Bubble Troubles Page 5

  “I’ll go out to the phone shack right now and schedule a dental appointment for you. I’m sure Dr. Wallers will make your tooth feel better. But before I do that, let me take a look at that tooth.” Mom turned quickly to Mark. “Would you please put the lettuce I was cleaning in the refrigerator? We’re having salad with our supper tonight, and I want the lettuce to be nice and crisp.”

  “Sure, Mom,” Mark said, taking the head of lettuce from her.

  While he headed across the room to their propane refrigerator, Mom got out a flashlight and told Mattie to open her mouth real wide.

  “It’s this one,” Mattie said, pointing to the tooth that was bothering her.

  “Well,” said Mom after taking a good look at Mattie’s sore tooth, “I don’t see any infection around the gum area, so it might only be a cavity. If that’s the case, I’m sure the dentist can fix it real quick.”

  Mattie hoped that was true, but in spite of what Mom had said, she was still plenty worried.

  As the family sat at the table having supper that evening, Mark felt bad seeing Mattie so upset. She’d only eaten a little of her food, and when she asked to be excused so she could go to her room, he was worried.

  “Jah, you can go,” Mom said, smiling at Mattie with a look of understanding.

  “I’m sorry your tooth bothers you so much,” Dad called as Mattie left her chair and slipped out of the room.

  “Poor Mattie,” Mom said, passing Dad the hamburger buns. “Her tooth is really hurting tonight, but I gave her an aspirin to help with the pain.”

  “Did you make Mattie a dental appointment?” Dad asked.

  “Jah. I’ll be taking her to see Dr. Wallers in the morning. The appointment is for ten o’clock.”

  “Does that mean Mattie won’t have to go to school tomorrow?” Mark questioned, after he’d put lettuce, tomato, and a slice of pickle on his bun.

  “That’s right,” Mom said. “She may be able to go after lunchtime, though.”

  “I’m not gonna ride the bike by myself.” Mark squirted some mustard, mayonnaise, and ketchup on his bun and then added another pickle. “I’d have to pedal twice as hard if I rode alone, and it’s not as easy to steer when there’s just one person.”

  “Why don’t you walk to school?” Dad suggested. “It’s not that far. Before you and Mattie got your bicycle built for two you used to walk all the time.”

  “That’s true, but I like ridin’ better than walkin’,” Mark said.

  “You can decide how you’re going to get there when tomorrow comes.” Mom motioned to Mark’s plate. “Right now, you need to eat your supper.”

  Mark closed the lid on his bun and took a big bite. “Yum. This is sure good.”

  Dad looked at Mark strangely, and then he pointed to the only burger left on the platter Mom had placed on the table before they’d all sat down. “Mark, did you take a hamburger?”

  “I—I think I did.” Mark opened the lid on his bun and removed the lettuce, tomato, and two pickles. When he got to the bottom of the bun and discovered there was no hamburger there, he snickered. “Guess I must’ve forgotten about the burger.”

  Dad leaned his head back and laughed so hard there were tears running down his cheeks. “I think you had so much stuff on that bun that you didn’t even notice the meat was missing.” He forked the burger off the platter and plunked it on Mark’s plate.

  Mark looked at Dad and grinned. “Danki. I’m sure it’ll taste even better now.”

  “I should think so,” said Mom.

  Mark ate every bite on his plate, but he didn’t eat too much, like he had when they’d gone to Grandma and Grandpa Troyer’s for the birthday party. He didn’t want to end up with another stomachache. He’d realized since then that eating more food wouldn’t help him grow any faster. He’d just have to be patient and wait until he caught up to Mattie. After all, she wasn’t that much taller than him—just a few inches. And so far, none of the kids at school had even mentioned his height.

  When supper was over and Mark had been excused from the table, he hurried upstairs and knocked on Mattie’s door. Tap! Tap! Tap!

  “Come in,” she said in a squeaky voice. Mark wondered if she might have been crying.

  When Mark entered the room, he found Mattie sitting at the foot of her bed, rocking back and forth as she hugged one of her dolls to her chest. As he drew closer, he noticed tears in Mattie’s eyes, so he knew for sure she had been crying.

