by Laura Dower
Mrs. Frost put on the teakettle and turned the stereo on low. Madison marveled at how civilized everything felt there, not like the birthday parties she was used to back in Far Hills, with loud music and screaming and stuff strewn everywhere. A part of her missed the chaos, but another part of her loved this. There was something calm and safe about being in this apartment, this cocoon, tucked away from the December cold.
Everyone ran to their bedrooms to retrieve their presents for Lindsay. They met back in front of the fireplace. Aunt Mimi had placed huge pillows on the floor for everyone to sit on.
“Open mine first!” Fiona said with a wide grin. She handed Lindsay a large, rectangular package.
Lindsay smiled and shook it. “No loose parts,” she joked. She ripped the paper open to reveal a copy of Dragons and Fairies, Oh, My! The binding was red leather with gold lettering.
“It’s beautiful,” Lindsay said.
“I know you said something the other day about liking fantasy, and I know how much you like to read, and my mom saw this when we were at Aimee’s dad’s bookstore, actually…” Fiona babbled. “It looked so cool.”
Lindsay thanked Fiona. Then she reached for another, larger gift that was perched on the edge of the sofa.
“That’s a little something from me,” Aunt Mimi said.
“Aunt Mimi, you already gave me this party,” Lindsay said.
“Oh, pish posh,” Aunt Mimi cried. “Just open it, already.”
Inside a purple satin box Lindsay found a leather backpack with patches of tapestry sewn together on it and a beautiful silver buckle at the center.
“That is awesome!” Aimee cried.
“It’s like a college backpack,” Madison said.
Lindsay slung it over one shoulder and modeled it for the room.
“You can use it for school,” Aunt Mimi suggested. “It’s even big enough for a laptop computer.”
“When I get one…” Lindsay said.
Madison smiled. She knew how much Lindsay wanted to have the same kind of computer she had.
Lindsay reached way over to give Aunt Mimi a smooch and nearly fell on top of another gift.
“Careful!” Aimee cautioned her. “Don’t crush my present.”
Lindsay leaned back and tore the tape off the top of Aimee’s gift. It was a square box. No one seemed to have any idea what was in it.
Neither did Lindsay. She opened the box and fluffed out the tissue paper inside. But she found nothing.
“Um…Aimee…I don’t mean to be rude, but…” Lindsay stammered.
“Look at the bottom,” Aimee said.
Lindsay looked underneath all of the paper. There, taped to the bottom of the box, was a gift card. It was a card to be used at Aimee’s dad’s bookstore.
“Oh, wow!” Lindsay cried. “I can buy more books.”
Madison wrinkled her nose. “Aim, why did you wrap it in that big box?”
“Because!” Aimee said. “Everyone always gives those gift cards in a plain wrapper or envelope, and I’m sorry, but that is just not as much fun as opening up a box with tissue paper.”
The girls laughed.
Mrs. Frost stepped into the center of the room with a large envelope. She placed it on the sofa.
“Something from your mother,” she said. “For you, for us.”
Lindsay tore open the top of the envelope. Out slid two tickets.
“Theater tickets!” Lindsay exclaimed. “I told you that was what I wanted. These are amazing, Mom.”
“Read the note,” Mrs. Frost insisted.
Lindsay read it aloud.
For my darling daughter
Look to the moon for all your dreams.
The stars hold all the secrets.
No matter what happens, I am always here for you.
Love, Mom
P.S.: Any show you want, any dinner you want, anything you want!
“Did you know we were going to the planetarium today?” Aimee asked.
Mrs. Frost shook her head. “I’m afraid not. That’s just one of those coincidences, I guess. I’ve got stars on the brain.”
“I don’t believe in coincidences,” Aunt Mimi said matter-of-factly. “I believe in destiny.”
Madison liked the sound of that. “Um…here’s my present,” she said sheepishly as she passed a small gift box to Lindsay. “I was going to get you this picture frame, but then I saw this, and I liked it way better.”
Lindsay gave Madison a funny look and then opened the little box, lifting the lid to find a charm suspended on a silver chain.
Lindsay reached into the box and pulled out the necklace. The charm was shaped like a book.
“So cool,” Fiona gushed. “I want one.”
