The Trouble with Mark Hopper by Elissa Brent Weissman

Author:Elissa Brent Weissman
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Penguin Group US

Chapter 22

Mark’s Plan Progresses

Almost as much as he was proud of the portrait itself, Mark was proud of his success in hiding it from Grandpa Murray all weekend while he finished it up. He put a piece of paper on his door that read TOP-SECRET BIRTHDAY OPERATION IN PROGRESS. NO GRANDPAS ALLOWED. He and Beth invented a secret-code knock that she and their mother had to use if they wanted to enter his room. And on Sunday night, when Mark was all done, the three of them admired the portrait while Grandpa Murray stood outside the closed door and tried to guess what they were doing.

“It sounds very quiet!” Grandpa Murray said. “So using my expert skills of deduction, I say that my birthday present is not an original play that you have to rehearse.”

Mark and Beth and their mom laughed as they looked at the painting.

“Now I hear laughing! Is my present a comedy routine?”

“Go away,” Mrs. Hopper said. “You’ll know soon enough.” She signaled for Mark and Beth to be quiet while they waited to see if they could hear Grandpa Murray moving from the door.

“I hear breathing!” Grandpa Murray said after ten seconds. “I think my birthday present involves breathing.”

“Go away, Grandpa!”

“Oh, all right.” Grandpa Murray went back to the book he was reading, which he was starting from the beginning for the third time in three weeks, since he kept forgetting that he had started it at all, let alone what happened in it.

“This really is very, very impressive, honey,” Mrs. Hopper whispered. She kissed Mark on his freckled forehead.

“Yeah, it came out really, really well,” Beth agreed.

Mark couldn’t stop smiling or keep his ears from turning red. “Thanks. I’m going to bring it in tomorrow, but it’s supposed to rain, so can you drive me to school?” he asked his mom.

“Oh, no, sweetie,” she said. “I can’t take you tomorrow. I have to go to work early. Grandpa can drive you. But you’ll have to disguise the painting.”

“Disguise it?” Mark asked with wide eyes. He pictured the portrait with a drawn-on black mustache.

“Cover it up,” Beth said. “You could put a pillowcase around it.”

“Oh,” Mark said. “I could just wrap it in some paper and put it in a box. They have to do that to move it to the library anyway.”

“I have the box that my insect study kit came in,” Beth offered. “That’d be the perfect size.” She went to get it, opening the door a crack first to make sure Grandpa Murray was not going to try to sneak in.

“Bring the phone, too, so we can call Dad!” Mark called after her.

“Great idea,” his mother said. “He’s going to be so impressed with how this painting came out.”

“You know who else you should call?” Beth sang when she returned with the box and the phone. “Lau-rie!”

“Laurie? Who’s Laurie?” Mrs. Hopper asked with the same singsong tone.

“I told you,” Beth said. “The girl we saw at the supermarket. She’s going to invite Mark to her birthday party.

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