Karen's Promise

  The author gratefully acknowledges

  Diane Molleson

  for her help

  with this book.

  Contents

  Title Page

  Dedication

  1 A Windy Afternoon

  2 Two of Everything

  3 Karen in the Kitchen

  4 The Big Meeting

  5 The Three Musketeers Forever

  6 Recess

  7 Paris, New York, or Chicago

  8 More Work for Nannie

  9 School Lunch

  10 Too Many Cooks

  11 The Great Fire

  12 Shopping

  13 No Extras

  14 An Accident

  15 Time-out

  16 New York, San Francisco, or Chicago

  17 Nannie’s Plan

  18 Deliveries

  19 Baskets for Everyone

  20 Promises

  About the Author

  Also Available

  Copyright

  A Windy Afternoon

  “Karen, catch!” Andrew threw his Frisbee high in the air. I almost caught it, but the wind beat me to it. The Frisbee blew out of Daddy’s backyard.

  “Oh, Andrew,” I said. I tried not to sound too impatient. Andrew is my little brother. He is four going on five.

  “Don’t worry, Karen. I’ll find it,” said Andrew. He was already running off. I sighed. I did not really want to play Frisbee anyway. It was too windy, and I had a lot to think about.

  You are probably wondering who I am. Let me introduce myself. My name is Karen Brewer. I am seven years old. I have long blonde hair and blue eyes. I wear glasses. And this is what I was thinking about.

  I just found out that Seth, my stepfather, is moving to Chicago for six months. He made up his mind yesterday. That means Mommy will be moving with him, of course. But I am not sure what is going to happen to Andrew and me.

  You see, we do not live with Mommy and Seth all the time. We have two houses: a big house (Daddy’s house where we are now) and a little house (Mommy and Seth’s). I will explain more about my two houses in a minute.

  “Andrew, we need to talk,” I announced when I saw him come back with the Frisbee.

  “Oh, Karen, let’s play some more, please, puh-lease,” begged Andrew.

  “Andrew,” I repeated. “We do have to talk.” (I can sound very firm when I want to.)

  Andrew looked down at the grass. “Oh, you mean about Chicago.” He did not sound happy.

  “Yes,” I said. “You know, I do not want Mommy and Seth to move either.”

  “Do you think Seth will change his mind?” asked Andrew hopefully.

  I shook my head. “No. You know Mommy said he is really going.” Andrew and I had talked to Mommy on the phone the day before. That is how we learned about Seth’s decision. “But it is only for six months,” I reminded Andrew.

  “I know. But six months is a long time.”

  I nodded.

  “What do you think will happen to us?” asked Andrew in a very small voice.

  “I am not sure,” I said.

  “You aren’t?” Andrew looked surprised.

  “No. I really do not know if we will go with them or stay here in Stoneybrook. Mommy said she would tell us more in a couple of days.”

  “I know,” said Andrew.

  Andrew clutched his Frisbee. The wind rustled the branches of the trees in Daddy’s backyard. Usually the backyard at the big house is fun to play in, but today it looked a little scary. Maybe it was the wind, or the gray clouds that were blocking out the sun.

  “Karen,” Andrew began. He looked like he was about to start crying. “You won’t go anywhere without me, will you?”

  I did not want Andrew to be so upset. So I made a promise to him.

  “No, Andrew. I will not. I promise that no matter what happens, we will stay together.”

  Andrew sighed with relief. I was glad he felt better.

  “Karen! Karen!”

  I turned around to see who was calling me. It was Nannie. (Nannie is my step-grandmother.) She wanted to know if I would help her in the kitchen. She was making chocolate candy.

  “Sure!” I called.

  “I’m coming too,” said Andrew, following me. “I want to lick the bowl.”

  Two of Everything

  Nannie was busy in her kitchen making chocolate-covered marshmallows. She asked me to hand her the ingredients she needed. Andrew sat at the kitchen table watching us. Nannie and I spend many hours in the big house cooking.

