Bubble Troubles

by Colleen Madden

  Mattie dried her hands on a towel and opened the back door while holding her breath.

  Yip! Yip! Yip! Twinkles, all muddy and wet, darted into the house, wagging her short little tail.

  “Ach, Twinkles, it is you!” Mattie shouted. “I’m so happy you’re home!”

  “Absatz—stop!” Mom hollered, quickly closing the kitchen door so the dog couldn’t run through the rest of the house. “Catch her, Mattie, and then you’d better fill the tub and give that hund a bath. I won’t allow her to run though the house with muddy, wet feet.”

  Mattie scooped Twinkles into her arms, not even caring that her dress was getting wet and dirty. “I don’t know where you’ve been all this time,” she said, giving Twinkles a hug, “but from now on I’m gonna put you in the kennel whenever I’m gone. I want you to be safe and stay in the yard. You had me so worried, and I don’t want you runnin’ off ever again!” Mattie held Twinkles tightly, never wanting to let her go. She had missed her little four-legged friend, and even though she didn’t know where Twinkles had been, she was ever so thankful the dog had come home.

  Mom smiled. “As soon as you’ve given Twinkles a bath, you can help me make some popcorn. And don’t forget about the apple pie I made earlier today. We’ll have some of that, as well.”

  “Can we have some of Dad’s apple cider, too?” Mattie asked. Now that Twinkles was home, she was in the mood for dessert. In fact, her appetite had suddenly reappeared.

  “Of course, and I’ll get out some vanilla ice cream to go with the pie,” said Mom. “Now hurry along.”

  Mattie laughed as Ada starting waving her hands, and Perry jumped up and down when they came into the kitchen and heard Mom mention ice cream and pie. Feeling light on her feet, and humming softly as she held Twinkles close, Mattie headed for the bathroom to fill the tub. Now her stomach growled with hunger, when only a few minutes ago she could hardly eat a thing on her plate. All of a sudden, she was starving for apple pie and ice cream. It felt good to be relieved of all that worry.

  Just outside the bathroom door, Mattie stopped and whispered a prayer: “Thank You, dear Jesus, for bringing Twinkles safely home.”

  CHAPTER 3

  A Good Week

  “You’re awfully quiet back there,” Mark said as he and Mattie rode their bike to school on Friday morning. “Are ya daydreaming again?”

  “No, I’m not,” Mattie replied. “I’m thinking about the spelling test we’re supposed to take today.” She was glad Dad had fixed their tire last night and they could now pedal quickly to school.

  “You shouldn’t be thinkin’ about it,” Mark said. “You should be practicing the words.”

  “I’m practicing them in my head.”

  “Humph!” Mark grunted. “You oughta say the words out loud. That’s the best way to remember how to spell ’em.”

  “You really think so?”

  “ ‘Course I do. I’ll tell you what, Mattie,” Mark said. “I’ll say a word, spell it out loud, and then make a sentence using that word. After that, you can say another word and do the same.”

  “Okay.”

  “Popcorn. P-o-p-c-o-r-n. I love to eat popcorn.” Mark glanced over his shoulder. “All right, Mattie, it’s your turn to say a word now.”

  “Tearful. T-e-a-r-f-u-l-l. I was tearful when Twinkles was lost.”

  “I don’t think your hund was lost, Mattie. She just didn’t come home till she was good and ready. Oh, and you spelled the word tearful wrong.”

  “Did not.”

  “Did so. You put two l‘s at the end, and there’s only one. It’s t-e-a-r-f-u-l, not t-e-a-r-f-u-l-l.”

  “Oh, guess I forgot. Let me try another one,” Mattie said.

  “Nope. It’s my turn now.”

  “Okay, go ahead.” Mattie figured whatever word Mark chose from the list, he’d know how to spell it. She wished spelling came as easy for her as it did him, but then, most of the things they learned in school seemed easy for Mark.

  “The word I choose next is flabbergasted,” Mark announced.

  Mattie let go of the handlebar with one hand and poked her brother’s arm. “That word isn’t even on our list. You made it up, didn’t you?”

  “Nope, but you’re right, it’s not on the list. I’m gonna add it to the list so I can get extra credit,” Mark said.

