’s TweenBlurt.com mailbox were another joke from Dad and another coupon from Boop-Dee-Doop. She deleted them both and opened her files. She was typing for almost an hour when Mom came into the den with some “news.” Madison wanted to scream.
Dating
The crisis continues.
Mom and I just had this conversation like an hour ago about how she would NEVER (she said that like ten times) go out without talking to me. Now all of a sudden she gets a call from PAUL (I hate that name BTW) and comes into the den and tells me that he invited her to dinner Saturday. So now she is going on a date tomorrow! TWO days!!! Even worse, she called my dad right away to ask him to take me to dinner that night and watch me until she comes back. How weird is THAT?
This week everyone is bugging me: contractors like Billy, all boys (esp. Egg and Hart), teachers like Mr. Danehy, who act like they know everything, Ivy (of course), Aimee when she gets hysterical, Dad, who won’t cook for me anymore, my keypal who won’t tell me her real problems, and now even Mom and her date-to-be, Paul.
Sometimes junior high stinks in a big way.
It’s like a stink-BUG. LOL.
Rude Awakening: I wish I had a giant flyswatter for seventh grade. That way I could take care of all the pests with one big SPLAT.
Chapter 11
MADISON DIDN’T GET ANY new e-mail from Bigwheels the next day. She could think of nothing except Mom’s dinner with Paul. Mom had saved that date just for him, even marking it on the refrigerator calendar in red ink. That was serious. She marked most things in pencil.
Despite her anxieties, however, Madison was happy to watch Mom get ready for the big Saturday night date. It felt like forever since she’d seen Mom get dressed up for anything. Madison watched Mom curl her hair at the ends and apply a rosy blush.
“Do you think I should wear Suddenly Red or Plum Perfection with this dress?” Mom asked Madison excitedly, holding up two lipstick tubes.
“Are you planning on kissing this guy, Mom? On the first date?” Madison said with a frown.
“Listen to me,” Mom said. “I sound like I’m in—”
“Junior high!” Madison said, finishing Mom’s sentence.
Mom smiled. “Oh, honey bear. Be nice. I never go out like this anymore.”
Madison apologized.
“Well, you look very pretty,” Madison told her mom. “And this Paul guy’s going to be happy when he gets here. Trust me.”
“I feel like getting spiffy tonight,” Mom said.
Madison wrinkled up her nose. “What’s spiffy? Sounds like floor cleaner.”
“Getting all dressed up. I haven’t gone on a date in so long, I don’t know what to wear, what to say,” Mom confided. “I want this to be perfect.”
“Nothing is perfect, Mom,” Madison said. “You always say that to me.”
“I know,” she said, leaning over to give Madison a kiss. “Except you.”
“Oh, Mom, not now!”
Mom laughed and slipped on her gray stockings and sling-back pumps.
“So give it to me straight,” she said, posing with her arms outstretched. “Good or bad?”
Madison just applauded.
Minutes later, the phone rang. Dad was “running late” but “on his way.”
As she reapplied her mascara. Mom looked over at Madison. “At least your father is consistent,” she said.
When the doorbell zinged, Madison opened the front door with a dramatic “Hey, Dad!”
“These are for my dinner date,” he said in a goofy voice, bending down like some kind of prince. He presented Madison with a small bouquet of daisies.
“For me?” Madison said coyly. She giggled.
“You look delightful this evening, young lady,” Dad said, continuing to act all mushy. Madison liked it, even though she knew there was nothing particularly delightful about her blue jeans and T-shirt.
“Is Stephanie waiting in the car?” Madison asked.
Dad shook his head. “Nope. Just you and me, kid, for a night on the town.”
That news made Madison smile even wider. She hadn’t been on a dinner alone with Dad in ages. Stephanie had practically moved into Dad’s apartment over the last month, so Madison was just beginning to settle on the idea that she might never again have an “alone” dinner with Dad.
Until now.
