"A kid in my class."
"Do you like him?"
"He's okay. Can I go?"
"Well… I suppose so." My mother dabbed some red paint on her canvas. Then the phone rang.
"I'll get it." I ran into the kitchen and said a breathless hello.
"It's Nancy. Did you get invited?"
"Yes," I said. "Did you?"
"Mmm. We all did. Janie and Gretchen too."
"Can you go?" Sure.
"Me too."
"I've never been to a supper party," Nancy said.
"Me either. Should we dress up?" I asked.
"My mother's going to call Mrs. Fishbein. I'll let you know." She hung up.
Ten minutes later the phone rang again. I answered.
"Margaret. It's me again."
"I know."
"You'll never believe this!" Nancy said.
"What? What won't I believe?"
"We're all invited."
"What do you mean all?"
"Our whole class."
"All twenty-eight of us?"
"That's what Mrs. Fishbein told my mother."
"Even Laura?"
"I guess so."
"Do you think she'll come?" I asked, trying to picture Laura at a party.
"Well, her mother and Mrs. Fishbein work on a lot of committees together. So maybe her mother will make her."
"How about Philip Leroy?"
"He's invited. That's all I know. And Mrs. Fishbein said definitely party clothes."
When I hung up I raced back to the studio. "Mom-our whole class is invited!"
"Your whole class?" My mother put her paint brush down and looked at me.
"Yes. All twenty-eight of us."
"Mrs. Fishbein must be crazy!" my mother said.
"Should I wear my velvet, do you think?"
"It's your best. You might as well."
On the day of the party I talked to Nancy six times, to Janie three times and to Gretchen twice. Nancy called me back every time she changed her mind about what to wear. And each time she asked me if I was still wearing my velvet. I told her I was. The rest of the time we made our arrangements. We decided that Nancy would sleep over at my house and that Gretchen would sleep over at Janie's. Mr. Wheeler would drive us all to the party and Mr. Loomis would drive us home.
My mother washed my hair at two o'clock. She gave me a cream rinse too, so I wouldn't get tangles. She set it in big rollers all over my head. I sat under her hair dryer. Then she filed my nails with an emery board instead of just cutting them like usual. My velvet dress was already laid out on my bed along with my new underwear, party shoes and tights. My new underwear was not the ordinary cotton kind. It was nylon, trimmed with lace around the edges. It was supposed to be one of my December tradition gifts. All afternoon I kept thinking that maybe Norman Fishbein wasn't such a drip.
After my bath I was supposed to go to my room and rest so I'd be in good shape for the party. I went to my room and closed the door-only I didn't feel like resting. What I did was move my desk chair in front of my dresser mirror. Then I stood on the chair and took off my robe. I stood naked in front of the mirror. I was starting to get some hairs. I turned around and studied myself sideways. Then I got off the chair and moved it closer to the mirror. I stood back up on it and looked again. My head looked funny with all those rollers. The rest of me looked the same.
Are you there God? It's me, Margaret I hate to remind you God… I mean, I know you're busy. But it's already December and I'm not growing. At least I don't see any real difference. Isn't it time God? Don't you think I've waited patiently? Please help me.
I hopped off the chair and sat down on the edge of my bed, putting on my clean underwear and tights. Then I stood in front of the mirror again. I didn't look at myself for very long this time.
I went into the bathroom and opened the bottom cabinet. There was a whole box of cotton balls. Sterile until opened, the package said. I reached in and grabbed a few. My heart was pounding, which seemed stupid because what was I so afraid of anyway? I mean, if my mother saw me grab some cotton balls she wouldn't say anything. I use them all the time-to put calamine on my summer mosquito bites-to clean off cuts and bruises-to put on my face lotion at night. But my heart kept pounding anyway, because I knew what I was going to do with the cotton balls.
I tiptoed back to my room and closed the door. I stepped into my closet and stood in one corner. I shoved three cotton balls into each side of my bra. Well, so what if it was cheating! Probably other girls did it too. I'd look a lot better, wouldn't I? So why not!
I came out of the closet and got back up on my chair. This time when I turned sideways I looked like I'd grown. I liked it!
Are you still there God? See how nice my bra looks now! That's all I need-just a little help. I'll really be good around the house God. I'll clear the table every night for a month at least! Please God…
14
Later, my mother brushed my hair. It came out just right, except for one piece on the left that turned the wrong way. My mother said that piece made it look very natural.
My mother and father smiled at me a lot while I was waiting for Nancy 's father to pick me up. I smiled back. It was like we all knew some special secret. Only I knew they didn't know my special secret! At least they didn't say anything dumb like doesn't she look sweet-going to her first supper party! I'd have died!
Mr. Wheeler tooted his horn at quarter to five. My mother kissed me good-by and my father waved from his chair. "Have fun," he called.
The Four PTS's squeezed into the back seat of the Wheeler car (not the station wagon). Nancy 's father told us it was silly to sit like that and besides it made him feel like a hired chauffeur. But all we did was giggle. Janie got her hair cut without telling us she was going to. She said she didn't know it herself until that afternoon when her mother took her to the beauty parlor and had a private talk with Mr. Anthony. Then Mr. Anthony started clipping away and next thing she knew-she had this new haircut. She looked like an elf. It did a lot for her. And for a minute I thought about how I would look with the same haircut. But then I remembered how long I'd been suffering to let my hair grow. I decided it would be stupid to cut it all off.
When we got to the party Norman 's mother opened the door for us. She was very tall and thin with a face like Norman 's. I remembered her from the PTA square dance. Tonight she wasn't dressed like a farmer. She had on black velvet pants and some kind of top that looked like it had diamonds and rubies all over it.
"Good evening, Mrs. Fishbein," Nancy said, in a voice I'd never heard. "Please meet my friend Margaret Simon."
Mrs. Fishbein smiled at me and said, "Glad to meet you, Margaret." Then she took our coats away and handed them to a maid who carried them up the stairs.
"My, you all look so pretty!" Mrs. Fishbein said. "Everyone is downstairs. Nancy, you know the way."
I followed Nancy past the living room. The furniture was all very modern. The chairs looked like carved-out boxes and the tables were all glass. Everything was beige. At Nancy 's house the furniture all has lion's paws for feet and there are a million colors. At my house the living room is carpeted but empty. My mother is trying to decide what kind of stuff she wants.
Norman 's house was pretty big, because I had to follow Nancy through at least four more rooms before we got to a door leading downstairs.
It looked like most of my class was already there. Including Laura Danker, who I thought looked gorgeous in a soft pink dress with her hair all loose, kind of hanging in her face.
The boys had on sport jackets and some wore ties. Philip Leroy had on a tie the first time I saw him but a few minutes later the tie was gone and his shirt was unbuttoned around the neck. Soon after that, not one boy had his jacket on. They were all in a big heap in the corner.