Read Online BFF* by Judy Blume - Free Book Online Page B

kissing both her cheeks.
    â€œYour only granddaughter,” Alison said. Then she introduced me. “This is Stephanie, my best friend in Connecticut.”
    I smiled, surprised by Alison’s introduction.
    Sadie shook my hand. “Any friend of Alison’s is a friend of mine.”
    You could smell the ocean from Sadie’s front porch. I took a few deep breaths. Sadie must have noticed because she said, “It’s just three blocks away. You’ll see for yourself this afternoon.”
    Inside, the table was set for lunch. As soon as Leon walked Maizie we sat down to eat. Everything tasted great. There’s something about salt air that makes me really hungry.
    After lunch Alison and I helped Sadie do the dishes. Then Sadie pushed up her sleeves and said, “Okay … now it’s time to get down to business.”
    I love to bake. I especially love to separate eggs. Aunt Denise taught me how to do it without breaking the yolks, but for brownies you don’t need to separate eggs.
    â€œGrandma,” Alison said, after we’d measured, mixed and divided the batter into six large baking pans, “don’t you think we should write down the recipe for next time?”
    â€œIt’s better to keep it up here,” Sadie said, tapping her head. “That way, if you find yourself in Tahiti and you want to bake brownies, you won’t have to worry.”
    We slid the pans into the ovens. “So …” Sadie said, “you’ll have one hundred twenty full sized brownies or, if you cut them in half …”
    â€œTwo hundred forty,” I said.
    â€œI don’t think we should cut them in half,” Alison said, “because we want to sell each one for fifty cents. And that way we’ll make … uh …”
    â€œSixty dollars,” I said.
    Sadie looked at me. “A mathematician!” she said. “A regular Einstein!”
    â€œNot really,” I told her, feeling my face flush. “Rachel’s the mathematician. She couldn’t come today because she gets car—” I caught myself just in time. “She couldn’t come because she had to work on her speech.”
    â€œIf we earn enough at this bake sale,” Alison told Sadie, “the seventh grade will be able to have a winter dance.”
    â€œA dance!” Sadie said. “I used to love to go dancing. Nobody could hold a candle to my rumba. I could wiggle with the best of them. And you should see my mambo and samba and cha cha …” She began to sing and dance around the kitchen. “Come on …” she said, holding her hands out to us. “I’ll teach you.”
    â€œI don’t think we’ll be doing the rumba at the seventh grade dance,” Alison said.
    â€œYou never know,” Sadie told her. “This way you’ll be prepared.”
    First, Sadie taught us the basic box step.
Forward, to the side, together … backward, to
the side, together
. Once we had that she taught us the rumba. She was about to teach us the samba when the timer on the oven went off. Sadie stuck a toothpick into the center of each pan to make sure the brownies were done. Then we set them on racks on the counter to cool.
    â€œNow …” Sadie said, “if you’ll excuse me, it’s time for my siesta.”
    â€œYour siesta?” I said.
    â€œGrandma never says nap,” Alison explained. “Naps are for babies … right, Grandma?”
    â€œRight.”
    While Sadie was taking her siesta Alison and I went to the beach with Leon and Gena. Leon held Maizie on a leash until we got there. Then he turned her loose and she took off, running first in one direction, then the other.
    Leon and Gena sat on a jetty to watch the waves. Alison and I took off our shoes and socks. “What about your rash?” I asked. “I thought you have to wear a sock on that foot.”
    â€œI’m sure