Second Draft of My Life by Sara Lewis

Author:Sara Lewis
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Atria Books
Published: 2002-07-15T00:00:00+00:00

After school, I went home to change and then straight over to my sister’s house. I brought the Mrs. Beetleman costume with me for Emily to wear when she went out with the boys. As soon as she put it on, I said, “Oh, that looks fantastic!” Then I added, “If I do say so myself. Hold on now. I have to take a picture of you. Stand over here. Good. Like that, yeah. OK, now smile.” I pushed the button.

“Did anyone take a picture of you at school with the kids?”

“No,” I said, pressing the button again.

“Oh, that’s a shame. You should have gotten one of the room parents to do it. You could collect pictures of Halloween every year.”

“Smile just one more time. This is much better. You’re thin. Good. Great. Just like that. OK, done. Thanks.”

“I want one of those. Don’t forget. OK, let’s get the kids fed. It will be dark before you know it. I wonder how long Brad is going to be.”

“What time did you tell him?”

“Five-twenty,” Emily said.

I looked at my watch. “Then he’ll be here in twenty-five minutes. What are we making for the kids?”

“Just macaroni and cheese and fruit. I didn’t give them after-school snacks, but they had plenty of junk at school.”

“If their classes were like mine, they did. Our party was in the morning. It was supposed to be short and low-key. It blew the whole day! The principal walked in at the end when the room was a mess, and the kids were all hyped up on sugar, which we were supposed to keep to a minimum. But I couldn’t help it! The room parents took over! They’re so bossy and controlling! You must know.”

“Of course I do,” Emily said. “I’m one of them. Was the principal mad?”

“Yes. And supposedly once you’re on his bad list, it’s hard to move back to his good list.”

“Charlotte, I know you’re not on his bad list. If he’s a principal, he’s worked in elementary schools all his adult life. Therefore, he knows that Halloween is a wasted day.”

“Well,” I said. I didn’t fill her in about the deadline for parties ending, the spilled punch, or my forgotten clothes. I cleared a bunch of papers off the kitchen table. “The kids didn’t settle down for five minutes all day.” I got out the place mats.

“It’s always like that, Charlotte. You just have to figure on losing several days a year to celebrations. The day before Christmas vacation will be like that, too.”

I also didn’t tell her that my class was noisy and out of control every day, even when there wasn’t a party. Instead, I put the forks on the table.

After dinner, I walked with Janie two streets away to her friend Taylor’s house. Janie was a witch with a long purple wig and a green face. She was carrying a pillowcase for her candy. “You look great,” I said. “Where did you get the green makeup?”

“The party shop. It itches.”

“Can you stand it for a couple of hours?”

“I think so.

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