That reminded me of something. Madame Karena Brewena, the real and true fortune-teller, had made a prediction about her visit to Dr. Celenza. The prediction was that the visit was going to be a disaster. Well, it had not been a disaster at all. Boy, had that prediction been wrong.
I wanted to tell Hannie and Nancy about this. I waited until everyone had seen my toothhole. Then I pulled my best friends aside and whispered my secret to them.
Hannie and Nancy were not the only ones who heard me. A few other kids who were standing around us heard, too.
“That was not the only prediction that was wrong,” said Pamela. “You told me to expect a surprise visitor yesterday. No one ever came.” Pamela did not look very happy.
“And you said I would win again at stick-ball,” said Ricky. “My team got creamed.”
Uh-oh, I thought.
“It seems my fortune-telling has been a little off lately,” I said. “Maybe Ms. Colman is not having a baby after all.”
“Did you bring your crystal ball to school today?” asked Addie. “Maybe you should try again.”
“Yes. I have everything I need in my backpack,” I replied.
“Then you better consult your crystal ball on the playground after lunch,” said Addie.
I knew Addie was right. I promised to be by the seesaws at recess.
Fuzzy
I was on the playground, sitting on my milk crate. My skirt and scarf were blowing in the wind. My beads and bangles clinked together as I passed my hands over the crystal ball.
My classmates had gathered around me. They were waiting for Madame Karena Brewena’s latest prediction.
I closed my eyes and concentrated. Then I opened my eyes and peered into the crystal ball. Hmm. I was having trouble seeing anything. I closed my eyes again. I opened them. Closed them. Opened them.
I took my glasses off and wiped them a few times.
“What about Ms. Colman?” asked Natalie.
I shrugged my shoulders. “I cannot tell. Everything is fuzzy,” I said.
“We have to know if Ms. Colman is really going to have a baby,” said Addie. “If your crystal ball cannot tell us, I will ask her after recess.”
Leave it to Addie. If there is a tough question to be asked, Addie will ask it. One time, everyone wanted to know the name of the man Ms. Colman was marrying. We had been calling him the Mystery Man because we were afraid to ask. But not Addie. She asked Ms. Colman. And that is how we found out his name was Mr. Henry Simmons.
As soon we were back in our classroom, Addie raised her hand.
“Ms. Colman, I was thinking,” said Addie. “I mean, we were all thinking …”
“Yes. Go ahead,” said Ms. Colman.
“We were thinking that maybe you are pregnant. Are you pregnant?” asked Addie.
(All right, Addie Sidney!)
Ms. Colman smiled. “No,” she said. “I am not pregnant. Mr. Simmons and I hope to have a baby one day. But it will not be for quite a while. We are not ready to start a family yet.”
Oops. I had made another wrong prediction. And now my crystal ball was fuzzy.
Well, I did not mind that Ms. Colman was not pregnant. That meant that she would stay and be our teacher.
I did not mind that my appointment with Dr. Celenza had not been a disaster either. Not one bit.
Maybe it was time to give up fortune-telling. Being Madame Karena Brewena was fun. Thinking about the future was fun.
But thinking about the present is fun, too. For the present I was happy to be just plain Karen Brewer. I was happy to look at my very own tooth necklace. Now I would not have a toothache anymore. There would be room for my new grown-up tooth to come in.
What a relief. I smiled a grown-up smile.
The author would like to thank Dr. Vincent Celenza for his advice and consultation while preparing this manuscript—and for making dental visits as pain-free as possible.
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 © 1993 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, 1993
e-ISBN 978-1-338-05691-4
Karen's Toothache Page 4