“I thought we’d hit Casey’s Burger Stop and then head on over to the Bowl-a-Lot lanes. Sounds like fun, right?” Dad said.
“Rowrrooooo!” Phinnie appeared from the other room, tail wagging. He pounced on Dad.
“Hey, pugster!” Dad cried. Madison chuckled to herself when he said that because it sounded so much like “Finnster.”
Her mind wandered to thoughts of Hart Jones. Despite this week’s not-so-hot field trip and Hart’s lamer-than-lame behavior in science class, Madison still got mini-heart palpitations at the mere idea of him. What would she do if she ever went on a real date with Hart someday?
“Is your mother upstairs?” Dad asked, interrupting Madison’s silent reverie. “I need to talk to her for just a sec.”
The total plan for the night was for Dad to take Madison to dinner and then “watch over” her (Madison couldn’t deal with the term babysit since she was twelve going on thirteen). They’d stay at the Blueberry Street house until Mom came home from her own date.
“Frannie?” Dad called up the stairs. He stopped at the bottom, looking up with a gaze of disbelief as Mom descended in her beautiful dress and sling-back heels.
“Jeff! You’re here,” Mom said, sounding a bit surprised and relieved all at the same time. Luckily Dad had arrived in time to avoid an uncomfortable confrontation between him and Mom’s new date, Paul, who was due to arrive fifteen minutes from now.
“Frannie,” Dad continued his jaw slackening. “You look … you look … absolutely stunning.”
Madison couldn’t believe Dad sounded tongue-tied. And she hadn’t seen him stare at Mom that way in a long time.
“Thank you, Jeff,” Mom said. “That’s very kind.”
Mom puckered and smiled. Madison noticed that she’d picked the Plum Perfection lip color. It did indeed look like perfection. She strolled gingerly across the living room, smelling of lilacs, the perfume she wore only for very special occasions. Phinnie followed. He must have liked the smell.
From what Madison could tell. Dad liked the smell, too. He still had a faraway look in his eye. He couldn’t take his eyes off Mom.
“So you two have something fun planned tonight?” Mom asked, breaking the silence.
“We’re going for burgers and bowling,” Madison announced.
Dad jumped right in. “Yeah, Bowl-a-Lot lanes. You know that place.”
“Great,” Mom said, not looking at Dad, glancing out the front window. “Well, I don’t want to keep you two from your exciting plans….”
With that one nonglance, Dad got the hint.
Time to go.
“So the plan is for me to bring Maddie back here after our dinner. We’ll hang out until you get home,” Dad said. “Sound good?”
Mom nodded.
Madison nodded.
She leaned over to kiss Mom good-bye. “Have a nice date, Mom,” she whispered.
Dad took Mom’s hand and told her again how pretty she looked. It seemed like he didn’t want to let go.
“Thanks again, Jeff,” Mom said again, gently tugging
free from his grip. “See ya soon, honey bear.” She waved to Madison.
Madison raced Dad out to the car. For the first time in a very long time, she’d be riding shotgun, and that was all that mattered right now. She buckled up her seat belt, and they sped away to dinner.
The burger place was jam-packed with families waiting for tables when they arrived, so Madison and Dad sat at the counter instead. Dad hated waiting. They ordered well-done burgers and milk shakes that were served right away. It wasn’t as great as eating a homemade meal in Dad’s apartment, but it was definitely an adventure.
Madison told Dad about her other adventures of the week, too: the nature center field trip, Fiona’s bee sting, the upcoming paper, and everything in between.
“Gee, you sure are busy,” Dad said. “Maybe Mom was right. You have an awful lot going on between school and volunteering, don’t you think? Too much?”
“How much is too much?” Madison asked.
“Did you have a chance to download that Calendar Girl software?” he asked. Madison said she’d show him the program when they got back to the house.
Dad slurped the last of his milk shake. He seemed strangely distracted.
“Your mother looked so nice tonight,” he said. “Who’s she going on a date with?”
“How should I know?” Madison said. “His name is Paul, I think.”
