Chapter 12
John
Mom said we’re going on vacation. Where to, you ask? Well, I was wondering the same thing. Mom said it’s a surprise, but we are only going for the weekend. I packed my bags after school. She only gave us one-day advance notice, but it was enough time to get Maple’s email address so we could keep in touch. It is maplesyrup@maplesemail.com.
We ended up going to San Francisco, California. This is weird because we live in Sacramento. Why go on vacation to the same state that we live in? Oh well. The first day I was gone, I sent Maple an email. This is what it said:
“Maple,
I miss you. I miss you like the waves miss the shore. Isn’t that why they always come back as the tides? Because they miss each other? Anyway, I know you aren’t far, but it seems like forever away because I can’t ride my bike to where you are. I hope you are thinking about me as much as I am thinking about you.
Yours truly,
John”
I know it’s cheesy, but I think girls are supposed to like that kind of thing. I don’t know where I came up with the wave thing; I hope she likes it though. Mom wanted to read what I put in the email before I sent it, but I didn’t let her. “It’s my business. Butt out of my life!”
“I’m your mother and I will butt into your life as much as I want to. You’re only 8 years old fore Pete’s sake!”
At the mention of our brother’s nickname, Lola started crying. “Don’t say that! Peter has nothing to do with this.” She wailed.
“That isn’t what she meant, it’s just an expression. DUH!”
“I know that. I just don’t like hearing his name.”
That night I had to sleep on the floor of our hotel room because there was only one bed. We decided that Lola and I would take turns. We were staying for two nights so I would get to sleep in the bed with mom tomorrow night.
I had a dream last night. It was about Maple. Here is how it went:
“Maple walked into my room without knocking. I was getting dressed so I was only in my underwear. ‘Hiya John’ she said.
I turned bright red because she saw me like that and she was only in panties and an under shirt. ‘h-h-h-hi M-m-m-m-maple.’ I was stuttering so badly that I turned even brighter.
She walked up to me and gave me a hug then she picked out an outfit for me to wear. ‘You have to wear this today or I will never talk to you again.’ She said adamantly.
I put on the clothes and she picked out a second outfit. ‘What’s that for?’ I didn’t sound like myself when I said this, but I know it was me because Maple was the only other one there and her lips didn’t move. She answered my question by putting on the outfit. Then she walked up to me and started shaking my shoulder and saying ‘John. John. John.’
Her voice stopped sounding like Maple and started sounding like Lola.”
Then I woke up to find that Lola really was shaking my shoulder and saying, “John. John. John.” Then, when I finally woke up, “Morning sleepy-head.”
Nothing else exciting happened while we were gone.