Karen's Nanny

  But I did not feel cheerful about it.

  Karen’s Resolution

  The next day was Friday. When I came home after school, I found Mommy in the kitchen talking to a young woman.

  “Ah. Karen,” said Mommy. “I would like you to meet Rose Wertzel. Rose is our first candidate for the nanny job. Rose, this is my daughter, Karen.”

  “Hi, Karen,” said Rose. She gave me a big smile.

  “How do you do?” I said politely.

  Rose looked nice. But you cannot judge a book by its cover. Maybe she was only nice around Mommy. We would see.

  Mommy needed to talk with Rose some more, so she fixed me a snack and asked me to take it to my room to eat it. Usually I am not allowed to take food out of the kitchen.

  I went upstairs to my room and closed the door. I put on my new Lemon Drops CD. The Lemon Drops are my favorite group. They are a little tart and a little sweet, just like their name. I danced around my room to the first song, “It’s a Grrl’s Wrrld.” Then I sat at my desk to eat my snack.

  I had my milk — ice cold, just the way I like it. I had my bread — whole wheat, my favorite. I had my peanut butter — crunchy, as usual.

  But wait. What was this?

  I held the bread up to the light of my desk lamp. The peanut butter looked suspiciously smooth. There were no little crunchies in it.

  I took a bite. Smooth. Totally smooth.

  Just to make sure, I took another bite. Smooth as silk.

  First no Krispie Krunchies. I had had to eat Oatie-Os. Now what had happened to the crunchy peanut butter? Why smooth all of a sudden? We always ate crunchy at the little house. I could not remember a time, ever, when I was forced to eat smooth peanut butter.

  I balled up my fist and banged it on my desk. Boo and crunchy bullfrogs!

  I did not want smooth peanut butter! I wanted crunchy! It was what I was used to. I did not want to have to get used to smooth. What next? Would I get used to smooth, and then have to switch back to crunchy?

  I had not liked it when the little-house family moved to Chicago. But I had gotten used to it. I had not liked it when Boo-Boo died. But I had gotten used to that. I did not like the idea of a new nanny. I knew I would have to get used to that too.

  But this was the last straw. I did not want to get used to a new style of peanut butter every day. I refused to. Enough was enough. I was tired of change. I would not change.

  Suddenly I had a brilliant idea. I still had not made my New Year’s resolution. This was it!

  I resolved not to change, all year. In anything. I would put a stop to any and all changes in my life.

  All at once I felt much better. I finished my snack. (Smooth tastes just as good as crunchy, actually.) I danced around the room to another Lemon Drops song, “Sister Strength.”

  With no changes, my life would be so much simpler. So much easier. So much better. I would know what to expect and when to expect it. I would be ready for everything that came my way. I would feel on top of things.

  I was sure of it.

  Start Not Changing Now

  Over the weekend I worked out the details of my New Year’s resolution. First I made a list of all the things that I could not possibly avoid changing:

  Things I Cannot Help Changing

  I will still change houses every month.

  When summer comes, I will change from going to school to going to summer camp.

  I will change my clothes every day.

  When I want to read, I will change from my pink glasses to my blue glasses.

  When I am done reading, I will change back to my pink glasses.

  There. That just about covered it. I could not think of anything else I would have to change.

  Next I started to think about all the things I would not change. There were lots. Many more than five.

  I would do the same things every day. Every day would be exactly the same. No changes! This way, I would never forget to put things away, help clean up, and do my other chores.

  Mommy would be so impressed at how grown-up I was becoming. I would be the most responsible person she had ever seen. I could tell my resolution was a good one, because it would help me become an even better person than I already was.

  To help myself stay organized (I am an excellent organizer), I made up a schedule for myself:

  My No-More-Changes Schedule

  Monday – Friday

  7:00 – 8:00 — Wake up, get dressed, eat breakfast.

  8:00 – 8:30 — Go to school.

  8:30 – 3:00 — School.

  3:00 – 4:00 — Come home from school, eat snack.

  4:00 – 5:00 — Do homework and chores.