  Let me tell you a little more about the big house and the little house. First of all, I did not always live in two houses. When I was very little, Andrew and I lived with Mommy and Daddy in the big house here in Stoneybrook, Connecticut. Then Mommy and Daddy started fighting — at first a little, then a lot. Finally they got a divorce. They told Andrew and me they still loved us very much, but they did not love each other anymore. So Mommy moved out of the big house. (Daddy stayed there. It is the house he grew up in.) Mommy moved to a little house, not far away. Then she married Seth. Now he is my stepfather. Daddy married again too. He married Elizabeth, my stepmother.

  Andrew and I spend every other month with Daddy in the big house. The rest of the time we live with Mommy in the little house. At least that is what we used to do. Now that Mommy and Seth were going to move, I did not know what would happen.

  Here are the people and pets in my little-house family: Mommy, Seth, Andrew, me, Rocky and Midgie (Seth’s cat and dog), Emily Junior (my very own rat), and Bob (Andrew’s hermit crab).

  Here are the people and pets in my big-house family: Daddy, Elizabeth, Kristy, Charlie, Sam, David Michael, Emily Michelle, Nannie, Shannon, Boo-Boo, Goldfishie, Crystal Light the Second, Emily Junior, and Bob. (Emily Junior and Bob go back and forth when Andrew and I do.)

  Kristy, Charlie, Sam, and David Michael are Elizabeth’s children. (Elizabeth was married once before she married Daddy.) That makes them my stepsister and stepbrothers. Charlie and Sam are old. They go to high school. David Michael is seven, like me. Kristy is one of my favorite people ever. She is thirteen and she runs a baby-sitting business with her friends from school. Emily Michelle is my adopted sister. She is only two years old. (I love her, so I named my pet rat after her.) Daddy and Elizabeth adopted her from the faraway country of Vietnam. Nannie is Elizabeth’s mother. She helps take care of the big house and all us kids. The pets too. We have a lot of them. Shannon is David Michael’s puppy. Boo-Boo is Daddy’s fat old cat. And Goldfishie and Crystal Light the Second are goldfish who belong to Andrew and me.

  I made up special nicknames for my brother and me. I call us Andrew Two-Two and Karen Two-Two. (I thought up those names after my teacher read a book to our class. It was called Jacob Two-Two Meets the Hooded Fang.) Andrew and I are two-twos because we have two of so many things. We have two houses and two families, two mommies, two daddies, two cats, and two dogs. Plus I have two bicycles, one at each house. And I have two stuffed cats who look exactly alike. Goosie lives at the little house. Moosie stays at the big house. Also, Andrew and I have two sets of clothes, books, and toys. This way, we do not need to pack much when we go back and forth.

  I even have a best friend near each house. Hannie Papadakis lives across the street and one house down from Daddy. Nancy Dawes lives next door to Mommy. Hannie, Nancy, and I are all in Ms. Colman’s second-grade class at Stoneybrook Academy. I will miss Hannie and Nancy very much if I move. We do everything together. We call ourselves the Three Musketeers.

  Being a two-two is hard sometimes. Andrew and I miss the family we are not staying with. But mostly we think we are lucky. So many people care about us. And so many people will miss me if I move to Chicago. Of course, I will miss them a lot too.

  Karen
in the Kitchen

  Nannie seemed busier than usual in her kitchen that day. Nannie makes the most wonderful chocolate I have ever tasted. It is so good, people pay her for it. She has her own business making chocolate candies. She sells them in baskets for gifts or as centerpieces. Best of all, she lets me help her.

  Nannie has two kitchens. One is just the regular kitchen where she often cooks meals for my big-house family. She calls the other one her second kitchen. (It used to be the pantry.) And that is where she plans her recipes, keeps her records, and puts together candy baskets for her business.

  Today Nannie was trying out a new recipe for chocolate-covered marshmallows. I watched her blend sugar, flour, and milk in a saucepan. I measured the flour.

  “Flour?” asked Andrew. “In candy? Where is the chocolate?”

  “I’ll add the chocolate after all these ingredients are blended,” said Nannie. “Don’t worry.”

  After a while Andrew got bored watching Nannie and me measure and stir. Luckily, David Michael asked Andrew to play catch with him.

