Junie B., First Grader_ Dumb Bunny - Barbara Park [8]
The nanna did a groan.
Lucille kept on talking.
“My nanna was in charge of hiring the Easter Bunny. Only instead of hiring the real Easter Bunny, she hired a cheap, fake Easter Bunny. Right, Nanna?”
The nanna did not reply.
Lucille went on.
“The fake bunny came to our house to get his pay yesterday. Only his fur was real matty. And the top of his ear was chewed off. But he told my nanna that he freshened up nicely. And so Nanna gave him cash money in advance. And then he hopped out the front door. And he never came back.”
The nanna raised her head. “Thank you, Lucille,” she said. “Thank you for sharing that with everyone.”
“You're welcome, Nanna,” said Lucille very pleasant. “You're welcome.”
The nanna rolled her eyes.
Lucille does not understand sarcastic, I believe.
Just then, Lucille's daddy stood up at his picnic table. And he said it was time “to get this show on the road.”
He held up a silver bell and rang it in the air.
TING-A-LING-A-LING!
TING-A-LING-A-LING!
Then boom!
Waiters started bringing food from all over the place.
And it was the deliciousest food I ever saw!
There were barbecued hamburgers! And tasty hot dogs! And crispy chicken fingers! And crunchy salad! And yummy potato chips! And sweetish pickles! Plus there were even delicious devilish eggs!
“Whoa! What a spread!” I said.
I stuffed a devilish egg in my mouth. Also I stuffed in a pickle. And some chips! And a giant chicken finger!
I didn't stop stuffing for a real long time.
Then finally, I leaned back. And I rubbed my big fat tummy.
“Whew! I am about to bust a gusset!” I said. “Are you, Nanna? Huh? Are you about to bust a gusset, too?”
The nanna frowned her eyebrows. “Ladies don't bust gussets, Junie B.,” she said.
I was surprised to hear that information.
“Really?” I said. “Then what do ladies bust?”
Roger raised his hand.
“At our house, we bust our guts,” he said.
Herb smiled.
“At our house, we bust our buttons,” he said.
Sheldon stood up.
“At our house, we just unzip our pants,” he said.
After that, everyone at our table laughed and laughed.
Except for not the nanna.
Finally, all of us got finished eating. And the waiters took our plates away.
Then wowie wow wow!
Lucille's daddy brought out the most beautiful box I ever saw!
It was wrapped in shiny yellow paper with twirly, curly ribbons!
He held it way high in the air so all of us could see.
“Whoa! Whose birthday is it?” I shouted real excited.
Lucille jumped up and giggled.
“That's not a birthday present, Junie B. It's a game prize!” she said. “Before we hunt for eggs, we're going to play a very fun game. And whoever wins that prize will get the thrill of a lifetime! Right, Daddy?”
The daddy smiled.
“Well, we certainly hope the winner will be thrilled,” he said. “It's a pretty good prize, we think.”
Just then, he put down the box. And he pulled a big jar of jelly beans out of a paper bag.
“This game is called the Jelly Bean Game,” he said. “Can everyone see all the jelly beans in the jar? We've got lots of colors, don't we? We've got reds and yellows and blues and blacks and greens and oranges and whites.”
He stopped and held up his finger.
“But,” he said, “in this whole big jar of jelly beans, there is just one purple one.”
All of us made a hushy sound.
“OOOOH,” we said together. “JUST ONE PURPLE ONE.”
The daddy smiled.
Then he put the jar back in the bag so we couldn't see the colors anymore.
“Okay. Now I'm going to walk around to each picnic table. And each of you will have a chance to reach in the jar and pull out a jelly bean,” he said. “But remember. You may only pull out one, okay?”
“OKAY!” we hollered. “OKAY! OKAY!”
Lucille hurried over and held up the beautiful box.
“And remember this, too! The first person to pull out the purple jelly bean will get this prize!” she said. “The thrill of a lifetime!”
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