Read Online Philip and the Case of Mistaken Identity and Philip and the Baby (9781597051095) by John Paulits - Free Book Online
Authors: John Paulits
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juice.
“Doesn’t your mother have any soda?” Philip
whispered after Emery’s mother had handed him a tall glass of the
juice.
Emery shook his head. “My mother doesn’t
think soda is good for me. She never buys any. She only buys juice.
No fun. Right?”
No soda in the house! Philip was glad he
wasn’t a part of this family.
“Are you going to teach me to play chess?” he
asked after he took a tiny sip of the juice. Philip wasn’t sure
whether the juice tasted sweet or sour. But it wasn’t bad.
“Okay. But we have to be quiet.”
“Why?”
“My mother doesn’t want us to wake up the
baby. She’s sleeping upstairs.”
No soda. No noise. Poor Emery ,
Philip thought.
“Want to call Tommy and Kevin and tell them
to come over? You could teach them chess, too.”
“My mother says no friends over. You’re the
first one she’s let me have over since my sister was born.”
No soda. No noise. No friends. Philip shook
his head. “Why no friends? Tell her we’ll be real quiet.”
“It’s not the quiet. It’s the germs.”
“Germs?”
“My mother doesn’t want Amy to get sick from
their germs.”
“Yeah,” agreed Philip. “Tommy and Kevin are
pretty germy.”
“You, too,” said Emery.
“I don’t have germs.”
“My mother says everybody has germs, and
germs can make babies sick.”
“My germs never made me sick. My germs never
made you sick, and we sit together in school.”
Emery shrugged. “My mother said.”
Emery’s mother sure had some funny
ideas , Philip thought. “Oh, well. Let’s play chess.”
Emery got the board and set up the chessmen.
He was just about to explain the pawn to Philip when his mother
called from upstairs.
“Emery, would you bring me up a diaper,
please?”
Emery ran to get the diaper and carried it
upstairs. When he came downstairs, he was wrinkling his nose and
dusting off his hands.
“What are you doing that for?” Philip
asked.
“I had to take the dirty diaper to the
trash.”
“Dirty? Why do you use dirty diapers? Why
don’t you just use clean ones?”
“They start clean, but then the baby goes to
the bathroom in them.”
“You mean you carried a diaper with...”
“My mother makes me do it,” Emery said
glumly. “She says it will make me feel closer to the baby.”
Philip sniffed. “You smell like you’ve been
closer to the baby.”
“I don’t like it, you know. No fun. No fun at
all.”
The more Philip thought of it the more his
nose wrinkled in disgust.
“Will you stop that with your nose?” said
Emery. “Let’s just play chess.”
“Did you play chess yesterday or the day
before?”
“I played with my dad last night. Why?”
Philip thought a moment then said, “You
touched the chessmen with your diaper hands.”
“So?”
“I’m not going to touch them.”
“Don’t be stupid,” Emery said.
Just then Emery’s father called from the
basement, so Emery went downstairs to see what he wanted.
As Philip was sitting checking the chessmen
to see whether they were clean or diapery, Emery’s mother called.
“Emery, bring me another diaper, sweetheart.”
Philip looked around. “Emery went downstairs,
Mrs. Wyatt.”
“Then would you bring me a diaper, Philip?
They’re in a box next to the kitchen table.”
Philip’s eyes widened. Diapers were not for
him. “I think I have to go home, Mrs. Wyatt.”
“Bring me a diaper first, Philip,
please.”
Philip ran to the head of the stairs that led
to the basement. “Emery,” he called. But the basement was
quiet.
“Hurry, Philip,” came Mrs. Wyatt’s voice from
above.
Philip knew he’d get into trouble if he just
left and ran home. He didn’t need that. There was nothing to do but
grab the diaper and go upstairs. At least it would be a clean
diaper he was carrying.
“Here, Mrs. Wyatt,” said Philip. He watched
her change the baby. She took the used diaper, closed it up and
looked for a place to put it.
