To Have and to Hold (6 page)

“Wow, that’s different!” Elaine gushed. “I could never wear a dress like that. And it even sparkles. Cool.”

“I like it,” Madison said.

“What are you doing at the wedding?” Elaine asked. “Flower girl?”

“Junior maid of honor,” Madison said.

“Really?” Elaine cried. “What a coincidence. I was a junior maid of honor, too. Just last fall, my aunt asked me to be one at her wedding. She made a big deal about the fact that it was way more important than just being a flower girl.”

Madison was happy to hear that the title of junior maid of honor was a real thing and not just something Stephanie had invented to be nice. A surge of excitement sent tingles all the way down to her toes. For the first time all week, the wedding actually seemed … promising. Maybe her role in the ceremony
was
important?

“I’m also doing a reading,” Madison added. “A poem.”

Elaine’s jaw dropped. “Get out! A reading! I didn’t get to do anything as special as that. I just stood around holding flowers.”

Madison smiled, feeling a strange sense of pride in her future wedding responsibilities.

“Well, my dad and his fiancée asked me to read this love sonnet by Shakespeare,” Madison explained.

“That is soooo romantic!” Elaine said. “I hope that someone reads something that romantic at my wedding.”

“
Your
wedding?” Madison giggled. “You mean
after
junior high, right?”

“Yeah, of course!” Elaine giggled back. “I’m such a sucker for romantic stuff.”

Madison’s mom reappeared from the bookstore carrying a package.

“Hiya! Are you Madison’s mom?” Elaine asked.

Mom smiled. “That’s me. Are you a friend from school?”

Elaine shook her head. “No, I don’t go to Far Hills. Madison and I met at Drew Maxwell’s party yesterday.”

“Yeah, Mom,” Madison continued. “Drew and Elaine are neighbors in Far Hills Heights.”

“I see. Do you want to join us for lunch, Elaine?” Mom asked.

“That would be great—but I can’t,” Elaine replied. “I’m actually on my way to meet Drew at the library in about fifteen minutes.”

Madison knew that sometimes kids went to the library not to check books out, but to check
each other
out. She knew some kids who even kissed among the stacks. Was that what Elaine and Drew would be doing?

“Thanks for the invitation, though,” Elaine said, hoisting her bag up over her shoulder. “See you soon, I hope!”

“See you!” Madison called out after Elaine.

Her insides squirmed as she watched Elaine weave through the crowd and onto an escalator.

Elaine and Drew sitting in a tree …

“She’s a friendly girl,” Mom commented.

“I think she and Drew are a couple,” Madison said.

“Drew is dating?” Mom gasped. “Wait. Didn’t you tell me that he had a crush on
you
at some point?”

“I guess his crush is over,” Madison said dejectedly.

Mom gave Madison a hug and kissed the top of her head. “Sometimes I can’t keep track of you kids,” Mom said.

“How can people change their minds and feelings so easily?” Madison asked aloud.

“Do you mean Drew?” Mom asked as they continued walking.

“Maybe,” Madison admitted. “But everyone else, too. How do you know if something is for real—that it will last?”

Mom shrugged. “There are no guarantees, ever.”

“Mom, do you think Dad and Stephanie will last?” Madison asked.

Mom took her time answering the question. “That’s hard to say,” Mom admitted. “Nothing is ever a sure thing. But I do think that Stephanie and your father will be a nice match. He seems happy. So does she. That’s all it takes.”

“I wish you and Dad had lasted,” Madison said, her true feelings slipping out even though she’d tried very hard to hold them in.

Mom kissed Madison once again. “Oh, honey bear,” Mom said. “It’s been a tough year.”

Madison smiled. “Yeah,” she said softly, giving Mom a small hug back. “I guess we should go find the wedding shoes now.”

Working their way from one end of the mall to the other, Madison and her mom strolled past the
Roundabout
, the bloblike sculpture in the center of the mall. Madison lingered in front of the tech outlet store for just a second, and then they stopped off at the Ice Creamery. It was way too hard to resist the double chocolate chunk fudge ripple with marshmallows, so they shared some before lunch.

When they finally reached the shoe outlet, Madison was shocked to find the perfect pair right inside the window: a pair of orange Mary Janes—in just her size. Mom was worried that Madison might look a little too much like a Creamsicle, but Madison didn’t care.

“It’s my favorite color, Mom!” Madison cried. “And they match perfectly. I have to get them!”

After shoe shopping, Madison and Mom made their way back to the garage. Madison stopped short in front of a new store she spotted along the way. In the window was a huge display of stamps, paper, and various scrapbook materials. While Mom waited on a bench and made a call on her cell phone, Madison ducked inside to purchase a flower stamp, green foil for “leaves,” and some ribbon for her wedding collage. The woman in the store even gave her some pointers on mixing different items together. Although the poem part wasn’t coming along very well, Madison was getting super excited about all the other parts of her project. She bought some glitter glue, too.

