do have to lose a few more pounds."
"Just a couple new things," Erwina said. "To inspire you to lose the rest."
"Well …."
"I'll go with you. I love to shop."
"I have saved up some babysitting money."
"Tell me about it," Erwina said. "You're better at managing money than anyone I know."
"Okay, so when do you want to go shopping?"
"As soon as possible. I'm having a party in a couple of weeks, and you should have something new for that."
"Party? What party?"
"The party I just decided to have to show off the new you," Erwina said. "And don't try to back out of it."
"Well, I really should be getting ready for the prom," I said. "I haven't even cleaned the garden cart or--"
"The prom is more than a month away," Erwina said. "That's plenty of time to work on the refreshments and decorations. But not too soon to think about getting a date."
"Oh. Yeah. A date." I'd promised myself I'd have a date for the prom. But I hadn't exactly done much about getting one. I'd lost weight and had my hair cut. But it was time to take more aggressive action.
"Anyone in particular you'd like me to invite to the party?"
"Well …." I drummed my fingernails on my math book.
"Ah, Morse code," Erwina said. "I'm a bit rusty, but I think you tapped out 'Kevin.'"
"Well …."
"Relax, Mattie," Erwina said. "I'll take full responsibility for inviting him--of course, I'll totally have to invite Nicole, too, you realize. Naturally I'll ask Ross and Walt. George would probably come--he's been all eyeballs about Selena, so I'll invite her. Oh, and Phil and Carl and Laura, Rosie and Lisa. I think that's all our family room will hold--unless you have some more suggestions."
"Um--"
"Okay. I'll get going on everything right away."
"Glad I could be of some help," I said.
Erwina called later to insist on a shopping trip to New Haven , where there was a dress store she really liked tucked away on a side street. She wanted to look at prom dresses. Ross had just asked her to the prom.
So at 7:30 Saturday we stood shivering in front of the bank, waiting for the only morning bus, as neither of us could get the use of a car. When the bus arrived ten minutes later, we had our choice of seats.
The bus bumped along Route One, stopping at least once in every town along the way. No one else got on until Guilford . Though it took an hour and a half instead of the half hour it would have taken on the turnpike, we still had almost an hour before stores opened.
"Let's go for a walk," Erwina suggested.
"Let me guess where," I said. "Through the Yale campus? No one will be up yet."
"I'm not man hunting." Erwina sniffed. "I just want to admire the architecture. I might go here some day, you know." Erwina tilted her head up and strode purposefully along the sidewalk. Before I could warn her, she smacked into a No Parking sign. "Ouch!"
I tried not to laugh as I put my arm around Erwina. "Are you all right?"
Erwina felt her nose. "Am I bleeding? Did anyone see me?"
"No on both counts," I said. "Let's go to the Kopper Kitchen for some tea. It's too cold to walk around much anyway. The wind is blowing right through me." I pulled my gray wool sweater tight and guided the wounded Erwina to the Kopper Kitchen.
"Is my nose swollen?" Erwina looked down at it, cross eyed.
"It's kind of red, but otherwise it looks okay. Don't worry." In order to take Erwina's mind off her nose I asked, "Are you really planning on going to Yale?"
"Maybe," Erwina said. "What about you?"
The waitress brought the tea. I put my teabag in the cup and poured the hot water over it. "I don't know where I want to go to college. I don't even know what I want to do. I've thought about nursing or journalism. I've considered doing something with textiles. Maybe I'd want to open a small business." I rolled my eyes. "I'm totally clueless about the future."
"You have lots of time to decide."
"It must be nice to know what you really want." I blew on my tea. "And how to get it."
"You're not talking
"Just a couple new things," Erwina said. "To inspire you to lose the rest."
"Well …."
"I'll go with you. I love to shop."
"I have saved up some babysitting money."
"Tell me about it," Erwina said. "You're better at managing money than anyone I know."
"Okay, so when do you want to go shopping?"
"As soon as possible. I'm having a party in a couple of weeks, and you should have something new for that."
"Party? What party?"
"The party I just decided to have to show off the new you," Erwina said. "And don't try to back out of it."
"Well, I really should be getting ready for the prom," I said. "I haven't even cleaned the garden cart or--"
"The prom is more than a month away," Erwina said. "That's plenty of time to work on the refreshments and decorations. But not too soon to think about getting a date."
"Oh. Yeah. A date." I'd promised myself I'd have a date for the prom. But I hadn't exactly done much about getting one. I'd lost weight and had my hair cut. But it was time to take more aggressive action.
"Anyone in particular you'd like me to invite to the party?"
"Well …." I drummed my fingernails on my math book.
"Ah, Morse code," Erwina said. "I'm a bit rusty, but I think you tapped out 'Kevin.'"
"Well …."
"Relax, Mattie," Erwina said. "I'll take full responsibility for inviting him--of course, I'll totally have to invite Nicole, too, you realize. Naturally I'll ask Ross and Walt. George would probably come--he's been all eyeballs about Selena, so I'll invite her. Oh, and Phil and Carl and Laura, Rosie and Lisa. I think that's all our family room will hold--unless you have some more suggestions."
"Um--"
"Okay. I'll get going on everything right away."
"Glad I could be of some help," I said.
Erwina called later to insist on a shopping trip to New Haven , where there was a dress store she really liked tucked away on a side street. She wanted to look at prom dresses. Ross had just asked her to the prom.
So at 7:30 Saturday we stood shivering in front of the bank, waiting for the only morning bus, as neither of us could get the use of a car. When the bus arrived ten minutes later, we had our choice of seats.
The bus bumped along Route One, stopping at least once in every town along the way. No one else got on until Guilford . Though it took an hour and a half instead of the half hour it would have taken on the turnpike, we still had almost an hour before stores opened.
"Let's go for a walk," Erwina suggested.
"Let me guess where," I said. "Through the Yale campus? No one will be up yet."
"I'm not man hunting." Erwina sniffed. "I just want to admire the architecture. I might go here some day, you know." Erwina tilted her head up and strode purposefully along the sidewalk. Before I could warn her, she smacked into a No Parking sign. "Ouch!"
I tried not to laugh as I put my arm around Erwina. "Are you all right?"
Erwina felt her nose. "Am I bleeding? Did anyone see me?"
"No on both counts," I said. "Let's go to the Kopper Kitchen for some tea. It's too cold to walk around much anyway. The wind is blowing right through me." I pulled my gray wool sweater tight and guided the wounded Erwina to the Kopper Kitchen.
"Is my nose swollen?" Erwina looked down at it, cross eyed.
"It's kind of red, but otherwise it looks okay. Don't worry." In order to take Erwina's mind off her nose I asked, "Are you really planning on going to Yale?"
"Maybe," Erwina said. "What about you?"
The waitress brought the tea. I put my teabag in the cup and poured the hot water over it. "I don't know where I want to go to college. I don't even know what I want to do. I've thought about nursing or journalism. I've considered doing something with textiles. Maybe I'd want to open a small business." I rolled my eyes. "I'm totally clueless about the future."
"You have lots of time to decide."
"It must be nice to know what you really want." I blew on my tea. "And how to get it."
"You're not talking
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