Just Visiting (5 page)

The home page on her favorite website, TweenBlurt.com, announced special summer chat rooms, a what-l-did-for-my-summer-vacation writing contest (Madison was thinking about entering that one), and, of course, “Ask the Blowfish.” This was the advice section of the site. She clicked on a puffy-looking fish swimming around on-screen. When a bubble appeared, she punched in a superimportant question about life. After that, all she had to do was wait for a wise, fishy fortune to appear.

She typed:
Will I have a good time at Gramma’s for the Fourth of July?

The fish swam upside down with its answer.
You’ve gone overboard
.

Madison frowned. Disappointed, she asked the same question again.

The second time, the fish said,
Things will go swimmingly
.

Madison looked down at Phin, who’d curled up by her fuzzy monkey slippers. He was snoring. “What is this fish talking about, Phinnie?” she asked the dog, as if he’d give her a better answer than a cartoon blowfish. Madison couldn’t imagine how anything at Gramma’s could go “swimmingly.”

She typed in a
new
question the next time.

Does Hart like Ivy?

The fish said,
Be careful where you tread water
.

Madison gasped aloud. Was the fish talking about Ivy? Was Madison supposed to be careful of her enemy?

She had to ask that question a second time to know for sure. She was a little more specific then.

Does Hart like Madison?

Now the fish said,
Watch out for sharks.

Madison gasped louder than before. This blowfish
had
to be talking about Poison Ivy; she knew it! Her head spun with frantic thoughts of Hart and Ivy and the Fourth of July extravaganza. She imagined the worst.

There were so many reasons to be sad about leaving town for the holiday.

Was this one more to add to the list?

Phinnie stirred by Madison’s feet with a soft little cry. His wet nose was tickling her ankle. She was so tired from her long day in the sun and the yucky “Ask the Blowfish” advice, and she really wanted to get off the site.

But she typed in one more question, just for fun … just to see what the blowfish would say.

So what is my destiny this summer?

The blowfish replied instantly with an underwater pop:
You will be drowning in a sea of love.

“HA!” Madison laughed out loud at the computer screen. “Double HA!” After a day at Lake Dora, she was fairly certain that “sea” did not include Hart “Splasher” Jones.

“Rowrroooooo!” Phin jumped up, collar jangling.

She couldn’t trust
anything
the silly blowfish had to say. But after its last answer, she also couldn’t wipe the smile off her face.

M
ADISON WATCHED THE WEATHER
Channel with Mom for two days after the Lake Dora get-together, hoping to figure out what to bring to Chicago. She had no idea how to pack for Gramma Helen’s lake house. It was getting down to the wire, too. She and Mom were scheduled to leave
that
morning.

Mom pestered Madison to throw some clothes—any clothes—into a bag, but nothing seemed color-coordinated or comfortable enough.

Packing for herself was only half the problem. Madison also had to consider what chew toys and pillows to bring for Phinnie. He’d be riding with baggage on the flight to Gramma’s, but Madison still packed him a little suitcase of his very own. His favorite tuggy rope, frayed and smelly, had to be sealed in a plastic bag.

With Mom’s help, Madison finally decided on a few colored tank tops, T-shirts, and shorts. She threw in a flowered dress, faded jeans, and a lacy blue summer shirt that Fiona had let her borrow—just in case she and Gramma went somewhere special. Of course, she added in all the other essentials, too: underwear, hair dryer, hair stuff, pj’s, sandals, sneakers, and her favorite moonstone earrings.

The suitcase was bursting by the time Mom announced, “We’re leaving in twenty minutes!”

Phinnie was panting and running all over the house, too, like he knew something special was about to happen.

Aimee and Fiona stopped by to say good-bye in the nick of time. Mom kept an eye on her watch as the BFFs stood on the porch, exchanging hugs and tearful farewells.

“Promise me you’ll e-mail!” Madison asked them both. They nodded.

“You better write, too!” Fiona said.

Madison knew that Aimee and Fiona would be busier than busy with their visitors from out of town, Sasha and Debbie. But she hoped they would write.

“It won’t be the same Fourth of July without you!” Fiona wailed. She was starting to tear up.

“Girls, I’m afraid Maddie and I have to go,” Mom said, quietly interrupting. “We have a few errands to do before we head to the airport.”

