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Authors: Judy Blume
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will I have?"
"You see!" I raised my voice. "That proves it! All you care about is yourself! You never think about
me."
"That's not so and you know it!" Mom said.
"Oh, yes, it is so! You never ask me what I think or what I feel or what I want. ... I wish I was never born!"
I ran upstairs, picked up Mew and took her to my room. I closed my door and put a chair u, against it.
Pretty soon my mother knocked on .e door and called me. I knew she would. "Karen . . . this is silly. Let me in. I want to talk to you."
"Go away," I told her.
I'll bet anything that Mom will change her mind about her job just like she did about Daddy.
A few days after my mother started her job I had a dental appointment. Mom said from now on she will schedule our appointments later in the day, but just this once Aunt Ruth would pick me up at school and drive me to Dr. Harrison's.
I am the only one in my family who has never had a cavity. I don't know if this is because I am a better tooth-brusher or because I was born that way. Whatever the reason, I'm glad.
Dr. Harrison sings while he looks at your teeth.
He has a terrible voice. He makes up his own words too. Usually they don't make much sense but they always rhyme. When he cleans my teeth I laugh. I can't stand that tickle on my gums. And when I laugh he tells me not to, because I open my mouth too wide.
Today he said that my teeth are in good shape and that I don't have to come back for another six months. But he gave me a fluoride treatment and I almost threw up. I hate fluoride treatments!
When I was through I told the nurse my mother would call to make my next appointment. Aunt Ruth put away her needlepoint and asked me if I would like to stop for a snack on the way home. I said, "Sure."
We went to Grunings on the hill. They have the world's most delicious ice cream. Aunt Ruth ordered a hot-fudge sundae with whipped cream and nuts. I guess she's off her diet this week. I ordered two scoops of coffee ice cream. I don't like sundaes. All that goo gets in the way and it makes you very thirsty.
When we were served and I took my first bite of ice cream I remembered that my teeth are very sensitive to cold and hot after a cleaning. The ice cream nearly killed me. I had to mash it all up and then lick it off the spoon so it wouldn't hurt my teeth.
"How are things going at home?" Aunt Ruth asked.
"Okay, I guess. Next week is Mom's and Dad's anniversary."
"That's right," Aunt Ruth said. "I forgot all about
it."
"Are you sending a card?"
"No . . . when a couple is getting a divorce they don't want to be reminded of wedding anniversaries."
I don't agree with that but I didn't tell Aunt Ruth. I think if we remind Mom and Dad about their anniversary they will feel very bad about getting a divorce. They will remember how happy they were when they first met and all that. Then they will see how silly it is of them not to get along. "They'll be married sixteen years," I told Aunt Ruth.
"That's right. I remember it very well because Mark had the chicken pox and the wedding was at our house and your grandfather never had chicken pox so the doctor gave him a shot. But two weeks later he got it anyway."
"Garfa had chicken pox?"
"All over him." Aunt Ruth laughed a little. "You know ... I haven't thought about that in a long time. Sixteen years ago . . . Mark was just a little boy and now he's all grown up."
"How long have you and Uncle Dan been married?" I asked.
"Twenty-six years."
"That's really a long time!"
"Yes, it is."
"Do you ever fight?"
"Sometimes."
"But then you make up?"
"Either that or we forget about it."
That's like me and my mother. We have just forgotten about the fight we had the other night. Neither one of us has mentioned it. Why couldn't she and Daddy have done that? "You know something? I don't remember my parents fighting when I was little."
"I suppose they got along better then," Aunt Ruth said. "It's only in the last six or seven years that things have been
"You see!" I raised my voice. "That proves it! All you care about is yourself! You never think about
me."
"That's not so and you know it!" Mom said.
"Oh, yes, it is so! You never ask me what I think or what I feel or what I want. ... I wish I was never born!"
I ran upstairs, picked up Mew and took her to my room. I closed my door and put a chair u, against it.
Pretty soon my mother knocked on .e door and called me. I knew she would. "Karen . . . this is silly. Let me in. I want to talk to you."
"Go away," I told her.
I'll bet anything that Mom will change her mind about her job just like she did about Daddy.
A few days after my mother started her job I had a dental appointment. Mom said from now on she will schedule our appointments later in the day, but just this once Aunt Ruth would pick me up at school and drive me to Dr. Harrison's.
I am the only one in my family who has never had a cavity. I don't know if this is because I am a better tooth-brusher or because I was born that way. Whatever the reason, I'm glad.
Dr. Harrison sings while he looks at your teeth.
He has a terrible voice. He makes up his own words too. Usually they don't make much sense but they always rhyme. When he cleans my teeth I laugh. I can't stand that tickle on my gums. And when I laugh he tells me not to, because I open my mouth too wide.
Today he said that my teeth are in good shape and that I don't have to come back for another six months. But he gave me a fluoride treatment and I almost threw up. I hate fluoride treatments!
When I was through I told the nurse my mother would call to make my next appointment. Aunt Ruth put away her needlepoint and asked me if I would like to stop for a snack on the way home. I said, "Sure."
We went to Grunings on the hill. They have the world's most delicious ice cream. Aunt Ruth ordered a hot-fudge sundae with whipped cream and nuts. I guess she's off her diet this week. I ordered two scoops of coffee ice cream. I don't like sundaes. All that goo gets in the way and it makes you very thirsty.
When we were served and I took my first bite of ice cream I remembered that my teeth are very sensitive to cold and hot after a cleaning. The ice cream nearly killed me. I had to mash it all up and then lick it off the spoon so it wouldn't hurt my teeth.
"How are things going at home?" Aunt Ruth asked.
"Okay, I guess. Next week is Mom's and Dad's anniversary."
"That's right," Aunt Ruth said. "I forgot all about
it."
"Are you sending a card?"
"No . . . when a couple is getting a divorce they don't want to be reminded of wedding anniversaries."
I don't agree with that but I didn't tell Aunt Ruth. I think if we remind Mom and Dad about their anniversary they will feel very bad about getting a divorce. They will remember how happy they were when they first met and all that. Then they will see how silly it is of them not to get along. "They'll be married sixteen years," I told Aunt Ruth.
"That's right. I remember it very well because Mark had the chicken pox and the wedding was at our house and your grandfather never had chicken pox so the doctor gave him a shot. But two weeks later he got it anyway."
"Garfa had chicken pox?"
"All over him." Aunt Ruth laughed a little. "You know ... I haven't thought about that in a long time. Sixteen years ago . . . Mark was just a little boy and now he's all grown up."
"How long have you and Uncle Dan been married?" I asked.
"Twenty-six years."
"That's really a long time!"
"Yes, it is."
"Do you ever fight?"
"Sometimes."
"But then you make up?"
"Either that or we forget about it."
That's like me and my mother. We have just forgotten about the fight we had the other night. Neither one of us has mentioned it. Why couldn't she and Daddy have done that? "You know something? I don't remember my parents fighting when I was little."
"I suppose they got along better then," Aunt Ruth said. "It's only in the last six or seven years that things have been
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