CHAPTER 9
Is That a Nut?
We got into the car and started driving to my favorite ice-cream place in the whole world, Chilly Willy’s.
“How come Freddy is getting ice cream?” said my sister. “He got in a fight. Shouldn’t he be getting punished?”
“Be quiet! You’re not my mom,” I said.
“Well, it’s not fair.”
“Everything in life isn’t always fair,” said my mother.
“You always say that,” my sister whined.
“Fine, let the wimp have his ice cream,” Suzie said as she stuck her tongue out at me. “You could never have beaten Max, you big chicken!” she whispered as she clucked softly in my ear. “You think that those shark shirts make you look tough, but you really couldn’t hurt a guppy.”
“Mom, Dad, Suzie stuck her tongue out at me!”
“Suzie, you stop that this instant, or there will be no ice cream for you!”
Suzie turned and gave me her most evil stare, but I just smiled back and gave her my “Oh, I’m so cute” grin.
As we pulled into the parking lot, I saw the dancing ice-cream cone out in front of the store. It’s really a guy dressed in an ice-cream suit who hands out free samples.
“Ooooh, I wonder what yummy flavor he has today?”
“Your favorite,” Suzie said. “Mushed-up gopher guts with a cherry on top.”
“Hello,” said the cone. “Would you like to try Nutty Buddy today?”
“No, thanks. I don’t like nuts, especially in my ice cream.”
“Well, we’ve got lots more flavors for you inside.”
We went inside, and I looked in the cases. “Hmmm, what do I want today—Blueberry Blast, or Chocolate Candy Bits, or Tutti-Frutti?”
“Make a decision, Shark Breath,” said my sister. “We don’t have all day.”
“One more nasty word out of you, young lady,” said my dad, “and you’re going to wait in the car.”
“I’ll have a scoop of Strawberry Swirl in a cone, please,” I said.
I got my ice cream and sat down in a booth. The ice cream tasted good, and I started to forget about my bad day.
“Feeling a little better?” my mom asked.
“Yeah, I guess, but I still wish I wasn’t the only one.”
I sat in silence for a while, slowly licking my ice cream.
All of a sudden I felt something hard in my mouth. “EEEWWW! There’s a big nut in my ice cream, and I hate nuts!” I did a huge gulp and swallowed it quickly so I wouldn’t have to taste it.
“No, you’re nuts,” said my sister. “There’s no nuts in Strawberry Swirl ice cream.”
“Well then, what did I just swallow, Miss Know-It-All?” I said as I opened my mouth and pointed down my throat.
“Ha-ha, very funny,” I said.
“No, I’m serious. You just swallowed your tooth!”
“Oh my gosh! It is your tooth,” my mom said excitedly as she leaned over and gave me a big hug.
“Yep. I can see the little hole in your mouth where it used to be,” said my dad.
I looked at them like they were all crazy. “What are you guys talking about? How can I swallow my tooth if I don’t have a loose tooth?”
“Not anymore, you don’t. You just swallowed it,” said my dad.
I shoved my finger in my mouth and started feeling around. Sure enough, there was a little hole right in the front.
“Congratulations, honey,” said my mom. “I know you’ve been waiting a long time for this.”
I jumped out of the booth and started screaming at my family. “WHAT ARE YOU PEOPLE SO HAPPY ABOUT? I JUST SWALLOWED MY TOOTH! MY FIRST TOOTH! NOW THE TOOTH FAIRY WON’T COME, BECAUSE I DON’T HAVE A TOOTH TO PUT UNDER MY PILLOW!”
“Calm down, Freddy,” said my dad. “And please lower your voice. People are starting to stare at you.”
“Calm down! Calm down! This is the worst day of my life.” I fell back into the booth, put my head in my hands, and started to sob.
“Hey, Crybaby,” Suzie said, poking me. “You could always leave her a note.”
“Huh?” I looked up.
“Leave her a note. Just tell the Tooth Fairy that you’re really sorry you don’t have a tooth to leave for her, but you swallowed it.”
“Do you think that’ll work?” I asked, wiping my eyes and nose on my shirt.
“I don’t know, but it’s worth a try. My friend Sandra said she did that once when her tooth fell out of her pocket at school, and the Tooth Fairy took her note and left some money.”
I threw my arms around her and gave her a big hug. “You’re the best sister in the whole world.”
“I know,” Suzie said.
