The Giggles

While I was changing, I wanted to laugh. My brothers were looking for their tuxes. Daddy and Nannie were probably already weeding the gardens. David Michael and Andrew and Emily were putting their toys away.

So far, everyone believed my big joke.

But I did not laugh. I did not want to ruin anything. I went downstairs and found Elizabeth. (She was cleaning the oven.)

“I am going over to Hannie’s,” I announced. “I want to tell her about the judge and the contest. I am all ready for the judge,” I added. “See?” I twirled around. “I will come back before the judge gets here.”

“Okay,” said Elizabeth. “Stay clean. You might not have time to change again. Be careful of your good clothes.”

*  *  *

Hannie and I lay on her bedroom floor. (I had forgotten about my good clothes.) We lay on our stomachs, facing each other.

“Why are you so dressed up?” Hannie wanted to know.

I grinned. Then I told her about the big joke.

Hannie began to laugh. “So your family is getting ready for the judge’s visit? What are you going to do now?”

“As soon as I get home, I will shout ‘April Fool!’”

Hannie was still laughing. “And everyone will be dressed up, and your house will look gorgeous,” she said.

“Yes. At last my family will have some manners.”

“Sam will not burp,” said Hannie.

“Charlie will not tease,” I said. “And no one will look sloppy.”

“Wouldn’t it have been cool if you had really won the contest, though?” asked Hannie.

“Way cool,” I answered. “I would have let you come to Hawaii with us. We could have taken hula lessons together.”

“Oh, well. I guess it does not matter too much. You know why?”

“Why?” I asked.

“Because we got a pony.”

“A pony!” I exclaimed.

Hannie nodded. “I didn’t tell you before, because I was saving it for a surprise. Want to see the pony? He’s in the backyard.”

I leaped up. I scrambled across the room to Hannie’s window. “Where is he?” I asked. I wanted to ride him.

Hannie joined me at the window. “He’s right over there.”

“Where?”

“There.”

“There? I do not see anything.”

“April Fool!” shrieked Hannie.

“Hannie!” I exclaimed, laughing. “You really got me!”

I was dirty and rumpled from lying on the floor. Oh, well. That did not matter much. My joke was almost over. We sat on Hannie’s bed. “Of course, you know why I believed you, don’t you?” I said.

“No. Why?”

“Because of Seth’s parrot. He is getting a talking parrot today. I thought if Seth was getting a parrot, you could have gotten a horse.”

“Seth is getting a parrot?” exclaimed Hannie.

“Nope. April Fool!”

Hannie and I were laughing so hard, tears were running down our cheeks. We rolled around on her bed. We rolled around until Hannie rolled onto the floor with a THUD and her father called, “Girls, what is going on up there?” Then we calmed down.

I looked at my watch. Yipes. I had been at Hannie’s house a long time. “Hannie, I better go home,” I said quickly. “I think my joke is over. I am ready to fool my big-house family. I will ring our doorbell. They will think the judge has come. When they open the door, I will yell, ‘April Fool!’ ”