her because Stephen happened to attend this class too. Fortunately for her, she was overlooked in the discussion time.
At lunch she was fairly bursting with enthusiasm.
âOkay, I think weâre almost ready. Carli and I got up early and blew up balloons. It nearly made me sick. But we had to hurry so we wouldnât miss the bus. And Mom said she would tape them around the basement so we donât have to do it when we get home.â
âWhat about the streamers?â
âWe did those last night.â
âHow many kids said theyâd come?â
âTwenty-one. Thatâs counting Brett and Travis and his brother Graham.â Marcy stuffed the last of her sandwich into her mouth, now having to talk around it. âI havenât heard back from Stephen yet. But Chris told Michael Kelly that he heard Stephen say he might come.â
âThatâs good,â I answered lamely. Secretly I hoped Stephen wouldnât be there. If he showed up, Marcy wouldnât be good company at all.
After school Dana and I scurried home, dropped our books inside the back door, grabbed up the bags that held our costumes, and sprinted back out the door. We changed at Marcyâs house, crowding into their bathroom, laughing and giggling continuously.
Marcy had decided to be a rag doll. She liked the idea of wearing a big floppy-yarn wig and had made it herselfâa bright red one. Always a bargain hunter, her mom had stopped at the local resale shop and been lucky enough to pick up a cast-off square-dance dress made of calico with loads of ruffles. It was perfect. With her painted cheeks, big black shoes, and tall white stockings, her costume looked fabulous. Marcy was thrilled. She even wore one stocking up and one down. She had a flare for fashion. We werenât surprised that sheâd pushed for a costume party.
Carli had gone in an entirely different direction. Sheâd concentrated on some type of inanimate object. For a while she had wondered about being a rocket. But that seemed a little too boyish, so she had decided to dress as a lampâa very feminine one. She had cut and bent a large piece of cardboard to make the shade, then covered it with pink ruffly cloth. Her father had even rigged up a battery-operated lantern so she could be âturned on,â and she had draped an extension cord over one arm as if it were the lampâs plug. We laughed hysterically when we saw her in full costume.
Dana had chosen to turn herself into a butterfly, with large wings of sheer white fabric on which she had painted a kaleidoscope of colors. She had labored intensely to get them just right. Dana was always so fussy about details.
I had changed my mind several times before beginning my own costume. Finally settling on being a teddy bear, Mom had helped me plan and assemble the fuzzy brown suit out of an old blanket. But I still needed all the girls to help me with my stuffing. No matter how much we tried to smooth it out, I was lumpy. By the time we emerged from the bathroom, we were giddy with laughter.
Guests began to arrive a little before the appointed time. We welcomed pirates and waitresses, princesses and several animals. It was such fun to guess who was who and discover what each of our friends had decided to be. We all made our way into Marcyâs basement. I noticed Marcy watching closely for Stephen, but he didnât show up. I felt a mixture of relief on my own account and pity for her. She had really set her heart on his being there.
Then three little old ladies arrived. Stooped over and slow, wearing faded dresses, gray wigs, funny old hats, and wire-rimmed spectacles, they had even worn knee-high hose, complete with holes, drooping down around their ankles and sturdy shoes. Whoever they were, they played their parts to perfection. When we noticed that two of the pairs of legs were quite hairy, we all howled with laughter.
Dana recognized one set of legs and announced that
At lunch she was fairly bursting with enthusiasm.
âOkay, I think weâre almost ready. Carli and I got up early and blew up balloons. It nearly made me sick. But we had to hurry so we wouldnât miss the bus. And Mom said she would tape them around the basement so we donât have to do it when we get home.â
âWhat about the streamers?â
âWe did those last night.â
âHow many kids said theyâd come?â
âTwenty-one. Thatâs counting Brett and Travis and his brother Graham.â Marcy stuffed the last of her sandwich into her mouth, now having to talk around it. âI havenât heard back from Stephen yet. But Chris told Michael Kelly that he heard Stephen say he might come.â
âThatâs good,â I answered lamely. Secretly I hoped Stephen wouldnât be there. If he showed up, Marcy wouldnât be good company at all.
After school Dana and I scurried home, dropped our books inside the back door, grabbed up the bags that held our costumes, and sprinted back out the door. We changed at Marcyâs house, crowding into their bathroom, laughing and giggling continuously.
Marcy had decided to be a rag doll. She liked the idea of wearing a big floppy-yarn wig and had made it herselfâa bright red one. Always a bargain hunter, her mom had stopped at the local resale shop and been lucky enough to pick up a cast-off square-dance dress made of calico with loads of ruffles. It was perfect. With her painted cheeks, big black shoes, and tall white stockings, her costume looked fabulous. Marcy was thrilled. She even wore one stocking up and one down. She had a flare for fashion. We werenât surprised that sheâd pushed for a costume party.
Carli had gone in an entirely different direction. Sheâd concentrated on some type of inanimate object. For a while she had wondered about being a rocket. But that seemed a little too boyish, so she had decided to dress as a lampâa very feminine one. She had cut and bent a large piece of cardboard to make the shade, then covered it with pink ruffly cloth. Her father had even rigged up a battery-operated lantern so she could be âturned on,â and she had draped an extension cord over one arm as if it were the lampâs plug. We laughed hysterically when we saw her in full costume.
Dana had chosen to turn herself into a butterfly, with large wings of sheer white fabric on which she had painted a kaleidoscope of colors. She had labored intensely to get them just right. Dana was always so fussy about details.
I had changed my mind several times before beginning my own costume. Finally settling on being a teddy bear, Mom had helped me plan and assemble the fuzzy brown suit out of an old blanket. But I still needed all the girls to help me with my stuffing. No matter how much we tried to smooth it out, I was lumpy. By the time we emerged from the bathroom, we were giddy with laughter.
Guests began to arrive a little before the appointed time. We welcomed pirates and waitresses, princesses and several animals. It was such fun to guess who was who and discover what each of our friends had decided to be. We all made our way into Marcyâs basement. I noticed Marcy watching closely for Stephen, but he didnât show up. I felt a mixture of relief on my own account and pity for her. She had really set her heart on his being there.
Then three little old ladies arrived. Stooped over and slow, wearing faded dresses, gray wigs, funny old hats, and wire-rimmed spectacles, they had even worn knee-high hose, complete with holes, drooping down around their ankles and sturdy shoes. Whoever they were, they played their parts to perfection. When we noticed that two of the pairs of legs were quite hairy, we all howled with laughter.
Dana recognized one set of legs and announced that
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