Pee Wee Pool Party

by Judy Delton

  Published by

  Bantam Doubleday Dell Books for Young Readers

  a division of

  Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group, Inc.

  1540 Broadway

  New York, New York 10036

  Text copyright © 1996 by Judy Delton

  Illustrations copyright © 1996 by Alan Tiegreen

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the Publisher, except where permitted by law.

  The trademarks Yearling® and Dell® are registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and in other countries.

  eISBN: 978-0-307-83292-4

  v3.1

  For Patty Lou Slater Pyne,

  who shares with me long-ago memories of

  Courtesy Counts, St. Clair streetCars, Cousin

  Weak Eyes, Canasta, Car beds, ancient dead Cats,

  and a Covey of other Covert anomalies

  Contents

  Cover

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Dedication

  1 Pool Plans for Jody

  2 Water Worries

  3 The Bumblebee Swimsuit

  4 Once Begun, Half Done

  5 On the Bench

  6 All Alone Again

  7 Plan B

  8 The Test

  9 A Badge at Last

  Pee Wee Scout Song

  Pee Wee Scout Pledge

  CHAPTER 1

  Pool Plans for Jody

  “No more pencils, no more books!” cried Roger White. “No more teachers’ dirty looks!”

  Running across the school playground, Roger crumpled up his math folder and his report card and threw them over his head.

  “He’s littering,” said Mary Beth Kelly to her best friend, Molly Duff.

  “And he can’t throw away a report card!” said Molly.

  “I just did!” shouted Roger. “School’s out at last. I can throw away anything I want.”

  It was June. Summer had arrived and so had vacation time. The Pee Wees were looking forward to summer vacation. Roger most of all.

  The other Pee Wees liked school. And they liked their Pee Wee meetings, and earning badges. They met all year long at the home of their leader, Mrs. Peters. There was no vacation from being a Pee Wee, and Molly was glad. She loved being a Pee Wee.

  “My mom says Roger is going to grow up to be an airhead,” said Tracy Barnes.

  “He is one already,” said Rachel Myers. “He gets bad marks because he never pays attention in school and he never does his homework.”

  Roger was making faces at the girls now, and taking off his sneakers to walk barefoot. “I’m going fishing with my dad every single day,” he boasted.

  “He can’t go fishing every day,” corrected Patty Baker. “His dad has to go to work some days.”

  “We’re going to California with Ashley for two weeks,” said Kenny Baker, Patty’s twin brother. Ashley was their cousin and a temporary Pee Wee when she was in town. In California she belonged to the Saddle Scouts.

  “We’re going to Disneyland while we’re there,” added Patty.

  “We went to Disneyland last year,” said Jody George. Jody was in a wheelchair. Molly thought it would be hard to go to Disneyland in a wheelchair, and go on rides and in castles and on boats. But nothing seemed to stop Jody. He did everything the other Pee Wees did.

  The Pee Wees stopped in the park and sat down on the benches in the sun.

  “Summer feels good on your hair,” said Lisa Ronning, leaning back and closing her eyes.

  “Guess what?” said Jody. “We’re getting a big swimming pool put in our backyard.”

  “We have one of those,” said Rachel. “It has a little ladder and everything. In winter we take it apart and store it.”

  “Ours is in the ground,” said Jody. “It’s going to have a diving board.”

  Jody never liked to hurt anyone’s feelings, so he turned to Rachel and added, “But it’s probably just like yours, otherwise.”

  “No it isn’t,” said Sonny Stone. “Pools that are down in the ground are a lot better. They’re just like pools on TV.”

  “There’s nothing the matter with our pool,” said Rachel, crossing her arms.

  “Ho,” said Roger, “yours is just like a big wading pool compared to the real ones like Jody’s getting.”

  Rachel was turning red. She didn’t like to be second best.

  The Pee Wees all stared at Jody. Lots of them had wading pools. And there was a lake in town. And a public swimming pool. But no one had a real in-the-ground pool in the backyard!

