Merry Christmas, Annie by Dana Bergman

Author:Dana Bergman
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: Penguin Group, USA
Published: 2014-09-24T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Six

Mr. Warbucks insisted they walk to the Roxy. Annie was toasty warm in her new coat and hat, and happy as could be flanked on either side by Miss Farrell and Mr. Warbucks—two of the nicest people she’d ever met.

It was a night Annie wouldn’t soon forget. First they saw a film at the Roxy, an upscale movie theater, where Mr. Warbucks bought her popcorn and candy. Then afterward, Mr. Warbucks treated Annie to a gigantic chocolate ice cream soda at Rumplemayer’s, the famous restaurant on Central Park South. The frothy drink was so big, Annie couldn’t finish it all, but Mr. Warbucks helped out as best he could. Then the three of them took a horse-and-carriage ride through Central Park. The air was crisp and chilly, but Annie wouldn’t have changed a thing. For the first time in maybe forever, she felt loved.

By the end of the night, Annie was exhausted. Miss Farrell had the limousine come to take them home, and a sleeping Annie nestled herself close to Mr. Warbucks in the backseat. At this, Mr. Warbucks shifted his body to wiggle her off. But seeing Miss Farrell’s expression from across the car forced him to soften, and he let Annie rest on him until they made it home.

Once they arrived in front of the mansion, the chauffeur got out and promptly opened their doors. Mr. Warbucks was trapped under Annie’s sleeping body. Shrugging his shoulders, he looked to Miss Farrell for help. She motioned for Mr. Warbucks to carry Annie inside and up to her bedroom.

“Carry her?” he whispered.

“She looks so peaceful,” Miss Farrell said. “It would be a shame to wake her now.”

And so Mr. Warbucks held Annie like a baby and carried her up the walkway, into the foyer, and up the stairs, before laying her gently on her soft, king-size bed.

For a moment, Annie’s eyes fluttered open. It took a second for her to realize where she was, but then she saw Mr. Warbucks’s silhouette in the dark.

Before he could leave, Annie said, “Thanks for everything, Mr. Warbucks. I had a swell time, I really did.”

“I’m glad, Annie.” He paused. “And I’d be lying if I said I didn’t have a swell time, too.”

With that, he left the room and closed the door quietly. Annie smiled and laid her head back down on the pillow, drifting off to sleep.

Mr. Warbucks might not have realized it yet, but the young orphan had found her way into his heart.

The next few days were better than Annie had ever expected. Miss Farrell took her to the indoor pool, and even had an instructor teach her how to swim. She took tennis lessons, but it turned out she wasn’t quite a natural with a racket. The tennis pro came away with bruises from being struck so many times with tennis balls.

But even though Annie was able to do things she had never even dreamed of before, she missed spending time with Mr. Warbucks. He was almost always hidden away in his study, making important phone calls and doing something called “paperwork.

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