“Philip,” she said.
Philip felt
“Doesn’t your mother have any soda?” Philip
whispered after Emery’s mother had handed him a tall glass of the
juice.
Emery shook his head. “My mother doesn’t
think soda is good for me. She never buys any. She only buys juice.
No fun. Right?”
No soda in the house! Philip was glad he
wasn’t a part of this family.
“Are you going to teach me to play chess?” he
asked after he took a tiny sip of the juice. Philip wasn’t sure
whether the juice tasted sweet or sour. But it wasn’t bad.
“Okay. But we have to be quiet.”
“Why?”
“My mother doesn’t want us to wake up the
baby. She’s sleeping upstairs.”
No soda. No noise. Poor Emery ,
Philip thought.
“Want to call Tommy and Kevin and tell them
to come over? You could teach them chess, too.”
“My mother says no friends over. You’re the
first one she’s let me have over since my sister was born.”
No soda. No noise. No friends. Philip shook
his head. “Why no friends? Tell her we’ll be real quiet.”
“It’s not the quiet. It’s the germs.”
“Germs?”
“My mother doesn’t want Amy to get sick from
their germs.”
“Yeah,” agreed Philip. “Tommy and Kevin are
pretty germy.”
“You, too,” said Emery.
“I don’t have germs.”
“My mother says everybody has germs, and
germs can make babies sick.”
“My germs never made me sick. My germs never
made you sick, and we sit together in school.”
Emery shrugged. “My mother said.”
Emery’s mother sure had some funny
ideas , Philip thought. “Oh, well. Let’s play chess.”
Emery got the board and set up the chessmen.
He was just about to explain the pawn to Philip when his mother
called from upstairs.
“Emery, would you bring me up a diaper,
please?”
Emery ran to get the diaper and carried it
upstairs. When he came downstairs, he was wrinkling his nose and
dusting off his hands.
“What are you doing that for?” Philip
asked.
“I had to take the dirty diaper to the
trash.”
“Dirty? Why do you use dirty diapers? Why
don’t you just use clean ones?”
“They start clean, but then the baby goes to
the bathroom in them.”
“You mean you carried a diaper with...”
“My mother makes me do it,” Emery said
glumly. “She says it will make me feel closer to the baby.”
Philip sniffed. “You smell like you’ve been
closer to the baby.”
“I don’t like it, you know. No fun. No fun at
all.”
The more Philip thought of it the more his
nose wrinkled in disgust.
“Will you stop that with your nose?” said
Emery. “Let’s just play chess.”
“Did you play chess yesterday or the day
before?”
“I played with my dad last night. Why?”
Philip thought a moment then said, “You
touched the chessmen with your diaper hands.”
“So?”
“I’m not going to touch them.”
“Don’t be stupid,” Emery said.
Just then Emery’s father called from the
basement, so Emery went downstairs to see what he wanted.
As Philip was sitting checking the chessmen
to see whether they were clean or diapery, Emery’s mother called.
“Emery, bring me another diaper, sweetheart.”
Philip looked around. “Emery went downstairs,
Mrs. Wyatt.”
“Then would you bring me a diaper, Philip?
They’re in a box next to the kitchen table.”
Philip’s eyes widened. Diapers were not for
him. “I think I have to go home, Mrs. Wyatt.”
“Bring me a diaper first, Philip,
please.”
Philip ran to the head of the stairs that led
to the basement. “Emery,” he called. But the basement was
quiet.
“Hurry, Philip,” came Mrs. Wyatt’s voice from
above.
Philip knew he’d get into trouble if he just
left and ran home. He didn’t need that. There was nothing to do but
grab the diaper and go upstairs. At least it would be a clean
diaper he was carrying.
“Here, Mrs. Wyatt,” said Philip. He watched
her change the baby. She took the used diaper, closed it up and
looked for a place to put it.
“Philip,” she said.
Philip felt
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