Melanie Martin Goes Dutch (5 page)

Dear Diary,

No wonder Cecily hadn't called me back!

I just found out what's going on.

Cecily finally called and Matt and I both picked
up the phone. Matt pretended to hang up, but I could tell he hadn't because I could hear him breathing in and out. “Hang up N-O-W!” I yelled, and he did. (Even Matt knows what N-O-W spells.)

Cecily said she was sorry she hadn't called, but she and her mom have been going to doctors' appointments, and she didn't want to talk yet because she had some scary news that she kept hoping would change.

“
What
?” I asked. That's when Cecily told me that her mother has a disease. She got a test and they found out she has breast cancer and she might have to have an operation.

I'm glad Cecily called but I feel terrible for her and her mom.

Breast cancer! I've heard of it, but I've never known anybody who had it.

Now I feel kind of guilty that I wrote that Mrs. Hausner has been acting crabby. I mean, she's obviously been stressed and stuff! I wonder how bad it is. I wonder if she looks different.

This sounds really stupid, but tonight we're going to a Fourth of July picnic in Central Park, and I'm going
to try not to look at Cecily's mother's chest. It's not like I normally do or anything. But I'm afraid I might accidentally glance at her chest and I wouldn't want Cecily or her mom to catch me doing that.

Once, I was reading the front of a lady's T-shirt because it had all these jokes on it. But then the lady stared at me staring at her. She thought I was a perv when she was the one with jokes all over her chest.

I hope Cecily's mom will be okay!!

I asked Cecily if she'd mind if I told my mom about her mom and she said no. She said her mom is on the phone all the time now with doctors and friends.

Dear Diary,

At the picnic, first there were fireflies; then there were fireworks! Red, white, and blue ones, like giant sparklers in the sky.

Cecily's mom looks the same as ever. If I didn't know something was wrong, I would never have guessed.

When I saw her, I knew that the first thing I should do was apologize for having hung up on her, and the second was say “Get well soon” or “I hope you feel better.” I knew I should do that. But somehow all I could squeak out was a pitiful little “Hi, Mrs. Hausner,” as though things were normal. She said, “Hi,” and acted normal back.

I feel kind of guilty that I didn't do the right thing.

On my first sleepover ever, which was at Cecily's, I got scared and worried. Cecily's mom made me cocoa and told me about her first sleepover and how she got scared and worried too. She helped me feel better.

Being homesick and being sick-sick aren't the same, but still, I wish I had thought of something nice to say.

Well, Cecily and I climbed a tree so we could spy on everyone. She told me some more about the scary news. She said her mom had felt a little surprise lump in her chest.

“Like a pebble?” I asked.

“More like a pencil eraser, I think,” Cecily said.

Cecily's mom got it x-rayed, then another doctor
gave her a needle test. He said she has cancer, so now she's asking a different doctor for a second opinion. But she will probably have to have an operation. Cecily says cancer is when bad cells in your body multiply and have to be cut out or poisoned with chemicals or both.

While Cecily was talking to me, Cecily's mom was talking to my parents. Cecily and I usually talk a lot, but our parents usually don't.

We all left the picnic together. Cecily's mom kept stopping to throw away empty bottles that other people had littered. Mrs. Hausner is a big cleaner-upper. She loves Central Park and she hates trash.

After we said goodbye, I asked my mom, “Is she going to be okay?” Mom said she thinks so and Dad told me not to worry.

Dear Diary,

We fly to Europe on August 11. That's in exactly

Dear Diary,

Cecily came over and Mom took us to Riverside Park, and Matt made us play Who Can Spit Watermelon Seeds the Farthest. Matt is good at it and Cecily is great at it and I stink at it. I don't know why I can't do it. Even when I concentrate and curl my tongue and spit them up and out, the seeds still land just a foot away.

Mom asked Cecily how her mom is doing. Cecily said, “Okay, I guess.”

Mom put her arm around her.

Kind of sadly,

Dear Diary,

You will never ever believe this!

It is too good to be true!

Guess who is going with us to Amster Amster Dam Dam Dam?

Cecily!

Cecily's mom scheduled her operation for when we would be away, because Mom said that while it might be hard for her to take care of Cecily during all the hospital stuff, it would be easy for our family to take care of her and we'd love to—in Holland! Mom got the idea when we were spitting out watermelon seeds, but Cecily's parents had to talk on the phone about it. Now they're buying Cecily a plane ticket!

Instead of a family of four, we'll be a family of five!

Cecily and I will be sisters!

I'm so