Jasper John Dooley, Left Behind by Caroline Adderson

Author:Caroline Adderson [Adderson, Caroline.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Children's Fiction
Publisher: Kids Can Press Ltd.
Published: 2013-02-28T16:00:00+00:00

That night Jasper was the only one eating because Mom and Dad were going to a restaurant. He sat in the kitchen all by himself with his macaroni while Dad showered and Mom dressed. After a few minutes, Jasper started to feel like that little iceberg in the story he had ripped up. He started to pththth, so he went to his mom and dad’s room. Mom was sitting at her desk painting her fingernails.

“Can I do that?” Jasper asked.

“That’s nice of you to offer, Jasper,” Mom said. “But painting nails isn’t for little boys.”

“Nan lets me help her with her makeup,” Jasper said.

“Really?” Mom said. “I’d rather you didn’t help with my nails. It’s sort of important to stay in the lines.”

“Can I comb your hair?”

Mom blinked at Jasper. “Okay.”

Jasper ran to the bathroom to get Mom’s comb. It was hard to find in the big steam cloud that filled the whole room. “Gail! Is there any dandruff shampoo?” Dad asked from behind the shower curtain.

Mom was blowing on her nails when Jasper came up behind her and started combing. “Ow!” she said, bringing her hand up to her head. “Jasper John! What are you doing?”

Jasper said, “Combing your hair.”

“You snuck up. You startled me. Now I’ve got hair marks on my nails. I’ll have to put on another coat.”

“I can do that for you,” Jasper said.

She didn’t even answer. Dad came in the room with a towel wrapped around his waist. Mom said, “David, do I have nail polish in my hair?”

So Jasper went back to the kitchen. He got an idea right away. He could eat his macaroni with the comb instead of the fork! But just as he was about to scoop some up, he thought, “I better not.”

Instead he went outside on the deck and checked the yogurt containers he had left out for Nan. A little bit of rain filled the bottom of each one. He snapped the lids on and brought them into the kitchen and put them in the fridge where they would stay fresh. Then he got some more empty containers from the cupboard and set them out on the deck railing in case it rained again. Even if it didn’t rain, Nan wouldn’t want to miss all the nice air Jasper was breathing.

A little while later the doorbell rang. Mom called, “Jasper, can you get that?” Only then did Jasper remember that Jujube-Eye Annie was coming. He ran to Mom and Dad’s bedroom where Mom was pulling her dress over her head and Dad was tying his tie.

“Please take me with you! Please don’t leave me behind with Annie!”

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