Cookies and Crutches

M
olly Duff watched the clock.

The big black minute hand dropped, boing, boing, boing.

One minute at a time.

To get to three o’clock, it had to climb, chug, chug, chug.

At three o’clock the bell would ring.

The Pee Wee Scouts from first grade would run out of the room and down the stairs. They were in Troop 23.

Clop, clop, clop.

Tuesday was their meeting day.

Molly could not wait.

Today Mrs. Peters would show them how to bake cookies.

Mmm. Molly felt hungry thinking about it.

She could not sit still in her seat on Tuesdays.

She pretended to think very hard about her spelling words.

She squinted and said, “Pig: p-i-g.”

But she was not thinking about
pig
.

She was thinking about Scouts and cookies.

Molly knew how to spell.

She could spell
pig
without thinking at all.

Spelling was easy.

“Mary Beth, spell
home,”
said Mrs. Lane.

Mary Beth Kelly was passing a note to Sonny Betz.

Mrs. Lane watched for people who passed notes.

Mary Beth turned red.

She was not good at spelling.

“Spell
home,”
Mrs. Lane said again.

“Home-comb,” said Molly to herself.

“Let’s go to Scouts!”

Mrs. Lane looked as if she wanted to leave too.

She spelled
home
for Mary Beth.

“Keep your eyes on your spelling, Mary Beth,” said Mrs. Lane.

“Yes, Mrs. Lane,” said Mary Beth.

Molly looked at the clock. Chug, chug, chug.

The big hand was climbing to three.

“Home,” said Mrs. Lane. “It is almost time to go home!”

Sonny Betz waved his hand.

“Not for us!” he said.

“It is Tuesday. We have Scouts on Tuesday.”

“Dear me, I forgot!” said Mrs. Lane.

Teachers were not supposed to forget, thought Molly.

That was a teacher’s job. To remember everything.

It was good that the first graders remembered it was Tuesday.

Remembered it was Scout day.

Or else Mrs. Peters would be all alone with her cookies.

Gobble, gobble, gobble.

Mrs. Peters would eat all the cookies herself!

Dozens and dozens of cookies!

Molly laughed into her speller thinking about it.

The minute hand was still climbing. Chug, chug, chug.

“Row One, get your coats,” said Mrs. Lane.

Row One raced to the back of the room.

“Row Two is noisy,” said Mrs. Lane. “I will call on Row Three because they are quiet.”

Row Three raced to the back of the room.

Molly sat up straight. She sat very very still. She was in Row Two.

Mrs. Lane looked at Molly.

“Row Two,” she said.

Row Two got their coats.

Some of the children got in line.

Then Mrs. Lane called, “Pee Wee Scouts, line up!”

* * *

The minute hand climbed its last minute.

It was on the twelve.

The bell rang, BRRRING!

Molly covered her ears. The bell was right outside the first-grade door!

The lines marched out of the room.

It was time for Pee Wee Scouts at last!

It was time to learn how to bake cookies.

T
roop 23 ran all the way down the stairs.

The school bus waited near the door.

Molly wanted to get there first.

She squeezed ahead of Mary Beth Kelly.

Then she squeezed ahead of Sonny Betz.

But Rachel Myers was there first.

She was in the other first grade.

“That’s not fair,” said Molly. “Your room is closer to the door.”

“I can run faster,” said Rachel.

“I’ve got my running shoes on.”

Molly looked at Rachel’s running shoes. Everybody had some.

Everybody but Molly.

Molly’s mother said running shoes were not school shoes.

“A hex on your running shoes,” said Molly, crossing her eyes.

Molly said that when she was mad.

It made her feel better.

It scared some people.

They thought she might really put a hex on them.

But she couldn’t.

A hex was not a real thing.

The Scouts got on the school bus.

They got off at Mrs. Peters’s house.

Mrs. Peters was waiting at the door.

“We’ll meet in the kitchen today,” she said.

The Scouts followed her one by one.

She had bowls and spoons out.

She had flour and butter and sugar.

“Umm,” said Molly, rubbing her stomach.

Everyone stood around the table.

They all wanted to be in front.

They all wanted to see.

Mostly, they all wanted a cookie!

Mrs. Peters smiled.

She was friendly and kind.

She was a good troop leader.

“Before we begin, does anyone have a good deed to report?” Mrs. Peters asked the Scouts.

“I helped my grandma wash her windows this week,” said Sonny Betz.

“Good!” said Mrs. Peters.

“I carried three bags of groceries for the lady next door,” said Roger White.

“Wonderful,” said Mrs. Peters. “You’ve been real Pee Wees this week. Today, I will show you how to make easy cookies.

“To earn your cookie badge, you must bake cookies yourself.

“You must bake them at home and bring one to me.

“I will see if you earn the badge.

“Your parents must not help.

“But they must know you are using the stove.

“And they must write a note saying you baked them yourselves.

“Do you all understand what to do?”

The Scouts nodded.

All except Roger White.