“I wish I had a secret admirer,” said Keisha with a sigh.
“You have lots of admirers,” said Bernadette. “Remember the Christmas pageant? Everyone clapped the most for you, because you are such a good actress.”
“Hmm,” said Keisha, shrugging.
“I admire you, Keisha.”
“Really? Not enough to give me a friendship bracelet, though,” said Keisha. “Not enough to return my phone calls. Not enough to want me to play with Jasmine. I wouldn’t call that admiring me, Bernadette.”
“You two have to stop fighting,” said Megan. “It makes me so sad. I want to have a sleepover at Bernadette’s house, Keisha, even if you don’t. I want everything to be the way it was before!”
“Who says we’re fighting?” Keisha replied. “Fighting means yelling and screaming, doesn’t it? I don’t hear anyone yelling and screaming, do you?”
“Come on, it’s obvious,” Annie broke in. “You don’t have to be a detective to tell when people are mad at each other! And it’s silly for you to be mad at each other because you two are such good friends. We’re all good friends. We’re the LUNCH BUNCH!”
“I thought that we were good friends,” said Keisha, “but Bernadette likes Jasmine better than she likes the rest of us.”
“I do not like her better than I like you guys!” said Bernadette.
“Yes, you do. As soon as she showed up, you made it clear that we weren’t important to you anymore.”
“Is there a problem over here, girls?” asked Mrs. Hawthorn. “Because it’s time to pack up your knapsacks and go home. Didn’t you hear the bell ring?”
“Sorry, Mrs. Hawthorn,” said Keisha. “My sister Monique is probably waiting for me in the school yard already.”
And she left the room without saying good-bye.
By the time Bernadette got outside, Keisha had already gone. Sometimes Keisha and her big sister Monique and her little brother Joshua still walked home with Bernadette and her mother, but today wasn’t going to be one of those days. Now that Bernadette thought about it, there had been fewer and fewer of those days recently. She couldn’t even remember the last time they’d written an entry in their dog-watching book.
“Bernadette Inez O’Brian Schwartz, you’re awfully quiet,” her mother said. “I thought you’d have all kinds of stories to tell me about Valentine’s Day! Did everybody like your cute puppy cards?”
“Yup.”
“And wasn’t today supposed to be the day you found out who won the Healthy Food Challenge?”
“Yup. Jackie Renfrew won.”
“What was the prize?”
“Four little chocolate cupcakes.”
“Hmmm. That doesn’t sound very healthy to me! Was there zucchini in the cupcakes? Because I have a good recipe for chocolate-zucchini muffins we can make this weekend, if you want to invite some of your friends over.”
“I’m not sure who my friends are anymore,” said Bernadette sadly.
“What do you mean? What’s going on?”
“I’m in the doghouse, Mom.”
“Is there anything I can do?” asked Bernadette’s mother. She was so worried that she stopped walking and Bernadette almost bumped into her.
“No, thanks,” Bernadette answered. “This is not one of those problems a mother can solve.”
“The older you get, the fewer problems I can solve for you, Bernadette. But I’m always here if you want to talk. Sometimes just saying things out loud can help.”
“If I need to talk I’ll let you know. But right now, what I need to do is think.”
For Bernadette, this type of thinking usually meant staring out the window for a while, and then making some hot chocolate, and then playing with her guinea pig, Hamlet, and then re-organizing her fossil collection.
“You do whatever you have to do, Bernadette,” said her mom, giving her a big hug. “I don’t know anyone better than you at figuring out the solutions to problems.”
When Bernadette got home she went to the living room and moved a giant pile of newspapers and magazines off the sofa, found a fuzzy blanket and a big pillow, and made herself a warm nest to curl up in next to the window. First she blew on the window until it fogged up, and then she scratched a question mark on it with her fingernail. Then she wiped the question mark away and looked outside. The snow sculptures she made with Jasmine were still in the backyard, though their shapes weren’t as clear as they had been six weeks before. Instead of a snow dog chasing a snow cat chasing a snow mouse, there was a BIG pile of snow chasing a smaller pile of snow chasing a tiny pile of snow. Bernadette sat there for a long time watching the piles of snow chase each other around and around the yard. And her thoughts went around and around with them.
