#4 Mary Anne Saves the Day
The first three parts.
Chapter 9
Another baby-sitting job, maked by a notebook entry written by Her Royal Bitchiness, Kristy. She and MA are sitting the Pike clan. We get a brief rundown of the Pikes, and how liberally they've been raised. Like how Claire occasionally likes to streak through the house. *heh* It's like Mr. and Mrs. Pike have raised their hands after the last kid and were like, "Eh, whatever. We'll let her run wild and figure it out on her own."
Let's not forget that Kristy's not speaking to MA, and is still being an immature baby about all of this. MA suggests a play, but Kristy's still giving MA the silent treatment. Mallory notices this and asks why Kristy's not paying attention to MA. So MA explains they're just playing a game. So they end up playing Chinese telephone. MA starts the game by whispering "Kristy Thomas is a bossy, nosy, busybody," but somehow it ends up "Cranky Tommy's nose is a bossy, busy boy." And then they play a few more rounds before they actually decide to do that play. But because Kristy's ignoring MA and not talking to her, alllll of the Pike kids keep having to repeat everything MA says. This goes through the entire process of having dinner and doing their little play.
Time flies, and before you know it, it's 8:30. MA panics because Mr. and Mrs. Pike aren't home yet and we all know the deal with MA's curfew. She reads Nicky and Vanessa a story before they go to bed, and she checks her watch again. Mr. and Mrs. Pike get home just a hair under nine o'clock. They apologize; they got held up in traffic, and MA tells them she needs to be home ritenao. Mr. Pike drives MA and Kristy home and gets them home at 9:05, and he pays them a little extra because they were late.
As both girls are entering their houses, Kristy shouts across over to MA, "BABY, BABY, BABY." SERIOUSLY, KRISTY?!! You're making fun of Mary Anne over her curfew when you've been acting like an immature child for 99% of this book?!
Makes me wanna scream too, Mike.
Chapter 10
Richard's been waiting up for his baby girldaughter. MA apologizes for being late, and he's okay about it actually. He says he know things come up. Then she brings up the fact that she wouldn't have this problem if he just extended her curfew a smidge. Richard tells her if her clients need someone who can stay out late, they can hire an older sitter. And if she thinks she's going to be late again, to just call him first.
Then MA starts thinking if he was subconsciously trying to tell her something, like how to be more responsible if something like that should occur in the future. And she supposes there's always room for more responsibility, and to start facing up to things she's afraid of. And now Mimi's wisdom starts ringing true with her: "If you do not like the way things are, you must change them yourself." It's time for MA to do something about the fight and her frenemies/the club. If the Pike kids caught on that Kristy and MA were fighting that night, it would've reflected badly on the club. (And really, that's a big HA HA! in Kristy's direction, since it is "her club.")
So that night, MA writes a short apology note to Kristy. It doesn't matter that Kristy's been acting like Miss Bratty McBitchypants; MA's just ready to bury the hatchet for the club's sake. It's step one in MA's grand plan to get out from under her dad's thumb, after all. Now she's got to find out how to get it to her.
The next day, Dawn calls up and comes over to MA's house. Today, Dawn and MA's mission is to find out if their parents went to high school together. MA doesn't get a chance to ask her dad, though, because he's got to go to the law offices to get some work done. So MA and Dawn decide to scour Richard's high school yearbooks. (And once again, more continuity errors regarding MA's mother. In "MA and the Mystery in the Attic," her mother's parents lived in Iowa, but MA clearly states in this book that her mom grew up in Maryland. For shaaaaame, ghosties. IDK if her parents moved to Iowa later on after "ALMA/ABIGAIL" graduated from high school or college, but still...) MA pulls out her dad's senior yearbook, and coincidentally, Dawn says it's the same year her mom graduated. Dawn and MA look through the pictures at how people dressed and did their hair way back in the "good old days," snickering at pictures of girls with big ol' bouffants.
MA shows Dawn that that's just how girls liked their hair back then, because her dad's got a bunch of old vinyl records of....girl singers from the 60s like Brenda Lee and Connie Francis, and bands like the Shirelles and the Marvelettes!
*lol* Oh, the secret life of Richard Spier. Who'd have thought?
Now MA and Dawn get down to business and hunt him down in the yearbook. MA cracks up because it doesn't look like him and he had a crewcut back then. But there's something mysterious written under his pic: "To S.E.P.--Don't walk in front of me, I may not follow. Don't walk behind me, I may not lead. Walk beside me and be my friend. --Camus." Deep. S.E.P were Dawn's mom's initials before she got married. They flip to find Sharon Emerson Porter in the yearbook, and she did indeed sign Richard--er, "Richie's" yearbook: "Four years weren't enough. Let's start over. How can we part? We have one more summer. Hold on to it, Richie. (Love is blind.) Always and forever, Sharon."
