Reaching over, Josie lifted Lucy’s chin. “Say it again.”
“Don’t feel great,” she repeated and went back to poking at her waffles.
Josie lit a cigarette and looked at her thoughtfully through a haze of smoke. “Are you fighting with your chums?”
Lucy shook her head.
“You’re probably constipated.” Josie set her cigarette in the ashtray. “Let me get you some bran and marshmallows.”
Lucy’s back snapped straight. “No!” But Josie was already getting up. Lucy grabbed her arm. “I’m fine!”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes, yes! I’m sure.” She pointed to Josie’s chair. “Really. I’m fine.”
Josie sat back down and took a drag off her cigarette. “Could it be you’re a little sad because you missed out on the root beer?”
“Yup.” Lucy nodded quickly. “The root beer. That’s what it is.”
“So sorry, honey.” Josie squeezed her hand. “I’ll make it up to you.”
Oh no. “You don’t have to,” Lucy said. “You’ve done…enough.” Thankfully, at that moment there was a loud knocking. She pointed towards the door. “Door. I’ll get it.” And she ran from the table to the front door.
It was Kit. She had both hands cupped against the screen as she peered into the house.
“Hey.” Lucy frowned and opened the door. “What are you doing here?”
“Ha! You look like me.” Kit pointed to Lucy’s scary bedhead, then her own.
“Thanks a bunch,” Lucy said, combing her fingers through her hair.
“I couldn’t sleep a wink,” Kit said, all dramatic. “We need to go look at that picture again.”
Lucy leaned against the door frame. “Well, we can’t right now.”
“Yes, we can. Let’s go to Colin’s and pick him up.”
“We can’t pick him up. We always all meet at the hole. We can’t just show up at his house. That would be weird.”
“I showed up at your house.”
“Yeah. And it’s weird.”
Kit rolled her eyes. “Wow. Didn’t know you were such a stickler for rules.”
“Change is bad,” Lucy said. “Let me just tell Josie I’m leaving and we’ll head over to the hole. Like normal.”
Lucy returned a moment later and led the way down the porch steps. “Come on,” she said to Kit. “And relax. We’ll figure out some way to get back to see that picture.”
Colin was already there, digging. He gave them a quick nod when he saw them.
“We wouldn’t have been able to pick him up anyway,” Lucy said out of the corner of her mouth. “He’s always here first.”
Kit nodded, then she gasped. “Isn’t he going to think it’s suspicious we showed up together? We never do that.” Before Lucy could answer, Kit yelled out extra loudly, “I, uh, had to drop off something to Josie from my mom! Um, that’s why we came together!”
“Great!” Colin was busy trying to turn over a rock and didn’t even look up.
“I think he bought it,” Kit whispered, sitting down on a grassy spot.
“Bought what?” Lucy asked. “You need to cool it. He would never notice us arriving together, but he might notice if you’re acting like a lunatic.”
“You’re right, you’re right.” Kit took a deep breath. “Calm and cool, that’s me.”
To counterbalance Kit, Lucy was determined to act super normal. She pulled out the bag of magazines Kit kept tucked away under a nearby bush and tossed her a couple. The morning passed like any other. Lucy and Kit read aloud some articles about back-to-school fashions, hairstyles, and celebrity gossip. Then they tortured Colin by explaining in great detail how to “Tame Frizz Forever,” as well as how to “Double Your Summer Fun with 27 Easy Beauty Tips.” They even made him take an “Are You Fit to Babysit?” quiz while he sporadically swore under his breath whenever the odd rock halted his digging. His quiz results were iffy at best.
Lucy felt Kit nudge her. She glanced up to see Josie coming towards them, huffing and puffing, a cloud of smoke floating above her head. “Good day, everybody.”
They all raised their hands and waved.
“I was feeling so bad about the root beer disaster,” Josie said to Lucy.
Lucy saw Colin and Kit smirk at each other.
“I made you an extra special treat to make up for it,” she continued.