  “Are you okay?” he asked, feeling concern for his sister. “Want me to tickle your feet or tell ya a funny joke?”

  She flapped her hand at him. “Go away, Mark. I’m not in the mood for tickling or joke telling right now.”

  “Sorry, Mattie. I was only tryin’ to make ya feel better.” Tickling or telling a funny joke was the best way Mark knew of to cheer someone up. He guessed when people were in pain, like Mattie, they probably didn’t want to be tickled, though.

  “I’m not gonna feel one bit better till my tooth stops hurting,” she said.

  “Guess I’d feel the same way if my tooth ached,” Mark commented, unsure of what else to say. He hated to see Mattie sitting there with tears in her eyes.

  Just then, Mom stepped into the room, holding a small dish. “I hope you’re not bothering your sister,” she said, looking at Mark.

  Mark shook his head. “I was tryin’ to make her feel better.”

  Mom sat on the bed beside Mattie. “Is the aspirin I gave you earlier helping your toothache?”

  Mattie nodded. “But I’m still worried about going to the dentist tomorrow.”

  Mom set the dish on the table by Mattie’s bed and took Mattie’s hand. “Let’s pray and ask God to calm your fears. Then you can eat the strawberry yogurt I brought you. It’ll go down easy and shouldn’t hurt your tooth.”

  As Mom and Mattie bowed their heads, Mark closed his eyes, too. Dear Lord, he silently prayed, please be with Mattie when she goes to the dentist tomorrow, and help her not to worry or be afraid.

  CHAPTER 6

  Grandpa Miller’s Advice

  When Mattie woke up the following morning, her stomach felt queasy. She’d be going to the dentist today, and he would look at her tooth. She hoped that whatever he had to do to correct the problem wouldn’t hurt.

  I guess it can’t hurt any more than it does right now, she thought, frowning as she touched her mouth.

  Mattie hurried to get dressed and went downstairs, where she found Mom in the kitchen fixing scrambled eggs for breakfast.

  “Guder mariye,” Mom said. “How are you feeling this morning?”

  “Good morning,” Mattie replied. “My tooth still hurts, and I’m naerfich about going to the dentist.”

  Mom’s forehead wrinkled. “I thought after our little talk last night, and then our time together in prayer, that you would feel better about things and wouldn’t feel so nervous.”

  Mattie nodded. “I did then. But when I woke up, I felt naerfich all over again.”

  Mom patted Mattie’s shoulder. “It’s going to be all right. Try not to worry, Mattie.”

  Watching as Mom dished out some scrambled eggs for her, Mattie was glad they were soft and would be easy to eat. She liked ketchup on her eggs, so after shaking a little over them, she took her first bite. Her stomach growled noisily, and the sound was more pronounced than the knot she felt there.

  Dad chuckled. “Hmm … Sounds like someone’s hungerich this morning.”

  Mattie forced a smile and looked over at Mom. “Thanks for making me scrambled eggs. They taste good and don’t hurt my tooth when I chew on that side.”

  “I’m glad,” Mom said as she poured Mattie a glass of orange juice.

  Mattie took a drink, hoping Mom was right about how things would go at the dentist’s today. This good breakfast Mom had fixed seemed to help Mattie’s nervous stomach. Still, she would be relieved when her appointment was over and the pain in her tooth was gone.

  It seems weird going to school without M
attie, Mark thought as he trudged along the path that led to the schoolhouse, kicking at small rocks with the toe of his boot. He’d decided not to ride their bicycle built for two today, since it would be harder to pedal on his own. Since Russell and Calvin had their own bikes, they were way ahead of him, which was always the case anyway. Mark didn’t care. He still had plenty of time to get there.

  Mark had just entered the schoolyard when Mattie’s friend Stella bounded up to him. “Where’s Mattie?” she asked. “And how come you walked to school today instead of riding your bike?”

  “Mattie has a zaahweh, so our mamm is taking her to see the dentist this morning,” Mark replied.

  Stella frowned. “That’s too bad. She didn’t say anything about her tooth hurting yesterday.”

  “Well, it did. By the time we got home from school, Mattie was almost in tears because it was throbbing so bad.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that. I hope everything goes well at the dentist for her,” Stella said.

