My Fairy Godmonster (4 page)

“David never talks about Mom.”

“How come?” he asks.

“I don’t know. It’s like he and Dad have a
secret.”

“It’s hard to talk about,” Scott says.

“Yeah. Especially with people who haven’t had
it happen to them.”

Scott looks around the garden. “This place is
cool. You’re lucky.”

“How come?” I ask.

“I live in New York. Too busy, too many
people.”

“There must be lots to do in a big city.”

Scott shrugs. “I’d rather live here. I’ve
always been crazy about horses.” He stops talking and starts
walking away. I don’t want to let him go when he looks so down.

I ask, “What does your dad do?”

Scott looks at the angel. “He used to be a
stockbroker. Since Mom died, he’s taken time off and sits home
staring at the walls.”

“Bummer.”

“Winifred, Winifred!” Daria’s voice
screeches.

“Quick, hide!” I whisper. I grab his hand and
pull him behind the giant rhododendron bush. The pink flowers
glisten purple in the sunset.

“
Please, don’t give me
away.”

I hear Daria skipping into the garden.
“Winifred, dinner’s here. Come set the table.”

I hardly breathe. Scott doesn’t let go of my
hand. Tiny shivers wiggle up my arm. We don’t move.

Daria goes back to the house chanting,
“You’re going to get in trouble. You’re going to get in
trouble.”

I let my breath out and wish I didn’t have to
let go of Scott’s hand. I do. It tingles and feels warm, like he’s
still holding it.

“Thanks for not giving me away. Who does she
think she is, ordering me around?”

“Your dad probably asked her to come get
you,” Scott says.

“Are you defending her?” I try to hold my
temper. It’s hard.

“I’ve seen lots of rich kids act like
her.”

“Where?”

“In private school.”

“Oh.”

Scott glances at me. “Some rich people are
actually nice.”

I can’t stop blushing.

He adds, “Mrs. Dudley is something else. That
voice and those eyes. Like waiting for a bomb to explode.”

Exactly. I smile up at him. “Do you know the
Dudleys?”

“Naw. Just people like them. They get rich
and try to act superior.”

“Mr. Dudley seems okay,” I say.

“Yeah.” He’s like my dad – was.”

“Your dad will get better. Grieving takes
time.”

He stares into my eyes, “But you never get
over it, do you?”

“No, I guess not,” I say. I ignore my
traitorous body. Will I ever get used to the flutters in my stomach
every time he looks at me? Probably not. Why am I so happy around
him?

“Want to ride Dancer tomorrow?” I ask.

He barely smiles. “You mean I get to graduate
from manure duty?”

“That’s never over. Now you can learn how to
groom the horse.”

“Sounds more fun,” he says.

“Sure, if you don’t mind the smell of sweat.
” I laugh when he makes a face. “Let’s eat. I’m starving. At least
Dad ordered pizzas so I don’t have to cook or do dishes their first
night here.”

“Can’t have you washing the dishes,” he
teases.

His smile almost knocks me off my feet. I
gotta’ get control. Side by side, we walk into the house. I’m
kinda’ getting used to his whistling.

Chapter 8: Watch Out! Control Freak

Kong bounds out of the barn and follows us
into the house. He smells the pizza and runs into the dining room.
A high-pitched screech shatters the air.

I rush in. Everybody’s there. Daria stands
like a terrified statue. Kong licks her, face to face.

Weasel orders, “Otis, do something! Before he
eats our little girl!”

Mr. Dudley’s deep in conversation on his
cell. He takes a second to say, “He’s not hurting her.”

“Oh, for heaven’s sake,” says Dad. “Kong,
come.” Kong follows Dad out of the room.

Daria jumps into her mother’s arms. She sobs
and points a finger at me, “It’s her fault. She let him in.”

Dad returns. “Kong is big, but he won’t hurt
a fly, Daria. I’m sorry he scared you.”

Kong leaps back into the room.

Daria shrieks and jumps on a chair.

“I’m sorry,” Dad says grabbing Kong’s collar.
“He loves to open doors.”

“What!” exclaims Weasel. She wipes Daria’s
face. “My daughter is afraid of all dogs. She can’t be safe in a
house with an animal that can do that. Can you lock him up?”

Dad frowns. “He sleeps in Winifred’s
room.”

