chapter 3
The next morning, as the first light came in through the big picture windows, Molly turned her head to look at Amanda.
Amanda, who’d been staring up at the ceiling, rolled over toward her sister. “You’re awake,” she whispered to Molly.
“Yeah.”
Peichi stirred, then groaned. “I’m awake, too,” she said. “I don’t know if I slept at all!”
Molly sat up. “I think I want to head home. Peichi, is it okay if we don’t stay for breakfast?”
“It’s okay,” said Peichi with a nod. She seemed sort of relieved.
“It’s just that we’re wide awake, and we might as well get going.”
After having a glass of orange juice with Peichi in the kitchen, the twins made the short walk home.
“You girls are up early!” called Dad, who’d just opened the door to get the newspaper. “We didn’t want to miss your pancakes,
Dad!” Molly called back with a wave. Meanwhile, Peichi sat in the quiet
kitchen, flipping through a catalog as she waited for her parents to get up. Should I ask them what’s going on? she wondered, as she traced her finger around the red rooster design on her juice glass. Wait a minute—this is all ridiculous. Mom’s not having another baby. She just isn’t. Maybe those books are a present for someone else! Somebody who is having a baby!
And she put the entire thing out of her mind.
For about three minutes.
Breakfasf that morning at the Chengs’ was ordinary enough. As the three ate scrambled eggs and talked together. Peichi closely watched her parents’ faces for clues—but she had to admit to herself that they weren’t acting different. They asked her about Athena’s party, and how much homework she had left to do. They talked about the yard work they planned to do all day. They’re acting completely normal, Peichi thought. Those books have to be a present for somebody else. I wonder who’s pregnant!
Near the end of breakfast. Peichi was too curious to hold it in any longer. She blurted out, “So, who’s having a baby?”
Mr. Cheng choked on his coffee, and Mrs. Cheng reached over to pat him on the back. They glanced at each other, surprised, and Mr. Cheng cleared his throat.
How—how do you know?” he asked Peichi.
“I saw the baby books under the couch,” Peichi replied as her heart began to pound. “What’s going on?”
“There’s something we’d like to talk to you about, Pom-Pom,” began Mrs. Cheng.
Pom-Pom? She hasn’t called me that in, like, four years, thought Peichi.
Mrs. Cheng looked over at her husband, then turned to Peichi. “We are soon going to have some—changes around here.”
“Like what?” asked Peichi. Her mouth felt completely dry, so she reached for her juice.
“Big changes,” replied Mr. Cheng with a broad smile.
“Well, I’m—expecting a baby,” announced Mrs. Cheng. “You’re going to be a big sister, Peichi—in about six more months!”
Peichi gulped. She gripped the sides of her chair to steady herself. Suddenly, she felt like everything in her life, this house, had—shifted. Changed forever.
Who are these people?
“Really?” was all she could think to say as her parents watched for her reaction. “Why?”
“Why?” echoed her parents. They glanced at each other.
“Why do you want to have another baby?” asked Peichi. “It’s been just the three of us for so long.”
“We thought four would be even nicer,” said Mr. Cheng. “Don’t you?”
“Well, uh—” Peichi began. Suddenly an image came to her of a cute, chubby baby with black hair and dark eyes...drinking from a bottle, standing with wobbly knees as she stood over him, holding his tiny hands...she had to smile at the thought.
“You’ll be a wonderful big sister,” said Mrs. Cheng, stroking Peichi’s cheek. “Just think how nice it’ll be to have a baby in the house! You’ll sing to the baby and play funny little games. You’ll have a relationship with your little brother or sister that you’ve never had before. You won’t be an only child anymore!”
Peichi began to relax as she thought of Molly and Amanda and the special bond they shared with each other, and with Matthew. The twins taught him things. They protected him. They laughed and joked and squabbled and goofed around and played at the beach with him. Even though Matthew could sometimes be a pain, he was—a part of them. And they would always be connected.
Now she’d know what all of that would be like.
Except...
“But I’ll be so much older than the baby.” Peichi pointed out. “It’s not like with the twins, or even the twins with Matthew. It’s not like we’ll ever be in the same school at the same time, or—”
“That’s true,” said Mr. Cheng. “But think about how the baby will look up to you. And you can watch him or her grow up!”
Peichi looked down at the polished wooden floor. She felt like crying, but she felt like jumping up and down, too. Something exciting and amazing was going to happen! Something new and different! What would it all be like?
And yet things would never, ever be the same...
Mrs. Cheng seemed to read Peichi’s thoughts. She took Peichi’s hand. “Life is all about change,” she told her. “It never stays the same. It shouldn’t! That’s what makes life so exciting and wonderful.”
Mr. Cheng tapped Peichi under her chin, something he’d always done to make her smile. “You’ll always be our precious Peichi,” he told her. “That’s one thing That’ll never change.”
Peichi took a deep breath as she smiled at her parents. “Well. It’ll be cool to have a brother or a sister. And someday, we can take the baby to China!”
