about you. You'd think somebody had kidnapped you or something the way he was carrying on. I told him nobody would want either one of you, but that just made him get mad at me."
"Oh, poor little Phillip," Amy said, "I'm so sorry I inconvenienced you."
Her voice dripped with sarcasm but Phillip didn't notice. He'd spotted some swords in a shop window and was rapidly scanning his Spanish phrase book, searching, no doubt, for a new way to embarrass us.
Ever since we'd arrived at the Madrid Airport, Phillip
had been trying to speak Spanish. So far, no one had understood a word he said. His efforts only confused people and made everything take two or three times longer than it should have. Any normal person would have been discouraged, but not Phillip. He kept right on trying, speaking louder and louder as if he thought the poor Spaniards were deaf.
"Can we go in here?" Phillip grabbed Don's arm and tugged him toward the swords. "You said you'd buy me a sword as soon as we found Amy and Felix. Come on, Dad, please?"
As Phillip's voice rose like the sound of a mosquito on a hot day, I winced. "Stop whining," I told him. "It hurts my ears."
"I'm not whining," Phillip shrilled.
"You are so," Amy said, surprising me. Usually she'd rather die than agree with me. For instance, if I said it was a nice day, she would say it was about to rain, even if the sun was shining. But she was obviously as tired of hearing Phillip's voice as I was.
"You shut up, you
pulpo,
" Phillip said.
"Dad, he's swearing at me in Spanish." Amy pushed herself in between Mom and Don. "Make him stop."
Phillip grinned at Don. "I only called her a
pulpo,
" he said. "It means 'octopus.'"
As Don turned from Amy to Phillip and back again, Mom seized his hand. "Look, Don, what beautiful jewelry." Skillfully she diverted everyone's attention to a display of earrings next to the swords Phillip had been admiring. "Shall we go inside and see them?"
All five of us crowded into the store. While Phillip led Don to a rack of swords, Mom and Amy stopped to admire a display of china figurines. Leaving them, I went in search of earrings. To my delight, I found some gold hoops as big as Grace's. Although Mom tried to persuade me to buy a pair of silver butterflies like the ones Amy chose, I held out for the hoops.
As soon as my new earrings were paid for, I removed the little stars I usually wore and put them on. The hoops hung almost to my shoulders, and I thought they made me look worldly and slightly mysterious. All I needed was a flower in my hair.
When we had all bought what we wanted, we walked slowly down the hill toward our hotel. At the Plaza de Zocodover, a big square full of sidewalk cafes, Mom and Don decided to rest for a while. Amy and Phillip ordered sodas, but I followed Mom's example and asked for
café con leche.
It turned out to be coffee foaming with steamed milk, quite bitter, and I sipped it slowly, feeling sophisticated.
Amy's giggle interrupted my daydream. "What's the big joke?" I glared at her over the rim of my cup.
"Those earrings," she said. "They look so funny."
I tried to ignore her, but my vision of myself slipped sidewise and I saw what Amy saw. A tall, gawky girl with freckles, crooked teeth, and shaggy brown hair wearing a red tee-shirt with a cow on it, a gift from Aunt Martha in Vermont. Amy was right. I shouldn't have bought the earrings. No matter how beautiful they were, they couldn't make me into a citizen of the world. Unlike Grace, I
wasn't the right type to wear big gold hoops in my ears.
As I slid down in my seat, too embarrassed to look at anyone, I felt Mom pat my knee. "I love your earrings," she whispered. "In fact, I might even go back and get a pair for myself."
I leaned toward her. "You don't think they look dumb?" I asked, keeping my voice low so Amy wouldn't hear.
"Not at all," Mom said. Then she pulled out her camera and took a picture of me which Phillip almost ruined by waving his sword in front of her
"Oh, poor little Phillip," Amy said, "I'm so sorry I inconvenienced you."
Her voice dripped with sarcasm but Phillip didn't notice. He'd spotted some swords in a shop window and was rapidly scanning his Spanish phrase book, searching, no doubt, for a new way to embarrass us.
Ever since we'd arrived at the Madrid Airport, Phillip
had been trying to speak Spanish. So far, no one had understood a word he said. His efforts only confused people and made everything take two or three times longer than it should have. Any normal person would have been discouraged, but not Phillip. He kept right on trying, speaking louder and louder as if he thought the poor Spaniards were deaf.
"Can we go in here?" Phillip grabbed Don's arm and tugged him toward the swords. "You said you'd buy me a sword as soon as we found Amy and Felix. Come on, Dad, please?"
As Phillip's voice rose like the sound of a mosquito on a hot day, I winced. "Stop whining," I told him. "It hurts my ears."
"I'm not whining," Phillip shrilled.
"You are so," Amy said, surprising me. Usually she'd rather die than agree with me. For instance, if I said it was a nice day, she would say it was about to rain, even if the sun was shining. But she was obviously as tired of hearing Phillip's voice as I was.
"You shut up, you
pulpo,
" Phillip said.
"Dad, he's swearing at me in Spanish." Amy pushed herself in between Mom and Don. "Make him stop."
Phillip grinned at Don. "I only called her a
pulpo,
" he said. "It means 'octopus.'"
As Don turned from Amy to Phillip and back again, Mom seized his hand. "Look, Don, what beautiful jewelry." Skillfully she diverted everyone's attention to a display of earrings next to the swords Phillip had been admiring. "Shall we go inside and see them?"
All five of us crowded into the store. While Phillip led Don to a rack of swords, Mom and Amy stopped to admire a display of china figurines. Leaving them, I went in search of earrings. To my delight, I found some gold hoops as big as Grace's. Although Mom tried to persuade me to buy a pair of silver butterflies like the ones Amy chose, I held out for the hoops.
As soon as my new earrings were paid for, I removed the little stars I usually wore and put them on. The hoops hung almost to my shoulders, and I thought they made me look worldly and slightly mysterious. All I needed was a flower in my hair.
When we had all bought what we wanted, we walked slowly down the hill toward our hotel. At the Plaza de Zocodover, a big square full of sidewalk cafes, Mom and Don decided to rest for a while. Amy and Phillip ordered sodas, but I followed Mom's example and asked for
café con leche.
It turned out to be coffee foaming with steamed milk, quite bitter, and I sipped it slowly, feeling sophisticated.
Amy's giggle interrupted my daydream. "What's the big joke?" I glared at her over the rim of my cup.
"Those earrings," she said. "They look so funny."
I tried to ignore her, but my vision of myself slipped sidewise and I saw what Amy saw. A tall, gawky girl with freckles, crooked teeth, and shaggy brown hair wearing a red tee-shirt with a cow on it, a gift from Aunt Martha in Vermont. Amy was right. I shouldn't have bought the earrings. No matter how beautiful they were, they couldn't make me into a citizen of the world. Unlike Grace, I
wasn't the right type to wear big gold hoops in my ears.
As I slid down in my seat, too embarrassed to look at anyone, I felt Mom pat my knee. "I love your earrings," she whispered. "In fact, I might even go back and get a pair for myself."
I leaned toward her. "You don't think they look dumb?" I asked, keeping my voice low so Amy wouldn't hear.
"Not at all," Mom said. Then she pulled out her camera and took a picture of me which Phillip almost ruined by waving his sword in front of her
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