Never Grow Up

by Karen Kingsbury

  “No.” Mom shook her head. “Honey… we don’t have time.”

  Ashley used her head to gesture for her mom to come over. Mom did, but she did not look amused.

  “What’s going on?” Mom stared at her. “What are you pointing at?”

  Ashley threw her hands in the air. “Fine.” She flipped the cardboard over. “Don’t look, Luke.”

  He cheered and put both hands straight up. “Yes! I knew it was for me.”

  “It was a surprise.” Ashley frowned. “Which is now ruined.”

  “Oh… I’m sorry.” Her mom kissed her cheek. “You can finish it later. We really have to go.”

  Ashley found her coat in the front closet and ran after Mom to the van. On the way there, Ashley turned to her mother. “I have a few questions for you.”

  “Okay.” Mom looked more relaxed now that they were driving. “Ask away.”

  “First.” Ashley turned so she was facing her mother. “Exactly how old are these people?”

  “It depends.” Mom kept her eyes on the road. “Two are in their seventies. Another couple are in their eighties. I believe there is one woman in her nineties and I’ve heard that one man at Sunset Hills is a hundred and three.”

  “Wow! That’s old. He must have a lot of wisdom.” Ashley put her hand to her head. “Next… are we gonna get to play dominoes with these old people?”

  Mom shot her a glance. “The elderly, Ashley. Yes. We will play dominoes with them.”

  “The elderly.” Ashley tapped her chin. “I’ll try to remember that.” She sighed. “Why do we need to visit them? Don’t they have families?”

  “Some do.” Mom turned in to the driveway of what looked like an old house. “Some of them don’t have family in the area.”

  Ashley gasped. “They’re lonely! That’s why we’re here.” She shook her head. “That’s so sad.” If only these people had signed a pledge when they were in fifth grade, she thought.

  “It can be…,” Mom continued. “But there are great benefits to a place like this. The people here are in a community going through the same things. And they have people taking care of daily issues for them.”

  “What kinds of issues?” Ashley tugged at her seatbelt.

  Mom thought about this for a moment. “Well, like bills or dishes or laundry. Sometimes you get to a point where you’ve done enough of that!”

  “No chores? No bills? A bunch of friends and games?” Ashley shook her head in amazement. “Sounds like these people are more like kids than grown-ups!”

  Mom laughed. “I guess you’re right.”

  When they walked inside, the woman who worked at Sunset Hills showed them around. Six elderly people lived here, she told them. The tour ended in the dining room, where Mom sat with three women at the table.

  Ashley moved to the living room and played Connect Four with a man named Carlos. Next she found a cozy chair by the fireplace. A woman in a wheelchair sat there, rubbing her hands together. “It’s always cold,” she said. “But today things feel a little warmer.”

  The woman looked friendly She had silver hair and dark brown eyes. “Hi.” Ashley kicked her legs. Her feet didn’t quite touch the ground. “I’m Ashley Baxter.”

  The woman turned to Ashley. “I’m Dot.” She smiled.

  “That’s a nice name.” Ashley nodded. “Short. Simple.” She shrugged one shoulder. “Wanna be friends? I’m pretty good at it.”

  “At being friends?” Dot sounded surprised. She leaned back a bit in her wheelchair.

  Ashley nodded. “Yep. I made a lot of new friends this year. ’Cause we moved. So apparently I’m good at it.”

  “How do you make a new friend?” Dot crossed her wrists on her lap. Her hands were wrinkled with brown spots. On one wrist was a pretty pearl bracelet. It matched the pearl earrings she wore.

  Ashley studied Miss Dot. She was… kind of glamorous. Ashley took a deep breath. “Well… you have to ask questions. Like… ‘Miss Dot? Do you like gymnastics?’ for example.” Ashley blinked a few times, waiting for a reaction. “So do you?”

  “Are you asking or is it an example?” Dot looked at Ashley over the eyeglasses resting on her nose.

  “Both.” Ashley paused. “Do you?”

  Dot laughed. “I did cheerleading in school. We had to do some tumbling work. But I never did much gymnastics. I was a singer.” Her eyes twinkled. She looked like she had the most exciting secrets.

