Karen sighed. “I’m tired of this. Let’s play ball again.”
The kids picked up their bats. They forgot their argument for awhile.
But I didn’t.
“Well, it’s finally happened!” I announced.
“What?” asked Claudia, Jessi, Dawn, Mary Anne, and Mallory.
We were holding a meeting of the Baby-sitters Club, and the last of the RSVPs for the Mother’s Day surprise had just been phoned in. I gave the news to my friends.
“We can get a total count now,” I said. “That was Mrs. Barrett. Buddy and Suzi can come on the outing. They were the last kids we needed to hear about. Mary Anne?”
Mary Anne had opened the record book to a page on which she was listing the kids who’d be coming to Sudsy’s with us. “Ready for the total?” she asked.
The rest of us nodded nervously.
“Okay, just a sec.” Mary Anne’s pen moved down the page. Then, “It’s twenty-one,” she announced.
“Twenty-one! That’s perfect!” I cried. “Seven sitters including Stacey, so three kids each. We can manage that.”
“Sure,” said Dawn.
“We can help each other out,” added Claudia.
“Read us the list, Mary Anne,” I said. “Let’s see exactly what we’re dealing with here.”
“Okay.” Mary Anne began reading, running her finger along the list. “Claire, Margo, Nicky, and Vanessa Pike.” (Vanessa had surprised everyone by immediately agreeing to come.) “Becca Ramsey; David Michael Thomas; Karen and Andrew Brewer; Jamie Newton; Jackie, Shea, and Archie Rodowsky; Jenny Prezzioso.” (I tried not to choke.) “Myriah and Gabbie Perkins; Matt and Haley Braddock; Charlotte Johanssen; Nina Marshall; and Buddy and Suzi Barrett.”
“And who couldn’t come?” I asked.
“Let’s see,” said Mary Anne, turning to another page in the record book, “the Arnold twins, Betsy Sobak, the Papadakises, and the Delaneys.”
I nodded. “Okay. I was just curious.”
Ring, ring.
Dawn reached for the phone. “Hello, Baby-sitters Club,” she said. “Yes, hi, Mrs. Arnold…. Oh, we’re sorry, too. The twins would probably love Sudsy’s…. Yeah…. Yeah…. Okay, on Tuesday? I’ll check. I’ll call you right back.”
We arranged for Mal to sit for Marilyn and Carolyn Arnold (can you believe their names?) on Tuesday afternoon. Then we went back to our work.
“I guess we should make up groups of kids for the outing,” said Claudia. “That worked well before.”
Once, our club had sat for fourteen kids for a whole week. We kept the kids in groups according to their ages. It was really helpful. And we had done the same thing when Mary Anne, Dawn, Claudia, and I had visited Stacey in New York and taken a big group of kids to a museum and to Central Park.
“The only thing,” spoke up Mary Anne, “is that I’m not sure we should group the kids by age. I think we should group them, but, well, Matt and Haley will have to be in the same group, even though Matt is seven and Haley’s almost ten now. Haley understands Matt’s signing better than anybody.” (Matt is deaf and communicates using sign language.)
“And,” I added, “I think Karen and Andrew should be in the same group, and David Michael should be in a different one. Andrew is really dependent on Karen, and lately the two of them have been having some problems with David Michael.”
“And Charlotte and Becca have to be together,” added Jessi. “Becca won’t come if she can’t be with Charlotte.”
“Hmm,” I said. “Anything else?”
“Keep Jenny away from the Braddocks,” said Dawn.
“And Nicky away from Claire,” added Mallory.
“Boy, is this complicated,” commented Claudia.
“I know,” I agreed. “But we can do it. Let’s try to draw up some lists. Let’s just see how far we get. Everyone, make up seven lists and then we’ll compare them.”
Mary Anne passed around paper and we set to work. We were interrupted four times by the telephone, but at last everyone said they had done the best they could.
I collected the papers. I looked over the groups my friends had come up with. I said things like, “No, that one won’t work. Matt and Haley aren’t together.” Or, “Oh, that’s good, that’s good, that’s — Nope. We’ve got Claire and Nicky together.”
“I’ve got an idea,” said Dawn after awhile. “Why don’t you cut out all the groups, all forty-two of them, sort through them, and try to find the seven best?”
