Save the Date
Page 4
Bigwheels was slow in responding again.
Madison logged off. She was disappointed that she and her keypal were cut off before she could get some good advice. Even worse, now that Madison had brought up the subject, she couldn’t get Date-O-Magic out of her mind.
“Wanna go o-u-t?” she cried to Phinnie. She held out his leash.
It was almost four o’clock, and a walk outside would clear her head. Maybe Aimee was home from dance class? If she was, Aimee and Madison could walk their dogs together. Phin loved Aimee’s basset hound, Blossom. It would be the perfect distraction.
She left a note for Mom on the front door saying that she went to Aimee’s house.
When Madison arrived at the Gillespies’ house, however, Madison found her BFF’s mom instead of her BFF.
“Oh, Maddie, I’m sorry,” Mrs. Gillespie said when she opened the front door. “Aimee’s still at her ballet lesson.”
Madison shifted from foot to foot. “Bummer,” she mumbled. “Well, see ya.”
Mrs. Gillespie opened the screen door wider. “Do you want a snack?” she asked. “I just made some homemade granola.”
Aimee’s mother was a health nut. She made almost every recipe in her kitchen with wheat germ or tofu. Madison wasn’t a huge fan of health-food cooking, however. She made a sour face.
“Whoopsie! I forgot.” Mrs. Gillespie chuckled to herself. “You don’t like that all-natural stuff.”
“But it was really nice of you to ask,” Madison said. “I just came over to take Phin for a walk with Blossom and Aimee, but it can wait for another—”
“Why don’t we go together?” Mrs. Gillespie interrupted. “Let me grab Blossom’s leash.”
Before Madison could even respond, Mrs. Gillespie had disappeared to find Blossom. Madison sat down on their front steps. Phin was sniffing everything he could sniff. He smelled hound.
Often, when Mom was out of town, Madison would stay overnight for a day or longer with the Gillespies. Mrs. Gillespie knew how to say all the right things if Madison was feeling blue. Maybe she’d know what to say today?
As they walked the dogs around Blueberry Street and Ridge Road, Madison tried to get up the courage to ask a few questions about what she’d discovered on her mom’s computer. Mrs. Gillespie would know why Mom was on that Web site, wouldn’t she?
“Mrs. Gillespie, have you ever heard of Date-O-Magic?” Madison blurted.
Aimee’s mother barely blinked an eye. “Date-O-what?” she asked.
“Date-O-MAGIC,” Madison repeated, a little louder for emphasis. “It’s some kind of Web site.”
“Never heard of it,” Mrs. Gillespie said. “Doesn’t sound like something a seventh grader should really be looking at, though—”
“No, I wasn’t,” Madison said. “I think Mom was.”
Mrs. Gillespie put her hand gently on Madison’s shoulder. “Isn’t that her business?” she asked.
“I guess. But I found out by accident, and now I know what’s going to happen. My mom is going to start dating, just like my dad,” Madison said. “She’s going to start dating some strange guy from the Internet and then—”
“Hold on,” Mrs. Gillespie said calmly. “She wouldn’t date anyone without telling you about it. You know that.”
Madison sighed. “But what if she is dating someone?” she asked.
“You know, Maddie,” Mrs. Gillespie said. “I think maybe the person you should be talking to about this is your—”
“Mom,” Madison grumbled. “Yeah, I know.”
“Yes,” Mrs. Gillespie said. “You should talk to your mom and your dad about these feelings. Especially about the dating. I know it can’t be easy dealing with everything that’s happened since last year. We’ve discussed this before.”
They had talked a lot about dealing with change. Sometimes when Madison slept over at Aimee’s house, she’d spend as much time talking to Aimee’s mother as she spent talking to Aimee. Mrs. Gillespie couldn’t help but be supportive 24/7.
From the sidewalk, they watched Phin and Blossom sneak behind some bushes. Mrs. Gillespie turned to Madison and chuckled. “The real question here is, ‘How do we feel about them dating?’”
Madison giggled. Phin was chasing Blossom around so much, their leashes got tangled together. Mrs. Gillespie leaned over to give Madison a hug, and Madison couldn’t help but squeeze back—hard.
When they arrived back at the Gillespie house, Aimee was inside. They hung out together in Aimee’s room so Phin could have some extra playtime with Blossom. Aimee showed Madison the picture she’d finally selected for the ballet programs.
Around five o’clock, Mom called the Gillespies’ and asked Madison to hurry home. Dad was back from Boston. He was coming by to pick Madison up for dinner.
On the way out, Madison waved to Aimee’s brother Roger, who was standing in the driveway to fix something under his car’s hood. Roger was the nicest guy on the planet. If she were just a little bit older, Madison thought, maybe she could go out on a date with him.
Whereas Aimee thought Roger was perpetually annoying, Madison thought he was smart, cute, and funny—not the traits of most boys at Far Hills Junior High these days. Especially not Hart Jones.
Madison paced by the front door, watching as the sun began its slow drop down in the sky. Dad and Stephanie were on their way over to pick Madison up for dinner.
“He’s late again?” Mom called out from the kitchen.
