name wasn't on the list.
"Mom, could I have some invitations? I promised to
invite Christie, Beth, Katie, and Melanie, and I've been so busy with school
and yearbook that I forgot."
Her mother looked up and smiled. "Sure, sweetheart. I've
been meaning to ask you about your friends, but I'm afraid that I forgot, too."
She slid several invitations toward Jana from a stack of extras on the table.
Jana took the spare ballpoint pen that was lying on the table and addressed the
invitations to her friends.
When she finished, she stared at the list for a moment. She
hadn't really paid much attention to it before. She read it over and then
asked, "Is that the whole list?"
"Ummm, hmm," her mother answered absently. "Except
for your friends, of course."
"Aren't you inviting any of our relatives except for
Grandmother and Grandfather Drake?"
Her mother shook her head. "None of your aunts, uncles,
or cousins live near enough to come. But your grandmother and grandfather will
definitely be here. They're driving in on Friday before the wedding and will be
staying at a hotel." Jana slid into a depression. Grandma and Grandpa
Drake were her mother's parents. Jana loved them, but she had thought her
mother might say she was also asking Jana's father.
Back in her room Jana sat at her desk, thinking. She reached
into the pocket of her jeans skirt and pulled out an invitation and an
envelope. Her mother had extras and wouldn't miss one. Should she send her
father an invitation? How mad would her mother be if she did?
Jana pulled open the desk drawer. Inside was the wrinkled
letter she had begun the day before. The teardrop had formed an inky circle
where it had fallen. She took the letter out and placed it at the corner of her
desk.
Next she went to her closet and got an old boot box down
from the shelf. Inside was a stack of used envelopes that the support-payment
checks used to come in when her father was still sending them. They were all
alike, and she had quit collecting them after a while. Underneath the stack
were four letters bound together with a rubber band. Jana pulled one free. It
was wrinkled and smudged because of the many times she had taken it out to read
the letter inside. In the upper left-hand corner of the envelope was written Bill
Morgan, followed by an address. Carefully she copied the address onto the
invitation envelope.
CHAPTER 11
"Where am I going to put all of these?" Pink's
voice came from the living room.
"Oh, my word," Jana's mother's voice followed. "I
didn't know there were so many. Jana, honey! Can you come and help?"
When Jana reached the living room, she found it filled with
boxes, and Pink was standing at the door, sweat glistening from his forehead
and perspiration stains darkening his T-shirt. "I'll bring in another load
if you ladies want to find a place to put my bowling trophies," he said,
grinning. His blond hair was wet and mussed as if he had been in a wrestling
match.
"Oh, dear," said Jana's mother. "Where will
we put all of these?" She was standing beside two extra-large boxes, set
apart from the others, with the words BOWLING TROPHIES written on their sides
with black Magic Marker.
"We could rent one of those storage places and move
Pink and his trophies into it," volunteered Jana quickly.
Her mother looked sternly at her. "That was not a nice remark, young lady."
"I was only kidding," Jana insisted,
thinking to herself that she would absolutely explode if her mother got any
more paranoid between now and the wedding.
Her mother gave her a long look and then followed Pink
downstairs. Before she turned away, Jana saw a flash of anger in her eyes.
Laura McCall stood with her feet planted firmly in front of
Jana, blocking her way. Under one arm was a stuffed unicorn, and she had the
tail of her braid in her other hand, switching it back and forth as if she were
a cat who had cornered a mouse. Melissa McConnell and Tammy Lucero stood on
either side of her looking angry, and Funny
"Mom, could I have some invitations? I promised to
invite Christie, Beth, Katie, and Melanie, and I've been so busy with school
and yearbook that I forgot."
Her mother looked up and smiled. "Sure, sweetheart. I've
been meaning to ask you about your friends, but I'm afraid that I forgot, too."
She slid several invitations toward Jana from a stack of extras on the table.
Jana took the spare ballpoint pen that was lying on the table and addressed the
invitations to her friends.
When she finished, she stared at the list for a moment. She
hadn't really paid much attention to it before. She read it over and then
asked, "Is that the whole list?"
"Ummm, hmm," her mother answered absently. "Except
for your friends, of course."
"Aren't you inviting any of our relatives except for
Grandmother and Grandfather Drake?"
Her mother shook her head. "None of your aunts, uncles,
or cousins live near enough to come. But your grandmother and grandfather will
definitely be here. They're driving in on Friday before the wedding and will be
staying at a hotel." Jana slid into a depression. Grandma and Grandpa
Drake were her mother's parents. Jana loved them, but she had thought her
mother might say she was also asking Jana's father.
Back in her room Jana sat at her desk, thinking. She reached
into the pocket of her jeans skirt and pulled out an invitation and an
envelope. Her mother had extras and wouldn't miss one. Should she send her
father an invitation? How mad would her mother be if she did?
Jana pulled open the desk drawer. Inside was the wrinkled
letter she had begun the day before. The teardrop had formed an inky circle
where it had fallen. She took the letter out and placed it at the corner of her
desk.
Next she went to her closet and got an old boot box down
from the shelf. Inside was a stack of used envelopes that the support-payment
checks used to come in when her father was still sending them. They were all
alike, and she had quit collecting them after a while. Underneath the stack
were four letters bound together with a rubber band. Jana pulled one free. It
was wrinkled and smudged because of the many times she had taken it out to read
the letter inside. In the upper left-hand corner of the envelope was written Bill
Morgan, followed by an address. Carefully she copied the address onto the
invitation envelope.
CHAPTER 11
"Where am I going to put all of these?" Pink's
voice came from the living room.
"Oh, my word," Jana's mother's voice followed. "I
didn't know there were so many. Jana, honey! Can you come and help?"
When Jana reached the living room, she found it filled with
boxes, and Pink was standing at the door, sweat glistening from his forehead
and perspiration stains darkening his T-shirt. "I'll bring in another load
if you ladies want to find a place to put my bowling trophies," he said,
grinning. His blond hair was wet and mussed as if he had been in a wrestling
match.
"Oh, dear," said Jana's mother. "Where will
we put all of these?" She was standing beside two extra-large boxes, set
apart from the others, with the words BOWLING TROPHIES written on their sides
with black Magic Marker.
"We could rent one of those storage places and move
Pink and his trophies into it," volunteered Jana quickly.
Her mother looked sternly at her. "That was not a nice remark, young lady."
"I was only kidding," Jana insisted,
thinking to herself that she would absolutely explode if her mother got any
more paranoid between now and the wedding.
Her mother gave her a long look and then followed Pink
downstairs. Before she turned away, Jana saw a flash of anger in her eyes.
Laura McCall stood with her feet planted firmly in front of
Jana, blocking her way. Under one arm was a stuffed unicorn, and she had the
tail of her braid in her other hand, switching it back and forth as if she were
a cat who had cornered a mouse. Melissa McConnell and Tammy Lucero stood on
either side of her looking angry, and Funny
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