“Okay,” I agreed. Claudia handed me a pair of scissors. “But I think I’ll need some help.”
Every single club member got down on her hands and knees. We spread the lists on the floor, examined them, and shuffled them around.
“This is a good one,” said Jessi.
“This is a good one,” said Claud.
Finally we had chosen seven good lists. We counted the kids. Twenty-one. We checked the kids against Mary Anne’s list. Nina Marshall showed up twice; Shea Rodowsky was missing.
“Darn it!” I cried.
We started over. Finally, finally, finally we had seven lists that worked:
Kristy Claudia
Karen Brewer Myriah Perkins
Andrew Brewer Gabbie Perkins
Shea Rodowsky Jamie Newton
Mary Anne Dawn
Jenny Prezzioso Suzi Barrett
Claire Pike Nina Marshall
Margo Pike Archie Rodowsky
Jessi Mallory
Matt Braddock Buddy Barrett
Haley Braddock D. M. Thomas
Nicky Pike Jackie Rodowsky
Stacey
Charlotte Johanssen
Becca Ramsey
Vanessa Pike
“Well,” I said, “we’ve got all the necessary combinations — Matt and his sister are together, so are Charlotte and Becca, Jenny is separated from the Braddocks, and that sort of thing. There are some good combinations here, too. Like, Jamie and the Perkins girls are together, and they’re friends. And I think Jenny will work out okay with Claire and Margo, don’t you, Mal?”
“Yeah, that should be all right.”
“But,” I went on, “there are some odd combinations here, too. Not bad, just odd. For instance, Shea Rodowsky is with Karen and Andrew. Shea is nine. He’s a lot older than they are. But where else could we put him?”
The six of us leaned over to examine the lists.
“I don’t really see any place,” said Dawn after a moment. “Claudia’s group, Mary Anne’s, and mine are too young. Stacey’s is all girls. Jessi’s is perfect the way it is. Mallory’s would be good because the kids are all boys, but they’re younger than Shea, too. Besides, I wouldn’t mind separating Shea and Jackie.”
“Here’s another odd list,” said Claudia. “I’m not sure what Archie Rodowsky will think of Suzi and Nina. At least the three of them are about the same age.”
“I think we’ve made good choices about the baby-sitter in charge of each group,” Mary Anne pointed out. “Kristy, Andrew would want to be with you.”
I nodded. “I know.”
“And Claud, you’re a good choice for Jamie and the Perkins girls. I think I’m the only one who will handle Jenny. Dawn knows Suzi Barrett really well. Jessi has to stick with Matt and Haley since she’s the only one of us who knows sign language really well. Mallory will be good with the boys, and Charlotte Johanssen will just die to have her old sitter back. Remember how much she loved Stacey?”
“Boy, do I!” I said. I looked at the lists a few moments longer. “Okay,” I said at last. “We know the groups are going to get all mixed up anyway, but they will be helpful. And I think these are the best we’re going to do. Do you guys agree?”
“Yes!” It was unanimous.
“Gosh, this is so exciting!” cried Mary Anne.
“Yeah!” agreed Jessi. “It’s the first big Baby-sitters Club project I’ve been part of.”
“Me, too,” said Mal.
“And I’ll finally get to meet Stacey,
” Jessi went on. “It’s so funny to think that I live in her old house — that I sleep in her old bedroom — and I’ve never even met her.”
“Well, it won’t be long now,” said Claudia.
“How many of these big — I mean, really big — projects has the club worked on?” Mal wondered.
“Three, I think. Right, Kristy?” answered Dawn. “There was the week before your mom and Watson got married when we took care of the fourteen kids, and there was the play group in Stacey’s backyard, and then there was New Yor —”
Ring, ring.
Mary Anne answered the phone while Dawn kept talking. But after about a minute we realized we were listening to Mary Anne instead of Dawn.
“You won’t believe this!” Mary Anne was saying. (I guessed the caller was not a client.) “We were just talking about New York. Dawn was going to tell about when we took the kids to the museum.”
“Is that Stacey?” Claudia cried suddenly. She scrambled off the bed.
I could feel excitement mounting. Stacey! Our old club member! Soon the club would be together again. Actually, when I thought about it, I realized the club would be together again for the first time — because the seven of us had never worked together. Jessi and Mal had joined the club after Stacey had left.