  “What will you do with all the dirt you dig up?” asked Tim Noon.

  “They take it away, I guess,” said Jody.

  “Everybody’s got pools in California,” said Ashley.

  “Well, not many people here do,” said Rachel.

  “Can we swim in your pool?” asked Kevin Moe. Kevin and Jody were two of Molly’s favorite Pee Wees. She had wanted to marry Kevin. Then Jody had joined their troop. She liked him too. Since she couldn’t marry both of them, she decided to wait till she grew up to see what would happen.

  “Sure,” said Jody. “All my friends can come. After all the pipes are in and it’s finished, I’m going to have a big pool party.”

  Jody was very generous. Molly knew he would share his pool with everyone.

  “In California we have these big pool parties, with cold drinks and lots of food and stuff,” said Ashley.

  “We do that too,” said Rachel.

  A party with all her friends sounded wonderful to Molly. And there was a new badge to earn. Molly couldn’t wait! She was glad school was out, and nothing but fun was ahead!

  CHAPTER 2

  Water Worries

  The next Tuesday was the Pee Wees’ meeting day, and the weather was so nice that they met in Mrs. Peters’s backyard instead of her basement. Most of them had on shorts and T-shirts. They sat at the picnic table and told all the good deeds they had done since the last meeting. Then they played with baby Nick, Mrs. Peters’s baby. When Lucky, Mrs. Peters’s dog, brought them the Frisbee, they threw it for him. He was the Pee Wees’ mascot.

  Mrs. Stone came out of the house with chocolate cupcakes. They had red sprinkles on them. Mrs. Stone was Sonny’s mother and the assistant troop leader of the Pee Wees.

  Mrs. Peters said, “While you’re eating your cupcakes, I have some announcements to make. Are you all listening?”

  Some of the Pee Wees were listening. Some of them, including Roger, were not. Sometimes announcements were boring, like the ones about planning rummage sales to earn money for trips. Or the ones about keeping a nature journal. That was too much like school, although Molly loved to write and she loved to read too, and to draw pictures. But most of the Pee Wees didn’t like their meetings to feel like school.

  As the Pee Wees munched their cupcakes, Mrs. Peters made some boring announcements, and Roger made snoring noises.

  But when the announcements were over, Mrs. Peters said, “And now we’re going to talk about our new badge!”

  Roger stopped snoring, and the Pee Wees sat up straight and clapped and cheered. Sonny whistled through his teeth. Badges were definitely the best thing about being a Pee Wee.

  “As you all know, it’s summer at last,” said their leader. “And so we will be earning a summer badge. A badge for something that we only do in the summer. Or at least, most of the time we do, because it’s an outside activity.”

  “A picnic?” shouted Sonny.

  “How can you get a badge for a picnic, dummy?” said Roger, givin
g Sonny a punch. “Hey, then even the ants could get a badge!” Roger began crawling around on the ground like a large ant. He pretended to crawl up Sonny’s leg. Sonny gave him a kick.

  Mrs. Peters frowned. She didn’t like it when the Pee Wees were rowdy.

  “It’s better than a picnic,” she said. “It’s a swimming badge!”

  Now Rachel’s hand was waving. Everyone knew what she was going to say!

  “Mrs. Peters, I have a pool of my own. It will be easy for me to get my badge.”

  “Well, fine, Rachel, that will be very handy for you.”

  “I already know how to swim,” said Rachel. “I took lessons when I was three, and I can do the dog paddle and the breaststroke and I can even do the jellyfish float.”

  Now other Pee Wees were waving their hands.

  “I can swim too,” said Roger. “I can swim as good as a lifeguard!”

  Molly noticed that Jody did not raise his hand. He did not tell Mrs. Peters about his new pool. Jody was not a show-off. But Mrs. Peters should know about his new pool! Someone else should tell her!

  Just then, Kevin did.