  When Andrew left, I told Nannie about my promise to Andrew. Nannie knew about Seth’s news. But she did not know what was going to happen to Andrew and me. (How could she? I did not know yet either.) I do not think she wanted me to go to Chicago. When I finished telling her about my promise, she looked sort of sad.

  “What would you like to do, Karen?” she asked me.

  I sighed and watched her put some butter in the saucepan. “I really do not know,” I said. “I mean, Chicago is big and exciting. At least that is what Mommy said. But I will miss Stoneybrook, and you, and everyone else here.”

  Nannie sighed too. “I will certainly miss Andrew and you,” she said. “And I will miss all the help you give me in the kitchen.”

  “Really?” I asked. I stood up a little straighter.

  “Yes,” said Nannie. “You are a big help to me, you know.”

  I beamed. I am very proud of Nannie and her business. “I hope Andrew and I do not have to leave Stoneybrook.”

  “Well, whatever happens, remember it is only for six months,” said Nannie.

  “That is what I tried to tell Andrew,” I said. “But six months seems like forever.”

  “I know,” said Nannie. She was chopping some nuts into tiny pieces. “Karen, would you hand me more nuts?” I did. I also stirred chocolate and butter over the stove. I was very careful.

  “Karen, in all the excitement, I did not tell you my news yet.”

  I stopped stirring to look at her. “Is it good news?” I asked.

  “Yes, it is,” said Nannie, smiling. “I have just received my first big order. I will be making candy basket centerpieces for the hospital. They are having a big dinner at the end of the month to raise money.”

  “Oh, Nannie. That is wonderful,” I said. I gave her a big hug.

  Nannie laughed. “Keep stirring the chocolate,” she reminded me.

  “Oh, right. Are we making all these marshmallow chocolates for the hospital?” I asked. I was hoping there would be some extras for the family.

  “Yes indeed.”

  Darn, I thought to myself.

  “Wow, something sure smells good,” said Kristy as she came in the kitchen. She walked to the stove to see what I was stirring. Kristy loves to taste everything we cook.

  “It is candy for a dinner at the hospital,” I said. “It is Nannie’s first really big order.”

  “I know,” said Kristy, smiling. “I overhead you talking about it when I came in the house.”

  I laughed. The big house is very big. But it seems small sometimes because so many people live here.

  The Big Meeting

  A few days later, when I came home from school, guess what I saw? Mommy’s car.

  “Andrew, Andrew, Mommy’s here!” I yelled. Andrew was outside playing. When he heard me calling, he rushed inside.

  Mommy and Seth were in the front hall talking to Daddy, Nannie, and Elizabeth. Andrew ran right into Mommy’s arms. I gave Seth a big hug. (I miss them when I am at the big house.)

  Everyone was talking at once. I was asking about Rocky and Midgie. Andrew was telling Mommy about a turtle he found in the backyard. And the grown-ups were talking to each other about where to hold the meeting.

  “What meeting?” I asked. Suddenly I realized today must be special because Elizabeth was home from work early. (Daddy works at home most of the time so I was not surprised to see him.)

  “A meeting about Chicago,” answered Mommy. “Remember, I said Seth and I would be here to discuss our plans with you in person.”

  I remembered. I also started to feel a little nervous. What plans was she talking about?

  “We can all go into the dining room,” Daddy was saying.

  Soon Elizabeth, Daddy, Mommy, Seth, Andrew, and I were all sitting around the big table. Everyone looked serious. I gulped.

  Daddy cleared his throat. Andrew squirmed in his chair. I wished Daddy would hurry up and tell us what was going to happen to Andrew and me. Instead Daddy looked at Mommy.

  Mommy began talking. “Your father and I have decided that Andrew will move to Chicago with Seth and me.”

  I looked at Andrew. Andrew’s eyes looked very round. “What about Karen?” he asked.

  Everyone was looking at me now. “Karen will decide for herself what she wants to do,” said Daddy.

  “You mean, I can stay in Stoneybrook if I want?” (I could not believe it.)

  The grown-ups nodded.

  “But Karen,” Andrew protested.

  “I did not say I was going to stay,” I told Andrew. “I was just asking.”

  “You don’t have to make a decision right away,” said Seth. “We will not be moving until the middle of next month.”