  Ashley couldn’t wait to hear them! “A singer!” She jumped out of her chair, scooted it closer to Dot and shifted it so it faced her. Then she plopped back down. “Tell me everything.”

  Dot took a deep breath. “Well… it was a long time ago.” She paused. Like she was seeing those days all over again. Finally Dot began her story. “I used to live in New York City. And I would sing in the jazz clubs. Billie Holiday songs. Oh… I wanted to be her when I grew up.” Dot shook her head.

  “I’ve heard of Billie Holiday!”

  “You have?” Dot sounded very surprised.

  “Mhmmm. Our music teacher, Miss Patty, talked about her in choir.” Ashley pulled a stray hair behind her ear.

  Miss Dot kept remembering. “Billie was a legend. They called her Lady Day.” Then Dot looked into the fire and smiled for a while. Eventually she looked back at Ashley. “Anyway. I would sometimes sing Billie Holiday songs. At parties and restaurants and jazz clubs…” Her voice trailed off.

  Miss Dot had mentioned that Billie Holiday detail two times. Ashley wasn’t sure if Miss Dot remembered that. Best not to say anything, she thought.

  Ashley wanted to know more. “Did you ever travel? As a singer?”

  “Yes. I was a professional singer for over a decade. From the East Coast to the West Coast and all the way to Ireland and India. I sang jazz for the troops.” Dot held a finger in the air. “I even got to do a performance for the Queen of England.”

  “Wow! The queen?” Ashley stood. “Did you have to curtsy, like this?” She threw her hands in the air and bent at the waist. Her nose nearly hit the floor.

  “That’s not a curtsy, little miss!” Dot laughed out loud.

  “Oh.” How many times had Ashley done a curtsy wrong?

  “I’ll teach you.” Miss Dot pointed. “Tuck your left leg behind you, grab your skirt and do a little bow of the head.”

  Ashley looked at her jeans. “I don’t have a skirt.”

  “That’s okay.” Dot smiled. “You can pretend.”

  Ashley did her best curtsy. “Thank you, madam. I won’t forget that.”

  “Curtsies have gone out of style, I’m afraid.” Miss Dot rubbed her hands together again.

  Ashley wanted more of Dot’s story. “So… what else did you do? After all your touring?”

  Dot thought about this. “I studied music. After that, I continued singing. But in the church.” She shrugged. “To be honest… I enjoyed settling down and singing in the choir after all those years on the road.”

  “What was your favorite song?” Ashley sat on the floor at Miss Dot’s feet. She studied everything about that beautiful and kind old woman.

  Miss Dot didn’t hesitate. “ ‘Blue Moon.’ It was a Billie Holiday song.”

  “What?” Ashley squealed. “I know that song! We learned it in choir!”

  And then Dot started to sing the song. Her sweet voice still sounded clear as a bell. Ashley could picture herself in New York City listening to Dot sing on a stage.

  Ashley joined in with Dot. They were a couple of stars. They reached the end of the song and the two of them applauded themselves.

  It was a special moment.

  “Very good voice, dear.” Dot patted Ashley’s shoulder. “Thanks for singing with me. I liked that very much.”

  “Thanks for letting me! I’m honored to share this moment with a famous star!” Ashley stood. “Why don’t you sing more! You’re so good.” She took gentle hold of Dot’s hand.

  “Oh, Ashley. No one cares to hear a ninety-year-old woman croak old j
azz standards.” Dot shook her head. “I don’t know how getting this age happened. One day I was selling out shows and the next day… I was married. We raised two children.” Her smile faded. “Then they were grown up and moved away. My husband died ten years ago.” Her eyes looked sad. “You wake up one morning and you’re an old woman.” She gave Ashley’s hand a slight squeeze. “Life moves very fast.”

  “Tell me about it.” Ashley thought about Dot’s story. She knew all too well what Dot was talking about. “My siblings are in a rush to grow up. I’m just trying to get them to relax a little!”

  “That’s the key. Slow down. Enjoy life.” Dot winked at Ashley. “And sing whenever you can.”