Madison wiped a tear from her cheek and sniffled. “I love you guys,” she said. “I’m going to miss you soooooo much.” It was only a week, but Madison and her BFFs were closer than close.

They clinched for another group hug before Aimee and Fiona skipped down the porch stairs and onto the sidewalk. Phin barked after them. Madison kept waving until they were well out of sight.

After loading their suitcases into the car, Madison put on Phin’s leash and got into the backseat with him. Their first errand was to stop over at the animal clinic where Madison volunteered. Her friend Dan’s mom, Eileen Ginsburg, was a nurse at the clinic and had agreed to loan Madison the required doggy travel crate for the plane ride to Chicago.

When they picked up the crate, Eileen had packed it with water, kibble, cookies, and a brand-new rawhide bone. Phin licked his chops and crawled inside without a struggle. He
liked
the crate. The baggage handlers had no problems loading a crated Phin when the time came. He was panting like crazy, and looked almost like he was smiling.

After dropping off the dog, Madison followed Mom toward the sign that said GATES 4A THROUGH 24A. They were in the A terminal, gate 22, all the way at the end of a long walkway. Madison was happy her carry-on backpack had little wheels so she could drag it behind her. They lined up at three different security checkpoints along the way to give their names and show a photo ID.

When Madison and Mom finally took their seats on the plane, it started making a series of insectlike swooshing and whirring noises. Madison looked through the teeny window to her right to see the bunch of panels and flaps lifted and lowered while the plane readied itself for takeoff. She’d been on planes many times before today, but something about leaving home this time had her more apprehensive than before.

“These seats sure are snug,” Mom complained, shifting from side to side. Mom was on the aisle. Madison was on the window. No one would have to sit between them. Center seats on a plane were way too cramped for comfort.

“Please put your tray tables and seats in the upright, locked position,” the flight attendant announced over the intercom. He explained the safety rules while other flight attendants went around to check on the passengers.

Madison watched out the window as the plane began its slow roll away from the airport. She’d spent the better part of the last few days thinking and rethinking about the Fourth of July extravaganza—and how she wouldn’t be attending. But right then, at that moment when the plane taxied down the runway for liftoff, Madison felt the enormous sadness well up in her all over again.

“You okay, honey bear?” Mom said, leaning over and squeezing Madison’s hand.

Madison nodded and tried to hide the fact that she was about to start crying.

“After the plane takes off, you can have a soda and some pretzels,” Mom said, as if snack food could wipe away the tears.

Madison squeezed Mom’s hand back.

The pilot got on the loudspeaker and explained the flight route they’d be taking. No sooner had he signed off than everyone in the cabin felt the plane rush forward. Takeoff had come at last. Madison was on her way to Chicago for real. There was absolutely no running away now. They were about to soar twenty-five thousand feet into the air.

Bling. Bling.
The “fasten seat belt” sign blinked.

Madison closed her eyes as the plane ascended. Mom did, too. After they’d climbed into the air for a little while, Mom turned to her daughter with a comforting voice.

“You know, Maddie,” Mom began. “This brings back incredible memories for me…”

Madison sighed. “It does?”

“Going to the lake house was the highlight of every summer when I was your age. We had so much fun there,” Mom said.

“You did?”

“Oh yeah.” Mom nodded. She was talking about herself and her sister. They were close in age.

“What did you do there?” Madison asked.

“Everything,” Mom replied. “Swam, sailed, fished, played checkers …”

“Checkers?” Madison asked. “Sounds like a party …”

“Hey.” Mom giggled. “You know what I mean. And we did other stuff, too. I met the first boy I ever liked—really liked—up at that lake house. His name was Ethan Randall. He was so cute.”

Madison couldn’t help thinking about Hart Jones right then.

“Well … Ethan Randall was the cutest boy I had ever met. And he was so nice, too.” Mom smiled. “We went for walks. We swam together in the lake up there. When I was thirteen, I had my best summer ever.”

“You did?” Madison said. Madison figured that “best” meant more than just a great game of checkers. “So what happened?”

Mom got a look on her face that flushed her cheeks pink. She knew that look. It was a blush, like the way she’d felt at the beach with Hart.

“Mom …” Madison teased. “Tell me what happened!”