  “I’m sure it will, but Mattie’s worried that Dr. Wallers might have to pull her tooth.” Mark shook his head. “Ever since we went to Burton for Grandma Troyer’s birthday, Mattie has been worried that she might lose all of her teeth.”

  “Why would she think that?”

  Mark told Stella about Grandpa Troyer’s false teeth falling out and onto his plate when he’d laughed so hard at Grandma trying to blow out the trick candle on her birthday cake. “It was pretty funny to see Grandpa’s teeth lyin’ there like that,” Mark added with a snicker. “ ’Course Mattie didn’t laugh, and now she’s concerned that she might end up with dentures, too.”

  “If she takes good care of her teeth, she should have them for a long time,” Stella said. “My mamm makes me brush my teeth twice a day—in the morning after breakfast, and at night before I go to bed.”

  Mark bobbed his head. “That’s what everyone in our family does, too.”

  “How come your grandpa lost all his teeth?” Stella questioned.

  Mark told her the details, and then he spotted his friend John, who’d just arrived at school. He was about to go talk to John when the school bell rang.

  “Guess we’d better get inside,” Stella said. “When you see Mattie, tell her I’m thinking of her.”

  “You can tell her yourself,” Mark said. “She’s supposed to be here later, after she’s done at the dentist’s.”

  As Mattie sat in the waiting room at the dentist’s office, she tried to think of things to make herself relax. First she looked at a magazine, but that was boring. Then she looked out the window and counted the cars going by. After that, she worked on a puzzle that was set on a small table for kids to put together. It seemed like it was taking forever for her name to be called. She was about to ask Mom if she knew what was taking so long when the dentist’s receptionist stepped out from behind the desk and walked up to them.

  “I just spoke with Dr. Wallers on the phone,” she said. “He had a flat tire on the way here, so he’s going to be a little late.” She looked at Mom. “Would you like to wait, or should I schedule another appointment for Mattie on a different day?”

  Mom shook her head. “My daughter’s tooth hurts, so she needs to see the dentist today. We’ll just wait until he gets here.”

  Oh great, Mattie thought. Now I have to worry and wait even longer. She was glad her folks had a horse and buggy instead of a car. Although it did take longer to go places by horse and buggy, at least they would never end up with a flat tire.

  Mark turned his head and glanced up at the battery-operated clock on the schoolhouse wall near the teacher’s desk. It was almost two o’clock, and still no Mattie. He thought for sure that she would be here by now. I wonder what’s taking her so long. Did something bad happen at the dentist’s this morning? What if he did have to pull Mattie’s tooth? Oh, I hope that’s not the case.

  By the time their teacher dismissed the class to go home, Mark was upset. Mattie hadn’t come to school at all today, and he was even more worried. He wished he had his bicycle after all, so he could get home quicker to see what happened. But, then, having to pedal it alone would have made things go slower than usual. But maybe he could get home just as quick if he ran all the way.

  Mark took off running as fast as his legs would go. Normally he was a slow runner, but not today. He needed to get home quickly and find out if Mattie was okay. He felt lucky that he’d never had a toothache. He could only imagine what his sister had gone through.

  When Mark got home from school, he noticed that Calvin and Russell’s bikes were parked near the barn. He figured they were either in there or had gone up to the house. As he approached the back door, Mark was surprised to see Mattie sitting on the porch blowing bubbles.

  She smiled at him and said, “How was school today?”

  “It was okay.” Still out of breath from running so hard, Mark took a seat on the step beside her. He noticed that she talked kind of funny and her lip looked a bit crooked. “How was your dental appointment?” he asked.

  “Fine. The dentist filled my tooth, and now it doesn’t hurt anymore. Wanna see?” Mattie opened her mouth really wide.

  Mark took a peek, and sure enough, right where she’d pointed was a shiny silver filling. “Wow, that’s a big one!” he exclaimed.

  “Since it’s a baby tooth, I won’t have the filling when the old tooth falls out and a new one comes in,” Mattie explained.

  “Did it hurt when the dentist filled your tooth?” Mark asked.

  “Only a little when they numbed it up. After that, I didn’t feel a thing.” Mattie blew another bubble. “Dr. Wallers had it done in no time at all.”

