Before Annie could take one step towards the steps that would take her up to her room, Uncle Bud adapted a cheerful face and came around the table to put an arm around Annie's shoulder. She looked up at him, her eyes still red and a somber look on her face. "How about going for a ice cream cone?"
Annie didn't want to hurt his feelings so she said a soft, "Okay." "We'll be back in an hour or so." Bud said, giving his wife a kiss on her cheek. "Just one...." Aunt Anne called, as he and Annie reached the door. ...."Don't want to spoil her dinner." Annie thought an ice cream cone maybe, but there was no way she could supper that night.
Uncle Bud and Annie climbed into the pickup truck, and we're on their way. Annie was silent on the way to the ice cream parlor in town. She just stared blankly out of the window at the scenery passing by, without really seeing it!".
She didn't understand why her parents had done this to her. But, she'd been told all her life how much they had loved her. One proof of that in her mind was that her parents had left her in the care of Uncle Bud and Aunt Anne, if anything happened to them. And Annie knew that her aunt and uncle had done a good job of raising her.
So, even though she couldn't understand it now, she knew somewhere in her heart her parents had made the decision they thought was best for her. She knew she would probably cry all night because she had to leave her home, her friends, and Molly; but eventually the tears would stop. She told herself, she'd have to hold on until then.
"Here we are!" Uncle Bud announced, interrupting Annie's daydreaming. Without a reply to Uncle Bud, Annie climbed out of the truck and then walked beside her uncle up to the window of "The Little White Palace." It was a round building with raised peaks on the top, just like a castle.
"What do you want honey?" Uncle Bud asked her. "Just a vanilla cone." Annie mumbled. Bud grinned. "No chocolate on top!" He added. "Well, alright," she said, a little more loudly. While uncle Bud gave the lady their orders, Annie went to sit at a table under a big colorful umbrella. In a few minutes, her uncle joined her and handed her a cone.
Despite her less than happy mood, Annie began to lick her cone, a bit slowly at first, then with gusto. For a few moments, the two sat in silence slurping their ice cream. Then uncle Bud cleared his throat and said, "You know I went to a boys school in Connecticut when I was your age." Annie quickly turned to look at him. "Really!" she said with more life in her voice than before.
"How was it?" she asked, suddenly interested. "Well, at first I was a little nervous. But as time went by, I got used to it being different than home, and It was fun after that. I met your aunt Anne there."
"How could you meet Auntie at a boys school?" she said, almost giggling. Uncle Bud chuckled. "She went to the girl's school across the bridge from me. As a matter of fact, the same one you're going to; the same one your mother attended. Annie almost dropped her cone in surprise.
"Why didn't Auntie tell me?" Annie asked a bit irritated. Her uncle shrugged and grinned. "She left it to me." He said simply. "Oh." Annie said, giving him a grin.
For the next hour, uncle Bud told Annie all about the boys school. By the time he was through, Annie couldn't wait to ask her auntie about her and Annie's mother's experiences at the girl's school.
After her talk with aunt Anne that evening, Annie was still sad having to leave the place and people she loved, but after the things she had been told, she had to admit that girl's school might not be that awful after all. The main reason for her new feelings was something her aunt had told her about her mother.
She said Annie's mother had loved going to the girl's school, which was called Ridgemont. Her mother had such fun times there and made wonderful new friends. In the manila envelope was a school picture of her mother's class, with her mom sitting at the front of the photo. Annie was pleased to see that she looked like her mother.
She had the same reddish brown hair, freckles and petite frame as her daughter at Annie's age. Aunt Anne said she could take the envelope, including the photo, to school with her. Her aunt tucked Annie into bed that night and kissed her cheek. Annie fell asleep quickly, even though she had a lot on her mind. When aunt Anne checked on her a while later, Annie was sleeping soundly, with a small smile on her lips and a tear on her cheek.
( A little more to go in this chapter, but I have to leave it here for now. I will send the rest soon. Thanks for reading.)
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Book 1-Annie Adams and the Mystery Club Detectives
Mystery / ThrillerAnnie Adams was orphaned at two years old. Her mother's last wish was that Annie be placed in the care of her mother's sister and her husband. Annie was very happy with them on their farm in Hopskinville Tennessee. But at age thirteen Annie learn...
