Fabulous Five 022 - Melanie's Valentine (8 page)

"Whoops!" Grandma Dee chirped, whipping off her
sunglasses when she looked up and saw Melanie standing in the doorway. Then she
sighed, smiling slightly, and put them on again. "Caught me, didn't you?"
she asked sheepishly. "Here I was, trying to make you think your
grandmother didn't even need glasses, when actually I'm as blind as a bat."

Melanie didn't quite know what to say. Her grandmother had
obviously been wearing those sunglasses on top of her head when people were
around and then sneaking them on to read when she was alone.

"Gosh, Grandma Dee," she began. "It's okay. I
mean . . . You didn't have to worry about a thing like that. You're the only
grandmother I know who goes parasailing, and scuba diving, and ice skating."

There was a moment of silence, and Grandma Dee looked down
at her hands.

Melanie swallowed hard. "I guess you don't do those
things, either, huh?" she asked in a small voice.

Grandma Dee shook her head. "I haven't been ice skating
in years. That's why I fell down. Somehow I thought ice skating was like riding
a bike: Once you learned how, you never forgot. But I was wrong. Couldn't stand
up on the blasted things anymore. And as for those other things . . ." Her
voice trailed off, and tears rimmed her eyes.

For the first time, Melanie noticed little wrinkles around
her grandmother's eyes, and her heart filled with sympathy as she suddenly
understood. It was no wonder she had been confused by the way Grandma Dee acted
so with it sometimes and so old-fashioned other times. She had been faking it,
pretending to be daring and adventurous all along.

"But why . . . ?" Melanie started to ask.

Grandma Dee cut in. "You'll think I'm just an old fool,
but I love you so much, and I wanted you to love me just as much. I've seen so
many children act as if visiting with their grandparents were a chore. So it
seemed to me that if you thought I was really 'cool and with it,' as you've
said, that you'd include me in your life, and we could have special times
together. I wanted you to believe that your grandmother could do anything you
could do. I guess I acted pretty silly, didn't I?"

Melanie went to her grandmother, dropping to her knees
beside the sofa and taking Grandma Dee's hands in her own.

"I want you to know that you're the most wonderful
grandmother in the world," she said firmly. "You don't
have
to
do all those other things for me to love you or want to be with you. Honest."

Grandma Dee pulled a hand away and stroked Melanie's hair. "But
I didn't want you to think of me as just a grumpy old fogey," she said
earnestly. "I wanted for us to have fun together and for your friends to
like me, too."

"We can have fun together, and my friends do like you,"
Melanie insisted. Then she added with a laugh, "You don't really have to
entertain them with stories about your big adventures. I'll bet you do a lot of
things that are interesting."

Grandma Dee was thoughtful for a moment. "I guess I
could tell them about the two groups I work with who are trying to help
endangered wildlife along the Florida Gulf coast. I man a watchpost on the
water, looking for manatees, those big sea cows that look something like
walruses. I watch for ones that have been injured by pleasure boats and then
alert the proper authorities, who come to the manatees' aid. And I help newly
hatched baby sea turtles make it from the beach to the water before the birds
can swoop down and eat them. But I was afraid that would sound boring to
someone your age. There certainly isn't much action involved."

"Gosh, Grandma Dee," Melanie said with a laugh. "Those
are
big adventures, especially if you're a manatee or a baby turtle. My
friends would think so, too."

"Do you really think so?" her grandmother asked.

"I
know
so," Melanie said confidently. "They'll
think you're a hero. I love you, Grandma Dee," she said, scrambling up
onto the sofa and giving her grandmother a big hug.

"I love you, too, sweetheart," Grandma Dee said.

Melanie and her grandmother talked for a few more minutes
about manatees and turtles and Grandma Dee's enormous collection of seashells.
Finally Melanie went back to her room. She was glad that tonight had happened.
She understood a lot of things about her grandmother that she hadn't known
before. So many things that her heart was bursting with love.

A little while later she heard the doorbell. She frowned and
glanced at the clock beside her bed. It was a little after eight. Her parents
hadn't mentioned expecting any company tonight. But that didn't mean that
someone couldn't drop by.

She went back to studying for her test, but her thoughts
kept returning to Scott and Shane. She would
have
to talk to Scott
tomorrow. There was no way she could put it off any longer. Sometime between
now and the morning she would have to figure out what to say.

Melanie was so deep in thought that she was startled when a
soft knock sounded at her door a moment later.

"Melanie," her mother called. "Shane's here
to see you."

"Shane? Here?" she asked, opening the door for her
mother. "I wonder what he wants."

"I don't know, honey. Shall I send him up? Your
grandmother is in the family room."

"Sure," said Melanie as her heart began to pound.
Why
had Shane come over? Was something wrong?

A look at his expression when he entered her room was all it
took to convince her that something was indeed wrong.

