Starring Sally J. Freedman as Herself (16 page)

“No … I don’t want to go, Arnold.”

“Because of Vicki and Ted?”

“Because I’m afraid to fly … and you know it.”

“Is that the whole reason?” Daddy asked.

“It’s reason enough.”

“There’s nothing to be afraid of … I’ve flown three times since you’ve been down here …”

“And I wish to God you wouldn’t … I wish you’d take the train down and back.”

Sally nodded. She worried so each time her father flew.

“I’d lose two days that way,” Daddy said.

“But at least you’d be safe,” Mom told him.

Sally nodded again.

“If your time’s up, it’s up … it doesn’t matter where you are,” Daddy said.

“You don’t have to take chances though … you don’t have to go looking for trouble.”

“That’s right,” Sally mumbled to herself, “especially this year.” She finished shelling the beans. She dumped them out on the table and began dividing them into five equal piles.

“I want to go to Cuba for the weekend.” Daddy sounded very firm. “And I want you to come with me.”

“No!” Mom said, sounding just as firm.

“I’m going, Lou … with you or without you.”

“Then I guess you don’t love me very much.” Mom’s voice broke.

Sally paused, feeling herself choke up.

“This has nothing to do with love,” Daddy said, quietly.

“It has everything to do with love.” Mom was crying now.

“If you loved me
enough
you’d come too,” Daddy said.

Sally was afraid to look up from the table. She didn’t want to meet Ma Fanny’s glance.

“You only want to go because of Ted and Vicki … they put the bug in your head …”

Daddy sighed. “Oh, Lou … why can’t you understand … I need to get away with
you
 … I need that badly …”

“I need it too,” Mom said, sniffling. “But I’d rather move up to a hotel on Lincoln Road. Why do we have to fly to Cuba?”

“Because Ted will pick up the tab, for one thing … and for another, it’s an adventure …”

“I’m not Sally,” Mom said. “You can’t convince me by calling this an adventure!”

Sally sat up straight.

“Shush … she’ll hear you.”

“I don’t care!”

“Maybe you should be more like Sally,” Daddy said. “At least she’s willing to try.”

Sally couldn’t help smiling.

“You’re ruining our time together, Arnold … I don’t understand why you’re doing this to us.”

“Why
I’m
doing it!” Daddy said. “Okay … not another word on the subject … but next Friday night I’m flying to Cuba with Ted and Vicki. I’ll have two tickets in my pocket. I hope you’ll change your mind and come with us.”

Daddy clomped out of the sleeping alcove, still wearing his wooden beach shoes. Sally pretended to be busy with the lima beans as he walked over to her. He put his hand on her head. “How’s my little gal?” he asked.

“Oh … just fine,” Sally told him.

“Good … that’s good …”

“We each get twenty-six lima beans for supper.”

“Suppose I eat twenty-seven?” Daddy asked.

“Then we’ll all point and call
pig …
”

Daddy laughed and took a lima bean from one of the carefully arranged piles. He ate it raw.

The next morning Sally went grocery shopping with Mom and Ma Fanny. She needed a new box of Crayolas and she also wanted to make sure Mom bought enough Welch’s grape juice.

“Get smart, Louise,” Ma Fanny said. “Go to Cuba for the weekend. There’s nothing to worry about here.”

“I don’t know, Ma … both of us on the same plane … if anything happens what will become of the children?”

“Nothing will happen.”

“You can’t be sure.”

“So who’s ever sure of anything in this crazy world? Go with Arnold … don’t send him away without you.”

“I’ll think about it, Ma.” Mom looked over at Sally. “Don’t you know better than to listen to grownups when they’re talking?”

“I wasn’t listening,” Sally said. “I don’t care if you go to Cuba or not.” She pushed her cart down the aisle. Actually, Sally was torn between wanting
Mom to go because Daddy seemed so anxious and wanting them both to stay home. After all, it would be more than a month before she’d see her father again. It bothered her that he wanted to get away with just Mom.