Uh-oh. Lucy closed her magazine.
“I’ve just finished frosting the most beautiful chocolate cake.” She looked very pleased with herself.
Lucy’s eyes narrowed.
“Why don’t you all come up for a piece and a cold drink? I had to improvise with the icing, but I think in the end it all worked out,” Josie said with a wink.
Lucy turned away so Josie couldn’t see her lips. “If you know what’s good for you, you’ll say no,” she warned them.
But they ignored her. “Sure,” Colin and Kit told Josie in unison.
Lucy closed her eyes and let her chin drop to her chest. Don’t say I didn’t warn you. She followed behind them as they walked up the lane.
After they were settled on the front porch with their drinks, Josie came out carrying what looked like a chocolate cake.
“Ta-da!” she said proudly as she placed it on the table.
Suspicious, Lucy pulled her chair closer and leaned in for an inspection. There was something not quite right. It was the icing. There was definitely something wrong with the icing.
Colin and Kit watched Lucy first touch the cake with her finger, then tap it lightly with her knuckle. The icing was solid. There was a group intake of breath.
Looking up at Josie, Lucy asked, “What did you put in the icing?”
Josie puckered her lips. “Well, I was out of icing sugar, but I had a box of Pot of Gold someone gave me at Christmas, so I melted it down and spread it over the cake.” She shook her head. “I added some butter. I didn’t think it would set up so hard. Probably shouldn’t have put it in the fridge, but it’s so damn hot out.”
Lucy couldn’t help notice Josie had the same expression on her face as she had when she’d stared up at the root beer dripping from the ceiling. Like she just couldn’t understand how this could have happened.
Josie picked up the knife and tried to cut the cake. It wouldn’t go through. Next she tried stabbing tiny holes, scoring a line across the cake. That didn’t work either. “Just a second. I’ll be right back.” She disappeared inside.
“You guys should have just said no,” Lucy sighed.
“No way,” Colin said. “I wouldn’t have missed this for anything.”
“Yeah, I’m sure it will be fine, uh, once we get it cracked open,” Kit said, trying not to laugh.
“Don’t hold your breath,” Lucy said.
Josie returned, carrying a meat tenderizer. She wedged the tip of the knife into the cake, then gently hammered the top of the handle with the tenderizer until a spiderweb of hairline fractures were created. “Dig in!”
Using a couple of extra knives, they were able to pry the cake open. It wasn’t so bad, really. The cake was slightly undercooked in the very centre, but it tasted fine, and once the cake was peeled away, a delicious chocolate shell was left behind to munch on.
“Yum,” Kit said, licking her fingers after her second chunk.
“I guess it could have been worse,” Lucy admitted. “It has been worse,” she added.
“You have to wonder, though,” Colin said, frowning at the cake. “What happened to all the fillings? Like the nuts and cherries and stuff?”
Lucy and Kit frowned at the cake too. “I think we’re better off not knowing,” Kit said.
After they made a pretty decent dent in the cake, everyone sat back in their chairs with their hands on their stomachs.
“We should swim this off af
ter lunch,” Kit suggested.
“I can’t even think about lunch,” Lucy said. “But definitely after a bit. I’ve some chores to do for Josie.” Josie had asked her to roll up batch of cigarettes, but Lucy didn’t really feel like telling them that. She wasn’t quite sure what people would think about her new-found skill.
Colin stood and dusted some shards of chocolate off his T-shirt. “Actually, my dad’s due home this afternoon. I kind of wanna be there,” he admitted sheepishly. “You guys could hang with me and wait if you want.”
Lucy and Kit looked at each other. The picture. “Sounds good,” they answered.
“Call me when you’re finished earning your room and board,” Kit said to Lucy. “I’ll pick you up on the way.”
Lucy cleared off the kitchen table and quickly got out all the supplies. This was her third go, and she was pretty accomplished by now. She could easily roll a batch in less than thirty minutes. When she finished, she dropped a long curl of apple peel into the tobacco can, put everything away, and phoned Kit.