As Claudia would say, OH MY LORD!
Chapter 11
Sunday, MA goes over to Dawn's and they inspect Dawn's mom's yearbook (which they find in a box with kitchen stuff in it. Good to know Sharon hasn't changed much through the series.) They look up Richard in the book, and the quote from Camus is in there as well. Along with, "Remember--the summer can be forever. Love always, Richie." There's also a faded, dried-out rose pressed in the yearbook at that part. The subject of their parents being high school lovers is all MA and Dawn can talk about that week at lunch. Now Dawn starts bringing her own healthy lunches to school, since "they're starchy and gross." (Given the standards of school lunches anymore, I don't blame her. They were pretty crappy even when I was still in middle/high school.) They figure the rose must've been from prom or something, and aim to find some sort of prom picture proof. (See how Parent Trap-ish this is?)
Then that Saturday, MA gets to baby-sit for Jenny Prezzioso again. Mr. and Mrs. P are going to Chatham for a basketball game for her husband's alma mater. Most importantly, Mrs. P is wearing a black cocktail dress to a college basketball game. Go figure that one out. They've conveniently left the numbers for Jenny's doctor and the gym in Chatham and their neighbors in case something should happen.
Then long story short, Jenny gets sick. MA calls all the numbers, leaves a message with the gym, then calls Dawn to come over. Dawn suggests calling 911 so they can get Jenny to the hospital. They take care of Jenny before the ambulance comes, then they all go to the hospital and wait for the Prezziosos to come for their sick little girl. Turns out Jenny had strep throat, and is in the verge of a temper tantrum when her parents finally show up. (Can't really snark on the emergency happening. It's srs bzness.)
Chapter 12
Mrs. P is nearly hysterical when she and her hubby show up, and hugs her "precious angel." So the doctor has her fill out some forms while Mr. P takes MA and Dawn back home. Mr. Prezzioso doesn't mind that MA called Dawn to help. In fact, he's very impressed with the way they handled things and thanks them both. And he pays them very generously, to boot--ten dollars each! (Which is probably like the equivalent of maybe twenty bucks today for a baby-sitting job well-done, I guess...)
So after all of that, MA invites Dawn over to her place. "The day had turned gray and drizzly. I thought we could spend the rest of the afternoon fooling around in my bedroom." Interpret that however you want. *wink wink nudge nudge* But it turns out MA found some more old photo albums that she wants to thumb through with Dawn in case they find any sort of prom picture. So they're in MA's room, sitting side by side, perusing the old albums, and laughing over how people looked back then.
Then....she looks across her window through the ominous darkness, and who should she see staring back at her?
KRISTY! And boy, does she look furious. Or hurt. Or betrayed. Whatevs, MA's taking pleasure in seeing Kristy being emotionally hurt. So MA decides to stir the pot a little more and puts her arm around Dawn like she's oh-so-chummy with her (or wants to kiss her or something...I dunno, MA did mention that they were going to "fool around in her bedroom"...), and sticks her tounge out at Kristy. Like, "I can have another you in a minute, don't you ever for a second get to thinking you're irreplacable."
"Dawn looked up from the album just in time to see me with my tounge out." DIRTY.
Nah, she sees MA sticking her tounge out at Kristy, and wants to know what's going on and who that was over thar. MA's all, "That's just Kristy Thomas, she's nobody." Dawn doesn't believe that, and wants to know why MA was trying to put the moves on her just now. So MA spills and tells her that Kristy and her used to be friends. Dawn finally puts two and two together and realizes that MA's friends were never absent in the first place. (DUH!) Now Dawn's angry because MA lied to her and deceived her from the get-go, so Dawn goes off on MA, Rio Pachecco-style.
"I hate deception and I despise liars!" (But hey, at least MA came clean with Dawn. We "Jem" fans never got that sort of closure with Jerrica and Rio.)
Dawn leaves, stomping down the stairs. MA calls after her, "Watch out for those stairs, hope you have a nice trip." Now that's kind of harsh, MA, you really want Dawn to trip down the stairs when she didn't do anything to you? You're the one who lied and deceived her.
"I watched my last friend pedal her bicycle furiously down the street. Then I flung myself on my bed and cried." THAT'S the old Mary Anne we're used to!
Will Mary Anne be able to make up with any of her friends now? Will she ever be able to find a prom picture of her dad and Dawn's mom? Did she pick up strep throat from Jenny? And what about Jamie Newton's birthday party? All of this and more in the exciting conclusion to "Mary Anne Saves the Day"!