  She frowned. “Don’t see why you have to do that. I’m sure you’ll get all the spelling words right, so you shouldn’t need any extra credit.”

  Mark shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t care. I like big words, and I’m gonna add it to my list.”

  “What does flabbergasted mean?” Mattie questioned.

  “It means shocked or amazed.”

  “I see. Well, don’t expect me to add any words to my list. It’ll be a miracle if I can spell the words that are on the list now. I’m really worried I might fail the test. I probably didn’t study as much as I should have, ’cause I was so worried about Twinkles.”

  “There you go again, Mattie. You’re worried about somethin’ that might not happen. Just practice the words some more and do your best when we take the test.” Mark slapped his knee and laughed. “I just rhymed my words: Do your best when we take the test.”

  “I will do my best,” Mattie said, although she already felt somewhat defeated. “I’ll practice the words in my head all the way to school.”

  When it came time to take the spelling test that afternoon, Mattie’s stomach knotted up again. Her hands grew so shaky she almost dropped her pencil. When the teacher said each of the words, Mattie concentrated and tried to sound them out in her head. It was a good thing she’d practiced the words on the way to school; otherwise she might not remember how to spell any of them right now.

  “And now the final word on the list is worry,” Anna Ruth told the class.

  That one should be easy for me, Mattie thought, chewing on her pencil eraser. She wrote the word down on her paper then made a sentence using the word. “Mark says I worry too much.”

  “All right now, class, pass your papers to the front of the room.”

  Mattie did as the teacher asked. She’d done her best on the test. Now she had to wait until the end of the day to see how well she’d done.

  During recess that afternoon, Mark’s best friend, John Schrock, tried to get Mark to join the game of baseball some of the other children were playing. John was Mattie’s friend Stella’s cousin, but he didn’t look anything like her. Stella had brown hair and brown eyes. John’s hair was blond, and his eyes were blue.

  “Huh-uh.” Mark shook his head. “You know I’m not good at playin’ ball.”

  “Aw, come on,” John coaxed. “You don’t play that bad.”

  “Jah, I do.” Mark frowned. “I get tired of the other kids makin’ fun of me because I don’t run fast enough.” Even though he’d been watching the baseball game, Mark kept his distance. He wanted to make sure no one asked him to join in. Mark didn’t like to come up with excuses all the time, but it was the only way to avoid being teased if he played the game.

  “You should just ignore ’em,” John said. “Then they’ll get tired of making fun of you.”

  “Maybe so, but I’d rather not play ball.” Mark moved across the schoolyard and leaned against the fence, kicking at a rock before propping his foot on the bottom rail.

  John followed. “How do ya think you did on the spelling test?” he questioned.

  Mark smiled widely. “Think I did fine. The words were easy.”

  “Not for me.” John shook his head. “Bet I flunked that test.”

  Mark thumped his friend’s back a couple of times. “Now don’t start worrying like Mattie does. You probably did better than you think.”

  “I hope so.” John dragged the toe of his boot through the dirt. “So what are you doin’ after school? Can ya come home with me and play awhile?”

  Mark removed his straw hat and shook his head. “Not without asking Mom first.”

  John pointed to Mark and
snickered.

  “What’s so funny?” Mark asked.

  “You oughta see your red hair right now. It’s standin’ straight up in the air.” John laughed out loud.

  Mark reached up and smoothed the top of his hair; then he plopped his hat back on his head.

  “Are ya sure you can’t come over to my place today?” John asked. “You can call your mother when ya get to my house and see if it’s okay.”

  “That’s not a good idea. Mom might not go out to the phone shack to check for messages, so she wouldn’t know where I was. Besides,” Mark added, “Mattie and I came to school on our bike today ’cause Dad got the flat tire fixed. If I rode over to your house, she’d have to walk home by herself.”

  “It wouldn’t hurt her to do that, ya know. It’s not raining today.”

  “That’s true, but it is kinda chilly. I’ll bet it won’t be long before we have some schnee.”

  John’s eyebrows shot straight up. “Ya really think we’ll get some snow soon?”