It seemed like Lucy had barely hung up the phone when Kit arrived on the doorstep.
“You must be captain of the track team,” Lucy commented.
“No. Patrol leader. Girl Guides,” she wheezed, out of breath. “Be prepared.”
“Lead the way then, patrol leader.”
“I thought of something else on the way over,” Kit said between breaths. “Maybe Colin’s adopted.”
Lucy stopped in her tracks. “Huh?”
“Well. Esther lived in a foster home. Maybe, you know, she wanted to adopt someone who needed a home, to like, give back or something.”
“I never thought of that.” Lucy started walking again. “You could be right. That would explain the picture.” But then she stopped again. “No. That doesn’t work. That first letter said Mom went to help Esther because she was having a bad pregnancy.”
“Um…maybe Esther just told her that to get her there.”
“Why?” Lucy said incredulously. “Why would she trick her? And why would she need help with an adoption?”
Kit closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. “I got it! Maybe she didn’t want anyone to know Colin was adopted. Maybe she wanted everyone to think she was pregnant and she needed your mom to be part of the plan. She needed your mom to come and help her with her pretend pregnancy and then go back spread the word here at home.”
Lucy let out a giant sigh. “That makes absolutely zero sense.”
“Hey!”
“Why would Esther care about what they thought of her back here? She had no family to worry about. Also, why would she want to hide adopting a kid? Adoption is a good thing.”
“Yeah, I guess.” Kit nodded, looking deflated. “And if he was adopted, he probably would have said something by now.” Her eyes widened. “Unless he doesn’t know!”
“Oh, calm down, would you?”
“Well, how about my theory that they told him the wrong birthday on purpose?” Kit asked. “Because it didn’t match up with when they got married or whatever.”
“Yeah….” Lucy rubbed her forehead. “If it was such a big deal, I think they would just lie about when they got married instead of his birthday.”
Kit dragged her hands down her face. “My brain hurts.”
“We still have to double-check the picture. This could be all for nothing.”
Kit didn’t say anything.
“And even if it isn’t, like if we’re right about Esther not being pregnant….” She turned and looked at Kit. “What are we supposed to do with that information?”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, do we tell Colin? I can’t picture us doing that.” She paused. “I can’t picture us going to Esther, either.”
“So you want us to just keep it to ourselves?” Kit’s voice was all squeaky.
“Yeah, I guess. I mean, it’s not really any of our business.”
“I know I said before that I could keep a secret, but I think I should tell you, that’s a lie. I’m not that great at keeping secrets.”
“I’m sure you could use the Force or something if you had to,” Lucy said.
“It’s easy for you to say. You’re leaving for home in a while. I’m going to see Colin all the time.”
“Kit!” Lucy said impatiently. “I’m sure we’ll figure something out later if we have to.”
“Okay, fine. I won’t say a word for now. But I kind of wish I didn’t know whatever it is we know. I think it’s going to cause me a lot of stress.”
Colin passed out Popsicles. “Sorry. The twins don’t like orange, so that’s all that’s left.”
“That’s okay! We love orange!” Kit exclaimed.
Lucy shot her a warning look.
“Do you want to watch TV or something?” Colin said.
“You bet!” Kit cried.
Lucy shot her another look.
Colin didn’t seem to notice anything unusual and turned the TV on. He flicked the channels a couple times. “Spiderman it is.”
After a few minutes, Lucy casually wandered across the room to the photo on the wall. She searched out Esther. Third row, on the end. She was turned slightly inwards, facing the centre, and definitely not pregnant. Lucy’s eyes shifted to the bottom corner. Miraculously, the photo hadn’t slid back down into the frame from the last time she’d shoved it up. The photographer’s signature and the date were clearly visible: October 1, 1961. No matter how much she squinted, how closely she leaned in and examined it, the date didn’t change. She felt a hard ball form in her stomach. Could one of their theories really be right? Even the wacky adoption one?
The front door slammed, making her jump.