Claudia and Stacey talked to each other.
Then I got on the phone with Stace. “Hi! How are you? I can’t wait till you get here. We are going to have such a great day. You won’t believe how some of the kids have changed. Andrew is so much taller! Oh, and you can meet Matt and Haley Braddock and Becca Ramsey. And Jessi, of course.”
“Same old Kristy,” said Stacey, and I could tell she was smiling. “I’m fine. Mom and Dad have been arguing, arguing, arguing, but it’s just a phase, I think. At least they aren’t arguing about me.”
Stacey has diabetes and her parents sometimes don’t agree about the way Stacey manages her disease, even when she’s following doctor’s orders.
“What are they arguing about?” I asked.
“Oh, who cares? I can’t wait to get back to Stoneybrook. Mom wishes she could come with me. She loves Connecticut. What’s up with you?”
“Get this. My mom wants to have a baby.”
“No!”
“Yeah. She and Watson want a baby. Can you imagine? I think they’re too old,” I said, which I knew wasn’t true at all.
I changed the subject quickly, and Stacey and I talked a little longer. I told her about the day we’d planned, and about the groups we’d lined up. By the time we got off the phone, I was just as excited as Claudia about seeing our blonde-haired, blue-eyed, super-sophisticated former treasurer.
“Aughh!”
“I don’t believe it!”
“Oh, my gosh. She’s here!”
“IT’S STACEY, YOU GUYS!”
It was 5:25 on the day before the Mother’s Day surprise. Mary Anne, Dawn, and I had just entered Claudia’s room for a club meeting — and found Claudia and Stacey there. Stacey was sitting on Claud’s bed, as if she’d never left Stoneybrook. Claud was the one who’d shouted, “IT’S STACEY, YOU GUYS!”
Stacey leaped up, and she and I and Mary Anne and Dawn began hugging and jumping up and down — a group hug. And then we all began talking at once.
“You’re here in time for the meeting!” I exclaimed.
“When did you get here?” Mary Anne wanted to know.
“Just a little while ago,” replied Stace. “I caught an early train.”
“You cut your hair!” Dawn cried.
“Yeah, a little. Do you like it? I went to this really punk place and told the guy not to make it too punk.”
“We love it!” said Mary Anne, speaking for all of us.
We were finding places and settling down. I sat in the director’s chair, of course. Dawn and Mary Anne squeezed onto the bed with Claudia and Stacey. We left room on the floor for Mal and Jessi.
“This is just so incredible,” said Stacey. “Here I am, sitting in on a meeting of the Baby-sitters Club. A real meeting, not like the ones we had when you guys came to visit in New York. I feel like I never left here.”
“I wish you never had,” said Claud wistfully.
Stacey leaned over suddenly and put her arms around Claudia. Claud is not a big crier, but that hug was all it took for the tears to start to fall.
“I miss you so much,” she said to Stace. And I knew what she wasn’t saying: that Stacey was Claud’s first and only best friend. And that she hadn’t made a new best friend since Stacey had left.
It was while this was going on that I glanced up and saw Jessi and Mallory hovering uncertainly in the doorway to club headquarters. Jessi looked confused, and Mallory looked bewildered.
“Come on in, you guys,” I said loudly to our two junior officers. “This isn’t going to be a cry-fest … is it, Claud?”
Claudia pulled herself together. She wiped her tears with a tissue and sat up as straight as she could.
And Stacey slid off the bed. “Mal!” she exclaimed. “I am so glad to see you! Congratulations on becoming a club member.”
“Thanks, Stacey. Baby-sitting sure is more fun this way. It’s nice to be official.”
Stacey turned to Jessi. “I guess you’re Jessi Ramsey,” she said.
This comment was a little unnecessary. For one thing, Stacey knows that Jessi is black. I’m sorry to be so blunt, but that’s the truth, and anyway I’m always blunt. Besides, who else would Jessi be? We don’t bring guests to meetings.
“Yes,” said Jessi. “Hi. I moved into your bedroom.”
We laughed at that.
“Jessi is a terrific sitter,” I said, as Stacey returned to the bed, and Jessi and Mal dropped to the floor. “She even learned sign language so she could communicate with a deaf boy.”
“Matt Braddock,” added Jessi, looking a little embarrassed by the attention she was getting. “You’ll meet him tomorrow. And his sister, Haley.”