  “That’s good. I was worried when you didn’t show up at school this afternoon. What happened? If it didn’t take long, how come you didn’t come to school?”

  “The dentist arrived late because he had a flat tire on the way to his office,” Mattie replied. “So my appointment ended up being later than expected. Afterward, Mom said there was no point in me goin’ to school, since I’d only be there a couple of hours. So we went to Grandma and Grandpa Millers’ to pick up Ada and Perry.” Mattie smiled. “Mom invited them over here to join us for supper, and they’re in the house right now.”

  Mark grinned. “That’s good. I always like to see our grandparents.”

  Mark’s cat, Lucky, leaped onto the porch and flopped onto her back. Mark leaned over and rubbed her belly. Purr … Purr … Purr … Lucky pawed at the air, as if begging for more. Mark reached down to pet her again, but this time she got up, lumbered across the porch, came back toward Mark, and flopped down once more.

  “That cat is so spoiled,” Mattie said.

  “She just knows what she likes.” Mark chuckled. “She’s a plopper, that’s what she is.”

  “You’re right about that. Lucky likes to plop down and have her belly rubbed whenever she can.”

  “Know what, Mattie?” Mark asked, tipping his head while looking at Mattie.

  “What?”

  “You talk kinda funny.” Mark snickered and pointed to Mattie’s mouth. “And you’re slobberin’ a bit, too.”

  “That’s ’cause my mouth is still sort of numb.” She handed Mark the bottle of bubble solution and wiped her mouth on her sleeve. “Wanna blow a few bubbles?”

  “Jah, sure.” Mark took the bottle, stuck the wand inside, and blew a big bubble. He continued to do this and blew several more. Lucky caught sight of the bubbles and started chasing and batting at them. Mark’s other cat, Boots, jumped down from the fence post where he’d been sitting and joined in on the bubble-chasing game.

  Mark laughed. So did Mattie. It looked funny to see the cats trying to catch the bubbles. Every time they smacked a bubble with their paws, it would pop.

  Then Mattie’s dog, Twinkles, got in on the act. She zipped across the yard, leaped into the air, and snapped at the bubbles.

  “I don’t want Twinkles getting sick from those bubbles, so I’d better put her in the hous
e.” Mattie got up to open the back door. “C’mon, Twinkles. You need to go inside now.”

  Twinkles did as Mattie asked, and then Mattie quickly shut the door.

  “Don’t know why you were worried about Twinkles getting sick. I’m not worried about my katze,” Mark said. “Don’t think a little soapy bubble solution will hurt ’em any.”

  Mattie shrugged. “Maybe not, but if I swallowed bubble solution, I’m sure it would make me feel sick to my stomach, so it’s better for Twinkles to be in the house.”

  Mark continued to blow bubbles until both cats stopped and arched their backs, looking toward the side of the house. Boots jumped in the air and landed on top of Lucky. Then Lucky darted into the field on the other side of the fence.

  Mark gulped when he saw a small red fox following close behind his cats.

  “Oh no! Come back!” Mark jumped up from the porch step and dashed into the yard. But it was too late—his cats and the fox were already way out in the field.

  “It’s all my fault. I should have put the cats in the barn instead of letting ’em jump at the bubbles.” Mark removed his straw hat and slapped it against his legs. “What if that fox gets my katze?”

  “They were running pretty fast,” Mattie said, joining Mark and putting her arm around his shoulders. “Maybe they’ll jump onto the fence post or climb into a tree to get away from the fox.”

  Mark sniffed, trying hard not to give in to the tears stinging his eyes. “If anything happens to Boots or Lucky, I’ll be the one to blame.”

  “Here, here, what seems to be the matter?” Grandpa Miller asked, stepping out of the house and joining the twins on the lawn.

  “Mark’s katze got chased by a red fox, and he’s worried that the fox is gonna get ’em,” Mattie explained.

  Grandpa motioned to the porch. “Come sit with me, and we’ll see if we can figure this out.” He lowered himself to the top step on the porch and winked at Mark, his blue eyes twinkling like fireflies on a hot summer night.

  Once Mark and Mattie were seated on the porch, on both sides of Grandpa, he said, “Now the way I see it, maybe that old fox just wanted to give your cats a little exercise. You said it was a red fox, right?”