Dude, have you ever been lost?
I got lost at the mall once. It was scary. It felt like forever until my mom came back. I kept thinking, “What if nobody finds me and I have to live at Sears for the rest of my life?”
Where was George? He’d been with us a second ago, then he was gone. I watched Annie and Dee. They seemed scared too, the way I had felt that day at the mall.
I said, “Hey, where did he go? What do we do now?”
We looked around. There was no sign of him.
Then someone yelled, “Party!”
It was George. He came around a corner, holding a handful of chips. “You’ve got to try the crab dip!” he exclaimed.
I said, “Mr. President, man, what are you talking about?”
“It tastes like sour cream,” he said. “Plus something else. I don’t know—dill?”
“Sir,” said Annie, “where are you taking us? We don’t know where we are.”
George looked surprised. “You don’t? Well, then come with me and I’ll show you.”
He led us down a hall, past room after room. As we walked, it was as if we were going back in time. In each room people were celebrating. There were elegant balls, Christmas tree lightings, pumpkin carvings.
“Whoa,” I said. “We found a party.”
“Lots of parties!” said Annie. She opened her notebook and wrote it down.
We kept going, past birthday celebrations, family gettogethers, and the White House Easter Egg Roll. Suddenly we saw a flash, and over our heads a disco ball sparkled and turned. There was thumping music and a big crowd.
I turned to George. “Mr. President, what is this?”
He answered, “A dance of some kind?”
Dee said, “It’s a high school prom! But in the White House?”
As we stared at the crowd a girl came toward us. She had blond hair and was smiling. It seemed like she was looking at me, so I smiled back.
“Far out!” she said. “Welcome!”
She did a little dance move to the music. I did one right back. Hey, this girl was all right!
I said, “My name is José. Do I know you?”
“I’m Susan, silly!” she said. “You know, President Ford’s daughter? You crack me up! Can you believe my dad let us have our high school prom here in the East Room? This is so much better than the school gym.”
“Less smelly, for sure,” said Dee.
Annie said, “Wait one minute, please.” She looked in her book, and her eyebrows shot up. “President Ford? It says here that he was in White House from 1974 to 1977.”
Susan jumped in the air, like a cheerleader. “Go, class of ’75!”
George did a little jump of his own. I thought it was pretty good for an old dude. He yelled, “Let’s hear it for 1975! And while we’re at it, how about a cheer for 1775? Go, rebels!”
Susan said, “Did he say 1775? Wow, he’s George Washington, isn’t he? Just think, the first president at my
prom! This is so cool!” She walked around him, looking at his outfit. “Whatever it is that you’re wearing, I love it!”
While Susan looked at George, Dee looked at Susan.
Dee said, “Your prom dress is so . . . retro.”
Susan said, “Thanks—I think.”
Annie was watching her too. “You are so beautiful, like a princess. Like a shining star.”
I pictured Susan in a stretch limo, the kind that carries rock stars. She was in the backseat watching TV, and I was with her. I imagined us going through our family car wash. Did I tell you we offer a special deal for limos? You get a free wax with every wash. Check it out, man.
Susan shook her head sadly. “Can I tell you a secret? I’m not a princess, not even close. The truth is, it’s not easy being the president’s daughter.”
“Not easy?” said Dee. “Look at this place. It’s like a palace!”
Susan said, “It’s more like a fish bowl. People are always watching. You can never stop smiling. Sometimes it seems like I have everything—except privacy.”
“Come on,” I said, “how bad can it be? If you want something, you just tell the secret service to get it, right?”
She laughed. “That’s not the way it works. I have chores, like you do. I even have homework.”
Homework? The sound of that word made my blood run cold.
Someone called, and Susan glanced over her shoulder. “I’d better be getting back. It was great meeting you. Enjoy the party!”
She headed off into the crowd. I was about to wade in and do a few dance moves, when we heard a familiar voice. “Hold it right there!”
It was Mr. Flower. He had found us.
“Uh-oh,” said Dee.
He hurried toward us, yelling, “This is the White House, not a disco!”
George shot us a grin. “Time to go. Charge!”
We ran off in the other direction, past the lights and the crowd. Soon the music faded.
“That was fun!” said Dee.
“The party’s over?” I asked.
“I guess so,” said Annie.
George told us, “You must admit, it was festive and it was welcoming.”
“True that!” I said.
He led us down a staircase and past more rooms, only these rooms didn’t have parties. They had animals!
“Look at all of them!” said Annie. “Dogs, cats, raccoons and roosters, birds . . .”
Dee added, “A bear cub, a pig, a goat, a rabbit, a donkey . . .”
“Oh, yes,” said Annie, checking her book. “Pete the Squirrel, from 1922. And look what it says here: One president, he loved the animals so much, he fed the mice in the walls!”
“Yuck!” said Dee.
Suddenly I stopped in my tracks. “Dude, that’s nothing compared to this.”
“What do you mean?” asked Dee. She and Annie joined me at a window. We looked outside to the White House lawn.
I said, “Now, that’s what I call a pet.”
We were staring at an elephant.