"Hi," he said. "There's something I need to
talk to you about."

A chill passed through her. "Sure," she murmured,
and motioned for him to sit down on the floor. She perched nervously on the
edge of her bed.

He traced a pattern in the carpet with the toe of his
sneaker, and Melanie thought she would explode.
What did you come over to
talk to me about?
she wanted to shout.

Sighing deeply, Shane looked at her. "I came over to
tell you that I'll understand if you want to break our date for the Valentine
party."

Melanie's eyes grew large. "What made you think I'd
want to do a thing like that?"

"I heard a rumor," he said softly.

"A rumor?" Melanie echoed.

"Right," said Shane. "A rumor that you'd
rather go with Scott but you've already said you'd go with me."

Melanie's heart almost stopped. "No!" she
whispered in horror. "I don't want to break our date! Who told you a thing
like that?" As soon as the question was out, she was sorry she asked.
There was only one place a rumor like that could have started.

"Some of the guys were talking after school,"
replied Shane.

"Scott didn't tell you that, did he?" she asked
cautiously.

"No," said Shane. "In fact, I don't think he
actually said it. He just sort of hinted around about it to Bill Soliday. But
why would he even do that if it isn't true?"

Shane was looking at her, waiting for an answer. Melanie
tried to keep her expression from giving away how awful she felt inside, but it
seemed as though her face were just a mask that could crumble any second and
give her away. There was only one thing to say, only one thing that would make
any sense to Shane.

"I'd better start at the beginning," she said. For
the next few minutes she told him all the things that had happened and how hard
she had tried to keep from hurting Scott.

"So, you see," she finished, "I couldn't just
look him in the eye and say, 'I like Shane now, and I'm going to the party with
him.'"

"Why not?" Shane asked matter-of-factly.

Melanie let her breath out in exasperation. "Haven't
you heard anything I've said? I just explained all that. It would have hurt
him."

"I really do understand," Shane said. "I
understand that you're the kind of person who wouldn't hurt a fly. That's part
of the reason I like you. But don't you see now how much more trouble you can
get into by trying too hard not to hurt somebody?"

Melanie nodded slowly. This week had sure taught her that.
Shane had been hurt when he'd heard the rumor, and now she would have to hurt
Scott anyway when she told him the truth.

"I think you can be honest and still be nice,"
said Shane. "You may not believe this, but most guys appreciate knowing
where they really stand. Just look at how I felt when I heard you wanted to go
to the party with Scott. If I were in Scott's shoes, I'd want you to be honest
with me."

"You would?" she said incredulously. "Even if
it hurt your feelings?"

"Yup," said Shane, nodding. Then he grinned and
added, "I'd want you to tell me anytime you decided you like someone else
better than me. Especially if it was Igor who beat me out. I'd pound that
little rascal."

They both laughed at that.

"Okay," said Melanie. "I'll talk to Scott in
the morning before school."

"Good," said Shane. "You'll feel a lot
better. Well, I guess I'd better go."

"Okay. And Shane," Melanie said softly, "you
really are the one I want to go to the party with."

He gave her a lopsided grin and then kissed her gently on
the cheek.

After he left, she floated around the room on a cloud of
daydreams. Shane really was the boy she liked best, she thought, touching the
spot on her cheek where he had kissed her. She would follow his suggestion and
be honest with Scott. She wouldn't try to plan what she would say. She would
just let it come naturally, and she knew deep down that that was the right
thing to do.

The next morning she was waiting outside the gate at school
when Scott came by.

"Hi, Scott," she called. "Can I see you a
minute?"

"Sure," he said, looking pleased as he hurried
toward her. "What's up? Did you talk to Shane?"

She took a deep breath. This was it. She couldn't duck it
any longer. "Scott, there's been a big misunderstanding," she began, "and
it's all my fault. You see, I still like you a lot, but I really do want to go
to the Valentine party with Shane."

Scott frowned. "But you said—"

"I know I did," Melanie interjected. "The
trouble is, I didn't say it right. I was trying so hard not to hurt you that I
never could come out and say what I meant. I'm sorry. Really. I hope you aren't
mad."

Scott shrugged and looked away for a minute. "I'm not
mad. I was even beginning to wonder if you liked someone else by the way you
were acting sometimes, and . . . well . . . it's okay. I understand."

He looked so sad that Melanie wanted to cry, but at the same
time, she knew she had finally done the right thing.

"Thanks," she said softly. "And, Scott . . . I
know it sounds corny, but I really do hope that we can still be friends. I
mean, I really don't want us to be mad or anything."

"Sure," Scott said. Then he grinned. "Like I
said, I'm not mad. Honest. And . . . hey! I'll see you around. Okay?"

Melanie smiled to herself as she watched him walk away. She
didn't have to worry now about not having fun at the Valentine party.
Everything had worked out fine.