“I understand your love of animals,” says
Weasel. “I appreciate the fact that you are allowing Daria’s cat to
be here. I’m worried about the consequences if your dog should be
in the house. Could you please keep him locked outside until the
wedding is over? I would be so grateful.”

Dad grits his teeth. “Yes, of course.” He
goes out to put Kong in the stable. The dog can’t slide open those
doors.

Daria glares at me.

I turn to the dinner table. Eight giant
pizzas are stacked there.

“I’m not familiar with your kitchen,
Winifred,” says Weasel, smiling. “Could you please set the
table?”

“Why set the table to eat pizza?” I ask. “Dad
and I usually eat it from the box with our fingers.”

She stares at me in shock, so I head to the
kitchen and grab glasses, plates and silverware.

Dad comes in and sits down.

I set the plates in front of Weasel since she
is standing in front of the pizza. She places the slices on plates
like she’s the Queen of England. Except the Queen probably has
servants do it.

“Winifred. I know we haven’t charted the
division of labor, yet. Would you like to serve the pizza?”

I would have stared her down, but I can’t
look into those eyes. Why doesn’t Dad say anything?

Claire says, “I’ll help.”

“Winifred is perfectly capable. After all,
she is the Mistress-of-the-House.” Weasel’s smile doesn’t reach her
eyes.

Claire blushes and sits down.

I look around. Dad stares down at his plate.
David grabs Claire’s hand and smiles at her. She barely looks at
him. Daria smirks. John winks and Scott makes a face at me that
Weasel can’t see. I burst out laughing.

Weasel lifts her nose an inch, a horrible
smile on her face.

The Mistress-of-the-House serves pizza.

We eat in silence until Mr. Dudley’s phone
rings. “Sorry,” he says, turning it off. “This is an especially
busy time for me.”

Dad asks, “What do you do?”

“I’m a diamond trader.”

“Wow, that sounds exciting,” Scott says.

Mr. Dudley laughs. “It’s like any business. A
lot of long hours and hard work if you want to be successful.”

John asks him, “How do you get into a
business like that?”

Weasel stiffens. I can tell by her face, she
doesn’t want her husband to spill the beans.

Mr. Dudley doesn’t look at his wife and says,
“I watched my dad die working the mines of South Africa. I was
smart and learned everything I could. Finally, the owner took a
liking to me. He had no children, so he adopted me. If he hadn’t
made me his heir, I wouldn’t be here today. It’s a tight
business.”

My eyes dart to the engagement ring on
Claire’s finger, a single diamond in an antique setting.

“What do you call the shape of your diamond,
Claire?” I ask.

“Marquis cut.” Claire smiles. “Isn’t it the
most beautiful ring you have ever seen?” Her eyes shine in
pride.

John adds, “It’s very unusual. Where did you
find it, David?”

“I wanted a one-of-a-kind ring and found it
in an antique shop. It took a lot of persuading to convince the
owner to sell it to me. It belonged to her great-grandmother.”

Claire laughs. “She insisted on meeting me
before she would sell it to David. Such a dear woman.”

Mr. Dudley says, “I tried to give David one
of the diamonds in my collection, but he insisted on buying his
own. That’s when I knew he was the man for my little girl.”

Claire blushes.

Daria adds, “I want your biggest diamond,
Daddy.”

Mr. Dudley laughs. “You’ll get it.” He turns
to my dad.

“What kind of spread do you have here?”

Dad answers, “Small, only a hundred of thirty
acres. Right now, we have eleven horses. We breed, train and sell
South American Paso Finos. Winifred teaches lessons.”

“Only two of you?” asks Mr. Dudley. “The
right kind of horses can be big business. How’re you going to keep
up with growth?”

“That’s the question of the moment. We’re
looking to buy a stallion and are going to have to expand
soon.”

We’re finished with pizza when Mrs. Dudley
says, “I need to discuss the wedding plans with you, Charles. I
wanted Claire to marry in Boston. All of our friends are there. It
would have been much easier if she had waited until August for the
wedding. There is so much to plan and so little time.”

“I want a small wedding,” murmurs Claire.

Weasel pays no attention to her. She barges
on, “My daughter insisted that she get married here. It is the only
time she has ever defied me.”

Claire looks down at her plate. How did
Weasel have a child like her? I’m glad she’s marrying David. She
only seems happy when she’s with him.

