“I would like jelly beans, too,” said Andrew.
I filled another cup with jelly beans.
“Karen, will you hold my crutches?” asked Andrew.
I took the crutches from him. And Andrew turned to Keegan. “Want to hear about my accident?” he said.
Something was not right. I was holding Andrew’s crutches. He was drinking punch, eating candy, and talking to Keegan. Suddenly Elizabeth appeared. She took the crutches from me.
“Come on, Andrew,” she said. “We have our own table over there.”
She led Andrew to a table where Daddy, Nannie, and Emily were sitting. Thank you, Elizabeth!
Then it was just Keegan and me. We were having a real date. For a while we talked to Jessica and some other kids we had met. Then we stood around, drinking punch and eating candy.
I kept hoping Keegan would ask me to dance. Then I thought, maybe I should ask him. Before I had a chance, Keegan turned to me and said, “Do you want to dance, Karen?”
I wanted to jump up and down, wave my arms, and shout yippee! But I did not. I just said, “Sure, I would love to dance.”
We walked to the center of the dance floor. Colored lights were flashing. The band was playing a great song. And I was dancing with my date. I felt very happy and very grown-up.
We stayed on the dance floor a long time. We were still there when the band stopped playing.
“Thank you for coming tonight, everyone,” said the bandleader. “And happy Valentine’s Day!”
The Valentine’s Day dance was over. My week at Shadow Lake was almost over, too. The next day we would arrive back to Stoneybrook.
My family walked out of the lodge with Keegan’s family. Our houses were in different directions. So it was time to say good-bye.
“See you next year!” said Keegan.
“See you next year!” I replied.
Then we waved good-bye and headed home with our families.
Good-bye, Shadow Lake
On Sunday morning after breakfast, Mitch stopped in to say good-bye. We thanked him again for making the cabin so cozy for our vacation.
“I am always glad to help,” Mitch replied.
When Mitch left, I started to pack my suitcase. I tried to do it myself. But somehow I could not get everything to fit the way it had before.
“I do not understand,” I said to Kristy. “I did not buy anything while I was here.”
Kristy took one look at my jumble of things and shook her head.
“I think you need my mom,” she said.
I found Elizabeth. She helped me fold and roll my things. It was magic! Suddenly everything fit into my suitcase just like before.
We were not ready to go yet. So I hurried outside. I wanted to do as many vacation things as I could before we left.
First I threw myself down in the snow and made a snow angel. Then I made snowballs. I ran inside and asked if anyone wanted to have a snowball fight.
“I am not finished packing,” said David Michael.
“I do not want to get all wet,” said Kristy.
No one wanted to come outside to play. So I decided to build a snowman instead. The snowman was half finished when Daddy came outside.
“It is time to get your bags, Karen,” he said. “I would like to start packing the van.”
“Can I get them in a minute?” I asked. “I want to finish my snowman.”
“I am sorry but you have to stop now. You can build another snowman when we get home. There will be snow in Stoneybrook, too,” said Daddy. “I promise.”
I had wanted to build my snowman with Shadow Lake snow. But building a snowman in Stoneybrook would be fun, too. I could build it with Hannie and Nancy. While we were building it, I would tell them about my vacation. I wanted to tell them about Keegan. I wanted to tell them about Andrew’s accident. And I wanted to tell them how I skied down the mountain!
Suddenly I could hardly wait to get home. I wanted to see my friends. I wanted to see Mommy and Seth. I ran inside and got my bags.
In no time we were in our seats and ready to go.
“Buckle up, everyone,” said Daddy.
We buckled our seat belts. Then Daddy pulled the van out of the driveway and headed down the road. Elizabeth followed behind in the car.
When I turned around, Shadow Lake was growing smaller and smaller in the distance. I waved and said, “Good-bye, Shadow Lake. Thank you for a wonderful vacation.”
About the Author
ANN M. MARTIN is the acclaimed and bestselling author of a number of novels and series, including Belle Teal, A Corner of the Universe (a Newbery Honor book), A Dog’s Life, Here Today, P.S. Longer Letter Later (written with Paula Danziger), the Family Tree series, the Doll People series (written with Laura Godwin), the Main Street series, and the generation-defining series The Baby-sitters Club. She lives in New York.
Copyright © 1995 by Ann M. Martin
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This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
First edition, 1995
e-ISBN 978-1-338-05732-4
Karen's Ski Trip Page 4