Six weeks before, she and Jasmine were out there playing together. They’d had so much fun! It wasn’t fair that Keisha was mad at her for having fun with somebody else, somebody she hadn’t seen since the summer. Bernadette only had three days with Jasmine; she got to play with Keisha all the time. So why was Keisha jealous? Because Keisha was mean. Even though she looked so pretty and sparkly and made the funniest jokes in the world, deep down inside she was a really truly mean person.
Bernadette decided she wouldn’t be friends with Keisha anymore.
But that wouldn’t work. Bernadette knew she would miss Keisha just as much as she missed Jasmine. Probably even more, because even though Jasmine had moved away, she was still Bernadette’s friend, but Keisha would be sitting right there, in class, not being her friend. Bernadette’s heart was already sore. She didn’t want to feel that way forever.
Besides, if Bernadette wasn’t friends with Keisha anymore she couldn’t be friends with Megan either, because Keisha and Megan had been friends forever, so Megan would stick with Keisha even if it meant hurting Bernadette’s feelings. And that meant she would lose two friends. And without those two friends, there wouldn’t be any more Lunch Bunch.
She could probably still eat lunch with Annie, sometimes. But Annie and Bernadette would just be two people, and there was no way that two people could be called a “bunch”! Or maybe Annie wouldn’t want to eat with her either, because it would be too awkward to leave her other friends, and then Bernadette would be stuck sitting with Jackie Renfrew, just like she had at the beginning of the school year. Jackie Renfrew was way more interesting than Bernadette thought when she first met him, but he wasn’t as interesting as the Lunch Bunch.
For example, he wasn’t as funny as Keisha. No one was as funny as Keisha.
Thinking so much about lunch made Bernadette hungry, so she went to the kitchen to make hot chocolate. First she took out her special china mug with a picture of a puppy on it, and put in one teaspoon of cocoa powder and two teaspoons of sugar. Then she filled the mug halfway with milk and stirred up the mixture. When the powder had started to dissolve, she filled the mug the rest of the way with milk and put it in the microwave for exactly one minute and ten seconds. If she put it in longer it would boil over and make a big mess, but if she put it in for a shorter time the cocoa would just float on top of the milk like mud in a puddle.
Bernadette dropped a handful of miniature marshmallows into her cocoa and watched them melt. When they had blended into a single layer, it was time to drink the cocoa. Well, that was the way Bernadette liked to drink her cocoa. Annie had a different strategy; she liked to stir her cocoa with a peppermint stick so it absorbed the minty flavor, and then take little bites out of the candy while she drank. Keisha was a big fan of dipping graham crackers in her cocoa because that reminded her of eating s’mores at summer camp. And Megan preferred hot milk with a drop or two of vanilla in it instead of cocoa. Each girl in the Lunch Bunch had her own special way of doing things—her own special talents, her own special tastes.
Bernadette put down her empty mug and went to get Hamlet.
As soon as he heard her coming, he stood up on his hind paws and put his front ones up on the gate, asking to be picked up. He was always so happy to see her that she felt guilty for leaving him in his cage all day long, like a fluffy little prisoner waiting to be let out of jail. But whenever he got tired of playing, he waddled right back to the cage, squeaking to be put back inside. So obviously his cage didn’t seem like a prison to him. It was his very own house; a house full of yummy things to eat, a soft bed of hay, and a tube to climb through. Hamlet might be her pet, but he was also himself. He had his own feelings too, which you could understand if you paid attention to him.
“Whee!” said Hamlet.
“I’m glad you’re so happy to see me,” said Bernadette. “Because nobody else is these days.”
“We,” Hamlet said again, firmly.
“Yes, we will always be friends.” said Bernadette.
“Week?” Hamlet asked.
“What about this week? I don’t understand,” Bernadette replied.
