Apron Strings by Mary Morony Page A

I said. Gordy began stuffing rocks in his pockets so Helen wouldn’t see them.
    “I was sleeping. Did you have fun?”
    “Yeah, we did!” Gordy gushed. “The waterfall was so loud, and the water was cold, and there were rattlesnakes and cool rocks.”
    “Rattlesnakes?” Helen looked stricken.
    “Well, we didn’t see any, but they were there and if one bit Gordy he’d have been dead before Daddy could get him…” I trailed off when I saw the look of horror on Helen’s face. “No snakes,” I added lamely.
    “They were there; we just didn’t see ‘em. But they saw us. You can bet on it,” Gordy insisted. I glowered at him, willing him to shut up.
    “What did you do?” I asked Helen. Now it was Gordy’s turn to glower.
    “She slept,” he mouthed over Helen’s head, “like I told you before. Shut up.”
    “I went out to lunch and then shopping with Mama,” Helen said. “We went to Timberlake’s Drug Store. You know, where they make those really good milkshakes? I had a chocolate milkshake and a grilled cheese.”
    “Wow, a whole one?” I asked. She nodded yes. “Then what?”
    “You drank a whole milkshake?” Gordy asked, letting out a slow whistle.
    “Yep. Then we went to that jewelry store with the creaky wood floors and the green rock with the lines in it. Mama bought some pretty gold earrings. She said if I was good she’d buy me something when we got to Tilmen’s. I asked her if I was really, really good, would she buy me two things? She said she would. So I was quiet as could be and didn’t whine or suck my thumb the whole time. Look!”
    Helen pulled her trophy from behind her back: a beautiful Barbie with a dark ponytail dressed as a bride. “See?” she beamed. “A Barbie! And pop beads, too.” She held out her arm so we could admire her new pearl-like bracelet.
    While I was happy that Helen hadn’t spent the day in bed, I was overwhelmed with jealousy and anger. A Barbie! I had only seen one on television. A real Barbie. I knew I had to have one.
    “Can I see?” I asked. Helen held the doll up for me to admire, but didn’t give it to me. “Can I hold it?” I made a grab for the doll.
    “Barbie says she wants to stay with me,” Helen said. She stepped back, holding the Barbie to her chest.
    “What’s the big deal?” Gordy asked. “It’s just a dumb doll.” He removed the stones from his pockets and eyed my bottle blue stone with the same greedy look I’d fixed on Helen’s doll.
    “I just want to see,” I whined. Helen extended her arms again, holding her doll up for visual inspection. “Hold her, I mean. Oh come on, Helen—just for a minute.”
    “No!” she announced flatly. “Play with your own.” She marched down the stairs with Barbie securely in tow.
    “I don’t have one,” I wailed.
    My mother called up from the sitting room. “Sallee! Gordy! You two hurry and get cleaned up so you can come down and tell me about your day. I can’t wait to hear.”
    Gordy and I stood up. “Guess you weren’t so right after all,” I sneered.
    “So what?” he said, toying with the smooth blue stone. He casually lifted it in front of my face. “Do you want this?” he asked. He sounded as though he’d just as soon throw it away.
    “No,” I snarled. “I don’t want any of them. You can have them all.”
    Gordy took off down the hall before I had the chance to change my mind, leaving me alone to sulk. All thoughts of a wonderful day with Daddy were sullied by my single-minded desire to get my hands on that doll. I turned on the water in the shower. “Helen didn’t even know what a Barbie was,” I grumbled to myself. “She’s too young for one, anyway. Little brat.” I stepped out of my clothes and wriggled out of my bathing suit leaving them in a damp heap on the floor. I stepped into the shower. As the warm water ran over me, I made myself more and more miserable.
    By the time I’d dressed and gone downstairs, I couldn’t think of one good thing that