Super Duper Pee Wee! Read Free Page A

Mary Beth slept when she stayed overnight and they talked long into the night and told ghost stories and secrets. It was where they had sleep overs. Did they want her Auntie Ree at a sleep over? Especially if she was crying all over the place?
    But it was true about the den being torn up. Her dad had begun to re-paper the walls and had not had time to finish.
    She wondered if it was a lie to tell her mother she didn’t mind. Or if it was one of those little white lies it was okay to tell to be polite, when it would be rude to tell the truth.
    “When is she coming?” asked Molly.
    “Tomorrow,” said her mom. She wiped her eyes and blew her nose. “We have a lot of work to do before she comes. Will you mind if we make some room for her things?”
    Molly shook her head and went upstairs with her mother.
    “We’ll have to clear some drawers in your dresser for Marie,” she said.
    Molly helped her mother put her sweaters with her underwear. She put her socks with her hair ribbons and pajamas. It looked crowded and it looked messy. But it was for a good cause. She liked her aunt.
    “Maybe she will make up with UncleChuck,” said Molly. “Maybe she will miss him and go home.”

    Molly’s mother sniffled. That was the wrong thing to say.
    Her mother shook her head. “A divorce means it’s over,” she said. “They are selling the house.”
    Poor Auntie Ree! Put out of her nice house to come and live in a bedroom! And not even a whole bedroom at that! A half of a bedroom. A half of a closet. And half of a dresser! Could Uncle Chuck be that bad?
    This morning when Molly had gone out to mail her letter, she had had a whole room of her own and a happy life. She had come home an hour later, and now she had a half a room and no secrets and a life that looked like it might not be happy.
    That’s what she got for wanting a bigger family! Once, her teacher had told the class to be careful what they wished for. Well, she hadn’t! And now she had a bigger family.
    Molly’s mother took her pretty dotted swiss curtains down and washed them. She vacuumed the rug and Molly dusted. Hermother put clean towels out and her dad fixed the switch on the bed lamp.
    “Be good to Auntie Ree,” he said, patting Molly on the head.
    What did he mean, be good? Did he mean smile at her? Wait on her? Take her to the Dairy Princess? Find her a new husband?
    Molly wanted to go to her room and cry. But her room wasn’t hers anymore. And no one wanted any more tears.

CHAPTER 5
Auntie Ree
Moves In
    S upper was a quiet meal. And there was no dessert. Molly’s mother said she wondered what Marie would like to eat.
    “I’ll go to the market on the way home from work tomorrow,” offered her dad. “I’ll get something good.”
    Molly finished eating and went to her room. There didn’t seem to be anything to do but go to bed. She crawled into her cleanlittle bed, and as she fell asleep she smelled the lemon furniture polish her mother had used.
    When she woke up in the morning her mother was putting a vase of tulips on the table between the two beds.
    “I thought flowers would cheer Marie up,” said Mrs. Duff.
    If things were as bad as they felt, it would take a lot more than flowers to cheer her aunt, thought Molly.
    Molly got dressed and ate breakfast and went out to play with Tracy and Lisa and Patty. She didn’t tell them about sharing her room. They talked about pen pals. They had all mailed their letters. When she got home, her aunt was there.
    She gave Molly a big hug and said, “Why, just look how you’ve grown!”
    She didn’t look sad, thought Molly. Not as sad as her mother. Maybe she was glad to be there.
    In Molly’s room, Marie’s things were all over the place. One suitcase was on the bed, spilling with jeans and shirts and jewelry.
    Her makeup was on Molly’s dresser, and in the bathroom were her hair dryer, panty hose, and her bathrobe. On the dining room table was her tennis racket.
    Auntie Ree had moved in.
    “Chuck