“Me, too!” Aimee said. “We should get them for all four of us.”
“That’s a grand idea,” Aunt Mimi said.
Mrs. Frost was smiling, too. “Lindsay, you certainly are lucky to have such a special crew of friends. My goodness.”
Ding-a-ling-a-ling.
“What was that?” Madison asked.
“Oh,” Lindsay said. “Aunt Mimi’s intercom.”
“I wonder what George wants,” Aunt Mimi said as she strode across the living room to get to the intercom receiver located in the outer hallway.
The girls helped Lindsay and Mrs. Frost pick up the wrapping paper, ribbon, and cards from the floor. Lindsay proudly wore her new necklace. She gave Madison a hug.
“Thank you for everything,” Lindsay whispered in Madison’s ear. “Talking to you about the Big D and all that…well, it really helped me deal with today.”
“Of course,” Madison said. She gave Lindsay another big squeeze.
Aunt Mimi marched back into the living room with her hands in the air.
“Well, will wonders never cease?” she declared.
“What is it?” Mrs. Frost asked.
“That was George. Apparently, your father is downstairs, Lindsay.”
Lindsay clutched her stomach. “He is? Really?”
“I told George to send him on up. He should be here in two shakes of a lamb’s—”
Knock, knock, knock.
“That was fast,” Aimee said.
All the color drained from Lindsay’s cheeks. Mrs. Frost grabbed her daughter’s hands.
“Look, Lindsay, I know you’re angry with your father, and I understand your feelings. He has not been sensitive to your birthday and all your plans. You have every right to be mad.”
“Mad?” Lindsay looked into her mom’s eyes. “I’m not mad, Mom. I’m psyched. I wanted to see Dad. And he’s here. He’s here!”
As soon as Lindsay said that, she bounded toward the door.
Madison noticed how Mrs. Frost just stood there as if she’d been socked in the jaw.
Madison sat there, looking at the hurt expression on Mrs. Frost’s face. Had Madison ever done that to her own mom—left her standing, abandoning her for a few moments with Dad?
Of course she had.
Madison knew from the guidance counselor at school that she couldn’t control her parents’ feelings. She knew that the Big D wasn’t her fault. But no matter how many times she heard that, she couldn’t help thinking that a teeny-tiny part of her was to blame. And she knew that Lindsay felt the same way.
“Daddy!”
Everyone waited with anticipation for Mr. Frost to waltz into the living room where they were gathered. A moment later, he stumbled in—one arm wrapped around Lindsay’s shoulder. Madison thought it looked as though Lindsay were about to cry again. But these were happy tears.
“Everyone, this is Dad, well, my dad,” Lindsay said, introducing him to everyone in the room.
Mrs. Frost stood off to the side. Aunt Mimi stood next to her, with arms crossed. Madison knew those poses. She’d seen them many times before on her own mom when her dad came to pick her up. Even when Mom said hello in a nice voice, her body would show her discomfort.
“I don’t get it,” Aimee whispered
to Fiona. “If your dad ditched you on your birthday, would you be acting all lovey-dovey?”
“No way. I don’t get it, either,” Fiona replied in an even softer whisper.
Madison overheard them but was too far from them to whisper herself. She stared down at her feet.
They didn’t get it? Madison got it. She knew only too well what it felt like to be rip-roaring mad at her father—and to love him way too much at the same time. In many ways, Lindsay and Madison were a lot more alike, a lot more like sisters, than either had imagined.
“Let me first say what a pleasure it is to finally meet all of your friends,” Mr. Frost gasped, finally addressing everyone. His suit was a little rumpled, and he carried a briefcase that had a lock on one side. “Hello, Mimi. Hello, Jahnna.”
Mr. Frost removed his suit jacket and placed it gingerly on a chair.
“Of course, I owe all of you an apology. Especially you, Lindsay. I have clients in from Tokyo, and an early meeting today turned into a marathon affair with an after-work dinner that I needed to show my face at—”
“I think we get the picture, Allan,” Mrs. Frost said in a voice that was…well…frosty.
Before Mr. Frost could reply, Lindsay spoke up.
“Oh, Daddy, I knew you would come. We all did.”
