To Have and to Hold (26 page)

“Wait a sec! Do you have a tan?” Aimee said, sounding envious.

“A tan! Are you crazy?” Madison asked.

Dad ambled back down the walkway, all smiles.

“Congrats, Mr. Finn,” Aimee said. She was in constant motion, as usual.

“Thanks, Aimee,” Dad said. “And now, my dear Madison, I must bid you adieu.”

“Oh, Dad,” Madison said. “Cut it out!”

“This is only good-bye for now,” he said, wrapping his arm around Madison. “Until we meet again?”

“Dad!” Madison wriggled out of his grip. “Stop being so goofy.” She rolled her eyes. “Dad, you are so embarrassing. And I am crowning you King of the Dumb Jokes. It’s official.”

“What happened to King of the Sappy Moments?” he asked.

“Oh, Dad. Just
go
!” Madison said, pushing him back toward the limo.

“I’ll talk to you later,” Dad said as he climbed back into the car. The limo pulled away with a toot of the horn. Madison and Aimee waved.

From the porch, Mom called out to Madison. “Welcome back!”

Madison turned and headed up onto the porch for a welcome-home hug from Mom.

“You look surprisingly rested for someone who barely slept all weekend,” Mom said. “Let me see that twisted ankle. Your dad says you are feeling better.”

Madison and Mom sat on the porch steps together. Aimee came over and joined them, while the dogs played on the lawn. Madison recounted all the wedding details she could recall, from the layout of Wolfe ranch to the view from Bobcat Lake. She told them about the ice sculpture shaped like Texas and about the relative with the big, pink hair.

“Fiona is going to love hearing about that one!” Aimee said.

“Where’s Fiona right now?” Madison asked.

“Home with her dad and everyone else in her family,” Aimee explained. “She wanted to come over and say hello to you, but her mom needed her help. I told her we’d go over there, but her mom isn’t really up for visitors tonight. She said we should come by tomorrow, instead.”

“Sounds good,” Madison said.

“She said to tell you not to forget to bring your plane letter!” Aimee said.

“Oh, wow. I almost forgot!” Madison cried. She went over to her orange bag and pulled out the answers to her questions from the plane. She and Aimee collapsed onto the couch and read the answers together.

Midway through, Aimee started to chuckle.

“What’s so funny?” Madison asked.

“I told Fiona what you said about Hart,” Aimee said.

“You
what
?” Madison cried. “Aim! I didn’t say anything!”

“That is big news. It isn’t fair to keep that a secret from your BFFs. Anyway, what’s so bad about liking Hart Jones? He’s cute.”

“What’s this I hear about Hart?” Mom asked, appearing from the kitchen.

Madison hung her head in her hands. Now Mom had to know, too? She didn’t know what to say. Aimee, as usual, filled in the blanks.

“Maddie likes Hart,” Aimee said. “He’s this kid in our class….”

“Really?” Mom said, looking very surprised. “I thought you liked that boy Drew.”

“Drew? You do?” Aimee said, shocked.

“
Mom
!” Madison yelled. “What are you talking about? I never … ever …
ever
said that I liked Drew.”

“Oh, really? Was it Dan, then? I can’t remember,” Mom said.

“Pork-O?” Aimee shouted.

“
Mom
!” Madison cried. She curled up in a ball on the sofa.

“How long have you liked Dan, Maddie?” Aimee cried. “Wow. You never said anything. I mean, we all know Dan likes
you
, but …”

“Huh?” Madison cried. “What are you talking about?”

Mom chuckled. “Sounds to me like you have nothing to worry about, Maddie.”

Madison was sure she’d turned four successive shades of red by then. “I think you have both lost your minds!” she exclaimed, slowly getting up off the couch.

Phin followed Madison into the kitchen. Mom and Aimee came, too, but luckily, the subject changed back from boys to the wedding.

Over dinner, Madison regaled everyone with more stories of Tiffany, tuxedos, and everything Texas. Before they knew it, the meal was over, the dishes were washed, and it was time for Aimee to head home again with Blossom. She made no more mention of Hart or Drew or Dan or anyone else.

Whew
, thought Maddie.

“Maddie, you have to call me first thing in the morning,” Aimee said. “We’ll go over to Fiona’s together, ’kay?”

“Okay,” Madison said. She hugged her friend good night. “I’m so glad to see you, Aim.”

“That goes double for me,” Aimee said, giving Madison a big hug back. “Bye, Mrs. Finn!”

Madison’s mom waved a dish towel at the girls from the kitchen. “Good night, Aimee.”

The dogs said their own good-byes. They always sniffed each other or rubbed noses before parting ways.

As Madison closed the screen door and watched her friend disappear down the block, she looked up at the big, round moon in the sky over Far Hills. It was the same moon that she’d seen just one night before over Bobcat Lake. But this moon seemed very different. Everything about Texas and the wedding seemed far away. Madison wondered if she would really keep in touch with Kirk or Tiffany or any of the cousins she’d met in Bellville.

Slowly, Madison turned and limped back into the house. Mom agreed to walk Phin before bed, so Madison said good night and hobbled up to her room, laptop in hand.

Madison booted up the computer, logged on, and opened her e-mailbox. She typed in Bigwheels’s e-mail address.

From: MadFinn


To: Bigwheels


Subject: back home


Date: Sun 21 July 8:48 PM


I know I only wrote yesterday, but I’m back @ home now and I just wanted to see if maybe u were online but ur not so I’ll send email instead.


