great,” I said, feeling jealous again but smiling at Diana. She gave a small smile. I didn’t know whether it was sarcastic or not.
“She’s been telling me about her horse, Commanche,” Grammy went on.
“Well, he’s not my horse. He’s the horse I ride when I go to the barn,” Diana explained to Grammy. “I told her that Commanche sticks his head out when I come into the barn. He knows my walk,” said Diana.
“Isn’t that great when an animal knows us? It makes us feel good, doesn’t it?” Grammy said.
“Yeah!” Diana said.
She and Grammy both nodded and laughed. I toldmyself that Grammy was just trying to get to know Diana. And I knew Diana wasn’t close to her real grandparents. After that, Daddy and Lynn came and joined us, and then Aunt Carol and Uncle Ted and Luke, so we were all scooting over and making room for people to put their trays on the table, and the conversation was like a three-ring circus. Lauren was the only one who wasn’t there. I figured she was still sleeping. I was worried about what would happen when she and Diana saw each other.
“You girls better go claim spots by the pool before it gets too late,” Daddy said.
I stood up. “Okay, I’m going. Diana, want to come find a spot out by the pool?”
Diana shrugged. “I guess so.”
“We’re going to go to the quiet adult pool,” said Lynn. “You girls are welcome to sit with us or go to the young people’s pool and play games.”
“Young people’s pool!” I said excitedly.
When we got back to the room, Lauren lay with her face turned toward the wall while Diana and I put on our swimsuits.
“Want me to try to save a chair for you, Lauren?” I asked.
“Okay,” she mumbled.
Diana didn’t say anything.
It was a beautiful day, with blue skies above dotted with scattered clouds and the deep-green water surrounding us as far as we could see in every direction. When we looked over the edge of the deck, we could see the lacy, white foam spreading out behind the ship from the engines.
Diana and I claimed lounge chairs far enough away from the pool that we wouldn’t get splashed. I put a towel on the lounge chair on the other side of me for Lauren. I was nervous but also still mad that they weren’t speaking to each other.
I lay on my lounge chair and put on my suntan lotion. Mama let me get a new bikini that’s a hot-pink-and-yellow print, and I loved it. Diana was still wearing a faded navy-blue Speedo that she had worn for swim team last year. Lynn had offered to take her shopping for a new bathing suit, and Diana said she’d rather go to the barn. I wished I understood her!
“Good morning, this is your captain speaking” came a deep accented voice over the loudspeaker system. “Today we’re at sea, and we will be sailing at a speed of fourteen knots per hour. We should arrive at port in Grand Cayman by early tomorrow morning. It’s seventy-eight degrees on board today. In New York it’s thirty degrees. Enjoy your day at sea!”
“It’s hard to believe it’s so cold at home,” I said toDiana. “If it’s thirty degrees in New York, it’s probably somewhere in the forties in North Carolina.”
“The horses are probably wearing blankets in their stalls,” she said.
Now was my chance to talk to Diana about apologizing. I hesitated, then plunged ahead on. “Hey, Lauren said she’d apologize for showing the video of you last night if you apologize for telling about our conversation about Uncle Ted’s sayings.”
Diana shot me an angry look. “But you guys are the ones that talked about it.”
“I know, but we really didn’t want Uncle Ted to know. It was embarrassing when you did that.”
“He didn’t get mad.”
“He could’ve. And you don’t know if his feelings were hurt or not.”
Diana played with the fringe on her beach bag. “Lauren
really
embarrassed me. And she did it on purpose.”
“I think she did it because you hurt her feelings first,” I said. “If both of
“She’s been telling me about her horse, Commanche,” Grammy went on.
“Well, he’s not my horse. He’s the horse I ride when I go to the barn,” Diana explained to Grammy. “I told her that Commanche sticks his head out when I come into the barn. He knows my walk,” said Diana.
“Isn’t that great when an animal knows us? It makes us feel good, doesn’t it?” Grammy said.
“Yeah!” Diana said.
She and Grammy both nodded and laughed. I toldmyself that Grammy was just trying to get to know Diana. And I knew Diana wasn’t close to her real grandparents. After that, Daddy and Lynn came and joined us, and then Aunt Carol and Uncle Ted and Luke, so we were all scooting over and making room for people to put their trays on the table, and the conversation was like a three-ring circus. Lauren was the only one who wasn’t there. I figured she was still sleeping. I was worried about what would happen when she and Diana saw each other.
“You girls better go claim spots by the pool before it gets too late,” Daddy said.
I stood up. “Okay, I’m going. Diana, want to come find a spot out by the pool?”
Diana shrugged. “I guess so.”
“We’re going to go to the quiet adult pool,” said Lynn. “You girls are welcome to sit with us or go to the young people’s pool and play games.”
“Young people’s pool!” I said excitedly.
When we got back to the room, Lauren lay with her face turned toward the wall while Diana and I put on our swimsuits.
“Want me to try to save a chair for you, Lauren?” I asked.
“Okay,” she mumbled.
Diana didn’t say anything.
It was a beautiful day, with blue skies above dotted with scattered clouds and the deep-green water surrounding us as far as we could see in every direction. When we looked over the edge of the deck, we could see the lacy, white foam spreading out behind the ship from the engines.
Diana and I claimed lounge chairs far enough away from the pool that we wouldn’t get splashed. I put a towel on the lounge chair on the other side of me for Lauren. I was nervous but also still mad that they weren’t speaking to each other.
I lay on my lounge chair and put on my suntan lotion. Mama let me get a new bikini that’s a hot-pink-and-yellow print, and I loved it. Diana was still wearing a faded navy-blue Speedo that she had worn for swim team last year. Lynn had offered to take her shopping for a new bathing suit, and Diana said she’d rather go to the barn. I wished I understood her!
“Good morning, this is your captain speaking” came a deep accented voice over the loudspeaker system. “Today we’re at sea, and we will be sailing at a speed of fourteen knots per hour. We should arrive at port in Grand Cayman by early tomorrow morning. It’s seventy-eight degrees on board today. In New York it’s thirty degrees. Enjoy your day at sea!”
“It’s hard to believe it’s so cold at home,” I said toDiana. “If it’s thirty degrees in New York, it’s probably somewhere in the forties in North Carolina.”
“The horses are probably wearing blankets in their stalls,” she said.
Now was my chance to talk to Diana about apologizing. I hesitated, then plunged ahead on. “Hey, Lauren said she’d apologize for showing the video of you last night if you apologize for telling about our conversation about Uncle Ted’s sayings.”
Diana shot me an angry look. “But you guys are the ones that talked about it.”
“I know, but we really didn’t want Uncle Ted to know. It was embarrassing when you did that.”
“He didn’t get mad.”
“He could’ve. And you don’t know if his feelings were hurt or not.”
Diana played with the fringe on her beach bag. “Lauren
really
embarrassed me. And she did it on purpose.”
“I think she did it because you hurt her feelings first,” I said. “If both of
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