Mr. Dudley interrupts his wife, “I don’t
think we need to go into that, Erminia. We’re here.”

Weasel glares at him and yaps on, “I haven’t
seen the garden yet, but I’m sure it will be adequate once we fix
it.”

Dad chokes on his Pepsi. David’s face goes
white.

“Let’s discuss this in the living room,” Dad
says, getting up.

“What a marvelous idea.” I cringe when Weasel
entwines her arm with Dad’s. “I assume you want to take care of the
dishes, Winifred. Come with us, Claire.” They disappear into the
living room.

David stomps after them and says, “I’m
planning to be in charge of the garden, Mrs. Dudley.”

Mr. Dudley says, “Excuse me.” He reaches for
his phone.

Daria whines, “You promised to play with me,
Daddy.”

“You’ll have to wait, Daria. Business comes
first.” He leaves the room.

John says, “I’ll help you with the dishes,
Win.”

“Mommy told Winifred to do it,” says
Daria.

“We can all help,” John replies.

Daria scowls, “Mommy won’t like it.”

“Winifred is the Mistress-of-the-House,” says
Scott, frowning at her. “Your mom said so.”

Daria turns on him. “You’ll be sorry.” She
runs out of the room.

John and Scott clear the table while I start
the dishes.

“How did you meet David?” I ask John.

“When I transferred to the university, we
ended up sharing a house with two other guys.”

“
John is going to be a
big-wig lawyer,” announces Scott proudly.

“Defense lawyers aren’t usually big-wigs,
Scott. I have to pass the bar, first.” John smiles.

“Piece of cake,” says Scott.

“Do you have plans for college, Win?” John
asks.

“No. I only want to train and raise
horses.”

He frowns. “You still need a college
education. This ranch could grow into a large enterprise where it
will be necessary to have management and accounting skills.”

Scott adds, “You’d better decide soon. Unless
you have the grades and the money, universities are making it
harder to get accepted.”

“Do you have plans for college?” I ask
Scott.

“One more year of high school and then I’m
going to Yale.”

The last dish slips out of my hand, splashing
soapsuds on my face. Yale? I never thought I’d meet anyone who
could go there.

“What will you study?” I ask.

“Forestry and Environmental Studies. There’s
got to be a better way to stop global warming and save endangered
species.”

I finish the dishes, overwhelmed about my
future.

David pokes his head into the kitchen. “John,
Scott, can I talk to you?”

They leave the room.

I wander out the back door and sit alone on
the porch steps. Nervous and depressed.

Claire comes out the screen door. “Do you
mind if I join you, Winifred?”

Yeah. “No.”

Kong hears us and howls mournfully.

“I’m sorry about your dog.”

“He’ll be okay in the stable. He’s not used
to being alone.”

She sits down beside me. “I’m sorry my mother
has been bossing you around.”

“It’s not your fault.”

Claire says, “Did David tell you I’m
adopted?”

“Lucky for you.” Oops. “Sorry.”

“Mom can be very demanding. She practically
raised her ten siblings by herself. Her family was poor and her
alcoholic parents died in a car crash.”

I don’t know what to say. I can’t imagine
raising anything but horses.

Claire continues, “I’d like to ask you
something that is very important to me.”

“Shoot,” I say.

“Will you be my maid-of-honor?”

“Me?” I can’t believe she’s asking me.

“You are so important to David. And I hope we
can become friends.”

“You must have a best friend.”

“She’ll be my matron-of-honor because she’s
married. Even if she wasn’t, I would want you to stand up with
us.”

I hold back tears. What is the matter with
me?

She adds, “It won’t be easy for you. I
haven’t told Mother, yet.”

Oh-oh. My heart thuds to my toes.

“I know it’s a hard decision to make. You
don’t have to tell me until we buy the dresses. Think about it,
please?” She stands.

I jump up and grab her hand. “I’d love to be
your maid-of-honor.”

She hugs me. “Thanks. I hear you moved out of
your room.”

“Daria’s kind of taken over and I don’t like
Godzilla.”

“Godzilla?” Claire laughs. “What a perfect
name for that horrid cat. Come on, I’ll walk you up. I hope it’s
not too bad.”

We go inside, climb the stairs and I unlock
my door.

Claire hurries to the floor mirror.