“Not Paul Pierce from Budge Films,” Dad said.
“Who’s that?” Madison replied. “Yeah, I think Mom said she works with the guy. I can’t remember.”
“Hmmph,” Dad muttered to himself. “I always thought he had a thing for your mother.”
“Huh?” Madison said. “Daddy, what are you talking about?”
“Oh.” Dad caught his breath. “Nothing. I was just thinking out loud. Sorry.”
“Can we go bowling now?” she asked.
“Let me just pay the check,” Dad said, getting up from their table.
Madison popped her last french fry into her mouth.
As usual, the Bowl-a-Lot bowling shoes didn’t fit right. Madison’s little toes always felt supersquished inside them. She wore a size five, but lately her feet seemed to be growing very quickly. She asked for a pair in size six. It was just one more body change she’d have to get used to.
Madison and Dad were assigned to lane 13, which she immediately considered unlucky, being the superstitious seventh grader that she was. She scanned the rows of lanes to see if there was another one free so they could trade. But all the other lanes were full.
While glancing around the Bowl-a-Lot lobby, Madison thought she heard a familiar voice. It was coming from the middle of a crowd over by the refreshment stand. Just as Madison realized whose voice it was, she saw her.
Poison Ivy Daly.
Ivy was with her sister, carrying a tray of nachos and heading back toward their own bowling lane, number 4. They were at Bowl-a-Lot with their dad, too. Madison believed in coincidences, but she couldn’t explain how she and Ivy would be traveling in the same orbit tonight. She shrugged that off, too, happy that Ivy hadn’t seen her and happier than happy that their bowling lane was miles away from the Dalys’.
“Prepare to lose,” Dad joked as he wrote their names onto the scoring sheet. An overhead projection with special effects welcomed them to their lane. Dad was joking, of course, but nonetheless, he loved competition. As soon as he hit the start button, a message popped up onto the screen: “Get ready to bowl, Madison!” He yelled out the words.
Maddie tried to act as if he hadn’t just screeched her name for the entire establishment to hear and walked over to pick out her own bowling ball. She found the smallest, lightest ball there, a sparkle-orange one with small holes for her fingers. Madison bent down and dropped the ball between her legs, watching as it rolled slowly down lane 13.
“We’re going to be here all night!” Dad yelled. He liked to tease Madison about the way she threw the ball. He expected her to run up and whip it down the alley, but Madison was too afraid her fingers would get stuck and she’d fly down toward the pins with the ball.
Her first ball knocked over three pins, which wasn’t so hot. Unfortunately, her next attempt was a gutter ball.
Dad told her not to worry and hopped up to grab a giant bowling ball for himself. He wound up his arms like he was doing some kind of chicken dance and did a few deep-knee bends. Then he launched his ball down lane 13.
Strike!
He cackled, clapping, when the pins fell. A few people next to them looked over at all the commotion, which embarrassed Madison a teeny bit. She casually glanced down toward lane 4 to make certain that Ivy Daly hadn’t heard any of Dad’s noisy display.
“Hot diggety!” he said, smacking his knee. He was getting more embarrassing by the moment.
“Dad?” Madison said softly. “Can you keep it down just a little? You’re so loud.”
He smiled. “Sure, honey,” he said, patting her shoulder. “Sure! Now it’s your turn. Go get ’em!” Despite what he’d just said, Dad started clapping and cheering again.
Madison noticed the woman in the next lane—staring.
It was one thing to suspect someone was overhearing Dad’s antics, but when that fact was confirmed, Madison wanted to run—far away.
“Go, Maddie, go!” Dad clapped again.
She threw two more gutter balls.
By the time the first game was completed, Madison’s bowling score was twenty-one. Dad had scored almost a hundred, just missing another strike in the last frame.
“Can we go?” Madison asked once he’d tabulated the scores.
“Already?” Dad said. He sounded disappointed. “I thought we’d stay for at least two games. I like being out on a father-daughter date with you!”
