Noodle Up Your Nose (2 page)

At recess, Violet skipped over to Kate.

“I hear you're having a birthday party soon. Are you having clowns? Clowns are so much fun,” said Violet.

“No,” said Kate.

“Oh,” said Violet, turning her nose up. “Then what ARE you doing at your party?”

“Well...I...” Kate began.

Before Kate could finish her sentence, Violet turned her back and shouted, “Hey Lila. Wait up!” Then she ran off.

Kate plunked down on a swing and pumped.

Violet made her so mad. She always asked questions and never waited for answers.

Up. Down. Up. Down. Kate bent her knees and arms. The swing flew higher and higher.

Where was Jake? He'd gone to the bathroom before recess, but he promised he'd meet her at the swings.

“Hey, Kate M'Mate,” rumbled a voice. It was Jake. He was standing behind her and pushing her swing! Kate didn't dare turn around to look at him. She knew she'd fall off the swing if she did.

Suddenly the girl in the next swing hopped off and Jake hopped on. Side by side they rose higher and higher. She felt like they were acrobats flying through air. She felt like they were jets criss-crossing the sky. She felt like they were birds gliding above the trees. She wished they could swing forever.

Then the bell rang. Together they jumped off the swings.

“Jake,” said Kate, as they walked back to class. “I'm going to ask my mom if I can have a pirate party.”

“Hey. That's neat. You could ask everyone to dress up like a pirate,” he suggested.

“And we could bake a red and black strawberry chocolate cake,” said Kate.

“And you could get red and black jelly beans,” said Jake.

“I'll ask my mom today,” said Kate, as they slipped into their seats.

Kate didn't wait long. The minute her mom picked her up after school, she said, “Can I have a pirate birthday party?”

“That's an unusual idea for a birthday party,” said her mom.

“It will be so much fun,” said Kate. “We can make a pirate cake and blow up red and black balloons and hunt for buried treasure and play pin the fin on the shark and...”

“Hold on, pirate girl,” said Kate's mom, laughing. “You've convinced me.”

“Oh, thank you! Thank you!” said Kate, hugging her mom tight. “You're the best mom in the world. And can I borrow your red scarf to wear as a sash, please?”

“Why not?” said her mom.

“Yippee!” sang Kate, dancing up and down the sidewalk. “I have to tell Jake.”

As soon as they arrived home, Kate ran to the phone.

“Kate M'Mate, it's going to be great,” sang Jake.

“Don't forget, you can't be late,” sang Kate.

“Me? Late?” said Jake. “Never. Well, never for a party!”

“Slow down, Kate,” said her mom the next day after school. “I can't keep up with your ideas.”

“But imagine if we turned the basement into a pirate island. We could make the couch a pirate ship and the rug the ocean and the coffee table could be the plank the prisoners have to walk across before they fall into the ocean.”

“I don't think I want twenty kids bouncing on our couch, jumping off our table and drowning on our rug,” said Kate's mother. “So let's just have pirate food, pirate games and pirate decorations.”

“But, Mom. Just imagine...” Kate began. Then she saw the stern look on her mom's face. “Okay,” she said. “No island, but we have to make pirate patches. Everyone has to get a patch to decorate.”

“Sounds good,” said her mom. “Let's go shopping this weekend for birthday supplies.”

“Then I'll write up all the invitations and give them out on Monday,” said Kate.

For the rest of that week, Kate couldn't wait for the weekend. She couldn't stop herself from dreaming up more ideas for the party.

Her mom didn't like most of them.

“Kate,” said her mom. “I'm afraid someone would choke if we buried treasure in the birthday cake. And no duels, especially not with broomsticks.”

“What if we buried treasure in a bucket of sand?” asked Kate. “We have lots of sand in the sandbox. And what if we had duels with chopsticks or even Popsicle sticks? What if...”

“Kate, please,” said her mom. “No more ideas. We can't do everything. It's a three-hour party. Not a week long festival.”

“I just want everyone to have fun,” said Kate.

“If we do all the things you've thought of, everyone will be too exhausted to have fun. Especially your parents.”

On Saturday morning, Kate and her mom drove to The Party Store at the mall.

It didn't take long to find red and black balloons and streamers. They even found black eye patches and sparkly pirate stickers to decorate them. But Kate couldn't find pirate invitations anywhere.

“There's nothing here for a pirate party,” she told her mom after looking at dozens of invitations. “All the invitations have dolls, cowboys, baseballs or clowns on them.”

“Maybe you should make up your own invitations,” suggested her mom.

“Yes!” said Kate. “I could draw pirates, parrots, buried treasure and sailing ships.”

“Good idea,” said her mom. “Now, let's pay for the decorations and stickers.”

As they waited in line, someone tapped Kate on her shoulder.

She spun around. It was Violet with Lila and Lila's mother.

“Are you shopping for your party?” asked Violet.

“Yes,” said Kate.

“Why do you have pirate stickers?” asked Lila. “Do you like pirates?”

“Yes,” said Kate. “I'm having a pirate party for my birthday.”

“You are?” said Violet, nudging Lila in the side and making a face. Then they both giggled as if Kate had said the stupidest thing in the world.

“Are you going to have pirate food like snakes, worms and shark guts at your party?” asked Violet.

“No. Pirates don't eat that stuff,” said Kate.

“I bet they do,” sneered Violet. Then Violet strutted out of the store with Lila and Lila's mother.

Kate turned to her mother. “See what I mean about Violet?” said Kate. “She always thinks she knows everything. She always thinks everyone likes what she likes. She always thinks what she likes is the best. I wish I didn't have to invite her to my party.”

“You have to invite her, Kate,” said Kate's mom. “You can't leave just one person out.”

“I know I can't,” said Kate, “but I wish I could.”

“Look, Mom!” said Kate. “I'm making each one different.” Kate held up an invitation with a parrot perched on a pirate's head. “Can you help me write the words?”

“Sure,” said Kate's mom.

Kate's mom helped her write COME AS A PIRATE TO KATE'S PIRATE PARTY. Kate carefully copied the words on the balloon popping out of the parrot's mouth.

“That's great,” said her mom, “but are you sure you want to make each invitation different? That's a lot of work. You could make one drawing and we could photocopy it nineteen times.”

“But I love drawing” said Kate. “I don't want everyone to have the same picture on their invitation.”

Kate sat at the kitchen table and worked all Saturday afternoon on her invitations. By four o'clock she'd finished ten. She'd made an invitation of a pirate digging for treasure on a deserted island. She'd made an invitation of a pirate riding a whale. She'd made an invitation of a one-legged pirate dancing across the deck of his ship.

“I'm so tired. My hand feels like it's going to fall off!” Kate said.

“Why don't you take a hot chocolate break?” suggested her mom.

“A hot chocolate break with whipped cream, please?” asked Kate, popping her head up.

“Why not?” said her mom and she began to get the hot chocolate ready.

As Kate and her mom sipped their drinks, the phone rang. It was Jake.