  “Jody’s getting a new pool,” he said. “A real one.”

  “And we’re all invited to swim in it!” said Lisa.

  “And he’s having a pool party when it’s done,” said Tracy.

  “Wonderful!” said Mrs. Peters. “The timing is very good! It will be just in time for our new badge!”

  Everyone began to talk about the new pool. They all pretended they were already in it. Roger held his nose and pretended to dive in, and Sonny made swimming strokes with his arms.

  Mrs. Peters held up her hand. “If you can already swim, then the badge will be an easy one to earn. But it will also be a chance for you to learn some new water activity, like diving or speed swimming. Or you can help others learn to swim. You can work at some extra accomplishment, since you’re more advanced.”

  The hands went down. Ashley frowned.

  “How come we have to do more than the guys who can’t swim?” said Roger. “That’s not fair. If we can swim already, we should just get our badge free.”

  “To get this water badge,” said Mrs. Peters firmly, “everyone should learn something new. Swimming is the first and most important skill for water sports and water safety.”

  Some of the Pee Wees wished they had not told Mrs. Peters they could swim. Now it meant they would have to do something extra.

  Mrs. Peters went on to explain that they would read about water activities, learn about water safety, and study pool rules. Then they would go to the public pool on their own to practice. When they were ready, each Pee Wee would swim alone across the pool while Mrs. Peters watched, to qualify for his or her badge. And some would dive and show the new swimming strokes they had learned.

  When the meeting ended, everyone was talking at once about what fun it would be. Everyone Molly talked to seemed to know how to swim.

  “I’m going to work on the swan dive,” said Ashley.

  “I’ll get in more practice than anyone,” said Rachel. “Well, except Jody. Because I can get up in the middle of the night if I want to and swim. I’ll be able to do a really graceful dive by the time we get our badges.”

  Forget about diving, thought Molly.

  Molly could not dive.

  And she could not float.

  Worst of all, she could not swim! Molly was afraid of water. Every time she went to the beach, she got water up her nose, and it didn’t feel good. Once, she got water in her ears and couldn’t hear. She hated to get her head wet. Sometimes mean kids like Roger pushed other kids underwater.

  Molly loved badges. She loved earning them, and she loved wearing them.

  But this was a badge she did not want to earn. She did not want to put her head underwater. She knew if she tried to float or swim, she would sink. The summer had looked like so much fun. Now suddenly it was a summer she dreaded.

  Would she be the only one who didn’t have fun at Jody’s pool party?

  Would she be the only one afraid to get her head wet?

  And worst of all, would she be the only one who did not receive a swimming badge?

  CHAPTER 3

  The Bumblebee

  Swimsuit

  Molly was in no hurry to get home. Her mother would ask what the Pee Wees had done and what new badge they were going to work on. Molly didn’t want to talk about it.

  But after Mary Beth turned the corner to run an errand, there was no place to go but home. Mary Beth was on the way to the drugstore to get some new noseplugs.

  Mrs. Duff was home from work early.

  “I heard about the new swimming badge!” she said. “And on my way home I stopped at Carson’s and got you a new swimsuit. Wait till you see it! I knew you’d outgrown last year’s suit, and besides you need something special for earning a badge!”

  Her mother put down the carrots she was peeling and dried her hands. She motioned for Molly to follow her to the living room. There she picked up a bag with summer flowers all over it, and opened it.

  “Look!” she said. “Isn’t it beautiful?”

  Mrs. Duff held up the suit. It had a cluster of tags hanging from it. It looked tiny. And it was bright yellow with bumblebees all over it!

  “It will stretch,” said her mom. “It’s spandex.”

  Molly stared at the suit. She knew she should be grateful. But she wasn’t. Maybe her mother could take it back.

  “It was on sale, so we can’t return it, but I know it will fit,” her mother said. “It was a lucky find. Swimsuits can be very expensive.”