“Hello! Scotty? Kids? Anybody? I’m home!” a voice shouted.
Lucy felt an odd sensation, like something pinged against the side of her brain. She gave her head a little shake.
Colin leapt out of his seat. “Dad!” Then as if remembering Lucy and Kit were there, tried to play it cool. “Dad,” he said in a deeper tone.
A tall man in a golf shirt and shorts stood in the den doorway. “The king of the castle has finally arrived!” he bellowed with his arms in the air. “Bring me my loyal subjects!”
Colin went over and gave him a loose hug.
Suddenly there was a ton of noise, kids running, suitcases toppling over—total chaos. Lucy and Kit shuffled off to one side, to observe from a safe distance.
Eventually Colin motioned them over with his hand. “Dad, this is Lucy and Kit. Guys, this is my dad.”
Colin’s dad shook both their hands. “Nice to meet you girls. I guess I should thank you for saving my son from dying of boredom. I heard through the grapevine that he was pretty miserable to live with before you took pity on him.”
“Dad,” Colin groaned.
There was more commotion as the twins tried to drag a large suitcase down the hall, cherry Popsicle melting and leaving a trail behind them. “Did you bring us anything?” Teddy shouted.
They were ignored as Esther stepped over them and gave Colin’s dad a kiss on the cheek. “Dan, come have a cold drink,” she said. “You must by dying after that drive.”
Colin, Lucy, and Kit sat back down in the den. They could hear Esther yelling at the twins. “Would you get away from that suitcase? You’re breaking the zipper!”
“We’re looking for presents!”
“He wasn’t away! He didn’t go anywhere! Now get!”
They stomped off down the hall and outside to the deck, grumbling the whole way.
“Sorry about all the racket,” Esther said as she stuck her head in the doorway of the den. “Colin, could you take those suitcases upstairs?”
“Sure.”
“I mean now, not later.”
“Yes, Mom,” Colin sighed.
“S
cotty! Come take a look at these papers from the bank!” Dan called out from the kitchen.
Lucy’s head swung towards the direction of Dan’s voice. Wait. What?
“Coming!” Esther shouted down the hall, then looked at Colin. “Now, Colin.”
Colin got up from the sofa. “I’m doing it! Jeez.” He waited until Esther left the room, then sat down again.
Kit scrunched up her nose. “Who’s Scotty?”
“My mom. Everyone called her that when she was a kid.”
“Why?”
“She hated her name or something. Her last name was Scott, and I guess she was sort of a tomboy.” Colin shrugged. “So she says.”
Lucy touched a finger to her temple. That pinging sensation was back, but worse—like a swarm of bees trapped in her head, trying to get out.
“Oh, that’s so cool. Having a name where everyone thinks you’re a boy and then voilà! You’re a girl.” Kit fluttered her eyelashes dramatically. “Wish I could do it with mine, but Gibbons definitely doesn’t work. Gibbs? Gibby? Bon? Bonbon?” She shook her head. “Nah. And I don’t think Tapper works either, Lucy. Tap? Tappy? Appy? Nope. Not lookin’ good.”
But Lucy wasn’t listening. She could only stare back at Kit while the pinging continued loudly in her ears. She shook her head again, hoping it would go away, but it didn’t.
Colin noticed and asked, “You okay?”
“Yeah. I just…I feel kind of hot,” Lucy said softly. A sweaty, clammy feeling was beginning to creep over her, starting at her toes and working its way out to her fingertips.
“I’m going to start to think it’s my family or something. Not that I blame you,” Colin tried to joke. “You want a glass of water?”
“No. I just need some fresh air.”
“It’s probably the cake,” Kit chimed in. “I’ll go with her. I was heading out anyway.”
“Yeah,” Lucy said. “You should spend some time with your dad.”
Lucy ducked out the front door and walked quickly away from Colin’s house.
Kit caught up and touched her arm. “Did you check? Did you see the date? Were we right?”
The Big Dig Page 18