The Double Dabble Surprise (5 page)

Wednesday at breakfast, Mother said, “Come home right after school. All bedrooms must be cleaned.”

“Mine
is
clean,” Carly said.

“Spotless?” Mother asked.

Carly nodded.

“What's the hurry?” Abby asked.

“Mrs. Roop is coming after supper,” Mother said.

“What for?” Carly asked.

“For a visit,” Mother said. She wiped the table.

“To check our rooms?” Carly asked.

Abby wished Carly would stop asking questions. She felt like a jitterbox again. Mother knew more than she was telling. She was sure of it.

Abby followed her mother downstairs. “It's about keeping the boys, isn't it?”

Mother sat on the sofa. She patted the pillow beside her. “How do you feel about that?”

Abby's brain was in a whirl. She felt all mixed up. “I like Jimmy and Sung Jin—it's not that. I just had my hopes on getting girls.”

“I know, honey. So did I.” Mother hugged Abby close. “Let's pray about it, okay?”

Abby nodded.

Later, she walked to school by herself. It was a good time to talk to God alone.

After supper, Mrs. Roop sat in the living room with Abby's parents. They talked for a long time.

Mrs. Roop visited Abby's room first. She closed the door and sat on the bed. She smelled like roses. “I like your green and yellow wallpaper. It's lovely.”

Abby felt like a jitterbox.

Mrs. Roop asked questions about Sung Jin and Choon Koo.

“Choon Koo is Jimmy now,” Abby said.
Why doesn't anyone pay attention?

Mrs. Roop asked more questions. They made Abby even more jittery. “How would you like Sung Jin and Choon Koo, uh, Jimmy to be your brothers?”

“What about our sisters?” Abby asked.

“We've located them,” she said. “The girls are still in Korea. Your parents will have to file papers again.” She paused. “But the
boys
are happy here.”

It sounded like a question without a question mark.

Abby wished she was alone in the secret place.

She couldn't wait for Mrs. Roop to leave.

Bath time. Jimmy was yelling. Ever since the first night in America, Jimmy hated
baths. Father gave him one anyway. Jimmy squealed louder and louder.

Maybe he's scared
, thought Abby. She searched for her old plastic duck. She found it in a shoe box in her closet. Knocking on the bathroom door, Abby showed the duck to her father. “Will this help?”

Quickly, the squealing stopped.

After his bath, Jimmy brought the drippy duck to Abby.

“Keep it. It's yours,” she said.

Jimmy hugged the duck.

Abby wanted to hug him, but she didn't.

Later, Sung Jin asked Abby if they could visit Stacy's puppy.

“We'll go after school tomorrow,” Abby promised.

Sung Jin was grinning.
Really
grinning.

Abby wondered what it would be like having Sung Jin for a brother. But at bedtime, she prayed for her
sisters
in Korea.

ELEVEN

“School's out for Thanksgiving!” shouted Abby on the way to Stacy's house. She rang the doorbell. Sung Jin waited beside her on the snowy porch.

Soon the door swung wide. Stacy was carrying Sunday Funnies. His little splint looked like a toy.

Sung Jin stroked the puppy. “Better?”

“He's
much
better” Stacy said. “Thanks.”

“I had puppy long, long time,” Sung Jin said.

“In Korea?” Stacy asked.

“Before orphanage.” Sung Jin's eyes looked sad again. “My puppy look like this.”

Abby felt sorry for Sung Jin. Everything he loved was in Korea.

He pulled out the shiny round tag. “I keep this?”

Abby saw the Korean marks on it. “What does it mean?”

“Hang-bok. In English, my puppy's name mean Happy.”

Stacy smiled. “Just like Sunday Funnies. Good times, happy times.”

Sung Jin giggled. The giggling didn't bother Abby today. She was glad to see Sung Jin having a good time. They played with Sunday Funnies until time for supper.

Later, after dishes were done, Abby sneaked to her father's study. She tapped on the door.

Abby held her breath. “I've decided something, Daddy.”

“What is it, Abby?” He leaned back in his chair.

“I want us to adopt Sung Jin and Jimmy.” Abby's eyes filled with happy tears.

“Bless your heart,” her father said. He stood up and kissed Abby's cheek.

