Just Grace and the Double Surprise (12 page)

I couldn't tell what Mr. Scruffers had been barking at. She had stopped by the time I got to her. We were just about to start a stick game when Mom called us in. "Mimi's mom just called to invite you over for some banana bread," said Mom. I looked down at Mr. Scruffers and Mom instantly read my mind. "No, you can't take her. I think Mimi should come here to meet Mr. Scruffers." Mom is super good at reading minds, especially when the answer starts with a no. It's not a power that I'm glad she has.

Mimi's new brother was probably going to be awake. I wanted to take him a present. I looked around my room, but there was nothing good that a little boy would like. Then suddenly I thought about Augustine Dupre and her supercape that wasn't really a supercape. It was perfect, and Mom only grumbled a little about me taking her brand-new dishtowel.

I made an R on the towel with some red tape that Mom has. It's my favorite tape because it's easy to rip and it doesn't try to stick to itself while you are using it.

WHAT WAS NOT GOOD

Mimi opened the door as soon as I knocked. I could tell she was still grumpy. She stomped up the stairs to her room and I followed her. As soon we got there she closed the door and started talking. She used a lot of words, but in the end, it came down to one big complaint.

WHAT MIMI SAID

1. Brothers are not as good as sisters.

 

I am not an expert on brothers or sisters so the only thing I could think of to say was "Well, maybe we should do some boy research and find out if that's true?" At school we had learned all about the scientific method. There are lots of rules about the right way to do experiments, but mostly what I was remembering was the other part Miss Lois had talked about. She'd said, "The best way to get answers to a question is to do research."

WHAT RESEARCH CAN DO

I was hoping that research was going to help answer some questions for Mimi.

Are sisters better than brothers?

Are brothers better than sisters?

Are they both the same?

But what I was mostly hoping for was this:

WHAT RESEARCH CANNOT DO

Research was probably not going to get Mimi's mom and dad to send the brother back, so I was hoping that sisters-are-better-than-brothers answer was not the one that was going to be true.

WHAT WAS SURPRISING

Just talking about it seemed to help make Mimi be in a better mood. She grabbed my hand and we went downstairs to the kitchen to get some banana bread. Mimi's mom and Robert were already sitting at the table. He looked pretty cute awake too. "Robert, this is Mimi's friend Grace," said Mimi's mom. "Hi, Robert." I smiled and waved at him. He looked up but didn't say anything. I think his mouth might have been too full of banana bread. As soon as Mimi's mom introduced me I suddenly remembered the book I had made. I had 100 percent forgotten all about it. At least I had the cape.

WHAT I WAS NOT EXPECTING

After our snack I showed Robert the supercape I had made for him. Mimi's mom said she thought it was excellent, but I could tell that Robert didn't even know what it was for. I put it on and ran back and forth in the kitchen, but he just looked at me like I was crazy. Finally Mimi said, "Here, let me show him." I think she was worried that my feelings were getting hurt. Mimi put the cape on and said, "Look at me! I'm a superhero! Whoosh!" and she ran off into the living room. Robert jumped off his chair and ran after her. Mimi ran back into the kitchen. Robert was close behind her. "He likes chasing games, just like Mr. Scruffers," I said. Mimi stopped suddenly. "Who is Mr. Scruffers?"

Mimi gave Robert the cape while I started to talk.

WHAT I SAID NEXT

I'm pretty good about not saying it, because it's one of Dad's new big rules, but this was a once-in-a-lifetime occasion, plus I was way too excited to remember not to, so by accident I said, "OMG, Mimi! I got a dog!" Mimi froze like a statue. "A real dog? A real live dog?" asked Mimi. Then she was shouting. "Is it at your house? Can I see it? Is it big? Can we go! Let's go! Let's go NOW!"

WHAT HAPPENED NEXT

I ran out the door, Mimi ran out the door, and Robert ran out the door. We all raced across the front yard to my house. Mr. Scruffers was in the backyard, and I could hear her barking at something. "Let's go around the side," I shouted. I got to the side gate but suddenly no one was behind me. Then Mimi came walking up holding Robert's hand. "His legs are short," she said. "I couldn't leave him out front." I looked at Robert and then I had a thought. "Maybe you should pick him up. He might get scared." Mimi looked at Robert, and it looked like she was thinking about it too. "Okay," she said and she scooped him up. I wondered if she was happy about the being-able-to-carry-him part. It had been on her sister list, but I couldn't think about it anymore because Mr. Scruffers was going crazy on the other side of the fence and Mimi and Robert were ready to meet her.

WHO'S A GOOD DOG

Mr. Scruffers was so happy to see me that at first she didn't even pay any attention to Mimi or Robert. It was like she needed me to pet her before she could notice anyone else. When she finally ran over to meet Mimi, her tail was wagging. I was glad she chose that instead of barking. Robert was squirming around like crazy in Mimi's arms. I couldn't tell if he was scared or if he wanted to get down. Finally she had to put him down or she probably would have dropped him.

WHAT WAS UNEXPECTED

Robert took off after Mr. Scruffers and started chasing him all over the yard. Robert was squealing and having the greatest time. I think Mr. Scruffers was liking it too, but I wasn't totally 100 percent sure how much.

Watching them, I suddenly had a question. "Mimi, does Robert talk?" Mimi shrugged and said, "Mom says he does, but I haven't heard him yet. I don't think he likes to do it if anyone is around." And then she asked me a question. "Are you sad you got a boy dog, because remember, you really wanted a girl dog?" Mimi was right.
Girl dog
was on my list of dog-must-haves.

WHAT I SAID NEXT WITHOUT THINKING

"Mr. Scruffers
is
a girl—she just came with a boy name. I tried to change it, but it's not as easy as I thought it would be. She likes being called Mr. Scruffers."

WHAT I WAS SUDDENLY THINKING

Was that the wrong thing to say? Did Mimi ask me that question because she is sad about Robert being a boy? Is she going to think I'm lucky and she is not?

WHAT MIMI SAID

"Really? Mr. Scruffers is a girl? Wow." She was looking at Robert and Mr. Scruffers racing around. "How about Mrs. Scruffers? Can you change it to that?" Mimi is a good problem solver. She always thinks of the easiest way to fix something first—not everyone is like that. I shook my head no. "I already tried that," I said. "She only comes, or even looks at you, if you use her whole Mr. Scruffers name."

Suddenly Mimi started laughing. I couldn't tell what was so funny. She completely had the giggles. It's a weird feeling to be standing next to someone who is laughing and to have no idea what they are laughing about. When this happens one of these two things can happen.