Just Visiting (13 page)

People had blankets and chairs pitched everywhere. Dogs raced around, and picnic baskets still littered the lawn even though it was getting late.

Madison could see Gramma Helen and Mabel from far across the park.

“This is really fun,” Mark told Madison on their way back. “I’m glad you’re here.”

Madison blushed. “Thanks. Me too.”

“But I shouldn’t have eaten that last batch of fried dough,” Mark said, rubbing his belly. He burped, and Madison laughed. For some reason, it didn’t gross her out the same way it did when Egg or Hart burped.

“Well, look at YOU!” Mabel said, putting down her hand of cards to wave hello to Mark and Madison as they approached.

“How was the carnival?” Gramma Helen asked with a big smile.

Madison smiled back. “Fun,” she said. “We rode almost everything.”

“Except the whirly ride,” Mark added, grinning at Madison.

She nodded and blushed, then bent down to pet Phin, who was rolling around on the cool grass.

The sky slowly turned from pink to gray as dusk approached. Everyone around the elm tree was settling onto their blankets in preparation for the evening’s musical performance and fireworks. Madison found an open spot to sit on the corner of Mabel’s enormous quilt. Mark sat on the opposite corner.

As darkness fell, the trumpets started to play. Gramma Helen hummed along to George Gershwin’s
Rhapsody in Blue.
Mabel tried to hum, too, but her humming was loud and a little off-key. Madison was sure that everyone was staring.

Around nine o’clock, the first official Fourth of July rocket shot into the air and exploded in an arc of white and blue. Gramma Helen reached for Phin, who barked and shoved his nose under the blanket. He was scared of the
booms.

Madison, on the other hand, squeaked with delight.

“This is pretty cool, huh?” Mark whispered, edging a little closer to Madison’s corner of the quilt without seeming to realize it.

Madison nodded in the half dark. “Uh-huh,” she said. “It’s like magic.”

Ka-boom!

More fireworks exploded in the skies over the park and over Lake Michigan.

Ka-boom!

The crowd gasped and sighed in unison.

At one point, Phinnie tried to dart away. Madison threw herself across the quilt to catch onto his collar. Her knees touched Mark’s as she fell forward.

“Phin!” she yelled, picking herself up. She was practically in Mark’s lap, but he wasn’t moving away.

“Whoops,” he said in a doofy voice.

Madison giggled nervously. “Yeah, whoops.” She pushed herself upright and grabbed ahold of Phin’s collar and leash for good.

Ka-boom! Boom! Boom!

“Are you two having fun?” Mabel yelled out. “Isn’t this spectacular?”

Mark looked at Madison, and he didn’t look away, not even to see what was exploding next. She could see the flash of fireworks across his nose and chin—a blur of whites and greens and purples all at the same time. Her stomach flip-flopped like it had never flip-flopped before.

Ka-boom!

This
was the Fourth of July Madison had always wanted.

FIREWORKS


I don’t know how to write this down. My hands are shaking. All of me is shaking.


I guess I will just say it:


Mark kissed me.


HE KISSED ME AND I KISSED HIM BACK!


I haven’t told a soul. I don’t even know how I feel. It is so weird to want something for so long and then have it happen. Only it wasn’t with the person I expected.


Rude Awakening:
Sometimes it’s better to follow my heart—not my Hart.


I have to send an e-mail to Bigwheels. She will flip out, I know. And I don’t know what Aimee and Fiona will say. They have both had their first kisses already, so it’s no biggie for them. But it is SUCH a huge deal for me. Mark is my new and improved crush.


I can’t believe I didn’t want to come visit Gramma.


What was I thinking?


Madison closed her file and opened her e-mail so she could write to Bigwheels with all the details of the first kiss.

Her hands were still shaky on the keyboard and mouse as she wrote.

She kept spacing out in the middle of sentences, too. All she could think about was the way Mark looked and sounded from the night before.