  5:00 – 6:00 — Play.

  6:00 – 7:00 — Eat dinner.

  7:00 – 8:00 — Take bath, read or watch TV, go to bed.

  Saturday – Sunday

  8:00 – 9:00 — Wake up, get dressed, eat breakfast.

  9:00 – 12:00 — Play.

  12:00 – 1:00 — Eat lunch.

  1:00 – 6:00 — Play.

  6:00 – 7:00 — Eat dinner.

  7:00 – 8:30 — Take bath, read or watch TV, go to bed.

  Besides following a schedule, there were many other things I could do to avoid change. And I wanted to start not changing now. So I decided that, beginning Monday, I would do everything just the way I had done it last Friday. Luckily, Friday had been a pretty good day. I stopped to think … what had I done on Friday?

  I had had orange juice and Oatie-Os for breakfast. So every day I would have O.J. and O.Os for breakfast.

  At school I had lined up behind Bobby twice. So from now on, I would always line up behind him.

  I had brought a bag lunch of a ham and cheese sandwich, an apple, and two cookies. Fine. Mommy would not mind fixing that every day. And I would not mind eating it. At home, I had eaten peanut butter (smooth!) on whole wheat bread for a snack. Then I had listened to the Lemon Drops and danced around my room. It sounded like a nice schedule. So every day, without fail, I would do all those things.

  Let’s see … how else could I not change?

  I knew I would have to change my clothes every day (I am not a complete loony, you know). But if I chose all my clothes at the beginning of the week and wore whatever was on the top of the pile each day, it would almost be as if I were changing my clothes only once a week.

  When Ms. Colman called on kids in class, I would raise my hand for every other question (it is polite to give the other kids a chance), no matter what. That way I, and everyone else, would know what to expect.

  I had been reading a book called The Adventures of Katie Kelleher. As soon as I finished it, I would start it all over again. Fortunately, it was a terrific book.

  Goodness. There were so many ways not to change: I would always wear my hair the same way. I would always brush my teeth the same way. I would make my bed the same way and arrange my stuffed animals the same way on the pillows. Plus I would do these things at the exact same time every day. I was going to be the most dependable person ever.

  Rose Wertzel

  On Monday morning at seven o’clock, I put my New Year’s resolution into action. When my alarm went off, I leaped out of bed. I brushed my teeth, fixed my hair in a ponytail over to the side, and grabbed a shirt from one pile and some pants from the other pile. I had put seven tops in a pile, and seven bottoms in another pile, along with seven pairs of socks and seven undies. So every morning I just took whatever was on top of each pile, and zip, zip, zip — I was dressed!

  I glanced in the mirror. I looked very nice in a white turtleneck sweater and some blue corduroys. The pair of socks on top of the pile had been blue, so that was perfect.

  When I bounded into the kitchen, it was barely seven-thirty.

  “Goodness, Karen,” said Mommy, looking at the clock. “You are early this morning! And you look very nice.”

  I beamed as I dug into a bowl of Oatie-Os. I should have come up with this plan years ago.

 
At school I stuck to my resolution. I organized my schoolbooks inside my desk and resolved to keep them that way all the time. I hung my coat in my cubby as I always do.

  At recess the Three Musketeers put on our coats and raced outside. I had decided that I would ask Hannie and Nancy always to play hopscotch first, then slide or swing, then jump rope, and then play four-square, if there was time. That way I would always know what to do at recess.

  We played hopscotch. After hopscotch, I had a scheduled drink of water from the fountain. I checked my watch. Time for slide or swing.

  “Let’s go on the slide,” said Nancy.

  “Okay!” I agreed happily. At the slide, Bobby was already in line. Uh-oh. One of my rules was always to line up behind Bobby. So I ran ahead of Hannie and Nancy and zipped into line right behind him.

  “Hey,” said Hannie as they caught up with me. “If you want to go first, Karen, just say so.” I could tell she was a little hurt that I had left them just to get in line. But it was too complicated to explain right now. I just had to be behind Bobby. I smiled and shrugged. Hannie and Nancy did not say anything else.