“Week, week!” Hamlet insisted.
“You’re absolutely right!” said Bernadette. “We’re supposed to make a new strategy for lunch this week, now that the Healthy Food Challenge is finally over! But we forgot to plan one for this Friday.”
She gave Hamlet a ride on her skateboard around the living room just for fun, and then fed him two strawberries for being such a big help. Strawberries were his favorite treat. Bernadette knew what Hamlet liked to eat because she loved him, and he knew that she loved him because she gave him his favorite things to eat.
Everything made sense to Bernadette now. She knew exactly what she had to do.
The next day was Wednesday, so there wasn’t much time to think of another strategy if this one didn’t work. Luckily, Annie and Megan loved Bernadette’s idea, and Keisha didn’t say she wouldn’t participate. So even though her heart still hurt every time Keisha ignored her or Megan gave her a sad look, Bernadette just concentrated on doing her school work, and helping Jackie Renfrew with his math. And then it was Friday, the Lunch Bunch’s special day, and time for each girl to show what she had brought.
“I made lunch for Annie today, which is why I have this gigantic lunch box,” said Megan. “We all know that Annie’s favorite meal is soup. So I brought her a Thermos of minestrone. And also crackers and cheese, and celery, and olives, and a hard-boiled egg with a tiny shaker of salt, because I didn’t think that soup alone would be enough to fill Elastic Annie’s hollow leg. I also brought her grape juice to drink, and a slice of banana bread and a bunch of grapes for dessert.”
“Wow!” said Annie. “You can make lunch for me any time, Megan. You thought of all my favorite things.”
“This was a great strategy, Bernadette,” said Megan. “I can’t wait to see what Keisha made me for my lunch!”
“Well, it wasn’t that hard to figure out, Megan. I made you a poppy seed bagel with cream cheese and strawberry jam on it, because you always order that when we go out for a snack after choir practice,” said Keisha. “And I gave you milk to drink. And a lot of carrot and celery sticks, of course. I even put in a few extra for Mr. McWhiskers. And for dessert, you have a crunchy green apple and three of my mom’s famous ginger cookies, because I know how much you love them.”
“Yummy!” cried Megan, so loudly some people at the next table turned around to see what was going on. “This is the best lunch ever.”
“What did you make me, Annie?” asked Bernadette.
“I made you two mini-pizzas on English muffins, and a little bag of cherry tomatoes, and a container of chocolate milk, and a can of peaches because real peaches always get squished. There is also a granola bar to save for recess snack,” said Annie. “And I even drew a cartoon puppy on your napkin for you, just like your Mom always does. How did I do?”
“You got an ‘A’ in knowing Bernadette,” said Bernadette. “It’s pretty amazing how well we all know each other, isn’t it? Do you want to know what I made for you, Keisha?”
“I’ll bet you made me macaroni and cheese,” said Keisha.
“Of course I did,” answered Bernadette. “With ketchup on the side.”
“And apple juice?”
“With a pink and white striped straw,” said Bernadette. “And a container of sliced cucumbers with some Caesar dressing to dip them in, and a navel orange, and two chocolate sandwich cookies.”
“Wow,” said Keisha slowly. “I guess you do know me pretty well.”
“That’s because we’re such good friends, Keisha. You may not be my oldest friend, but you are definitely one of my best friends.”
Keisha was silent for a moment. Then she stood up and took her macaroni over to the microwave to heat it up. When she came back to where the other girls were sitting in uncomfortable silence, she speared some macaroni on her fork and dipped it carefully into the ketchup. Finally she looked up at Bernadette and asked, “Was this whole strategy about me, Bernadette?”
“Yes,” said Bernadette. “I’m so sorry I hurt your feelings, Keisha. I didn’t realize how much it hurt to feel ignored and left out until you did it back to me, but I’ve learned my lesson.”
“Really?” said Keisha. “Because it wasn’t just my feelings that got hurt, Bernadette. You need to apologize to Megan too. She felt the same way I did—that even though we invited you to become our friend when you were lonely, once Jasmine came for a visit, we weren’t good enough for you anymore.”