She wanted to relive every moment all over again.

From: MadFinn


To: Bigwheels


Subject: GUESS WHAT HAPPENED TO ME?


Date: Sat 5 July 9:52 AM


I hope ur trip is still happening & that u didn’t have to go home early. Thanks for ur e-card of the bridge, too. I think I may save it as a screen saver when I get back 2 Far Hills. Ur the BEST!


N e way, the most incredible thing happened to me yesterday and I don’t even know what 2 say about it so I will just tell you as many details as I can remember.


I went to the local fireworks and carnival with my gramma Helen and the boy next door and his grandmother. At first Mark and I were acting all weird together, but then we got along better and went on all these rides. He is so funny and cute. I had all these butterflies in my tummy while we were hanging out together.


Sometimes I think you just KNOW when something cool is about to happen, you know? I felt that way yesterday.


I was so right.


He KISSED me. Can you believe it? Right there in my gramma Helen’s backyard, too. We came back from the fireworks and we were walking Phinnie around before we said good-bye. Earlier that night we had been sitting close and I felt all tingly. You know that feeling? N e way, as we were walking around the yard, our hands sort of touched and then we were actually HOLDING hands. His was a little sweaty, but that is okay because it’s July, right? And maybe mine was sweaty, too.


We held hands for almost ten minutes. I could feel my heart beating faster. And just before he went back over to his grandmother’s house, he squeezed my hand and leaned in and kissed me. Okay, he actually kissed half my mouth and part of my cheek, but it was so nice. I think I froze up a little bit because he moved back with this strange look on his face like, “What did I do wrong?”


That’s when I leaned forward a little bit and we kissed again. This time it was really on the lips. It only lasted a split second, but he had really soft lips, I could tell that much. I CAN’T BELIEVE THIS HAPPENED TO ME!


And I can’t believe I have to see him again today. I want to sooo much, but I don’t know what to say.


What do you say to someone who kissed you?


What if one and a half kisses didn’t matter to him as much as me?


I will keep you updated after I figure out what to do. Write back sooner than soon, ok?


Yours till the lip sticks,


MadFinn


p.s. :X (or else)


Madison hit SEND and put her laptop into its snooze function. She wanted to write more, but she had to eat some breakfast first. Gramma was sipping a cup of tea. Phin was asleep at her feet in the dining room.

“Good morning!” Gramma said in her cheeriest voice as Madison shuffled into the kitchen in her pj’s. “I made some pancakes.”

Madison smiled. Pancakes were another food that was hard to eat without feeling happy. Mom always made them to celebrate a special occasion. Gramma could probably tell this was one of those.

“So the Fourth of July celebration was fun last night, wasn’t it?” Gramma asked.

Madison nodded and took a bite of blueberry pancakes smothered in syrup. “Mmmnuh-huh,” she mumbled with a mouthful of food.

“That Mark is
such
a sweet boy,” Gramma said, winking.

Phinnie jumped up on Madison’s knee, begging for his own bite of pancake. Madison sneaked him a bite under the table.

“He’s nice,” Madison answered, barely able to contain her grin.

“You know what? I think he likes you, Maddie,” Gramma whispered, like she was giving away a big secret. “You can tell by the way he looks at you.”

“Gramma!” Madison exclaimed, embarrassed. “He does not.”

Gramma shook her head.
“Tsk, tsk, tsk,”
she clucked. “I think he does.”

Mark’s face popped into Madison’s thoughts again. She could feel the way last night felt all over again: the warm temperature, the smell of barbecue, the sounds of fireworks exploding, and the way it felt to hold hands…

“Oh—don’t forget that your mom wants you to call her later,” Gramma reminded Madison. “You’ll have to tell her the big news.”

“What big news?” Madison said, playing dumb. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Gramma.”

Gramma Helen grinned again. “Oh, well, you know me. I don’t know what I’m talking about. I guess I’ll just clear away these dishes, then.” She wandered into the kitchen with a stack of plates.