Chapter 9
Another baby-sitting job, maked by a notebook entry written by Her Royal Bitchiness, Kristy. She and MA are sitting the Pike clan. We get a brief rundown of the Pikes, and how liberally they've been raised. Like how Claire occasionally likes to streak through the house. *heh* It's like Mr. and Mrs. Pike have raised their hands after the last kid and were like, "Eh, whatever. We'll let her run wild and figure it out on her own."
Let's not forget that Kristy's not speaking to MA, and is still being an immature baby about all of this. MA suggests a play, but Kristy's still giving MA the silent treatment. Mallory notices this and asks why Kristy's not paying attention to MA. So MA explains they're just playing a game. So they end up playing Chinese telephone. MA starts the game by whispering "Kristy Thomas is a bossy, nosy, busybody," but somehow it ends up "Cranky Tommy's nose is a bossy, busy boy." And then they play a few more rounds before they actually decide to do that play. But because Kristy's ignoring MA and not talking to her, alllll of the Pike kids keep having to repeat everything MA says. This goes through the entire process of having dinner and doing their little play.
Time flies, and before you know it, it's 8:30. MA panics because Mr. and Mrs. Pike aren't home yet and we all know the deal with MA's curfew. She reads Nicky and Vanessa a story before they go to bed, and she checks her watch again. Mr. and Mrs. Pike get home just a hair under nine o'clock. They apologize; they got held up in traffic, and MA tells them she needs to be home ritenao. Mr. Pike drives MA and Kristy home and gets them home at 9:05, and he pays them a little extra because they were late.
As both girls are entering their houses, Kristy shouts across over to MA, "BABY, BABY, BABY." SERIOUSLY, KRISTY?!! You're making fun of Mary Anne over her curfew when you've been acting like an immature child for 99% of this book?!
Makes me wanna scream too, Mike.
Chapter 10
Richard's been waiting up for his baby girldaughter. MA apologizes for being late, and he's okay about it actually. He says he know things come up. Then she brings up the fact that she wouldn't have this problem if he just extended her curfew a smidge. Richard tells her if her clients need someone who can stay out late, they can hire an older sitter. And if she thinks she's going to be late again, to just call him first.
Then MA starts thinking if he was subconsciously trying to tell her something, like how to be more responsible if something like that should occur in the future. And she supposes there's always room for more responsibility, and to start facing up to things she's afraid of. And now Mimi's wisdom starts ringing true with her: "If you do not like the way things are, you must change them yourself." It's time for MA to do something about the fight and her frenemies/the club. If the Pike kids caught on that Kristy and MA were fighting that night, it would've reflected badly on the club. (And really, that's a big HA HA! in Kristy's direction, since it is "her club.")
So that night, MA writes a short apology note to Kristy. It doesn't matter that Kristy's been acting like Miss Bratty McBitchypants; MA's just ready to bury the hatchet for the club's sake. It's step one in MA's grand plan to get out from under her dad's thumb, after all. Now she's got to find out how to get it to her.
The next day, Dawn calls up and comes over to MA's house. Today, Dawn and MA's mission is to find out if their parents went to high school together. MA doesn't get a chance to ask her dad, though, because he's got to go to the law offices to get some work done. So MA and Dawn decide to scour Richard's high school yearbooks. (And once again, more continuity errors regarding MA's mother. In "MA and the Mystery in the Attic," her mother's parents lived in Iowa, but MA clearly states in this book that her mom grew up in Maryland. For shaaaaame, ghosties. IDK if her parents moved to Iowa later on after "ALMA/ABIGAIL" graduated from high school or college, but still...) MA pulls out her dad's senior yearbook, and coincidentally, Dawn says it's the same year her mom graduated. Dawn and MA look through the pictures at how people dressed and did their hair way back in the "good old days," snickering at pictures of girls with big ol' bouffants.
MA shows Dawn that that's just how girls liked their hair back then, because her dad's got a bunch of old vinyl records of....girl singers from the 60s like Brenda Lee and Connie Francis, and bands like the Shirelles and the Marvelettes!
Click to view*lol* Oh, the secret life of Richard Spier. Who'd have thought?
Now MA and Dawn get down to business and hunt him down in the yearbook. MA cracks up because it doesn't look like him and he had a crewcut back then. But there's something mysterious written under his pic: "To S.E.P.--Don't walk in front of me, I may not follow. Don't walk behind me, I may not lead. Walk beside me and be my friend. --Camus." Deep. S.E.P were Dawn's mom's initials before she got married. They flip to find Sharon Emerson Porter in the yearbook, and she did indeed sign Richard--er, "Richie's" yearbook: "Four years weren't enough. Let's start over. How can we part? We have one more summer. Hold on to it, Richie. (Love is blind.) Always and forever, Sharon."
