busy, busy.
“Mommy?”
“Oh, Maddie, can I call you right back?” Mom asked.
“I miss you, Mom,” Madison said, ignoring Mom’s request. She wanted to talk and she wanted to talk now.
“Okay, honey bear. I’m sorry. Hold on for just a sec,” Mom said.
Madison looked up from the phone to see Dad wink at her. Phinnie was zooming around the kitchen for scraps. Stephanie was drying the dishes.
She could hear Mom whispering to someone, rustling papers, and saying a loud “no.” Mom was always doing fourteen things at once, Madison thought. Right now, Madison just wished one of those things was her.
“Honey bear!” Mom finally came back on the line. “I am so sorry….”
Mom apologized for five minutes before they even started talking about real stuff again.
“So the reason I called you instead of waiting for you to call, Mom,” Madison explained, “is because I’m so nervous about baby-sitting. It started out okay, but now it’s been two days and he cries at everything. Yesterday at the pool he ran away. I don’t think I’m very good.”
“Oh, Maddie,” Mom sighed. “Don’t say that. Did you talk to Dad?”
“Uh-huh,” Madison said. “You know, he told me all the good stuff like I was great and all that. But…I wanted to hear your voice. What do you think?”
“Oh, Maddie.” Mom sighed again. “I wish I were there with you right now so I could lean over and give you the biggest hug in the world. Don’t you know that you’ll be an amazing mother’s helper? You just need to give the baby-sitting some time. You’ve never really done this before. And little kids need time to warm up to you. I’m sure that Eliot will very quickly learn what fun the two of you will have together.”
Mom’s words were as good as a hug even though she felt so far away.
“When are you coming home?” Madison asked. Here she was talking about Eliot, but now she felt like the little kid.
Madison could hear Mom smile. Her voice went up. “Awww,” Mom said sweetly. “I only just got here. I’m still in Sydney for a week. But it will go by fast. I promise.”
After a long string of good-byes, Madison hung up the telephone. A little part of her felt empty—and even angry—inside. It was hard dealing with life without Mom by her side. It was tough not being in their house on Blueberry Street. It was hard not having Mom around to lend a hand or a hug when Madison felt super-insecure—like now.
While Stephanie and Dad talked about work and made a pot of tea, Madison sat curled up on the living room couch. She rubbed Phin’s head and thought about her job. She imagined that Eliot was probably at home right now playing with his plastic trucks alone. Madison guessed that his mom wasn’t available to him right now, either. She was off somewhere with Becka.
Madison wondered if maybe she and Eliot weren’t so different after all.
And if that was true—then why couldn’t they just get along?
The weekend flew by. Madison didn’t get to spend as much time with her friends as she’d hoped. The planned trip to Lake Dora on Sunday was postponed again because of rain showers. Aimee, Fiona, and Madison hung out at Aimee’s house and listened to CDs.
Madison tried to stop obsessing about the babysitting disasters of the previous week, but the whole time she was hanging out at Aimee’s house on Blueberry Street, all she could think about was Eliot. He lived only a few houses away. Was he thinking up ways to drive Madison crazy when she came back on Monday?
Sunday afternoon, Madison had better luck distracting herself. The rain stopped, and she joined Stephanie and Dad for a long bike ride through Far Hills, stopping in briefly to see some new puppies at the animal clinic. Stephanie was acting buddy-buddy again, but Madison didn’t mind so much anymore. It wasn’t bad having Stephanie around, especially when Mom was missing in action.
Before dinner, Madison and Dad logged onto the computer together to
“Mommy?”
“Oh, Maddie, can I call you right back?” Mom asked.
“I miss you, Mom,” Madison said, ignoring Mom’s request. She wanted to talk and she wanted to talk now.
“Okay, honey bear. I’m sorry. Hold on for just a sec,” Mom said.
Madison looked up from the phone to see Dad wink at her. Phinnie was zooming around the kitchen for scraps. Stephanie was drying the dishes.
She could hear Mom whispering to someone, rustling papers, and saying a loud “no.” Mom was always doing fourteen things at once, Madison thought. Right now, Madison just wished one of those things was her.
“Honey bear!” Mom finally came back on the line. “I am so sorry….”
Mom apologized for five minutes before they even started talking about real stuff again.
“So the reason I called you instead of waiting for you to call, Mom,” Madison explained, “is because I’m so nervous about baby-sitting. It started out okay, but now it’s been two days and he cries at everything. Yesterday at the pool he ran away. I don’t think I’m very good.”
“Oh, Maddie,” Mom sighed. “Don’t say that. Did you talk to Dad?”
“Uh-huh,” Madison said. “You know, he told me all the good stuff like I was great and all that. But…I wanted to hear your voice. What do you think?”
“Oh, Maddie.” Mom sighed again. “I wish I were there with you right now so I could lean over and give you the biggest hug in the world. Don’t you know that you’ll be an amazing mother’s helper? You just need to give the baby-sitting some time. You’ve never really done this before. And little kids need time to warm up to you. I’m sure that Eliot will very quickly learn what fun the two of you will have together.”
Mom’s words were as good as a hug even though she felt so far away.
“When are you coming home?” Madison asked. Here she was talking about Eliot, but now she felt like the little kid.
Madison could hear Mom smile. Her voice went up. “Awww,” Mom said sweetly. “I only just got here. I’m still in Sydney for a week. But it will go by fast. I promise.”
After a long string of good-byes, Madison hung up the telephone. A little part of her felt empty—and even angry—inside. It was hard dealing with life without Mom by her side. It was tough not being in their house on Blueberry Street. It was hard not having Mom around to lend a hand or a hug when Madison felt super-insecure—like now.
While Stephanie and Dad talked about work and made a pot of tea, Madison sat curled up on the living room couch. She rubbed Phin’s head and thought about her job. She imagined that Eliot was probably at home right now playing with his plastic trucks alone. Madison guessed that his mom wasn’t available to him right now, either. She was off somewhere with Becka.
Madison wondered if maybe she and Eliot weren’t so different after all.
And if that was true—then why couldn’t they just get along?
The weekend flew by. Madison didn’t get to spend as much time with her friends as she’d hoped. The planned trip to Lake Dora on Sunday was postponed again because of rain showers. Aimee, Fiona, and Madison hung out at Aimee’s house and listened to CDs.
Madison tried to stop obsessing about the babysitting disasters of the previous week, but the whole time she was hanging out at Aimee’s house on Blueberry Street, all she could think about was Eliot. He lived only a few houses away. Was he thinking up ways to drive Madison crazy when she came back on Monday?
Sunday afternoon, Madison had better luck distracting herself. The rain stopped, and she joined Stephanie and Dad for a long bike ride through Far Hills, stopping in briefly to see some new puppies at the animal clinic. Stephanie was acting buddy-buddy again, but Madison didn’t mind so much anymore. It wasn’t bad having Stephanie around, especially when Mom was missing in action.
Before dinner, Madison and Dad logged onto the computer together to
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