Sally and her family went to the Seagull Pool Club every day that week. It was such fun to have Daddy with them! He never tired of playing games. He played dolphin with Sally, letting her ride on his back as he swam underwater. He lifted her onto his shoulders and had chicken fights with Douglas, who carried Shelby as his partner. He played keep-away, tossing a brightly colored beach ball from one to the other. He rented flippers for their feet, showing them how to use them. And suddenly, to Sally’s surprise, she found that she could lift both feet off the bottom of the pool and not go under. She was learning to swim! It was easy. All she had to do was kick her feet and move her arms. She was actually
swimming
and without ever having had a lesson!

Mom stood at the edge of the pool snapping pictures.

On Thursday, Sally brought Barbara as her guest. “Barbara … you know Shelby, don’t you?” she said, when they met in the pool.

“Oh, sure …” Barbara said. “You’re the other one who’s allergic to the school food, right?”

“Right!” Shelby answered and all three of them laughed together.

That afternoon Sally spoke to Georgia Blue Eyes. She said, “You know something … you’re a good swimmer but you’re always bumping into me when I’m floating on my back.”

He said, “If you’d turn over once in a while you wouldn’t have that problem.”

She said, “You’re the one with the problem.”

He said, “I’ve seen you around, haven’t I?”

She said, “Maybe …”

He said, “You’re always with that other one … that jerk with the frizzy hair.”

She said, “Her name is Andrea and her hair’s not frizzy … it’s curly.”

He said, “And what’s your name?”

She said, “Mine?” and she looked over at Shelby and Barbara who were giggling like crazy. “I’m Sally.”

“Sally what?” he asked.

“Never mind,” Sally said.

“Sally Nevermind … that’s a pretty jerky name … but it fits you …” He laughed and swam away.

“Oh … he’s so cute!” Barbara said. “Don’t you think he’s the most adorable boy you’ve ever seen?”

“Yes,” Shelby said. “And I love his accent … I’d let him kiss me any day.”

“Me too,” Barbara said. “Any day and any place.”

“What about you, Sally?” Shelby asked. “Would you let him kiss you?”

“I’d have to think about it,” Sally answered. “I usually prefer Latin lovers … they’re the best.”

On Saturday afternoon Sally and Douglas went to the beach with Ma Fanny and the Rubins. There were no Man O’ Wars in sight. Mrs. Rubin sat on her blanket rubbing suntan oil onto Mr. Rubin’s back. “Your mother’s so lucky …” she said to Sally, “going off to Cuba for the weekend … I wish somebody would take me to Cuba … hint, hint …” She tickled Mr. Rubin’s belly.

He said, “Somebody’s already paying to keep you in Miami Beach … remember?”

“Oh, Ivan … I was just teasing,” Mrs. Rubin said. “You know that.” She kissed his cheek.

“My mother didn’t even want to go,” Sally explained. “My father had to practically force her …”

“Sally,” Ma Fanny called, “come and have a sandwich.”

“I’m not hungry yet.”

“Come and have it anyway …” Ma Fanny said.

When Sally sat down next to her, Ma Fanny leaned close and whispered, “Don’t tell family secrets.”

“But I …”

“Think, mumeshana … always think before you speak.”

“I try to …” Sally said.

“I loved it, I loved it, I loved it!” Mom sang, when she and Daddy returned from Cuba on Sunday night. “It was even more exciting than Daddy promised.”

“Did you see any Latin lovers?” Sally asked.

“Oh, dozens … everywhere you looked …” She and Daddy laughed. “And we rhumbaed until three in the morning …” She put her arms around Daddy’s neck and they danced across the room. “And we drank Creme de Cacao … and it was so delicious …”

“As good as champagne?” Sally asked.

“Oh, better … much, much better …” Mom laughed some more. “It makes you feel like you’re walking on air.”

“And what about flying?” Sally said. “How was that?”

“Well …” Mom answered, “once we got up I never even knew we were moving …”

“Once she opened her eyes, that is,” Daddy said, “
and
stopped digging her nails into my hand …”

“Oh, Arnold …” Mom gave him a playful punch. “Not that I’d want to do it all the time, mind
you … but once in a while … in good weather …”

Sally noticed that her parents looked at each other and laughed a lot in the next few days. On New Year’s Eve they all went to the Orange Bowl Parade. Mr. Wiskoff had a box, right up front, so Sally had no trouble seeing all the marching bands and floats go by. And after the parade Big Ted took Sally by the hand, to his car, and gave her a special gift—a baton. “Someday we’re going to see
you
march in the Orange Bowl Parade,” he said.