When they arrived back home, Phinnie greeted Mom and Madison with a loud “Harufffffff!” and scratched at the door furiously until they came inside.

“Phinnie!” Madison said, dumping her bags on the couch and bending down to give him a squeeze.

“Let me remove the tags and other things from the dress,” Mom suggested. “You really have to start thinking about what else you’re going to pack, you know.”

Madison nodded. “I know, I know.” She was avoiding the inevitable.

While Mom dealt with the bags, Madison and Phin took the steps two at a time up to Madison’s bedroom. Madison wanted to give her closet a onceover. Maybe some packing inspiration would strike—and maybe not.

The moment she stepped inside her bedroom, however, Madison’s laptop tempted her, as if it had had the power to speak.

Madison
,
turn on my power button NOW
!

Madison, of course, obeyed.

She powered the machine up and waited to see if she had any new e-mail. Lately, her e-mailbox had been emptier than usual, which was strange for summer. Usually everyone used e-mail (rather than the telephone) as the main way to keep in touch. Even stranger lately was the absence of e-mail from Bigwheels. Madison’s keypal hardly ever delayed in writing back.

Madison scanned the list of names.

Her mailbox was not empty anymore!

Madison clicked on the e-mail from Bigwheels first.

From: Bigwheels


To: MadFinn


Subject: MY E-mail was down


Date: Mon 15 July 11:21 AM


I feel like I’ve been sent to e-mail no-man’s land. Last week I couldn’t write b/c I had to babysit. Then our computer crashed. It was awful. My dad lost all these documents. He told me he wouldn’t let me use it anymore, like he blamed me. I was worried I wouldn’t be able to write to you ever again. Or at least not in time before u go to the wedding. Dad figured out what happened though and now he’s even talking about getting me my own laptop just like u have. How cool is that?


SO that’s why I didn’t write over the weekend. What’s new? Thanks for sending me e-mail about the pool party. U have cool friends in Far Hills. No one here has torches and smoothies at their parties. I’m jealous!


I have been collecting some ideas for you for the wedding collage ur making. I think u should write a poem about love but not just people love. Say you love ice cream and then shopping and books and the computer and all that and then u write about how loving ur Dad is all that plus more. Does that make any sense? I will think about it more.


Right now we’re having neighbors over for this picnic dinner in our backyard. My mother likes to BBQ in the summer. At least the neighbors have a son (Tommy) who is kind of cute. He has like a billion freckles. I would flirt with him except I’m having majorly bad hair day frizz! LOL.


Wish you were here!


Yours till the cook outs,


Bigwheels aka Vicki


Madison hit
REPLY
to thank Bigwheels for her poem suggestions. She didn’t say much more than that, though; and she certainly didn’t share any of her poem attempts thus far. Bigwheels was very good at writing poems, and Madison couldn’t even get two lines to work.

The next e-mail, from Boop-Dee-Doop, was an announcement of some great sale items like baby tank tops and chunky flip-flops, so Madison printed out the coupon code for the discount. She’d look over the website later with Mom and pick out a few things for the rest of the summer.

Last in the e-mailbox was a note from Dad. Getting e-mail from him was no big surprise. He’d been writing more than ever these days.

But what he had to say
was
surprising.

From: JeffFinn


To: MadFinn


Subject: The Wedding (what else)


Date: Mon 15 July 1:09 PM


News flash! I know you won’t believe this, Maddie, but the wedding keeps on growing. Stephanie called home this morning and her mother now has a guest list of more than 150 people who are promising to show up! I realize when we first talked this was supposed to be a small wedding but it’s gotten a little bigger than that. I don’t think I even know 150 people. Isn’t this crazy? I called Rick and told him he needs to bring reinforcements. Ha-ha.


The reason I’m writing to tell you about it is so you can pack a few more “dressy” outfits. That’s what Stephanie asked me to tell you. I guess there may be a few more dinners or events than I expected. I don’t think it will be that formal, but you may want to have your mother help you choose some other dresses.


I’m at the office today and in meetings until seven but I will try to call later.


Love,


Dad


Madison bit her lip.

More
formal
? What did Dad mean by that? She tried to imagine 150 people in her living room, and it made her dizzy. Would she have to meet all those people? Or would Madison Francesca Finn get shoved into a corner somewhere with a mob of strangers while Dad and Stephanie rode off into the sunset? Even worse, how could she get up and read some sappy love poem in front of all those people? How could she smile and pretend to be happy the entire weekend? How was she going to find anything else to wear when it had taken her all afternoon to find just one dress?

Madison printed out her list of things to pack and then turned off her laptop. She grabbed a pen and threw herself onto the bed.

Trip to Texas: My Packing List So Far


Pale blue (not dark!) and yellow tank tops


Yellow T-shirt
Check in laundry hamper!

4 prs. underwear & my nice bra
(that doesn’t show when I wear tanks or my new dress—don’t forget!!)

Jean shorts (with fringes on edge)
too casual?

Jean shorts with flower patch on side


Red capri pants
check in laundry hamper!