  Mark gave a nod. “Could be anytime now that winter is near.”

  “I can hardly wait for some schnee to start falling,” John said. “It’s fun to build a snowman, go sledding, or ice-skate on one of the ponds around here.”

  “I like all those things, too,” Mark agreed. “Say, since tomorrow’s Saturday, maybe I can come over to your house then. ’Course, I’ll have to ask Mom and Dad first, because they might want me to do somethin’ else.”

  “I’ll be home all day, so if your folks say it’s okay, just come on over.” John moved away from the fence. “Think I’ll go play ball for a while before recess ends. Are you sure you don’t wanna join us?”

  “No thanks.” Mark watched his friend as he walked toward the game that was now in full swing, with laughter and cheers from those who were playing, as well as from the kids standing on the sidelines watching. He hoped his folks would say he could go over to John’s house tomorrow.

  “Mom, guess what?” Mattie shouted as she raced into the house after she and Mark arrived home from school that day.

  “What is it?” Mom asked, stepping out of the kitchen to greet the twins in the utility room, where they were hanging up their jackets.

  Mattie grinned, handing her mother a piece of paper. “I passed the spelling test and only missed two words!” She glanced over at Mark as he showed Mom his. “ ’Course, he didn’t miss any of the spelling words.”

  Mom looked at the twins’ test scores and gave them each a hug. “I’m glad you both did so well. It sounds like you had a good day.”

  Mark and Mattie nodded.

  “See, you were worried for nothing.” Mom gave Mattie’s shoulder a gentle tap. “You just need to do your best and train yourself not to worry. As your Grandpa Troyer used to tell me when I was a little girl, ‘There are two days in the week you should never worry about—yesterday and tomorrow.’ ”

  “That’s right,” Mark put in. “Worry gets ya nowhere. Oh, and I think Mattie did well on the test ’cause she practiced the words like I told her to do.”

  Mom smiled. “I have some apples and cheese slices ready for you in the kitchen. You can have either a glass of milk or some cold apple cider, to go with your snack.”

  “That sounds good. I’ll have some apple cider, please.” Mattie smacked her lips. “I’m hungerich!”

  “I’m hungry, too, but I’ll have milk instead of cider,” Mark said. “But before we eat our snack, I wanna ask Mom a question.”

  “What’s that?” Mom asked.

  “John invited me over to his house tomorrow to play. If it’s all right with you and Dad, I’d like to go.”

  Mom shook her head. “Tomorrow is Grandma Troyer’s birthday. Did you forget?”

  Mark slapped the center of his forehead. “Oh, that’s right. I wouldn’t wanna miss that for anything. Guess I’ll have to call John and leave a message on his folks’ answering machine so he knows I won’t be coming over tomorrow.”

  “I’m excited about going to Grandma and Grandpa’s,” Mattie said. “I like it when we hire a driver and go all the way to Burton.” It was always good to spend time with their grandparents, and with it being Grandma’s birthday, Mattie knew the day would be even better. She was sure they’d have lots of fun and that it would be a good day for everyone.

  “Do you think Grandma Troyer will make some of her delicious corn fritters while we’re there?” Mark asked.

  “I don’t think we should expect her to do that this time, since it’s her birthday we’re celebrating.” Mom looked at Mattie. “Would you like to help me bake a cake this evening to surprise Grandma with for our dessert tomorrow?”

  Mattie smiled and bobbed her head. “That sounds like fun.”

  “We’ll do it after supper,” Mom said. “Oh, and I spoke to your grandpa earlier today, and tomorrow evening he’s planning to make a bonfire like he usually does when we go there to visit.”

  “Oh boy! I hope we can roast marshmallows!” Mark exclaimed. “Maybe Grandma will make us some hot chocolate, too.”

  Mom smiled. “I’m sure she will.”

  Mattie couldn’t wait to see Grandma and Grandpa Troyer, since they didn’t get to visit them as much as they did their other grandparents who lived nearby. She was also eager to see if Grandma would like the birthday present she’d made for her. Mattie had saved some of the wildflowers she’d picked a few weeks ago and hung them to dry out. She’d glued them to a piece of cardboard, spelling out the words “I love you” with different pieces of flowers. Mattie even had enough flower parts left over to make a design around the three words. After that, she’d taken an old picture frame she’d bought for a quarter at the flea market a few weeks ago and framed her finished creation. It had turned out quite nice, and she hoped Grandma would think so, too.