  “I’ll keep that in mind.” Ashley saw Mom getting her coat on. Ashley smiled at Dot. “I have to leave now. We are going to my brother’s basketball game. But it was nice meeting you.” She held her hand out.

  Dot shook it. “Good meeting you, too.”

  “See you next time?” Ashley pointed at her new friend.

  “I look forward to it.” Dot pointed back.

  As Ashley walked out of Sunset Hills with Mom, she looked around, and a thought came to her. The people at Sunset Hills used to be kids. They used to have dreams and go on adventures. And one day, like Dot, they grew up. Would she and her siblings actually end up here? With only the memories of what used to be?

  And suddenly Ashley could feel the clock ticking.

  They needed a meeting at the rock as soon as possible.

  * * *

  Luke scored thirteen points in his game—more than anyone else.

  Ashley figured her sign had something to do with his great game. He also got ten ribbons in the first half. Though Ashley didn’t ask Dad about that till the game was over. “Where are his ribbons?” She squinted at the boys and their coach down on the floor. “Mom said he had ten ribbons in the first half.”

  “Rebounds, honey.” Dad gave her a silly look. “Can you imagine the basketball players wearing ribbons?” He pointed to the hoop. “Someone shoots and misses, and someone else grabs the ball. That’s called a rebound.”

  Ashley thought she’d rather have a ribbon. But, then, basketball was Luke’s game. If he wanted these rebounds, so be it. Whatever made him happy.

  The drive home took forever. Ashley couldn’t wait to get down to business. She ran to her room and grabbed a page from her sketchbook. Then she wrote out the pledge:

  To the rest of the world:

  We, the Baxter Children, believe in Neverland. And so we promise here and now to never grow up! To never put jobs before each other. And to never forget to have fun.

  Signed:

  Ashley Baxter

  Beneath that she drew four lines where her siblings could sign. And below that, she drew a sketch. A pirate ship with all five Baxter kids sailing off to Neverland.

  Ashley grabbed the contract. They had no time to lose. She ran through the house gathering Brooke and Kari, Erin and Luke. “Hurry! To the rock,” she yelled.

  The rock was the special place they had discovered the week they moved into their new home. It sat near the stream in a clearing, behind a row of trees at the back of their property. They had painted the rock with their names and handprints and decided it was the perfect place to meet when they needed to have a serious talk.

  Like the one Ashley wanted to have today.

  She slipped through the trees and took the lead to the rock. As she scrambled up, she ran her fingers over the painted handprints and their names. Then she waited for the others.

  Kari poked her head through the trees next. She climbed up on the rock and squinted at Ashley. “Why were you running so fast?”

  “Yeah.” Luke scrambled up, too. “Good thing I’m an athlete.”

  “I need water…” Erin followed him.

  Brooke was last. “I need oxygen.” She joined everyone on the rock.

  Ashley stood up. It was time. “Attention, Baxter Children.” She was loud enough that everyone listened. “It has been a busy few weeks. The talent show, the 5K, Career Day.” She looked at each of them. “I feel like life is moving too fast. Anyone else?”

  Kari raised her hand. “I like being a sixth grader.”

  “Maybe…” Luke tapped his chin and squinted his eyes. “But, then again… maybe not? I can’t be in the NBA unless life moves faster.”

  “I don’t mind fast. Since Christmas is coming.” Erin clasped her hands.

  “Sure, we’ve been busy.” Brooke shrugged. “But it’s just life, Ash.”

  “No.” Ashley stomped her foot. “It’s not just life, Brooke. We know you’re going to grow up and go to medical school. And Kari may be a famous dancer, and Erin will teach children—even though she’s just a child herself. And Luke will be in the NBA, and I will, I will… do something amazing, I’m sure.”

  Ashley took a quick breath. “But right now…” She paused and crouched down. “Right now, life is moving too fast.” She studied their faces. “And I don’t want to wake up one day with gray hair and only memories of a life I barely remember.”

  Kari raised her hand. “Where is this coming from, Ash?”

  Ashley held out the piece of paper. “This… is a pledge. A contract.”

  “Oooh!” Luke ran up to it. “What for?”