“And . . . I have an idea,” said Abby.

Her father grinned. “What is it?”

“A double dabble Thanksgiving surprise!”

“It is?” he said, playing along.

So, it was settled. Tomorrow, Sung Jin and Jimmy would have a big surprise!

Early Thanksgiving morning, Abby helped Mother shine silver—knives, forks, and spoons. She set out bowls for the boys' kimchi, and plates for the turkey.

Sung Jin helped Abby with the decorations—pilgrim boys and girls. A pair for each end of the table.

He pointed to the pilgrims. “Who?”

“They're pilgrims. They came to America long ago. They wanted freedom to worship God.”

Sung Jin looked puzzled. “Worship?”

Abby understood. Sung Jin had never heard the story of the first Thanksgiving.

She drew a picture of pilgrims sailing the
ocean in a big boat. “God kept the pilgrims safe when they came to America,” she said. She made the waves swish around her boat.

“After a long winter, the pilgrims had a feast. They shared food with their new friends.” Abby drew a long table with stick figures sitting with folded hands. “Here's how they worshipped God on the first Thanksgiving. They said thank you in a prayer.”

Sung Jin's eyes grew wide. “I learn new things in America.”

“I'm learning new things, too,” Abby said.
About me
, she thought.

Mother came over to the table and looked at the drawings.

Sung Jin touched the pilgrim girl. “Abby, best sister. She tell first Thanksgiving story.”

Abby felt warm inside.

Carly and Jimmy came in just then.

“The Cul-de-sac Kids are outside. They want to see Jimmy and Sung,” Carly said.

Abby and Sung put on their jackets and hurried outdoors.

Dunkum bounced his ball on the snowpacked porch. Jason slid around trying to steal the ball.

Stacy stomped the snow off her feet. Sunday Funnies limped on his splint. Stacy picked him up and cuddled him.

Eric pulled Dee Dee on his sled. “Happy turkey day,” he called.

Sung turned to look at Abby. There was a question in his dark eyes. “Turkey day?”

“Some people call it that because we eat turkey,” Abby explained. “But the most important thing is to give thanks to God.”

Eric pulled the sled up the driveway. He handed a bag of sweet tarts to Abby. “These are from my grandpa, for after dinner.”

“Where's mine?” Jason asked, licking his lips.

“No snitching,” Dee Dee hollered.

Jason groaned and rolled his eyes.

Dee Dee's nose wrinkled up at him.

Mother peeked out just then. “Family meeting time.”

“Goody,” Carly shouted.

Abby hoped the meeting was about adopting the boys. She couldn't wait to give them her big surprise!

TWELVE

Abby sat next to her father in the living room.

“Something important has happened,” he began. “We are going to adopt Sung Jin and Choon Koo.”

Abby clapped her hands. “Yip-p-e-ee!” she shouted.

Jimmy and Carly jumped up and down.

“We stay here?” Sung Jin asked.

“You certainly do,” Father said. “We are very proud to adopt such fine boys.”

Abby glanced at her mother. She was smiling, too.

“Sung Jin needs an American name,”
Mother said holding the family Bible. “We like the name Shawn.”

Abby did too. It sounded something like Sung.

Mother wrote his new name in the Bible.

Jimmy leaped off his chair. “I am Jimmy. Yes?”

Mother laughed.

Father set Jimmy on his knee. “You are Jimmy Hunter.”

Abby couldn't imagine any other name for him. She couldn't even imagine having more sisters. Not now.

“Bows come down,” Jimmy said.

Father looked puzzled. “What does he mean?”

Abby knew. “He means the bows on their bedroom curtains.”

“Yes,” said Jimmy. “All girl things come down.”

Mother nodded. “All frills must go. You and Sung, er . . . Shawn can help us change your room to look like a boy's room.”

Jimmy danced a jig.

Shawn tossed his silver dog tag in the air. “Yes!”

Abby went to get the camera. Her father took pictures of all the kids.

“There's a surprise for you,” Abby whispered to Shawn.

“Surprise?” Shawn's dark eyes sparkled.

“After dinner.”

At the table, Father said to join hands. Everyone bowed heads for a Thanksgiving prayer.