When Melanie got home from school that afternoon, she headed
straight to the family room. It was time to have an important talk with her
grandmother.

"Grandma Dee," she began as soon as they had
exchanged greetings, "since you and I are such good friends, let's talk
about boys."

Grandma Dee looked up in surprise. "Oh, my. You want to
talk to
me
about boys?" Then she added, shaking her head, "It's
been a long time since I've had much experience."

"Hey, it's like riding a bicycle," Melanie said,
laughing. "You never forget. Besides, you said you wanted to be involved
in the things I'm doing. And the Valentine party is coming up, remember?"

"Okay," said Grandma Dee, patting a spot on the
sofa beside herself. "Sit down and tell me all about boys. I have the
feeling that you've decided not to go to the party with Scott after all."

"Right," said Melanie. "Actually, I'm going
with Shane."

"The boy with the iguana?" asked Grandma Dee.

Melanie nodded. "Scott is a super person, and I dated
him for a long time. But I know you'd really like Shane if you'd give him a
chance," she began. "It's true that his parents used to be hippies,
and that his pet is, well . . . a little unusual. But Shane's terrific. He just
has a goofy sense of humor sometimes."

"Everyone needs a sense of humor," Grandma Dee
said, and smiled warmly. "And I'll admit that I do like Scott, but ever
since our little talk last night, I've been thinking about how I reacted to
Shane. The truth is, I
over
reacted and behaved like a grumpy old fogey.
I acted like the exact sort of person I didn't want to be. I'm sure that if you
like Shane, I will, too. Why don't you invite him over sometime so that we can
get acquainted?"

"Oh, I will!" cried Melanie. "I'll call him
right now."

"And tell him to bring Igor along," Grandma Dee
called after her. "I want to get to know him, too."

By Valentine Day and time for the party, Grandma Dee's ankle
was fine.

"I still can't decide what to wear," she said as
she and Melanie cleared the supper dishes.

"How about your glasses?" Melanie teased.

Grandma Dee gave her a big grin. "Of course I'm going
to wear my glasses," she said. "And probably a sweatshirt, jeans, and
my sneakers. Does that sound all right?"

"Perfect," said Melanie, thinking that her
grandmother really hadn't changed that much since the truth about her
adventures had come out. She was still a pretty cool grandma. "And by the
way," Melanie added, "Shane said to tell you he wants you to ride
with us to Bumpers."

"In that funny little Volkswagen? Is there room?"

"Sure," said Melanie. "He's leaving Igor at
home this time."

When the three of them walked into Bumpers, Melanie caught
her breath at the sight of the decorations. She had been too wrapped up in her
own problems to help with them, but she loved what the others had done. There
were red hearts and crepe paper streamers everywhere, the traditional look of
Valentine Day after all. It was beautiful, even if Shane might think it was too
lovey-dovey, she thought, and smiled.

Immediately a crowd began to gather around Grandma Dee.

"Is it true that you help endangered animals in
Florida?" Dekeisha Adams asked.

"How do you get involved in stuff like that?"
asked Bill Soliday. "It sounds like fun."

"I guess we can go ahead and enjoy ourselves,"
Melanie said to Shane. "Grandma Dee's taking care of herself."

Some of the tables had been pushed back to make a dance
floor, and music poured out of the old Wurlitzer jukebox.

"Shane! Melanie! Want to sit with us?"

Randy Kirwan was waving them over to a booth where he and
Jana and Keith Masterson and Beth were saving them seats.

"Isn't this a terrific party?" Beth shouted over
the noise.

Melanie nodded, noticing that Beth was dressed for the
occasion, as usual. She had on a sweatshirt with a hand-painted Cupid on the
front, and her earrings were big red hearts that were pierced with tiny arrows.
Written on the heart on her right ear was "BETH" and on her left, "KEITH."

Suddenly Keith broke out in a big grin and pointed to the
dance floor. "Hey, Mel. Get a load of that."

Melanie whirled around. The music was blaring a fast song,
and right in the middle of the floor was Grandma Dee dancing with Scott Daly.
She was bouncing up and down to the music, with her sunglasses bobbing on her
nose. She looked as if she was having a terrific time, and the kids around the
edge of the dance floor were clapping in time with the music.

"Wow! She's pretty good," said Shane.

Melanie burst out laughing. "I guess there are still a
few things she can do like a kid," she said, and she and Shane rushed to
join her grandmother and Scott on the floor.

Later Shane took Melanie's hand and led her onto the dance
floor for a slow song. She rested her head on his shoulder as they swayed to
the music.

"Are you having a good time?" he asked.

"Oh, yes," said Melanie.

"Me, too," he said. Then he lifted her chin and
gave her a long, tender kiss. "Happy Valentine Day," he whispered.

Melanie closed her eyes, barely feeling the dance floor
under her feet. What a perfect Valentine Day it had turned out to be!