  Later that day, I was practicing raising my hand for every other question. So far, I had known the answer to every question, although Ms. Colman had not called on me. Then she asked a question I did not know the answer to. But since it was a raised-hand question, I had to raise my hand. Guess what. Ms. Colman called on me.

  “Um, I do not know,” I admitted. I was embarrassed, but it was for a good cause.

  Ms. Colman looked surprised, and called on Ian.

  Mostly, as the week went on, my New Year’s resolution made my life much, much easier. I remembered to clear my place after every meal. Since I did not have to pick out my clothes every morning, I was never late for breakfast. (I was never late anywhere anymore.) By Thursday I had finished The Adventures of Katie Kelleher. I could hardly wait to start reading it again.

  Overall, things were going splendidly.

  On Friday after school, the moment I came through the front door, I could tell something was baking in the oven.

  “Mommy, Andrew!” I called, charging into the kitchen. “What smells so goo — ”

  That is when I noticed that they were not alone. Sitting at the kitchen table with them was Rose Wertzel, the nanny candidate I had met the other day.

  “Oh,” I said. “Hi, Rose.”

  “Hello, Karen,” said Rose. She smiled.

  “Karen, I am going upstairs to do some work,” said Mommy. “Rose will spend some time with you and Andrew this afternoon.”

  Mommy left the kitchen. I sat down at the kitchen table.

  “Rose made brownies,” said Andrew happily.

  “And I think they should be done just about now,” Rose added. She stood up and took a pan of brownies out of the oven. They looked delicious. The kitchen was full of yummy brownie smell. There were whole walnut halves on top, just the way I like them.

  “We need to let these cool for a few minutes,” Rose said. “And then we can dig in.”

  I could not wait. My mouth was watering already.

  But then I remembered. My after-school snack was always peanut butter on bread. Could I break my resolution just this once? No. I could not, I decided reluctantly. Not even for brownies.

  “Um, I think I will have peanut butter on bread,” I said sadly.

  “What?” said Andrew. “Karen, there are brownies! Chocolate! With walnuts on top!”

  “You do not like brownies, Karen?” Rose looked disappointed.

  “Oh, no, I do. I love brownies,” I said. “It is just …” My voice trailed off. “I am not in the mood for brownies right now.”

  “Oh, too bad,” said Rose. “Well, it is no big deal. I just whipped up the brownies on the spur of the moment. You may have peanut butter instead, if that is what you want.” She started slicing the brownies.

  “It is what I want,” I said miserably. I spread some peanut butter on a slice of bread. I watched Rose and Andrew eat their brownies.

  “Mmmm, yummy!” said Andrew with his mouth full.

  I felt like flinging my bread at him. But I did not. Flinging bread at Andrew was not part of my daily routine.

  After our snack, Rose asked Andrew and me what we wanted to do.

  “We could play Candy Land,” said Andrew. “Okay, Karen?”

  I looked at the clock on the stove. It was two minutes till four. Time for homework.

  “I have to do my homework now,” I said. I love playing Candy Land.

  “Homework? On Friday afternoon?” said Rose. “How about playing with us, instead? If you do not want to play Candy Land, we could do something else.”

  “Like what?” asked Andrew.

  “Oh, I do not know,” said Rose thoughtfully. Then she grinned. “I like to be spontaneous. How about going in the backyard? I am sure we can find something fun to do.”

  “Okay!” said Andrew. He grabbed his coat and ran to the back door. “Come on, Karen!”

  I glanced at the clock. Four o’clock.

  “No,” I said. “I have to do my homework now. It cannot wait.”

  “Well, okay, Karen, if you really must do your homework now,” said Rose. “You are sure you cannot play?”

  I really wanted to play in the backyard with Andrew and Rose. Rose seemed fun and nice. But I had to stick to my schedule.

  “I am sure,” I said. I trudged up the stairs to my room.

  I put my homework on my desk. I could hear Andrew and Rose in the backyard, shouting and laughing. There was still snow on the ground from the week before. It sounded like Andrew and Rose were making snow angels.