It was now six-twenty.
Madison strolled into the kitchen. “Quit picking on him, Mom. He isn’t always late,” Madison rushed to Dad’s defense. “He’s just superbusy.”
“Aren’t we all?” Mom laughed.
Madison shrugged. “Can we just change the subject, please?”
She collapsed onto a kitchen chair and rested her head on the table.
“Honey bear, did you use my computer last night?” Mom asked.
“Huh?” Madison nodded, lifting her head. “Yeah. Why?”
Was Mom able to see that Madison had surfed to Date-O-Magic?
“Well, you left the printer on,” Mom said. “Next time be careful, okay?”
Madison wanted to blurt, “Why don’t you tell me what’s going on with Date-O-Magic, huh?” But she didn’t. She wasn’t ready to bring up that subject with her mom yet.
The reality of Dad and Mom both seeing other people made Madison a little dizzy. Somewhere in her heart, she still harbored the teeniest of hopes that maybe (just maybe) her parents would reunite.
Dad showed up when Madison and Mom were still talking. He punched the doorbell three times in a row. Madison kissed her mom good-bye.
On the way to the car. Dad gave Madison a giant squeeze. Stephanie was waiting for them in the front seat.
“Hiya, Maddie,” she said as Madison climbed into the backseat. “What’s goin
g on?”
Madison had grown to like Dad’s girlfriend a lot, except at certain times like now, when she had to ride in the backseat. Madison felt like a third wheel. She watched the scenery flash by and only answered with one-or two-syllable responses.
“Yuh.”
“Uh-huh.”
“Yep.”
They didn’t go to Dad’s loft for dinner, which was a huge disappointment for Madison. Dad used to cook all the time, but since he’d been dating Stephanie, he had all but stopped cooking for Madison’s visits. And even on the rare occasions when he did cook, Dad’s most special recipes (namely, the ones Madison adored) weren’t on the main menu.
They went to an Italian bistro, a new restaurant on the border of Far Hills and another town along the river called Burkeville. Dad stopped to let a valet park the car as everyone hopped out. It was a super-fancy place. Their table had a view of the waterfront.
Madison gazed at the reflection of different-colored lights, with a rainbow of blues, yellows, whites, and pinks glimmering off the water and the sides of boats. She was in a faraway fog.
“How’s school?” Dad asked Madison in the middle of salad, trying to pull her back into the table’s conversation.
“School’s cool,” Madison said with a mouthful of lettuce. “Except for science class. We have this field trip coming up tomorrow, and I don’t really know what to expect.”
Stephanie asked a string of questions about where they were going and what they’d be seeing. She couldn’t believe they’d be competing boys versus girls.
“That’s outrageous, Jeff,” Stephanie said. “You really should talk to the principal. Isn’t that sexism or something like that?”
Madison grinned at Stephanie’s enthusiasm. “Well, the trip’s tomorrow, so it’s too late to change anything.”
Dad chuckled. “I say, ‘You go, girl!’”
“Oh, Dad.” Madison groaned. “How embarrassing.”
Stephanie laughed. “Well, beat the boys, then,” she whispered to Madison.
Dad gave Stephanie a kiss after she said that.
The spaghetti came to the table late, and the evening seemed to drag on. By the time they had paid the check and got into the car heading home, Madison felt her eyes getting heavy. Today had been overly busy just like all the rest of the days of the week.
Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.
No sooner had Madison dozed off than Dad leaned into the backseat to help her out of his car. “C’mon, sweetie,” he said. Stephanie whispered her good-byes, too.
A groggy Madison grunted hello to Mom when she walked inside. From her office, Mom could only manage a limp hello herself. She looked drained, too. Mom obviously had spent the entire evening at her computer, compiling editing data and fact checking for one of her film documentaries. There was a half-eaten TV dinner on Mom’s work desk.
“You look beat, Mom,” Madison said.
“Mmmm. How was dinner?” Mom asked. “You look beat, too.”
Madison shrugged. She was tired—too tired to talk. Kissing Mom’s head, she dashed away for the makeshift bedroom in the den. Madison’s real room was still off-limits for sleeping.
In the den, Madison found her laptop computer lying open on the sofa, still plugged in and fully charged. She clicked the space bar, and the screen lit up.
As the computer buzzed on, Madison felt her own inner batteries recharge, too. And so she and her second wind headed immediately into her private files.
Dating
I’m having a crisis, and it has to do with a four-letter word that I’m beginning to detest:
D-a-t-e.
I wish I could say the crisis about the word date is because three different boys want to ask me out. HA HA HA LOL—that isn’t even close.
It’s Mom and Date-O-Magic that has me in knots.
AND I can’t talk to Dad about it because he’ll just back up Mom like he always does.
AND Dad is being so sweet to Stephanie these days (I think he loves her, but let’s save that for another file) and I feel weird talking about Mom in front of Stephanie. Does it hurt her feelings? She acts all normal when I talk about Mom, but I know what she’s really thinking….
I totally can’t talk to my friends about any of this, either, because it would be way, way too embarrassing. They just don’t get it. Aimee’s and Fiona’s parents have both been married forever. They think I’m a super-worrywart. Fiona even says I’m lucky since one day I’ll probably have four parents instead of two. Lucky?