“Great,” replied Stacey. “I can’t wait. I can’t wait to see the other kids, either. I bet they’ve really changed.”
I was about to say that she might not even recognize some of the youngest ones, when I realized that it was 5:35. “Oh! Order!” I cried. “Order! I cannot believe I forgot to bring the meeting to order, and we’re five minutes late!”
“Kristy,” said Claudia, “it isn’t going to kill you.”
I knew Claud sounded annoyed because she was still upset, but even so, I replied testily, “Well, I know that. But let’s get going here. Hmm. No dues to collect. Any club business?”
To my surprise, Stacey said, “Can I ask a question?”
“Of course.”
Ring, ring.
“Oops, the phone. Hold on just a sec, Stace.”
I was reaching for the phone (so were Mary Anne and Jessi), when Stacey leaped up. “Can I answer it, please? It’s been months and months since I’ve taken a —” (Ring, ring.) “—job call here with you guys.”
“Sure,” the rest of us replied at once.
Stace reached for the phone. “Hello, Baby-sitters Club,” she said, sounding like she might either laugh or cry.
(This meeting was emotional for everyone.)
“Doctor Johanssen!” Stacey suddenly exclaimed. “Doctor Johanssen, it’s me, Stacey! … No, you called Stoneybrook. I’m visiting. I’m here for the weekend. I’m going on the Mother’s Day outing tomorrow.” (Dr. Johanssen is Charlotte Johanssen’s mother, and in case you can’t tell, she and Stacey are pretty close. Stacey helped Charlotte through some rough times, and Dr. Johanssen helped Stacey through some rough times.) “Oh, don’t tell Charlotte I’m here, okay?” Stacey was saying. “I’ll surprise her when she gets to Claudia’s tomorrow…. Yes…. Right…. Oh, a sitter for next Saturday? Boy, I wish it could be me…. No, I’m leaving the day after tomorrow. But we’ll get you a sitter. I’ll call right back, okay? … Okay. ‘Bye.”
Stacey’s face went from excited to disappointed and back to excited whi
le Mary Anne looked at our appointment pages. The Johanssen job was for the evening, and we signed Dawn up for it.
Stacey called Charlotte’s mother back. While she did, Claud began searching the bedroom.
“What are you looking for?” asked Mal, as if we didn’t know. (It must have been junk food.)
“Junk food,” Claud replied. “I bought a bag of those licorice strings. I thought we could make jewelry out of them before we ate them. Oh, and Dawn and Stacey, I’ve got pretzels for you. I know that’s not very interesting, but at least the pretzels look like little goldfish.”
Claud handed around our snacks.
Then Stacey said, “Um, I had a question … ?”
“Oh, right!” I exclaimed. “Sorry, Stace.” (If I’d been in a commercial, I would have hit myself on the head and said, “I coulda hadda V-8!”)
“Well, I was just wondering. Could we run through tomorrow’s schedule and all the details? I mean, like, who exactly is coming, and if we should expect any problems. I don’t even know some of these kids. And you guys have talked about a carnival, but … ”
“Oh, of course we’ll run through everything,” spoke up Mary Anne, who was playing with a licorice bracelet. “We didn’t mean to leave you out. It’s just that we’ve been making plans for so long.”
“Anyway, it’ll probably help us to run through the schedule,” added Jessi.
I jumped right in. “I’ll start,” I said. I try hard not to be bossy, but after all, I am the president.
“The kids will come here at eight-thirty,” I began. (I was trying to make licorice earrings.) “The fathers have been really cooperative, and they’re doing all the stuff like dropping the kids off and picking them up. They’re making the lunches, too, and watching any brothers and sisters who are too little —”
“Or too big,” added Dawn.
“—to come on the outing. So the moms will really have a day off tomorrow.”
“One exception,” interrupted Mallory, as she braided together three strings of licorice. “The Barretts.”
“Oh, yeah,” said Stacey. “No Mr. Barrett.”
“Right. So guess what?”
“What, Mal?”
“My dad is going to be Mr. Barrett for the day. He’s going to bring Buddy and Suzi with my brother and sisters in the morning and pick them up at the end of the day. He’s going to fix their lunches, and he’s even going to baby-sit for Marnie all day.”