Mom looked Madison right in the eye. “It was magic. Sometimes boys can do that to you.”

“I know,” Madison said. “I thought I was going to have something magical happen at home for the Fourth of July. That’s why I’m so sad to go so far away…” she explained.

“So
that’s
why you were so angry,” Mom said, understanding Madison’s moodiness at last. “Your father and I were worried about you. We didn’t know why you were so upset about leaving.”

“Well, I’m going to miss my friends,” Madison said.

“And Hart?” Mom asked with a little smile.

Madison chewed on her lip and nodded. “He’s this boy in my class.”

“Hmmm,” Mom said. “Well, you know, honey bear, he’ll be in Far Hills when you get back. You’re only going to be gone for a week. I wouldn’t worry about it too much. Summers are filled with all kinds of surprises.”

Bling. Bling.

Mom unhooked her seat belt and got up to use the lavatory as soon as the plane beeped.

“It is safe to move around the cabin now,” the flight attendant said over the loudspeaker.

Madison turned to look out the window again. Gazing off at the thick clouds, she fell fast asleep.

“Wake up,” Mom whispered. “We’re landing.”

Madison couldn’t believe she’d slept through the entire flight. She had planned to write in her files on her laptop and maybe even read a chapter or two from
Just as Long as We’re Together,
her favorite book by Judy Blume. But none of that happened. She’d even slept through the refreshment cart.

“Gramma is meeting us at the gate,” Mom explained. “You and she will go off to the lake house together while I get on my connecting flight for California. Oh, honey bear, I’m going to miss you!”

“I’ll miss you, too, Mom!” Madison said. “But I guess it’s just a week.”

Mom grinned. “Right you are.”

It was a bumpy landing, but Mom and Madison laughed their way through it. Madison wondered if Phinnie had fared as well. She had thoughts of him bumping around inside his carrier, howling at the suitcases in the luggage compartment.

When they pulled into the gate, Madison raced up the gangway and into the terminal. Now that she was here in Chicago, she couldn’t wait to see her Gramma Helen. She wanted to throw her arms around Gramma and
hug.

Mom followed right behind Madison. Her connecting plane was due to board in less than an hour.

“Frannie! Maddie!” Gramma called out when she saw her daughter and granddaughter. She was wearing a floppy purple hat and waving her hands madly in the air. “Over he-ere!”

Madison raced into Gramma Helen’s arms.

“Gramma!” she cried. “I’m so happy to see you.”

Mom came over and gave her a kiss, too. “Hey, Ma,” Mom said, adjusting the strap on her bag. “I hate to say hello and run—but my flight takes off in a little while, so …”

“No time for a cup of coffee or a little chat?” Gramma Helen said. She sounded disappointed.

“I’m sorry,” Mom said, taking Gramma’s hand. “Can we talk later? I owe you one.” They hugged and then Mom turned to Madison.

Madison slid her arms around Mom’s waist. “I’ll miss you.”

Mom kissed Madison’s head. “Me, too. Now, be good, Maddie, okay?” She started walking away. “I’ll call you when I get into San Francisco—both of you. Love you!”

“Bye!” Gramma and Madison said at the same time. They watched as Mom vanished into a crowd of rushing passengers. Madison kept looking in the same direction, just in case Mom turned around again. Their good-byes had been so fast.

Gramma Helen clapped. “Let me look at you!” She turned Madison around so she saw her front, sides, and back. “You’re so BIG!” Gramma said.

Madison felt like she was being inspected. “Big?” she asked, squirming a little.

“I mean …
gorgeous!”
Gramma Helen corrected herself. “Mature. Sophisticated! Amazing!”

Madison giggled. “Yeah, sure, Gramma.”

“Now, let’s get the pooch and get ourselves to Winnetka,” she said. It was only a short drive to the community where Gramma lived on the North Shore of Chicago.

“I can’t wait for you to see Phinnie!” Madison exclaimed. “He’s gotten big, too!”

Gramma Helen grabbed Madison by the shoulders. “We’ll get your bag and Phin, and then I thought we could head back to the house and catch up a bit. But we have to stop at the grocery store first. Oh! There’s so much to do!”

The baggage claim area was packed with passengers from flights all over the country. People were shoving and elbowing to get a front-row look at the luggage carousels. Gramma stood back and to the side.