The Manny Files by Burch Christian

Author:Burch, Christian [Burch, Christian]
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Publisher: Simon & Schuster, Inc.
Published: 2010-05-08T04:00:00+00:00

Don’t let strangers into the house.

Don’t tell strangers that you are home alone over the telephone.

Be responsible.

NO WILD PARTIES.

Mom never puts the last rule on our list of rules, but she put it in all capitals on Grandma’s. Grandma told her not to worry, that she was looking forward to a quiet week of reading and resting. Then she winked at me when Mom wasn’t looking.

This year we went fly-fishing and camping on a river in the mountains. Dad says summer vacations are for introducing us to what the world has to offer. Last year we went to Disneyland and I threw up cotton candy on the teacups. He said that cotton candy and throwing up were two of the things the world had to offer. The year before that we went to Venice, Italy. Belly was a little baby, and Mom bought her a black-and-white-striped gondolier outfit. When we took a gondola ride through the canals, people pointed at Belly from the arched bridges above. They called her adorable and precious. I thought she looked like a tiny prisoner, except she needed ankle shackles. We wouldn’t have as many broken things in our house if Belly wore ankle shackles.

Uncle Max and the manny were invited to come along on the fly-fishing trip. I couldn’t wait. The manny always seems like he’s on vacation. I couldn’t imagine what he’d be like when he really was. A week before the trip I packed everything I would need into my backpack. Sunglasses. Shorts. My journal. I put the backpack in the corner of my room with a note on it to myself. It said, “Don’t forget to pack your toothbrush.” The manny added “And razor and shaving cream” to my note.

Mom and Dad spent the evenings of the week before our trip packing sunscreen, flashlights, and life jackets and getting together medical kits in case of an emergency. Dad knew what he was doing. When he was in college, he spent his summers as a fly-fishing guide. He guided tourists in boats down rivers. Most of the tourists that he guided had never been fishing before. He said they were wild with their fishing rods, and he had to lie completely down in the boat sometimes so that they wouldn’t hit him with the hook. One time someone fell out of the boat as they floated through rapids. I must have looked worried, because Dad said, “Don’t worry. We’re only floating on calm water. Nobody will fall out of the boat unless they are pushed.”

“Good idea, Dad,” I said as Lulu walked through the room, modeling her new rain gear.

He didn’t hear me.

The day we left for the mountains, Wanda, Thelma, Virginia, and June came over to see us off. They had luggage with them. Thelma told Mom that they all had decided to stay over with Grandma until we returned. She told Mom that it would be like a slumber party. Mom looked worried but shrugged her shoulders and continued putting our backpacks, tents, and life jackets into the back of the Eurovan.

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