Tiger in Trouble Read Free

even if she did, she’d feel too guilty to arrange it.”
    “Guilty?” Nick asked. “Why would she feel guilty? I think we should just tell her we don’t want to go.”
    “No, Mr. McCurdy’s right,” I said. “She does need some time to herself. Whether we like it or not, we’re going away to camp, and we’re not going to complain about it anymore. Who knows,” I said with a shrug, “maybe we’ll even have a good time.”
    •
    “I’m really going to miss you two,” my mother said.
    Nick gave me an “I told you so” look. I tried to ignore him.
    “We’ll miss you, too,” I said. “Could you pass me the fried rice?”
    My mother picked up one of the half-dozen little cardboard cartons that sat beside her — the Chinese food she’d brought home for supper — and passed it to me.
    “You certainly brought home a lot of food,” I said.
    “I ordered a meal for four. I was hoping Angus would be joining us tonight.”
    “I tried to convince him to come,” I said.
    “I guess it won’t just be the two of you, but Angus I’ll be missing for the next week.”
    “You can always invite him over,” I suggested. “I know he’d like that.”
    “I don’t think that would work,” she said. “I was thinking it would be pretty lonely around here with you two gone.”
    “That’s even more reason to invite Mr. McCurdy over.”
    “Well …” my mother said. “I really wasn’t planning on spending any time around the house, either.”
    “You can’t just work the whole time we’re gone. You spend too much time at the office already!” I protested.
    “That isn’t what I mean. I guess this is the perfect time to tell you something — a surprise.”
    “What sort of a surprise?” I asked anxiously. I’d stopped liking surprises when they started becoming things like “your father and I are separating” or “we’re moving.”
    “I was thinking that since the two of you were going to be gone, anyway, that maybe I should take a trip, too.”
    “You’re going away?” Nick asked. He sounded as if he couldn’t believe his ears.
    “Yes, I’m very excited!”
    “Where are you going?” I asked.
    “I’m going to the Bahamas.”
    “The Bahamas?” I gasped.
    “I’ll be leaving tomorrow. I’ll be flying off in one direction while you two are flying off in the other. Isn’t that exciting?”
    “Yeah … really exciting,” I mumbled, too stunned by the news to know what else to say.
    “I’m going to a resort on a tiny little island. It’s advertised as an escape island.”
    “What does that mean?” I asked, thinking maybe it was like Mr. McCurdy had said and she was escaping from us.
    “It means it’s very isolated. You can only get there by boat, and it’s very rugged. For example, there are no televisions, radios, computers, Internet and even telephones don’t work there!”
    I thought she could probably get the same effect if she lived in our barn for the next week.
    “Why would anybody want to go someplace that had none of those things?” Nick questioned.
    “There’ll be other things, like clear skies, warm weather, tropical fruit and a warm blue ocean!”
    I guess the barn didn’t have those things going for it.
    “But who are you going with?” Nick asked.
    “I’m going by myself. Do you know how long it’s been since I had time to myself?”
    I had a pretty good idea it was at least fourteen years, but I didn’t answer.
    “It was before I met your father, my second year of university. Since then I’ve always had somebody else to care for or look out for, or their feelings to take into account. This time I’m going just for me and doing what I want.”
    I couldn’t remember the last time I’d seen her this excited.
    “So, while the two of you are having a wonderful adventure, I’m going to be having one of my own!”
    “But what if something happens?” Nick asked.
    She reached over and put her hand on top of his. “That’s so sweet, Nicky, but