“I’m glad you feel that way, sweetheart,” said Mr. Cheng, as he and Mrs. Cheng smiled with relief.
“Do Ah-mah and Ah-yeh know yet?” asked Peichi. She was speaking of Mr. Cheng’s parents, who lived in Chinatown in Manhattan, a short subway ride away.
“Not yet! We wanted you to be the first to know,” said Mrs. Cheng.
“They’re going to be so surprised,” said Peichi, her old enthusiasm returning. “I can’t wait to tell them! Let’s call them right now!”
While Peichi and her parents were telling their exciting news to Ah-mah and Ah-yeh, the phone rang at the Moores’ house, where the twins were sitting together in the kitchen. For once, Molly picked it up before Amanda had a chance to.
“Hello, Molly?” said a boy’s voice on the line.
Whoa—it’s Justin! Molly thought as her heart
started to pound. Justin had been Amanda’s longtime crush—until the twins found out that he liked Molly. It had made for an uncomfortable situation between the girls when they returned from their summers away. During the summer, both Molly and Justin had been on Cape Cod, where Justin’s family vacationed each year. Molly had gone there to work as a mother’s helper for the Brewsters, who lived next door to the Moores. She and Justin had hung out a lot and had had a great time together. They had become good friends—but for Justin, it had turned into something more. Molly had been completely surprised when Justin gave her a bracelet on his last day on the Cape.
Amanda had had a hard time dealing with it all when she found out, and while things were better now, the tension wasn’t completely gone. Only Shawn knew what had happened—and Mom, of course.
“Uh—hi, what’s up?” asked Molly cautiously. She didn’t want Amanda to know that Justin was on the line. The twins had been through enough already!
“Guess what,” replied Justin cheerfully. “I found out that I’m gonna be the Sports photo editor on The Post this year! I got promoted! Isn’t that cool?”
“Oh, thats—good,” replied Molly in a businesslike tone. She turned her head ever so slightly in Amanda’s direction. As she’d feared, Amanda was giving her that questioning look that meant, Who’s calling?
Molly shrugged helplessly, as if to reply, I don’t have anything to do with this.
It’s Justin! Amanda realized, her mouth going dry. And he’s not calling for me. Suddenly, she felt like an outsider. She wanted to leave the kitchen, but her legs didn’t seem to work. She sat, frozen, her eyes locked on the floor. Justin’s calling for Molly! He doesn’t even want to talk to me! I’m so glad I didn’t pick up the phone.
“Listen,” said Molly just then, interrupting Justin as he went on about his promotion. “I have to go baby-sit now. I’ll—uh—talk to you later. Bye.” She hung up, then looked at Amanda.
“Manda, I have to run next door,” said Molly. “I’m late.”
“Uh, all right. Have fun baby-sitting.” Amanda forced a smile. She was bummed about the call, but she knew she really couldn’t be mad at Molly. It wasn’t Molly’s fault that Justin had a crush on her.
“Do you want to come over there later?” asked Molly.
“Uh, yeah, maybe.”
“Okay.”
Molly ran upstairs to brush her teeth and put on her shoes. I hung up so fast with him, she thought. I hope I didn’t hurt his feelings! It’s really cool that Justin’s Sports photo editor now...he deserves it. For a moment, she paused as she put on her shoe. She was realizing something—that she was happy he’d called to tell her his good news.
She stood up, went to the dresser, and opened a low drawer.
Molly reached under a pile of old t-shirts, and pulled out a small box that contained the pretty bracelet, made of tiny polished pink shells, that Justin had given her.
Molly stared at the bracelet. It brought the summer back in a rush—the sound of the waves, the cool, fresh ocean breezes, the feel of the hot sand under her feet as she played volleyball with Justin...
Then, with a sigh, she tucked the box into its hiding place and quietly closed the drawer.
Justin and I can’t be friends. We just can’t.
She quickly brushed her teeth, and ran downstairs and next door to the Brewsters.
Half an hour later, Amanda went upstairs to the twins cluttered room. With a smile, she realized that it was mostly her stuff that took up the space.
Mom and Dad and Matthew were still at Matthew’s soccer game. She felt lonely all by herself in the big house, even though Molly was just next door.
Amanda flopped down on her bed, and her mind turned back to the phone call. Justin likes Molly, not you. Justin likes Molly, not you. Justin likes...
Amanda sat up quickly, fighting the urge to feel sorry for herself.
I know! she thought suddenly. I’ll go through our clothes and pick out the ones that don’t fit anymore. Mom wants to donate them to charity, and she’s been bugging us aboat it forever!
feeling a burst of energy, Amanda got right to work, beginning with the dresser. It didn’t take long until she uncovered a small box under a pile of old T-shirts.
What’s this? she wondered. She opened it and found the pink shell bracelet.
Oh, great. This is just what I needed to find right now—another reminder! No matter what I do, I can’t get away from it—Justin likes Molly, not me.
