Little Divas Read Online Free Page B

And as Mary crawled back through the window, I hoped that she had made Archie work like Paul Bunyan tonight, just like she’d said she would. Whoever that was. Whatever that meant.

August 13
    Dear Mom,
    The whole summer has been absolutely great. Daddy and I have been pretty busy with going to church every Sunday. I’m sure he’ll be there again tomorrow morning, as a matter of fact. Oh, and Rikki and I are getting along just fine.
    School is starting in a few weeks, and I can hardly believe it. It’s pretty weird to think that I’ll actually be going to King Junior High School! Can you believe it? Me. Cassidy Jane Carter, going to King! Yup.
    Daddy made scrambled eggs, Bob Evans sausage, and sourdough toast with grape jelly for breakfast this morning. Isn’t he doing a great job taking good care of me? I think so too.
    Hope they have real food like eggs and sausage where you are. Hope you’re having fun being so far away!

four
    The Next Morning every head was bowed, including mine. In silence, the entire congregation was thinking about all the people that it wanted God to bless. Easy for me. I prayed for the same people every Sunday.
    Aunt Honey… Uncle Lance… my cousin Mary.
    When I prayed for my uncle, I asked God to let his sermon make people shout today. Church was always so much more fun when someone did. Sometimes, especially when Uncle Lance got real excited and started sweating a whole lot, or when he started talking extra loud into the microphone, I too would feel the urge to jump up, throw my hands in the air, and shout out to the heavens. But I never did. I just liked to watch.
    I felt Rikki tap my leg.
    And my other cousin too, Lord. Please help Rikki Renée Carter to be quiet when we’re told.
    It’s not that I didn’t want to talk to Rikki, but there are some pretty simple ways to avoid getting in trouble in life. Not talking during prayer is one of them. Things are just so much easier when you don’t have your parents fussing at you about something.
    “Hey,” Rikki whispered. “Hey, Cassidy.”
    I cleared my throat, closed my eyes tighter, and did not reply. Ignoring Rikki, I kept going with my prayers.
    And Daddy, too, Lord. Can you do something special for him? Maybe send him down a real nice surprise so he’ll stop thinking about sending me to Clara Ellis? Like maybe that shiny white and gold saxophone in Harmony’s window, the one he drives past and looks at when they’re closed. Or maybe a new dog. We could teach him how to play dead, and how to howl at the moon like he’s singing. That’d be nice. Well, whatever you think, just would you please send it? Please?
    Then I prayed for Mom.
    My mother
—
Lord please don’t let her catch any strange diseases and don’t let her get attacked by any wild animals. And don’t let her be too sad about missing me, okay?
    “Amen, amen, amen!” Uncle Lance was at the podium now, and his voice boomed out of the speakers. “Can the church say amen?”
    “Amen!” the church called back. And then a few phrases like “Praise the Lord” and “Glory be to God” trickled after.
    I glanced over my left shoulder and looked two rows back. Daddy looked so handsome in his white shirt and blue tie. He smiled at me and winked. So far Daddy hadn’t missed a Sunday. Everything had been going so well. So why was he trying to mess everything up with all this business about sending me to Clara Ellis?
    I shifted back around in my seat, and the pew made a noisy creak, so I concentrated on being still. Rikki sighed and grabbed one of those three-inch eraserless pencils that are always in the wooden pockets on the back of every pew. My cousin will do anything to avoid listening during church.
    Don’t get me wrong, I wouldn’t like having to go to church more than just on Sunday mornings either. Mary and Rikki have to go several times a week! Still, though, what’s the use in complaining or acting up? All that ever gets us is a lecture.
    As the