  Ashley held the page out and read it: “To the rest of the world: We, the Baxter Children, believe in Neverland. And so we promise here and now to never grow up! To never put jobs before each other. And to never forget to have fun. Signed…” She paused. “This… is a Never Grow Up Contract.” She felt good about this. “Now you four have to sign it.”

  “A Never Grow Up Contract?” Brooke raised her eyebrows as she walked closer. “How does that work?”

  “Like I said… we sign our names.” Ashley pointed at the paper. “I already did mine.”

  No one said anything.

  Ashley tried again. “Get it? We decide here and now that we will stay… just the way we are. That we will never grow up.” Her voice got louder and she raised one fist. “That we will be like this rock. Solid. Together. The five of us forever.” She lowered her hand. “What do you say?”

  “Hmm.” Luke grabbed the pen. “Do you think I can sign this and still make it to the NBA?”

  Ashley thought about that. “I’m not sure about the specifics.”

  Luke shrugged and signed his name. Erin signed next. She smiled. “Young forever! That’s me.” She handed the pen to Kari. “Your turn.”

  “Well…” Kari bit the tip of the pen. “Is it possible? We just… decide?”

  “I don’t know for sure.” Ashley pointed to the pledge. “But I feel really good about it.” She looked at Kari. “We have to try.”

  Kari nodded. “You’re right.” She signed her name. “I can do that. I promise to never grow up.”

  “Good.” Ashley took the pen and held it out to Brooke. “What about you, Miss Med School?” Ashley figured Brooke would be the hardest to convince. She had basically planned out her entire life.

  Brooke looked around the circle. “I love you all and I’d do anything for you.” She looked at Ashley. “Sure, I have goals and dreams. But you matter more.” She took the pen. “I’m in.” She signed the pledge.

  “Wow…” Ashley couldn’t believe it. Everyone had signed the contract. “We did it.”

  Brooke handed the contract back to Ashley and she studied it. Then she looked at her sketch of Captain Hook’s ship, headed for Neverland. Ashley hopped off the rock, walked over to one of the trees. She pulled a stapler from her jeans pocket and stapled the contract to the trunk.

  The perfect end to a perfect ceremony.

  “Kids! Dinner is ready!” Mom’s voice carried through the trees.

  Luke jumped down from the rock and took off. “Spaghetti!” Kari and Erin followed.

  Only Brooke and Ashley stayed behind. Brooke took Ashley’s hand. “The pledge is perfect, Ashley. I needed to be reminded… to slow down.”

 
“We all do.” Ashley put her head on Brooke’s shoulder. “Now come on, Brooke… let’s go get some pie.”

  They walked back to the house, giggling. And Ashley felt like she could live in this weekend forever. And thanks to the contract… she could. They all could. They would do what everyone thought was impossible. Everyone except one boy named Peter.

  They would never grow up.

  21 Meteors and Memories

  KARI

  After weeks of counting down, the big moment had finally arrived. And, in just a few hours, at about eight o’clock tonight, Kari would finally see her very first meteor shower.

  There was something else that made today special. Through many guesses and moments of anxiety, and after looking at many options, she finally knew what she wanted to be when she grew up. She had already written her outline.

  Life of a Professional Dancer, she titled it.

  But she added something else. A surprise that just sort of popped into her head on the way home from church.

  Kari flopped on her bed, pulled out her notebook and went to work. When I grow up, I want to be a professional dancer and…

  Someone knocked at the door.

  “Yes?” Kari looked up from her journal. “Come in.”

  Dad opened the door and stared at Kari. “Hey… I wanted to talk to you.”

  Right away Kari could tell something was off. “Okay.” She sat up straighter and set down her notebook.

  Dad sat on the edge of her bed. Then he sighed a very heavy sigh.

  “Is everything okay?” Kari felt suddenly concerned.

  “It’s about Alex Hutchins.” He looked out the window, and back to Kari. His eyes were soft and watery. “Alex… his health declined earlier this week. He needs to stay in the hospital longer than they thought.”

  “No.” Kari didn’t want to believe it. “So he can’t come watch the meteor shower with us?”

  Dad shook his head. “No, sweetheart.”