  I tried to do a math problem. I could not concentrate.

  I love making snow angels.

  I tried to read a chapter out of our social studies book.

  It sounded like Andrew and Rose were making a snow fort now.

  I kept reading the same sentence over and over.

  I love making snow forts.

  Now they were singing “Walking in a Winter Wonderland.”

  I love singing “Walking in a Winter Wonderland.”

  I hummed a little of it to myself. I could not read the sentence anymore. My eyes were too teary.

  I sniffled. Rose would be the worst nanny ever. She did things on the spur of the moment. She liked being spontaneous.

  Usually I am a big believer in being spontaneous. But I had a schedule now. And I knew I would never be able to keep my New Year’s resolution if Rose were my nanny.

  The Lemon Drops

  At dinner Mommy asked Andrew and me how we liked Rose.

  “She was wonderful, Mommy!” said Andrew. “We had fun in the snow, and her brownies were awesome.”

  “I am glad you liked her, Andrew,” said Seth.

  “Karen?” said Mommy. “What did you think of Rose?”

  I gritted my teeth. “Umm,” I said. “I was not crazy about her.”

  “Not crazy!” Andrew shouted. “Rose was perfect! She — ”

  “Andrew, indoor voice, please,” said Mommy. She turned to me. “Now, Karen, tell us what you thought about Rose.”

  “She seemed nice enough, I guess,” I admitted.

  My family waited for me to say more.

  “But she was too loud, too energetic … too, um, spontaneous,” I said.

  Mommy looked confused.

  “Too loud? Too energetic?” Seth repeated. “Too spontaneous? For Karen Brewer? Is that even possible?”

  “Um, well … yes, it is,” I said.

  Mommy and Seth looked at me in a funny way.

  I thought about explaining my New Year’s resolution to them. But Mommy, Seth, and Andrew had told me their resolutions. And so far Mommy had not read any Shakespeare, Seth had not gotten more exercise, and Andrew had eaten no cake. Resolutions seemed to work better when they were secret.

  I had to come up with another reason for not liking Rose.

  “I could not get my homework done, with all the noi
se,” I said. I did not mention that the noise had come from outside and really had not been all that loud. Just fun-sounding.

  “It was Friday afternoon,” Andrew argued. “You did not have to do your homework then anyway. I want Rose.”

  “I do not,” I said.

  “Hmmm,” said Seth. “I suppose it is important that Karen be able to do her homework when she wants to, even on a Friday afternoon,” he added suspiciously.

  “And we did agree that we would all choose the nanny together,” said Mommy. “I am sorry, Andrew. For whatever reason” — she shot me a look — “Karen did not like Rose. We will have to hire someone else.”

  Andrew scowled at me.

  I shrugged. “Maybe we will both like the next one,” I said.

  Andrew said nothing. He just kept scowling at me.

  After dinner I went upstairs to my room.

  Whew! I let out a sigh of relief. I had barely avoided a nanny disaster.

  I looked at my schedule. I had given myself an hour every weekday to do homework. But I had forgotten to schedule any time on Saturday or Sunday for homework.

  This afternoon, I had been so distracted that I had not gotten my homework for Monday done. And there was no room in my schedule to do it over the weekend. Oh, well. I would just have to catch up next week.

  I put on the Lemon Drops, the way I did every day after dinner, and made myself dance around my room. It was not a very happy dance. I was getting a little tired of the Lemon Drops.

  Springtime in January

  “What a beautiful morning!” Mommy said as I walked into the kitchen on Monday. “The sun is shining, the snow has melted. It must be thirty degrees warmer outside!”

  “I cannot believe it is January,” Seth said cheerfully. “I hope this lasts.”

  I looked at what everyone was wearing. Instead of a heavy sweater and long pants, Mommy was in a corduroy dress. Seth was wearing a long-sleeved T-shirt. Andrew had on a turtleneck and jeans.

  I had put on the top item on each pile of clothing I had laid out the night before: wool socks, an undershirt, heavy corduroy pants, a flannel shirt, and a wool sweater.