  “That’s right,” said Mommy. “So take time to think things over and decide what you really want to do.”

  Daddy agreed. “We do not necessarily want to take you away from your friends and school in the middle of the term. That is why we thought it would be best if you made this decision yourself.”

  I nodded. I felt proud that everyone trusted me enough to make my own decision. But it was a gigundoly big decision.

  I looked at Andrew. He kept staring at me. I knew he wanted me to tell everyone I was going to Chicago with him. But I needed to think some more. I sighed. This was not going to be easy.

  The Three Musketeers Forever

  After the meeting, I ran to the phone in the kitchen. I needed to talk to Hannie and Nancy.

  “Hello,” I said to Nancy when she picked up the phone. “Can you come over right away?” (I made sure to say right away very clearly.)

  “What is wrong?” asked Nancy. I guess I sounded upset.

  “I have to tell you in person.”

  “All right. But I have to ask my mother if I can come over.”

  Nancy’s mother said she could visit and that she would drive her.

  Hannie ran across the street as soon as we had talked. In fact, she arrived just as Mommy and Seth were getting ready to leave.

  “ ’Bye, Mommy,” I said, hugging her. “ ’Bye, Seth.” I gave him a hug too. I felt a little sad to see them go. So did Andrew. When he said good-bye to Mommy, he rested his head on her shoulder. I was glad Mommy and Seth were taking Andrew to Chicago. He would be lost without Mommy. But I am older. I do not need Mommy as much as he does. At least, I do not think I do.

  Hannie, Andrew, and I waved good-bye as Seth’s car pulled out of the driveway. We did not have to wait long for Nancy. Her mother’s car passed Seth’s at the end of the driveway.

  “Nancy!” I shrieked, even though I had just seen her at school.

  “Karen!” Nancy shrieked back. Mrs. Dawes laughed. “I will pick you up in an hour,” she called to Nancy as she drove away.

  An hour. I guessed that was enough time. I grabbed Nancy’s hand and Hannie’s arm. “Come to the backyard where we can talk,” I said.

  I led them to my favorite spot — underneat
h the lilac bushes. The lilacs were not in bloom yet, but I did not care. We sat on a stone bench, and I told them about the family meeting. (Hannie and Nancy already knew Seth and Mommy were moving to Chicago for six months. But they did not know this latest news.)

  “So, you can stay here if you want to,” said Hannie when I finished talking. She was beaming.

  I nodded. “But I promised Andrew that we would stay together, no matter what happened.”

  “You did?” my friends said together. They did not look happy.

  I nodded and sighed. For once I could not think of anything else to say.

  “Oh, Karen,” said Hannie. “You cannot leave! We do everything together.”

  “Yeah,” said Nancy. She twisted her pink plastic ring around her finger. “We’re the Three Musketeers. Remember?”

  “Of course I remember,” I said. (What was Nancy thinking?)

  “So, you just have to tell Andrew that you have to stay here with us,” insisted Nancy.

  Hannie nodded. “He will understand,” she said.

  I thought about my promise to Andrew and shook my head. “No, I do not think he will,” I said. “Andrew is expecting me to go with him.”

  “Oh, Karen,” wailed Hannie. Nancy looked miserable.

  “But, guess what?” I said.

  My friends looked at me. “What?” they asked at the same time.

  “I still have not decided for sure,” I said. “And I do not have to decide right away. So we will still be together for another month — at least.”

  Recess

  “You are it!” I said as I tagged Hannie on the shoulder. Then I ran as fast as I could toward the tallest oak tree in the playground. I did not want Hannie to catch me.

  Hannie tagged Omar Harris on the arm. He ran to the swings and tagged Sara Ford.

  “But I am not playing,” Sara protested.

  “You are now!” shouted Omar as he dashed away.

  Sara laughed and ran after him. “I will get you for this,” she said. But Omar was too quick for her. She tagged Bobby Gianelli, who runs a lot more slowly than Omar. Bobby used to be the class bully, but he is okay now, most of the time. He was mad about being tagged by a girl, though. He chased Sara to the slides, around the sandbox, and over to the oak tree.