“Why were you saying that?” Madison asked, chasing after her. Phin followed closely behind.

Standing by the sink, Gramma started humming
Rhapsody in Blue
the way she had the night before. “I don’t know. Maybe you should go visit Mark and see what he’s up to today?” she hinted.

Madison wrinkled her eyebrows together. “Gramma!” she said, unable to hold back her smile. “I can’t believe that you think—”

She cut herself off.

Of course Gramma knew that there were more sparks going off in Winnetka that night than the ones in the air over the park.

“Looks like another sunny day today, doesn’t it?” Gramma said.

Madison gave her a big bear hug. “You’re the best, Gramma,” she cooed, squeezing hard.

“So are you, dearie,” Gramma replied, kissing Madison’s head. “So are you.”

Mabel answered the bell when Madison rang it over at the house next door.

“My, my!” Mabel said, opening the door wide.

“Come on in! I didn’t think I’d see
you
so bright and early today!”

Madison walked in slowly, glancing around for signs of Mark.

“Yeah, I got up early today,” Madison said. “Um … is Mark around?”

“Yes indeed,” Mabel said. “He’s just packing up all of his stuff.”

“Packing?” Madison asked.

Mabel frowned. “Oh, didn’t he tell you? He’s going back to his parents in Chicago today. My ankle seems to be doing better, so he’s headed home. I sure will miss him…”

At that exact moment, Mark came into the room. His eyes lit up when he saw Madison standing there. “Hey!” he cried with a smile.

But Madison wasn’t sure what to say now that she’d learned he was leaving Winnetka. “Hey,” she mumbled.

“What’s up?” he asked.

“Oh, nothing. I was just coming over to see if maybe you wanted to hang out … but your grandmother tells me you’re leaving … and gee, I guess. …”

She tripped over her words.

Mark shook his head. “No! I’m just packing up because my dad told me to be ready later today. I’m not
actually
leaving here until after six. That’s when he’s coming to get me.”

The phone rang and Mabel hurried to answer it, leaving the two of them alone together. The room was quieter than quiet.

“So …” Madison said.

“So …” Mark said.

“Want to go for a walk with me and Phinnie?” she asked. “I know it’s in the middle of everything, but…”

“Yeah, sure,” Mark said. “We can walk the beach up to the dog. I mean, we can walk the dog up to the beach.”

Madison giggled.

He grabbed his baseball cap and they went back next door to Gramma Helen’s to get Phin. He was extra playful that morning, so they had their hands full walking him down the busy road and over to the beach.

Everywhere Madison looked, she saw signs of the preceding day’s events: burnt-out sparklers, dead-wood bonfire branches, and rusty cans. There had been a huge Fourth of July party on the beach as well as the park. The cleanup crew would probably be arriving soon.

The pair kicked sand and rocks out of the way as they paraded down the beach with Phin. Mark picked up a giant pinecone and handed it to Madison.

After strolling along for twenty minutes or so, they finally stopped to sit by the dunes. Phin roamed in and out of the grass that grew wild up and down the beach nearby. Madison had his doggy leash hooked onto a bench to keep an eye on him.

“This is a nice beach,” Mark said. “I came here when I was little.”

Madison pushed a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “What was it like then?” she asked.

“Pretty much the same,” Mark said. “It seemed bigger, though.” He smiled.

“I hate to leave,” Madison admitted. “To go back to Far Hills and Lake Dora. That lake isn’t as much fun as this one. That’s for sure.”

“I wish I didn’t have to leave, either,” Mark said. “This trip has been better than I expected.”

“I wish you didn’t have to leave, either,” Madison joined in.

“Yeah, it was cool that we met,” Mark said.

All at once, he reached out and took Madison’s hand all over again, only his hand wasn’t so sweaty this time. She grabbed on to it tightly and then glanced around to see if anyone was spying. Of course, no one was even looking.