Rude Awakening: Life with parents who go on dates is like watching a baseball game. You heed to watch out for curveballs—and you definitely need to keep score.
Madison hit SAVE and closed the Dating file. She realized that she was probably jumping the gun about Mom’s dating life, but she didn’t care.
In addition to keeping herself busy with school, after school, friends, the computer, volunteering, and the flute, Madison had one more thing to add to her superbusy to-do list of life. Keep an eye on Mom.
Chapter 6
PHINNIE LEAPED ONTO THE couch and pressed his little pug paws into Madison’s sides and nuzzled her neck with his very wet nose. Madison rolled off the couch, nearly taking the dog with her. It was almost seven o’clock, and she needed to dress fast.
Today was the BIG date she’d been waiting for all week: the science field trip.
“Have you seen my sneakers, Mom?” Madison yelled downstairs. She pulled on a pair of striped socks and painter’s pants. “And my light-blue T-shirt? The one with the angel on the front?”
Mom came to the bottom of the stairs and growled. “I wish you wouldn’t yell, Madison. I haven’t even had my coffee yet.”
“Sorry,” Madison said a little more softly. “Have you seen my angel shirt?”
“Yes,” Mom said. “It’s in the laundry.”
Madison wanted to kick herself for not planning her outfit the night before. Now she had no idea what top to wear. She pulled on a plain yellow shirt with embroidery around the sleeves and neck and pulled her hair into a ponytail.
“Mirror, mirror, on the wall …” she mumbled to herself in the bathroom mirror. She posed sideways and front ways and decided it would have to work. It was the only shirt that really went with the pants, anyway.
Downstairs, Mom was in the kitchen, making Madison a peanut-butter sandwich with a little plastic bag of chips on the side. Mom still looked groggy, too, which meant she’d been up very late working in her office.
“Do you like this shirt?” Madison asked. “I mean, do you think this is a good field trip outfit?”
Mom rubbed her eyes. “Sure, honey bear.” She gave Madison a kiss on the head.
“I’m serious, Mom,” Madison said. “What do you think?”
“I think you look fine,” Mom said, pouring a coffee refill.
“Fine? Oh no, it’s ugly, isn’t it?” Madison blurted. “I should change, right? I’m going to go and change.” And just like that, Madison turned around and headed back upstairs.
After three more outfit tests, she finally picked the winning combination: faded jeans and an orange cut-off t-shirt with a dancing panda bear on the front and built-in tank underneath. It even matched her striped socks.
Madison raced to get her bag together so she could meet Aimee and walk to school early. The buses were supposed to leave by eight-thirty, and Madison and Aimee wanted to get good seats.
The school yard was half full by the time they arrived. Madison didn’t see Fiona anywhere, but Chet was loafing around by the fence with Egg, Drew, Hart, and Dan. The boys looked like a team. They were all dressed in the same kind of baggy pants with faded T-shirts and baseball caps. It was like their field trip uniform.
“Hey, Finnster!” Hart yelled when he saw Madison.
His voice was amplified by the stillness of the morning air.
She wanted to run away, but she waved. That stupid nickname sounded so wonderful when Hart said it.
Egg was snickering
, as usual. He made a face at Madison, and she stopped waving right away.
“I don’t know why we rushed over,” Aimee complained. “Only half the seventh grade is here so far.”
Lindsay ran up to both of them. She had on a droopy hat and overalls. “Hey, guys,” she said. Another two girls from their class followed Lindsay, but they didn’t say much. One of them had a cast on her arm.
Across the yard, the teachers were congregating in small groups, looking over their lists and clipboards. They looked funnier than funny in their field trip garb. Mr. Danehy wore blue jeans that looked like they’d been ironed.
“I can’t believe you have him for science.” Aimee chuckled. “My teacher is so much cooler than him.”
“She’s also like a century younger than he is,” Madison said.
They were talking about Ms. Ripple, another science teacher, who acted more like a friend than a teacher to her students. Kids in class liked her because she always graded on a curve and she hardly ever gave homework. Aimee wasn’t even given a prep sheet for the day’s trip, while Madison had two pages of questions to explore and answer.
As they stood there in small groups, talking, the buses finally pulled into the parking lot. The school’s principal, Mr. Bernard, came outside the school to wish everyone in seventh grade a happy field trip.
“Don’t they make a good couple,” Aimee teased, looking over at Mr. Danehy and Ms. Ripple.
Madison almost laughed, but then she swallowed her laughter. She had a terrible thought about Mom going on a date with someone like Mr. Danehy. What if her mom dated a science teacher from Date-O-Magic? Madison couldn’t deal with that, especially not a date with her teacher.
“Well, hello, there!” Fiona said, dashing across the school yard. She had her hair pulled up with barrettes and her new glasses.
“You look so good!” Aimee said.
“I think the frames are cool,” Fiona said. “The guy at the store said they made me look intelligent.”
“He said that?” Aimee teased.
Fiona put her hands on her hips. “Yes, he did!”