“But how did you know …” Sally asked, “how did you know I’ve been dying for a baton?”

“A little bird told me,” he said.

And then it was January second and Daddy had to fly back to New Jersey. They went to the airport to see him off. Sally waved and blew kisses and prayed hard as the plane took off.

And then it was January third and time to go back to school.

Sally couldn’t find her library book. “It’s due today,” she said. “I can’t go to school without it.”

“Did you look under the day bed?” Mom asked.

“I’ve looked everywhere …” Sally picked at her cuticles. “I’m going to be late.” If you were late to Central Beach Elementary School you had to go to the Vice-Principal’s office for a late slip and Sally had heard that the Vice-Principal was so mean three kids had fainted and two had thrown up just from being late to school last month.

“Think …” Ma Fanny said. “Where was the last place you saw it?”

“I don’t remember … in the kitchen, maybe … before Daddy came.”

Ma Fanny walked away. In a few minutes she came back with Sally’s book. “So …” she said, handing it to Sally.

“You found it!” Sally had searched so carefully she couldn’t believe it. “Where … where was it?”

“In the pantry,” Ma Fanny said, as if that were the logical place for a book to be.

“How did it get in there?” Mom asked.

Sally raised her shoulders and held up her hands. She and her mother looked at Ma Fanny.

“So what’s wrong with reading a book in English now and then?” Ma Fanny said. “How is a person supposed to learn if she doesn’t practice?” She kissed Sally’s forehead. “Hurry to school now, sweetie pie …”

Sally ran all the way but the second bell rang just as she reached her corridor. She knew the rules. She was supposed to go straight to the office. But maybe she could sneak into her classroom. Maybe Miss Swetnick wouldn’t notice. Of course, if they’d already started opening exercises she’d have no choice. She’d have to go to the office. And she’d eaten scrambled eggs for breakfast. Just the thought of throwing them up in front of the Vice-Principal was enough to make her feel sick. Maybe she’d get lucky. Maybe she’d faint instead.

She stood outside her classroom. It was very noisy. They weren’t having opening exercises yet. Miss Swetnick was standing at the front of the room waving her hand around. She noticed Sally, standing in the doorway.

Sally felt her stomach roll over. Now she would be sent to the Vice-Principal.

“Well … good morning, Sally.”

“Good morning,” Sally said. “I’m late …”

“So I see,” Miss Swetnick said. She was wearing
her pale blue blouse and her hair was tied back with the same color ribbon.

Sally didn’t move.

“Well … don’t just stand there … come in and take your seat,” Miss Swetnick said.

“But I’m late.”

“You’ve already said that … but this is the first time you’ve been late, isn’t it?”

“Yes.”

“And I’m sure you’ve a good reason …”

“Oh, I do … my library book is due today and I couldn’t find it …”

“You see …” Miss Swetnick said.

“Then I don’t have to go to the office?”

“Not this time.”

Sally thought, Miss Swetnick is the nicest, most fair teacher in the whole world. And also, the prettiest.

“Besides,” Miss Swetnick said, “today is a special day … I’ve just told the class I’m engaged to be married.” She smiled and held out her hand, showing Sally a gold ring with a tiny diamond in the center.

“Congratulations!” Sally said, wondering if Miss Swetnick knew how to wash diamonds. She took her seat.

“Now … let’s get on with our geography,” Miss Swetnick said. “Page eighty-seven … Harriet, would you begin, please.”

Peter leaned close to Sally and whispered, “She’s marrying my brother!” Before Sally had a chance to answer him, Harriet called out, “When’s the wedding, Miss Swetnick?”

“Were doing geography now, Harriet …”

“But you haven’t told us when you’re getting married.”

“Over Easter vacation,” Miss Swetnick said. “Please begin with the first paragraph, Harriet …”