where everyone will sleep.”
“Mo … ther!” Jake said earnestly in a low voice.
Mrs. Hatford ignored the protest. “The twins have the largest bedroom, so I think I'll put the four of you in there. They have twin beds, and I'll get an air mattress that sleeps two that we can squeeze onto the floor.”
“That will be absolutely fine,” said Mrs. Malloy.
“Mo-ther!” said Jake in despair. “What about us ?”
“One of you boys can take your sleeping bag into Wally's room, and the other can sleep in Peter's,” Mrs. Hatford said.
Wally tried to imagine the Malloys living in their house. “There's … there's only one bathroom! For ten people!” he choked.
“Plus the powder room here on the first floor. We'll make do. There just won't be any long showers, that's all. In fact, you boys may want to forget showers for a day or two,” his mother said.
That was fine with Wally. But the thought ofwaiting in line to use the toilet, and everybody knowing what you were waiting for, did not appeal to Wally at all. Jake and Josh were still in shock.
“They'll sleep in our beds!” Wally heard Jake whisper.
“They'll look in our closet!” Josh whispered back.
Wally glanced across the table at Caroline, Beth, and Eddie. They didn't seem any happier about it than his brothers were.
“Okay,” said Mrs. Hatford determinedly. “We're going to make this as painless as possible, and who knows? Maybe it will be fun!”
Like going to the dentist is fun , Wally thought.
“We'll do all we can to help,” said Mrs. Malloy.
“Jake and Josh,” said their mother, “go get some of your clothes to wear for the next few days. Take your sleeping bags, too. They're in your closet. And a few games might be nice. Wally and Peter, go to your rooms and make sure everything's off the floor so the twins can put down their sleeping bags.”
Like robots—all but Peter, who practically skipped to the stairs—the boys rose from their chairs and started toward the hall.
“I'm so sorry to impose like this,” Wally heard Mrs. Malloy say. “I know how the kids must hate it.”
“It's not much trouble, really!” said Mrs. Hatford.
She lies , Wally thought.
At the top of the stairs, Jake said, “This can't be happening! It's my worst nightmare! Worse than my worst nightmare! Eddie will be sleeping in my bed! I'll haveto decontaminate it, practically, before I can sleep in it again.”
“I'm taking my own pillow,” said Josh. “I don't want anyone sleeping on my pillow.”
“I'm not sleeping in Peter's room, either,” said Josh. “ Wally, you can sleep in Peter's room and Jake and I will take yours.”
This always happened. Wally had known it would happen. But he opened his mouth and said, “No way.”
“What do you mean?” said Jake.
“ N as in noodle and O as in Oreo,” said Wally. “It's my room and I'm sleeping in my own bed.” There. He'd said it. Jake looked like he might punch him in the mouth, but he didn't.
“Well, then we're both going to sleep on your floor,” Jake said. “We'll put all our stuff in Peter's room, but we're not sleeping in separate bedrooms.”
“Okay by me,” said Wally. Amazing how great you feel when you stand up for yourself , he thought.
He went into his room and kicked all the extra stuff under his bed. The worn underwear, the new sneakers, the National Wildlife magazine, the kickball … Then he went across the hall and stood in his brothers' doorway, watching them yank stuff out of their desk drawers before the girls got upstairs.
“Don't let them see any old papers!” said Josh.
“Don't let them see any school stuff at all,” said Jake.
“Look at this!” Josh said, holding up a picture he had drawn in kindergarten—a boy with a head as big as a pumpkin and a strange smile on his face. Theremust have been dozens more, all crammed into a bottom drawer.
“And this!” said Jake, checking his middle desk drawer. There was a report card from second grade,
“Mo … ther!” Jake said earnestly in a low voice.
Mrs. Hatford ignored the protest. “The twins have the largest bedroom, so I think I'll put the four of you in there. They have twin beds, and I'll get an air mattress that sleeps two that we can squeeze onto the floor.”
“That will be absolutely fine,” said Mrs. Malloy.
“Mo-ther!” said Jake in despair. “What about us ?”
“One of you boys can take your sleeping bag into Wally's room, and the other can sleep in Peter's,” Mrs. Hatford said.
Wally tried to imagine the Malloys living in their house. “There's … there's only one bathroom! For ten people!” he choked.
“Plus the powder room here on the first floor. We'll make do. There just won't be any long showers, that's all. In fact, you boys may want to forget showers for a day or two,” his mother said.
That was fine with Wally. But the thought ofwaiting in line to use the toilet, and everybody knowing what you were waiting for, did not appeal to Wally at all. Jake and Josh were still in shock.
“They'll sleep in our beds!” Wally heard Jake whisper.
“They'll look in our closet!” Josh whispered back.
Wally glanced across the table at Caroline, Beth, and Eddie. They didn't seem any happier about it than his brothers were.
“Okay,” said Mrs. Hatford determinedly. “We're going to make this as painless as possible, and who knows? Maybe it will be fun!”
Like going to the dentist is fun , Wally thought.
“We'll do all we can to help,” said Mrs. Malloy.
“Jake and Josh,” said their mother, “go get some of your clothes to wear for the next few days. Take your sleeping bags, too. They're in your closet. And a few games might be nice. Wally and Peter, go to your rooms and make sure everything's off the floor so the twins can put down their sleeping bags.”
Like robots—all but Peter, who practically skipped to the stairs—the boys rose from their chairs and started toward the hall.
“I'm so sorry to impose like this,” Wally heard Mrs. Malloy say. “I know how the kids must hate it.”
“It's not much trouble, really!” said Mrs. Hatford.
She lies , Wally thought.
At the top of the stairs, Jake said, “This can't be happening! It's my worst nightmare! Worse than my worst nightmare! Eddie will be sleeping in my bed! I'll haveto decontaminate it, practically, before I can sleep in it again.”
“I'm taking my own pillow,” said Josh. “I don't want anyone sleeping on my pillow.”
“I'm not sleeping in Peter's room, either,” said Josh. “ Wally, you can sleep in Peter's room and Jake and I will take yours.”
This always happened. Wally had known it would happen. But he opened his mouth and said, “No way.”
“What do you mean?” said Jake.
“ N as in noodle and O as in Oreo,” said Wally. “It's my room and I'm sleeping in my own bed.” There. He'd said it. Jake looked like he might punch him in the mouth, but he didn't.
“Well, then we're both going to sleep on your floor,” Jake said. “We'll put all our stuff in Peter's room, but we're not sleeping in separate bedrooms.”
“Okay by me,” said Wally. Amazing how great you feel when you stand up for yourself , he thought.
He went into his room and kicked all the extra stuff under his bed. The worn underwear, the new sneakers, the National Wildlife magazine, the kickball … Then he went across the hall and stood in his brothers' doorway, watching them yank stuff out of their desk drawers before the girls got upstairs.
“Don't let them see any old papers!” said Josh.
“Don't let them see any school stuff at all,” said Jake.
“Look at this!” Josh said, holding up a picture he had drawn in kindergarten—a boy with a head as big as a pumpkin and a strange smile on his face. Theremust have been dozens more, all crammed into a bottom drawer.
“And this!” said Jake, checking his middle desk drawer. There was a report card from second grade,
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