Beezus and Ramona - Beverly Cleary [18]
“Hello, darling, how are you?” asked Aunt Beatrice.
“Oh, Aunt Beatrice,” cried Beezus,
“Ramona has just done something awful, and I was supposed to be looking after her. I don’t know what to do.” She told about Ramona’s hiding in the cellar and biting into half a box of apples.
Aunt Beatrice laughed. “Leave it to Ramona to think up something new,” she said. “Do you know what I’d do if I were you?”
“What?” asked Beezus eagerly, already feeling better because she had confided her troubles to her aunt.
“I wouldn’t say anything more about it,” said Aunt Beatrice. “Lots of times little children are naughty because they want to attract attention. I have an idea that saying nothing about her naughtiness will worry Ramona more than a scolding.”
Beezus thought this over and decided her aunt was right. If there was one thing Ramona couldn’t stand, it was being ignored. “I’ll try it,” she said.
“And about the apples,” Aunt Beatrice went on. “All I can suggest is that your mother might make applesauce.”
This struck Beezus as being funny, and as she and her aunt laughed together over the telephone she felt much better.
“Tell your mother I phoned,” said Aunt Beatrice.
“I will,” promised Beezus. “And please come over soon.”
When Beezus heard her mother drive up, she rushed out to meet her and tell her the story of what Ramona had done. She also told her Aunt Beatrice’s suggestion.
“Oh, dear, leave it to Ramona,” sighed Mother. “Your aunt is right. We won’t say a word about it.”
Beezus helped her mother carry the groceries into the house. Ramona came into the kitchen to see if there were any animal crackers among the packages. She waited a few minutes for her sister to tattle on her. Then, when Beezus did not say anything, she announced, “I was bad this afternoon.” She sounded pleased with herself.
“Were you?” remarked Mother calmly.
“Beezus, I think applesauce would be good for dessert tonight. Will you run down and bring up some apples?”
When Ramona looked disappointed at having failed to arouse any interest, Beezus and her mother exchanged smiles. “I want to help,” said Ramona, rather than be left out.
Beezus and Ramona made four trips to the basement to bring up all the bitten apples. Mother said nothing about their appearance, but spent the rest of the afternoon peeling and cooking apples. After she had finished, she filled her two largest mixing bowls, a casserole, and the bowl of her electric mixer with applesauce. It took her quite a while to rearrange the contents of the refrigerator to make room for all the applesauce.
When Beezus saw her father coming home she ran out on the front walk to tell him what had happened. He, too, agreed that Aunt Beatrice’s suggestion was a good one.
“Daddy!” shrieked Ramona when her father came in.
“How’s my girl?” asked Father as he picked Ramona up and kissed her.
“Oh, I was bad today,” said Ramona.
“Were you?” said Father as he put her down. “Was there any mail today?”
Ramona looked crestfallen. “I was very bad,” she persisted. “I was awful.”
Father sat down and picked up the evening paper.
“I hid from Beezus and I bit lots and lots of apples,” Ramona went on insistently.
“Mmm,” remarked Father from behind the paper. “I see they’re going to raise bus fares again.”
“Lots and lots of apples,” repeated Ramona in a loud voice.
“They raised bus fares last year,” Father went on, winking at Beezus from behind the paper. “The public isn’t going to stand for this.”
Ramona looked puzzled and then disappointed, but she did not say anything.
Father dropped his paper. “Something certainly smells good,” he said. “It smells like applesauce. I hope so. There’s nothing I like better than a big dish of applesauce for dessert.”
Because Mother had been so busy making applesauce, dinner was a little late that night. At the table Ramona was unusually