Madison glanced down the alley to see if anyone had heard him say that. Were Ivy and her family still playing? They were. Madison believed this was her one chance to escape without being seen by the enemy—and without getting more embarrassed. The grandmother in the next lane was eyeing them again.
Madison avoided her glance at all costs.
“I’m tired,” she lied to Dad. “And we should get back to walk Phinnie.”
They took off their bowling shoes and went back out to the car. Madison hustled along faster than usual just in case Ivy happened to glance back and see her there. She couldn’t see anyone she knew. This date was like one big gutter ball as far as Madison was concerned.
Run.
She wondered if Mom’s date was turning out any better.
When they pulled into the driveway back home and climbed the stoop, Madison heard Phin wailing. Dad offered to take him for a quick walk while Madison went inside. Dog and Dad were only gone for a minute.
“Hey, Maddie,” Dad said. “What do you call a cat who knows how to bowl?”
Madison groaned. “Oh, Dad.” She prepared herself for the punch line.
“An alley cat.” Dad chuckled to himself as he took off Phin’s leash.
Madison went into the other room and clicked on the television.
Lame-o.
“Let’s have some hot chocolate or something,” Dad suggested. He followed Madison into the den. “Hey, wait a minute, are you still sleeping down here?” he asked.
“Mom says the contractor is coming back to replace the roof shingles,” Madison said, clicking the channels without stopping. “And then I can go back into my room. Finally.”
Dad sat down on the sofa and wrapped his arm around Madison. “I wish your mother would just let me help her with repairs like that once in a while,” he said.
Me too, Madison thought. She leaned into Dad’s side, and they watched TV together.
Madison assumed they must have fallen fast asleep, because the next thing she remembered was the sound of Mom’s voice. Mom was standing directly over Madison and Dad with a smirk on her face.
“Wake up, you two,” she whispered. “I’m home.”
Madison blinked. Phin jumped off the sofa. Dad shook off hi
s sleep, waving his arms and jumping up.
“Whoooeee,” Dad said. “Some guardian I make! Falling asleep on the job. Sorry ’bout that, Frannie.”
“You two looked sweet,” Mom said, smiling. “I can’t thank you enough for coming, Jeff.”
Madison looked at her mom’s face—glowing. Her cheeks looked pink, like she’d been sunburned with happiness. Neither Madison nor Dad had seen that look in a long, long time.
Dad leaned over to give Madison a kiss good-bye. As he walked away, Madison felt her chest contract, like she’d just swallowed an ice cube or a big wad of gum. Something was stuck in her throat: a funny feeling, a weird sensation, and the realization that Mom and Dad were never getting back together.
“I am SO exhausted!” Mom said after he’d gone. She was still glowing from her date. “Bedtime for me.”
“You’re not even going to tell me about your date?” Madison said. She pulled Mom’s arm to come sit on the sofa, but Mom resisted.
“I really do have to get to bed now,” she said softly. She brushed the hair out of Madison’s eye. “You had a nice time on your date with Dad, though?”
Madison shrugged. “So-so. Bowling really stinks.”
“But I thought you liked it,” Mom said.
“What a bout your date, Mom?” Madison pleaded. “You haven’t even given me a little clue about your date.”
Mom laughed. “We got along very well,” she said.
Madison raised an eyebrow. “And?”
“Oh, Maddie, and I’ll tell you everything else tomorrow,” Mom said, walking away. “I promise.” She blew a kiss.
As soon as Mom left the den, Madison booted up her laptop computer and went into her files.
The Big D
Rude Awakening: Better date than never.
I used to think that I couldn’t deal with Dad dating. But I got used to Stephanie. I even like her a lot now.
And just this week I thought the world would go to pieces if Mom went out with some stranger. But now she went. And she looks happy. Really and truly, she looks like someone put on a flashlight behind her eyes. Even Dad saw.
I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I’m glad Mom went on a date. I’m glad that she’s starting to feel pretty again.
