Junie B., First Grader_ Dumb Bunny - Barbara Park [6]
Lucille's mouth came open at that news.
“A lucky charm?” she shouted. “You have a lucky charm? What is it, Shelsie? What is it?”
Sheldon pointed down at his shirt.
“See that little egg dribble on my collar right there?” he asked. “That little egg dribble ran off my chin at breakfast. And look, Lucille … it landed on my collar, in the exact shape of—”
He paused real dramatic.
“… an egg,” he whispered.
Lucille did a shiver.
“Ooooh, Shelsie! That seems like magic, almost,” she said.
Sheldon nodded.
“I know it, Lucille. It seems exactly like magic, almost,” he said. “My grampa Ned has had every shirt stain in the book. And he said that when egg dribble lands in the shape of an egg, it means—”
Sheldon swallowed hard.
“… may the egg be with me.”
Lucille did another shiver.
Sheldon smiled.
“With a magic-egg shirt like this, I can't lose today, Lucille,” he said. “I just can't.”
After that, he hurried over to the nanna. And he tried to show her his egg shirt. But the nanna backed up from him.
Then she quick grabbed Lucille's daddy. And she said the words, Do something!
The daddy cleared his loud throat.
“Boys and girls. May I please have your attention?” he said. “First, I would like to welcome you all to the party today.”
Lucille hopped in front of him.
“Yes! Yes! Welcome to my party! And welcome to my giant house. And welcome to my big, huge yard, too!”
She bent down and touched the grass.
“See how perfect the lawn is cut, everyone?” she said. “That's because we have a real professional gardener. On account of rich people don't know the first thing about yard work. Right, Daddy? Plus rich people don't like to get our hands dirty.”
Everyone looked at the daddy's hands.
He quick put them in his pockets.
Lucille kept on talking.
“And did everyone see my brand-new, expensive Easter dress?” she asked.
She spun around and flounced herself.
“This dress is made out of fancy, floaty chiffon. And fancy, floaty chiffon is as light as a feather,” she said.
She fluffed her flouncy skirt.
“Who would like me to hop in the air and make it float? Please clap your hands,” she said.
But before we could clap, Lucille already started hopping.
She hopped and hopped until sweaty came on her lip.
Then Lucille's mother quick ran over. And she dabbed her face with a tissue.
I looked at Herbert.
“This family has some serious perspiration issues, I believe,” I said.
Just then, Lucille's daddy cleared his loud throat again.
“Children, as all of you know, we're going to be having a picnic and an Easter-egg hunt today. But for this party to go smoothly, we're going to need your complete cooperation. Okay?” he asked.
“OKAY!” we shouted back. “OKAY! OKAY!”
The daddy smiled.
“The first thing I'd like you to do is get into a nice straight line,” he said.
“A NICE STRAIGHT LINE! A NICE STRAIGHT LINE!” we shouted again.
Room One is excellent at repeating things.
The daddy looked at us.
“Okay. Fine. As I was saying, if you get into a nice straight line, we'll lead you to the picnic grounds in the back of the house.”
“THE BACK OF THE HOUSE! THE BACK OF THE HOUSE!” we hollered out.
The daddy stopped smiling.
We were starting to get on his nerves, I think.
Next to him, Lucille's mother and nanna were doing deep breathing.
The brother had already gone inside to watch TV.
Finally, all of us got in a nice straight line.
Then the mother and daddy and nanna did a group hug with each other.
And they led us to the picnic grounds.
AND WOWIE WOW WOW!
I could not believe my eyeballs!
’Cause on the way, we passed Lucille's hugie big swimming pool! And it was inside a big glass house!
All of Room One did a gasp at that sight!
I ran to Lucille and hugged her around the middle.
“Lucille! Lucille! You are even richer than you used to be! Your swimming pool is in a big glass house now! And so my play-date with you will be even funner than I thought!”
Lucille took my hands off her.
“Silly Junie B. Jones. You know the rules. If you want the playdate, you're going to have to find