  What a good week this had turned out to be. First she’d done well on her spelling test, and now she had tomorrow to look forward to. Guess Mom was right about me being worried for nothing, Mattie thought.

  Feeling like she had springs on her shoes, Mattie skipped into the kitchen, singing, “To Grandma and Grandpa’s we will go…. To Grandma and Grandpa’s we will go…. I am so excited…. Oh!”

  Then Mark joined in, and they both sang at the top of their lungs, “To Grandma and Grandpa’s we will go! We’re so excited…. Oh!”

  CHAPTER 4

  Grandma Troyer’s Birthday

  “What are we stoppin’ for?” Mark asked when their driver, Tim Norton, slowed his van.

  “Looks like there’s an accident up ahead,” Tim called over his shoulder. “Probably a fender bender. It might have happened because of the rain.”

  Mark craned his neck. Sure enough, there were two cars with smashed-in fenders, and a police car had pulled up beside them.

  “Looks like traffic is tied up a bit,” Tim said. “Accidents happen sometimes when the roads are wet.”

  “And even when they’re not,” Dad added. “Sometimes drivers follow too close, or else they go too fast.”

  “You’re right about that,” Tim agreed. “Whenever I’m behind the wheel of my van, I try to be careful how I drive. I also make sure to watch out for other vehicles. It’s important to keep a safe distance from the cars in front of you, in case you have to stop quickly.”

  Mattie shivered while nibbling nervously on her lip. “We still have a ways to go before we get to Grandma and Grandpa Troyer’s. What if we get in an accident? Maybe it’s not safe for us to be on the road today.” Mattie tried not to, but she couldn’t help looking as the policeman waved them slowly past the accident site. Tim was right—both cars had banged-up fenders. Then she noticed two little girls standing in the wet grass with a lady holding an umbrella over their heads. Mattie assumed it was their mother, trying to comfort the girls, since they looked like they might be crying, although they didn’t appear to be hurt. She couldn’t be sure about the people in the other car, though, because she wasn’t able to see them.

  “Now don�
�t start fretting,” Mom said, turning to look at Mattie. “Just say a prayer and give your worries to God.”

  Mattie closed her eyes and bowed her head.

  Dear Jesus, please be with us, and take us safely to Grandma and Grandpa Troyer’s house. And help those people who were in the accident.

  When the twins and their family arrived at Grandpa and Grandma Troyer’s, everyone climbed out of the van and headed for the house.

  “See, Mattie,” Mark said as they stepped onto the porch, “we got here safely, so you were worried for nothing.”

  Mattie didn’t say anything, just dashed into the house.

  Mark tromped in behind her. He didn’t understand why Mattie had begun to worry about so many things lately. My twin sister, he thought to himself. Seems like she’s always frettin’ about somethin’.

  Once they had entered the house, Grandpa and Grandma greeted each of them with a hug. The last time they’d seen their grandparents was when they came to Walnut Creek for Mark and Mattie’s ninth birthday, but that had been at the end of summer.

  “Ach!” said Grandma, touching Mattie’s head. “I believe you’ve grown a few inches since we saw you last.”

  Grandpa nodded in agreement.

  Grandma and Grandpa both had gray hair, but their blue eyes twinkled as they smiled at everyone. Mark didn’t think either of them looked old. Maybe that was because they liked to do fun things and didn’t act old.

  Mark’s joy over being there diminished a bit as he thought about Grandma’s comment concerning Mattie’s growth spurt. Mark hadn’t grown at all in the last few months. It didn’t seem right that Mattie was taller than him. They were twins, and he thought they should be the same height.

  “Don’t worry about it, son,” Dad said, as though reading Mark’s mind. “I’m sure you’ll do some growing soon, too.”

  Mark wasn’t so sure, but he tried not to think about it. He was excited to be there and wanted to have fun. Grandpa usually played a game of checkers with Mark, and he looked forward to that.