Wow. I feel like SUCH a different person since we took this trip. At the wedding, Dad & Stephanie were the ones who made this big promise to have and to hold each other until infinity. But when I was in Texas I realized that I have a lot to hold onto, too.


Of course I have BFFs like Aim and Fiona. And I have my mom, my dad, and now a stepmother, too. BTW: Do u think 3 parents r better than 2? I’m not 100% sure yet.


Do u ever look up in the sky b4 u go to sleep? There is this huge white ball of a moon up there tonight. I should write a poem about it. I bet u would. Isn’t it cool that that same moon is hanging over Texas where I just visited AND it’s also hanging over your house, too? Do u see it?


I guess I was afraid that everything would change if Dad got married again. Like I thought I would lose him. But I guess I haven’t lost n e thing. Except my mind. LOL.


Oh--there is some BIG newz I forgot to mention. Aim & Fiona know about Hart now. So I guess I did lose one thing--the secretive part of my secret crush. I don’t know what will happen now that he’s sure to find out how I feel. Cross ur fingers that he likes me back.


Write sooner than soon?


Yours till the friend ships,


Maddie


p.s. I almost 4got 2 say THANKS again. It’s nice knowing I can have and hold onto YOU too. SLFN!


I have decided that traveling makes e-mail the Number One essential thing on the planet. I don’t know WHAT I would have done if I couldn’t have e-mailed Bigwheels and all my friends in Far Hills when I went to Dad’s and Stephanie’s wedding! And I never would have gotten Aimee’s e-mail about Fiona’s Dad, either. Plus, the computer is a great way to keep track of everything that happens when you go away.
Use a laptop to keep a travel diary.
I wrote down all the things that happened at the wedding—even the not-so-fun stuff. But I’m glad I did. Now I can remember Dad’s second wedding for always. Once again, the files of Madison Finn (AKA little old me) came in handy.

Visit Madison at
the author’s webpage:
www.lauradower.com

Turn the page to continue reading from Laura Dower’s From the Files of Madison Finn series

O
UTSIDE, THE TEMPERATURE IN
Far Hills topped ninety, but inside Madison Finn’s bedroom, the air conditioning was on full blast. Mom had moved the TV into Madison’s room for the night, and it cast a cool blue glow over the darkened room and everyone’s faces. Everything about this night spelled the ultimate slumber-party setup: good snack food, great friends, and enough pillows for absolutely everyone. Phinnie lay across the top of the comforter gnawing on a rawhide bone, while Madison and her friends clustered together on the floor, gossiping, giggling, and munching away on a batch of Mom’s cheddar popcorn.

“This is one of my all-time top ten favorites,” Madison’s BFF Lindsay Frost declared when the opening credits for the movie
Freaky Friday
came on screen.

“I still can’t believe you’ve never seen this, Maddie,” said Fiona Waters, another one of Madison’s closest pals. “It’s classic! Have you been living in a cave?”

“No one ever takes me to the movies,” Madison grumbled, acting as if she were truly upset.

“As if!” Madison’s buddy Aimee Gillespie cried, tossing a small pillow directly at Madison’s head.

Madison chuckled, because, as everyone in the room (including Phin) knew, she
had
just gone to the movies last week—with none other than Hart Jones, her übercrush for as long as she could remember. It wasn’t a solo date, of course. Almost every one of their friends had accompanied Hart and Madison to the movies. But she and Hart
had
walked into the theater together, sat in seats next to each other, and shared a package of sour gummy worms. Their knees had certainly touched more than once.

Unfortunately for Madison, however, she wasn’t going to be going to any more movies with Hart, not for a few weeks, anyway. She was headed for Florida to join her dad and her stepmother, Stephanie, who had rented a condominium for the month of August. They had enrolled Madison in an environmental learning program at a place called Camp Sunshine. Madison wasn’t sure she liked the super-cheery name of the camp, but if it had to do with animals, she was willing to give it a chance.

She wasn’t the only one leaving Far Hills for part of the summer. Fiona and her parents were headed for California to visit friends, and Lindsay was flying to London with her father. The only one of the four staying close to home was Aimee. An important dance performance was scheduled at the ballet studio in just a few weeks.

Knowing they’d be separated for a long time, the BFFs had decided to throw a good-bye slumber party at Madison’s house. Mom helped out with the refreshments and the movie rentals (three videos, for an all-night marathon). In between laughter and gossip, the foursome tried to hold back the tears. Madison felt the mushiest about the prospect of not seeing her closest friends for nearly two weeks.

“I—just—can’t—stop—thinking …” she sniffled at one sappy movie moment between two of the on-screen friends, “this reminds me of—when—we—”

“Maddie,” Aimee groaned. “Get a hold of yourself.”

Fiona passed a box of tissues to Madison while Lindsay gave Madison an over-the-shoulder squeeze to let her know that she would be missing everyone, too. Then Aimee joined in. It was hard not to cry.

“Is everyone okay in here?” Mom asked from the doorway. She’d passed by and heard the sniffling.

“Yup,” Madison said, still hugging Aimee and Lindsay at the same time.

“We’re just missing each other already,” Fiona added.

Mom grinned. “So these are all good tears, huh?”

“Yeah,” Lindsay sniffled. “Good-
bye
tears.”

“Rowwrrooooooooooo!” Phinnie howled, as if on cue.

Then everyone had to laugh.

“Well,” Mom said, turning away from the doorway, “I’ll leave you girls to your Kleenex. Turn off the TV before you go to sleep. That is,
if
you go to sleep.”

“Yeah,” Madison giggled. She took a deep breath so that there would be no more tears. “Thanks again for everything, Mom.”