Read Online Philip and the Case of Mistaken Identity and Philip and the Baby (9781597051095) by John Paulits - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: John Paulits
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smiling. When he reached bottom,
he stopped. His mother and father were kissing. Yecch! Then they
saw Philip.
“Come here, Flip Flip,” his father called to
him.
Philip ran and got a hug.
“We have a surprise for you.”
“Can I see it, Daddy?”
His father laughed. “You’ll have to wait
until September to see it, Flipper.”
Hmmm , thought Philip. It sounded like
a riddle. This was May. September was when school started again.
That was a long way off.
“You tell him,” his mother said to his
father.
“Flip Flip. Good news. In early September we
are going to get another member in our family.”
Philip thought a moment, then asked slowly.
“Are you getting me a dog?”
His parents laughed. Philip didn’t laugh. He
was beginning to get the picture.
“It will be even better than a dog,” his
father said. “Mommy is going to have a baby. You’re going to have a
baby brother or sister. Isn’t that great?”
Philip screamed, turned, and ran upstairs to
his room.
Three
Philip was lying on his bed face down a few
evenings later when he heard his father’s car pulling into the
driveway. He felt terrible. Mommy and Daddy were mad at him. His
teacher was unhappy with him and had sent a note home about him.
Emery still wouldn’t talk to him because of the chess pieces he’d
kicked over. A new baby was coming, and he couldn’t understand why.
Maybe his mother and father always wanted a girl instead of him.
Maybe when he was born they were disappointed he was a boy. Or
maybe they were tired of scolding him so much they wanted someone
better than him. Or maybe they just didn’t like him anymore. He
wished he could do something about this. But what could he do?
Nothing.
Just be miserable.
There was a knock on his bedroom door, and
his father walked in.
“Philip, Mommy and I visited school at
lunchtime today. You don’t seem any happier there lately than you
are here. Is it because of the new baby?”
“No.”
“The teacher said you took a bottle of germs
to school for show and tell. Do you still have the bottle?”
“Yes.”
“I don’t see it. Is it in your shoe box?”
Philip nodded.
“What are you going to do with those
germs?”
“They’re for the baby,” Philip grumbled
softly.
“You’re saving them to hurt the new baby?”
Philip’s father asked in surprise.
Philip didn’t answer.
“The new baby didn’t do anything to hurt you.
I don’t think the baby will ever do anything to hurt you. You will
be the older brother. The baby will love you, Philip. Love you a
lot.”
“I don’t want to be a brother.”
“I see. Well, don’t get angry before you have
to, Flipper. Nothing happened yet to make you so angry, did
it?”
Yes, it did , Philip wanted to say. You and Mommy want somebody else . But he didn’t answer.
“Think about it, Philip. We’ll talk later. A
little at a time. There’s no hurry.”
Philip said nothing.
“Come down for dinner in a while. You can go
out to play after dinner. Maybe that will make you feel better. And
think things over. It won’t be as bad as you imagine.”
Philip didn’t believe that at all.
~ * ~
The long days of May passed, then the longer
days of June and, finally, school ended.
A lonely summer vacation began for Philip.
Not one thing happened to make him feel better. Instead only bad
things happened.
He played baseball with the older boys,
missed a fly ball, and then struck out with the bases loaded.
Chinko, one of the older boys, teased him about it. Philip got
angry and told him he smelled like a stinky diaper. Now he heard
that the other boys were calling Chinko “Stinky” and that Chinko
wanted to beat him up.
Then he had stopped by at Mrs. Moriarty’s
house. She was his favorite neighbor because she always had candy
in dishes all over the house. She had a VCR and lots of tapes of
cartoons, which she played when children visited her, and Philip
often felt like watching some cartoons and
he stopped. His mother and father were kissing. Yecch! Then they
saw Philip.
“Come here, Flip Flip,” his father called to
him.
Philip ran and got a hug.
“We have a surprise for you.”
“Can I see it, Daddy?”
His father laughed. “You’ll have to wait
until September to see it, Flipper.”
Hmmm , thought Philip. It sounded like
a riddle. This was May. September was when school started again.
That was a long way off.
“You tell him,” his mother said to his
father.
“Flip Flip. Good news. In early September we
are going to get another member in our family.”
Philip thought a moment, then asked slowly.
“Are you getting me a dog?”
His parents laughed. Philip didn’t laugh. He
was beginning to get the picture.
“It will be even better than a dog,” his
father said. “Mommy is going to have a baby. You’re going to have a
baby brother or sister. Isn’t that great?”
Philip screamed, turned, and ran upstairs to
his room.
Three
Philip was lying on his bed face down a few
evenings later when he heard his father’s car pulling into the
driveway. He felt terrible. Mommy and Daddy were mad at him. His
teacher was unhappy with him and had sent a note home about him.
Emery still wouldn’t talk to him because of the chess pieces he’d
kicked over. A new baby was coming, and he couldn’t understand why.
Maybe his mother and father always wanted a girl instead of him.
Maybe when he was born they were disappointed he was a boy. Or
maybe they were tired of scolding him so much they wanted someone
better than him. Or maybe they just didn’t like him anymore. He
wished he could do something about this. But what could he do?
Nothing.
Just be miserable.
There was a knock on his bedroom door, and
his father walked in.
“Philip, Mommy and I visited school at
lunchtime today. You don’t seem any happier there lately than you
are here. Is it because of the new baby?”
“No.”
“The teacher said you took a bottle of germs
to school for show and tell. Do you still have the bottle?”
“Yes.”
“I don’t see it. Is it in your shoe box?”
Philip nodded.
“What are you going to do with those
germs?”
“They’re for the baby,” Philip grumbled
softly.
“You’re saving them to hurt the new baby?”
Philip’s father asked in surprise.
Philip didn’t answer.
“The new baby didn’t do anything to hurt you.
I don’t think the baby will ever do anything to hurt you. You will
be the older brother. The baby will love you, Philip. Love you a
lot.”
“I don’t want to be a brother.”
“I see. Well, don’t get angry before you have
to, Flipper. Nothing happened yet to make you so angry, did
it?”
Yes, it did , Philip wanted to say. You and Mommy want somebody else . But he didn’t answer.
“Think about it, Philip. We’ll talk later. A
little at a time. There’s no hurry.”
Philip said nothing.
“Come down for dinner in a while. You can go
out to play after dinner. Maybe that will make you feel better. And
think things over. It won’t be as bad as you imagine.”
Philip didn’t believe that at all.
~ * ~
The long days of May passed, then the longer
days of June and, finally, school ended.
A lonely summer vacation began for Philip.
Not one thing happened to make him feel better. Instead only bad
things happened.
He played baseball with the older boys,
missed a fly ball, and then struck out with the bases loaded.
Chinko, one of the older boys, teased him about it. Philip got
angry and told him he smelled like a stinky diaper. Now he heard
that the other boys were calling Chinko “Stinky” and that Chinko
wanted to beat him up.
Then he had stopped by at Mrs. Moriarty’s
house. She was his favorite neighbor because she always had candy
in dishes all over the house. She had a VCR and lots of tapes of
cartoons, which she played when children visited her, and Philip
often felt like watching some cartoons and
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