“Yes! Well!” Aunt Mimi clapped her hands. “Why don’t you take a seat with the rest of us, Allan, and stay a spell?”
“I know it’s late,” Mr. Frost said, apologizing again as he took a seat. “I am so sorry that I missed the dinner party. Did you have a good time? Did you get any presents?” he asked Lindsay.
Lindsay nodded and turned toward her friends. “Dad, this was the best birthday ever. They even told me so. And I got a book and…”
Lindsay’s voice trailed off just a little bit as she grabbed her gifts and started to show them to her father.
“Wait! Before you do that,” Mr. Frost interrupted, “I have something for you, too.” He leaned over and produced a large yellow envelope from his jacket pocket. It was sealed with a gold foil sticker.
Everyone stared intently as Lindsay opened it.
“Wow!” Lindsay cried. She pulled out two tickets. “Theater tickets,” she said. “It’s just what I wanted.”
“Uh-oh,” Aimee said out loud without realizing it.
Fiona and Madison both gave her a nudge at the same time.
Dad grinned. “We can go to a show together,” he said, “and maybe grab some dinner.”
Madison watched as Mr. Frost told Lindsay about all the things they could do together, knowing that half of what he was talking about would probably never happen. At least that was how it had worked when Madison’s parents had gotten divorced.
From across the room, Mrs. Frost watched her soon-to-be-ex-husband talking. Madison spotted her fidgeting, clearly uncomfortable being in the same room with him for very long. And even though Madison’s experiences with the Big D had happened a year ago, she never stopped wondering why marriages had to come to this place, where two people who had once professed love now acted so cold, or in this case, frosty, with each other.
Lindsay and her father decided to throw on their jackets and head out to the terrace of Aunt Mimi’s apartment. Madison, Aimee, and Fiona watched as their friend and her father huddled together against the cold outside, talking. Mrs. Frost went into the den to watch some TV. Aunt Mimi picked up in the living room and sent everyone else into the library, where she had an entertainment center, complete with DVDs and music.
Right away, Aimee found a recording of Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker Suite, one of her favorite ballets. She’d played a nutcracker and a mouse in performances of it; and more than anything, Aimee wanted to play the role of the little girl, maybe even in New York City. She knew that that was a big, big dream.
Madison spied a portable telephone sitting in its cradle in the corner of the room. She remembered that Aunt Mimi had said the kids could use the phones whenever they wanted, provided that they weren’t calling anywhere crazy and talking long-distance for hours.
“Hey, Aim? Fiona? Can you turn the music down? I’m going to make a call,” Madison said as she picked up the phone. She dialed Far Hills.
“Are you calling home?” Aimee whispered.
“She’s probably calling Phinnie,” Fiona said.
Someone picked up on the other end.
“Hello?” a voice said.
“Hello…Dad?” Madison said into the phone.
After everything that had happened to Lindsay, Madison needed to talk to her own father, too. After all, this would have been their usual night together. She needed to tell him how much she missed him and loved him. And of course, while she was at it, she’d tell him all about the Frrrozen hot chocolate, the makeovers, and the planetarium, too.
When Madison was finished talking, Aimee and Fiona decided it would be a good idea for them to call their fathers, too. By the time everyone had finished gabbing, Lindsay reappeared.
“My dad is leaving now,” she said, sounding very sad.
“It’s so great that he showed,” Aimee said.
“I know,” Lindsay said. “My mom is still mad at him, though.”
“That’s okay,” Madison said. “That’s how moms get.”
“Lindsay, thank you for letting us be here,” Fiona said.
“You keep saying that!” Lindsay said. She turned toward the DVD player. “Want to watch a movie?”
Aimee nodded emphatically. “Yeah, let’s watch something scary.”
“What?” Madison cried. “Aim, you get scared if someone goes, ‘Boo’! Let’s watch something mushy.”
“A romantic movie will make me think of Egg,” Fiona said sweetly.
Everyone pretended to gag.
“Cut it out!” Fiona cried. “I can’t help it if I like him. Aim, you like Ben. Maddie, you like Hart.”
“You know, I like someone, too,” Lindsay admitted. Her three BFFs shot her a look.
“Who?” they asked.