  Now Molly felt worse. She looked at the suit dangling from her mother’s hands. It was very bright. In fact, it was blinding. It was the kind of suit she could never hide in. She could not be at the pool and not be noticed.

  If she wore a swimsuit that was pale blue maybe she could be pool color.

  Or if it was green she could blend in with the nearby trees and no one would notice her. She had heard about lizards that turned the color of whatever they were near so that no animal would notice them and eat them.

  Well, in this suit, Molly would be eaten. She would light up and flash and sparkle. The suit would scream, “Look at me! Here I am in a new suit and I can’t swim.”

  Even worse, fingers would point. Everyone would say, “That bumblebee over there is the only one without a badge.”

  “Well?” said her mother. “What do you think?”

  “It’s nice,” Molly said, holding back tears.

  “Do you want to try it on?” asked Mrs. Duff.

  “Not right now,” said Molly. She climbed the stairs to her room and shut the door.

  Molly threw herself on her bed and wondered what to do. Maybe she should tell her mother about her worries. But what could her mother do about them? Molly didn’t want her mother going to Mrs. Peters and saying, “I’m sorry, but Molly will have to skip this badge. She’s afraid of water.” Molly would be embarrassed to have her mother know, let alone the Pee Wees’ leader! Being afraid of water was like being afraid of—soda pop! Water was something she drank every day! Why would she fear it?

  Well, because there was so much of it. There was never enough soda pop around to fill a pool!

  Molly thought about telling Mary Beth. But then Mary Beth would feel bad. And what could she actually do about it? Nothing. No, Molly didn’t want any of the Pee Wees to know. She would have to solve this alone.

  At suppertime Mrs. Duff said, “Show Dad your new swimsuit, Molly.”

  Molly went to get the suit she had begun to hate. She held it up for her dad. He held his hand over his eyes. “It’s a bright one!” he said. “We’ll sure spot you in the pool, won’t we?”

  That wasn’t what Molly wanted to hear.

  She wanted him to say that swimming was silly.

  Or better yet, that the Duffs were taking a long summer trip and would not be back in time for Molly to earn the badge!

  “Aren’t we going on
vacation?” asked Molly. “Aren’t we going to Grandma’s or to the lake?”

  “Later in the summer, perhaps,” said Mrs. Duff. “If we go to the lake, it will be a good thing to learn to swim first. This is a well-timed badge!”

  “I think we should go now!” cried Molly. “Now is the best time to travel.”

  Her parents looked startled.

  “I could do the packing,” Molly volunteered.

  “A person would almost think you wanted to miss getting this badge!” said her father, laughing.

  “I’m just anxious to go on a trip,” said Molly. “And I’m anxious to see Grandma.”

  “Well, that’s a relief,” said her mother. “I thought for a minute you didn’t like your new swimsuit!”

  Molly would have to learn to love it. And she’d have to face the fact that sooner or later, for better or worse, she’d have to get wet.

  CHAPTER 4

  Once Begun,

  Half Done

  The next morning Molly sat down at her little white desk with a pencil and paper. She would make a list of ways to solve her problem. She always felt better when she made a list.

  “Plan A,” she wrote. “Run away.” But where to? Whom did she know who would harbor a criminal? Anyone in town would call her mother. Even anyone out of town would want to call her mother.

  Perhaps she could sleep in a park. That sounded dangerous. And scary. And cold and wet. No, plan A was not practical. It sounded like more problems than just one.

  “Plan B,” she wrote. “Go stay with Kyle.” Kyle was her pen pal. She lived far away. But where would Molly get the money for a plane or train ticket? She was too young to drive. Even if she had a car, which she didn’t, it would be illegal.

  “Plan C, learn to swim,” she wrote. She sighed. Easier said than done. If she asked someone to teach her, that person would know she didn’t know how! It would be admitting defeat before she started.

  She could practice getting her head wet in her own bathtub. Maybe she could even practice swimming in the tub! But she was too big. If she stretched out to paddle, she would hit the sides of the tub.