As Claudia would say, OH MY LORD!
Chapter 11
Sunday, MA goes over to Dawn's and they inspect Dawn's mom's yearbook (which they find in a box with kitchen stuff in it. Good to know Sharon hasn't changed much through the series.) They look up Richard in the book, and the quote from Camus is in there as well. Along with, "Remember--the summer can be forever. Love always, Richie." There's also a faded, dried-out rose pressed in the yearbook at that part. The subject of their parents being high school lovers is all MA and Dawn can talk about that week at lunch. Now Dawn starts bringing her own healthy lunches to school, since "they're starchy and gross." (Given the standards of school lunches anymore, I don't blame her. They were pretty crappy even when I was still in middle/high school.) They figure the rose must've been from prom or something, and aim to find some sort of prom picture proof. (See how Parent Trap-ish this is?)
Then that Saturday, MA gets to baby-sit for Jenny Prezzioso again. Mr. and Mrs. P are going to Chatham for a basketball game for her husband's alma mater. Most importantly, Mrs. P is wearing a black cocktail dress to a college basketball game. Go figure that one out. They've conveniently left the numbers for Jenny's doctor and the gym in Chatham and their neighbors in case something should happen.
Then long story short, Jenny gets sick. MA calls all the numbers, leaves a message with the gym, then calls Dawn to come over. Dawn suggests calling 911 so they can get Jenny to the hospital. They take care of Jenny before the ambulance comes, then they all go to the hospital and wait for the Prezziosos to come for their sick little girl. Turns out Jenny had strep throat, and is in the verge of a temper tantrum when her parents finally show up. (Can't really snark on the emergency happening. It's srs bzness.)
Chapter 12
Mrs. P is nearly hysterical when she and her hubby show up, and hugs her "precious angel." So the doctor has her fill out some forms while Mr. P takes MA and Dawn back home. Mr. Prezzioso doesn't mind that MA called Dawn to help. In fact, he's very impressed with the way they handled things and thanks them both. And he pays them very generously, to boot--ten dollars each! (Which is probably like the equivalent of maybe twenty bucks today for a baby-sitting job well-done, I guess...)
So after all of that, MA invites Dawn over to her place. "The day had turned gray and drizzly. I thought we could spend the rest of the afternoon fooling around in my bedroom." Interpret that however you want. *wink wink nudge nudge* But it turns out MA found some more old photo albums that she wants to thumb through with Dawn in case they find any sort of prom picture. So they're in MA's room, sitting side by side, perusing the old albums, and laughing over how people looked back then.
Then....she looks across her window through the ominous darkness, and who should she see staring back at her?
KRISTY! And boy, does she look furious. Or hurt. Or betrayed. Whatevs, MA's taking pleasure in seeing Kristy being emotionally hurt. So MA decides to stir the pot a little more and puts her arm around Dawn like she's oh-so-chummy with her (or wants to kiss her or something...I dunno, MA did mention that they were going to "fool around in her bedroom"...), and sticks her tounge out at Kristy. Like, "I can have another you in a minute, don't you ever for a second get to thinking you're irreplacable."
"Dawn looked up from the album just in time to see me with my tounge out." DIRTY.
Nah, she sees MA sticking her tounge out at Kristy, and wants to know what's going on and who that was over thar. MA's all, "That's just Kristy Thomas, she's nobody." Dawn doesn't believe that, and wants to know why MA was trying to put the moves on her just now. So MA spills and tells her that Kristy and her used to be friends. Dawn finally puts two and two together and realizes that MA's friends were never absent in the first place. (DUH!) Now Dawn's angry because MA lied to her and deceived her from the get-go, so Dawn goes off on MA, Rio Pachecco-style.
"I hate deception and I despise liars!" (But hey, at least MA came clean with Dawn. We "Jem" fans never got that sort of closure with Jerrica and Rio.)
Dawn leaves, stomping down the stairs. MA calls after her, "Watch out for those stairs, hope you have a nice trip." Now that's kind of harsh, MA, you really want Dawn to trip down the stairs when she didn't do anything to you? You're the one who lied and deceived her.
"I watched my last friend pedal her bicycle furiously down the street. Then I flung myself on my bed and cried." THAT'S the old Mary Anne we're used to!
Will Mary Anne be able to make up with any of her friends now? Will she ever be able to find a prom picture of her dad and Dawn's mom? Did she pick up strep throat from Jenny? And what about Jamie Newton's birthday party? All of this and more in the exciting conclusion to "Mary Anne Saves the Day"!