Lindsay pressed her palms together and took a deep breath. “You promise you won’t tell?”
Aimee laughed. “Tell who? We’re it.”
“Okay,” Lindsay said. “I hardly ever think about guys this way. But…”
“Start talking!” Fiona said.
“I have this crush on…well…just a little crush, really…on…” she looked flustered as she tried to get the name out. “Dan. Ginsburg. I mean, he’s always funny and nice, and he talks about books with me sometimes in the library.”
There was total silence in the room.
Then Madison grinned. “Dan?”
Madison remembered a time when Dan had admitted that he liked her—during a school dance. But she’d wanted to stay just friends. It had been at that exact moment that Madison had admitted to herself just how much she liked Hart Jones.
“I can’t believe you never told me that, Lindsay,” Madison added.
“Well, no one ever really asked me whom I like…” Lindsay said.
“I’m sorry!” Fiona blurted. “We’re supposed to do that. I feel so silly. We’re your friends, and we didn’t ask…”
“I’m sorry, too,” Aimee said. “And I was going on about Ben yesterday.”
“You never told me any of this?” Madison said to Lindsay. “Not even after all of our long talks. Whoa. I’m really surprised.”
“It’s really not a big deal, Maddie,” Lindsay said. “But, since everyone seems to have someone to like, well, I just don’t want to be left out, especially not on my birthday.”
There was more to that statement, Madison knew, than just the fact that Lindsay liked Dan. She knew Lindsay didn’t want to be left out by her dad or her mom, either, especially not during the Big D. Madison went over to Lindsay, grabbed her by the shoulders, and looked her square in the eye.
“Lindsay, you are not left out. Not ever. You are always super nice, and you’re the queen of gossip, and your Aunt Mimi is the coolest aunt ever, and your dad
showed up to celebrate your birthday. Your life is golden.”
“Well…” Lindsay stammered. “My mom says all that glitters is not gold.”
“Says who?” Aimee cried.
“Yeah!” Madison threw her arms into the air in a funny imitation of Aunt Mimi. “All that glitters is gold, gold, gold. Abso-tootly!” she cried.
Everyone collapsed, laughing, onto the floor in front of the TV set.
“Let’s watch the movie,” Aimee said, holding up a DVD and then sliding it into the machine.
“A little romance it is,” Lindsay said as she pushed PLAY.
Chapter 12
From: Bigwheels
To: MadFinn
Subject: How’s the Party???
Date: Sat 12 Dec 11:01 PM
Hey there. Sorry I didn’t write again sooner than now. It has been an insane wk @ school and home like I said in my blog & my last E-M. I am so jealous that ur in NYC right now w/yr BFFs having the best TOYL! I’m stuck here in the cold and it really stinks. Ugh.
BUT did I tell u that the guy I like, Reggie, gave me a stuffed bear? He did last wk. I forgot to say that. It’s purple with this ribbon on its neck that sparkles and a silver satin flower on its belly. I LOVE IT. Is it possible to be in real love even though we’re in seventh grade? I wonder stuff like that all the time. I know u do 2. Like from everything you say it sounds like Hart is THE one. But how can we say that when we’re only 12? Is that a scary thought or cool 4 u? My friend Lainie would freak at the thought. She doesn’t even really LIKE boys. She never has gone out with one or followed one in school or even said much about thinking they’re cute. She’d rather go to the stables with her horse. Of course that’s cool too. We hung out yesterday and I helped her groom her horse Tuck. Have u ever ridden a horse? We don’t go that much b/c my mom is allergic.
N E WAY!
U have 2 write me ALL the details about yr city trip. Can u send me a New York E-card? Did u take digital photos? I know yr mom and dad are not too cool w/sending those online so LMK. My teacher at school always sez BSTS!
Write back soooooooon!
Yours till the birth days,
Vicki aka Bigwheels
Madison clicked REPLY and sent Bigwheels a quick note back. Bigwheels had been right about the photographs. Mom had told Madison that she didn’t want personal photos published online unless Madison could confirm the fact that the site was protected, and Madison couldn’t very well do that from here. Maybe her dad could help her print out some of the photos that Aunt Mimi had taken at Serendipity and everywhere else—and Madison could make a collage later?