“But Megan, you never said anything!”
“I hate fighting with people,” said Megan, starting to cry. “I just want us to stay friends forever.”
Bernadette went over to Megan and gave her a big hug. She started crying a little bit too.
“What about me?” said Annie. “Don’t I get a hug?”
“Are you mad at me too?” asked Bernadette, with a sad face.
“No,” said Annie. “I just like hugging!”
Then all four girls got together in a giant group hug, and their tears turned to laughter. Once they sat down again to eat their lunches, Annie spoke up.
“I think you should apologize too, Keisha, for making such a fuss about Bernadette seeing an old friend for a few days. It almost broke up the Lunch Bunch.”
“I’m sorry,” said Keisha. “I didn’t think about that.”
“Anyhow, the whole idea of ‘best’ friends is silly,” Annie continued. “Everyone is the best friend for something. We should have friends for skating with, and friends for swimming with, and friends for watching movies with, and friends for going to camp with.”
“And friends for cooking with, and friends for making art with,” added Megan.
“And friends for tickling, and friends for chasing!” shouted Keisha, making Tyrannosaurus Rex claws of her hands.
“And friends for running away from!” shouted Bernadette, running away.
“Bernadette Inez O’Brian Schwartz!” Mrs. Hawthorn called after her. “You come back here this minute. Lunch isn’t over yet.”
“You’re right, Mrs. Hawthorn,” said Bernadette. Then she turned to her friends. “And luckily, the Lunch Bunch isn’t over yet either!”
7
The Not-So-Secret Garden
Once Bernadette was out of the doghouse, she and Keisha often walked to school together again. They also went back to work on their dog-watching list and added a few new names:
Sophie, German Shepherd, March 1st
Mango, Poodle, March 15th
Chewbacca, Bernese Mountain Dog, April 4th
And soon winter turned into spring, and there were lots of other things besides dogs to look at. The girls often stopped to admire a blossoming tree or a pond full of goldfish, a sparrow splashing in a birdbath, or a row of green sprouts poking through the earth. In the spring, the whole city seemed to turn into a garden!
One place was not in bloom, however: Mrs. Marsh’s front yard. Once the snow melted it was just a patch of mud and weeds. Kids were still throwing garbage into it, so at least once a week Bernadette and Keisha had to clean it up. Then one day, when Bernadette was walking home with her mother and Keisha and Joshua, Bernadette had a brilliant idea.
“Hey guys, I have a brilliant idea!” she said. “Mrs. Marsh liked it when we cleaned up her yard last fall. So I bet she’d love it even more if we planted flowers here this spring.”
“Bernadette Inez O’Brian Schwartz!” said her mother. “Why didn’t I think of that?”
“Can I help too?” asked Joshua. “I’m a good digger.”
“You bet,” said Bernadette’s mother. “We couldn’t possibly manage without you, Joshie!”
They came back that very weekend with two dozen little pots of pansies to plant all along the fence. They also spread grass seed over the muddy lawn, and pulled out all of the weeds.
“No one will ever want to throw garbage in here when they see how pretty it looks,” said Bernadette with satisfaction, wiping her muddy hands on her pants.
“Bernadette!” cried her mother.
“Sorry, Mom,” said Bernadette. “But you have to admit, this garden is worth doing a little extra laundry.”
They continued weeding and watering until the new grass started coming in nice and green. Bernadette was right: hardly anybody threw garbage in the yard after that. Best of all, to everyone’s surprise, what looked like a spooky dead vine climbing up the front porch burst into bloom with beautiful pink roses.
“It’s just like The Secret Garden—my favorite book,” said Keisha.
“Except this garden is not so secret,” added Bernadette.
For the whole month of May, the Not-So-Secret Garden was their special project. And since the weather was warm, Mrs. Marsh and Lady spent a lot of time sitting under the climbing roses, enjoying the fresh air and watching all the people come and go from the corner store next door.
Bernadette in the Doghouse Page 5