Wishes, Gems, and Disasters by Martha Wickham (books to read this summer .txt) 📕

Mrs. Barcello. He just left the money he had saved in the office for her to pick up. He felt happier with his classroom change and he concentrated more on his home work. At the end of the year he passed his class with an A and went on to the fifth grade. He made his parents proud.


Swamp Search


Saturday was when Tracy met her future step father, or at least that’s what she first believed. He seemed too good to be true and he was. Tracy was seventeen and living with her mother at the time and all she had in her life was her mother and a high school to go to until she graduated. She had no money saved and no plans for the future but she thought about it all the time.
“Tracy,” her mother said breaking her train of thought like it was a question.
Tracy looked and saw her mother smiling at her and at her future step father. “What?”
“Did you see him? His name is Donovan. I’ll introduce you two later.”
Tracy nodded yes while standing in front of the big, white, two leveled house they lived in. She watched her mother enter the house with some other people and her future husband.
Wearing no shoes she walked around to the back patio behind the house and sat down. She didn’t care about anything, not even her mother. She only wanted to finish her homework then graduate from high school the next year. She didn’t like many people only one of her class mates Tasha. She was so friendly and seemed interesting and Tracy couldn’t wait to see her again.

The day finally came for Tracy’s mother to get married. When she did Tracy sat in the chapel’s audience and watched. During that time her mother didn’t pay attention to her because she was distracted by the coming marriage. Tracy and her mother looked beautiful for the occasion with dark blond hair and blue eyes.
Tracy sat wondering how fun the marriage after party would be but then she stared at the ground realizing it wasn’t fun at all. When her mother stood there to get married Tracy’s stomach made a growling sound with hunger and she couldn’t wait to eat. She could hear her stomach before because it was completely quiet but as she looked around she saw that no one noticed, they only watched her mother get married.
They were married near the ocean and after eating Tracy stood outside watching the water. When she ran into her mother she said, “Hi,” to her. Her mother began to behave like she was finished raising her daughter Tracy. Tracy felt lonely and wished she had brothers and sisters to raise and purpose in the world, so she decided she would find something helpful to do.
When Tracy got home the house looked a little empty. The big house echoed as she stepped on the plastic tile. Her blue and white dress blew in the breeze of an open window. “Mom!” she called to see if she was home yet. When she got to her mother’s room it appeared a little bare. Opening the closet then dresser drawers she noticed all the clothes were gone. Feeling thirsty and a little upset she went to the kitchen to get a drink. There she noticed a torn piece of white paper with the writing, Tracy I’m on my honeymoon now. We are going out of this southern state. I don’t know when I’ll see you soon because I love spending time with my new husband. Love, Mom.
This upset her again. Her only parent was already gone and she didn’t know where. She was so upset she went through a directory to find the name of a psychologist to talk to and help her get over this.
The psychologist told her, “Think positively and hope that your mother will come back. You should call your father and your friends.”
“You’re right. My father only lives north of here. Thanks.” Tracy almost smiled and she called her father.
Tracy was still alone a week later and couldn’t wait to finish school. She even made a new friend Tasha who would call her with friendly phone conversations. She also planned to go to the school prom and she found a gorgeous formal dress to wear. She put it on and took a picture of herself in it to save for her mother. At that point her hair now became a little darker and she curled it.
One day Tracy felt concerned about her mother she decided to call the police and report her being missing. First she called then she went down to the station to write out a report and leave it with them.
“I’m sure she’s fine because you said she left on her honeymoon you just don’t know when she’s coming back,” the secretary told her then smiled.
Tracy’s days were filled with school, visits to Tasha’s house, and relaxing and wondering when her mother would come home.

On a spring afternoon Tracy laid her graduation clothes out then pulled her hair up in French twist and pinned it there. She had finally got over her mother’s non-existence in her life then she walked out to her mother’s bedroom to say goodbye. “Not even a single phone call,” she said to herself like she told her friend Tasha earlier. Tracy’s heart jumped and pounded at what she saw. Her mouth fell open with fear. She saw her mother sitting on her bed. “Mom.”
Her mother turned around and looked. She was back home. Tracy didn’t know for how long. She stared at her mother’s straight brown hair. “You were gone for three months with no phone calls or letters. Where did you go?”
“On my honeymoon to Niagara Falls. I liked it so much we stayed there a long time. Now that I’m married I’m going to finish moving in with my new husband but I’ll be here too for you.” Her mother stood up.
“I’m just glad you’re okay,” Tracy said. “Okay. Where do you both live now?”
“At his estate, 1146 Woods avenue. It’s an hour away near the forest.”
Tracy breathed a sigh of relief. “I wish you would stay here with me tonight. I missed you.”
“I will. I have lots to pack anyway.”
“Well I’m glad you had a great time Mom.”

On a sunny summer morning as Tracy stood cooking in the kitchen her mother surprisingly came in. She had already moved her belongings into her new residence with her new husband.
“I know you are planning on going off to college far away this fall to study nursing so I want to tell you my plans. I have decided to sell this house. I still need to decide what to do with all the furniture this house has. You could take yours, I could sell some, and there’s room for some it in my other house.” Tracy’s mother stared at her.
Tracy wasn’t happy to hear this but she wanted to start a different life somewhere else and in her bones she felt her mother’s new husband would not like her around. He never seemed to care about talking to her. “Okay.”
The next few weeks they enjoyed packing, moving, and covering over furniture together. “I’m going to miss you Mom,” Tracy said as she listened to her voice echo in the almost empty house. Saying goodbye was all that mattered to her now and she wanted to go shopping for a going away present for her mother. “Can I come see your new house sometime?”
“Sure, but it’s not really new. He’s owned it for five years I just say it’s new because it seems new to me.”
“What was your husband’s name again?”
“Donovan.”
“Donovan?”
“Yes.”
“His parents wanted to name him something different from all the other babies. I like the name. It sounds exotic.”
“So do I. Maybe I’ll like him. Why don’t you invite him over? Maybe we could have a moving away party. There’s lots of room here.”
Her mother nodded in agreement. They laid in silence on the floor on top of sleeping bags.

In the morning when Tracy woke she went straight into town to look for a present for her Mom.
Not knowing Tracy was leaving she had invited Donovan over to pick her up and give her a ride to her other house. He entered the house relaxed. His black hair was combed feathered back and his hazel eyes showed more light mossy green.
“Tracy!” She searched the house for her daughter but didn’t find her. Tracy had officially missed her meeting with Donovan. She was spending her lunch time with Tasha instead.
“I missed meeting my mother’s husband,” Tracy told Tasha. “I can’t wait to talk to her.” Tasha listened to her new best friend well.
“You look well,” Tasha told Tracy. Tracy smiled with appreciation but it was only partially true. Tracy looked nice and healthy in her slacks and white and gold shirt but she had puffiness under her eyes and her leg was in a cast because she broke it rolling down a hill when her mother was still gone.

Her bones healed quickly and soon she was excited about going off to college in the South. She had only been there once and couldn’t wait to go there again. On a sunny summer afternoon she finished packing her belongings in boxes and then left the house to buy herself a suitcase because she needed to leave for college in a week on Monday.
She wanted to get there early to move in and then sign up and pay for her fall classes. Tracy didn’t know what major she wanted but was thinking about being a nurses assistant.
In a week, that went by quickly, she moved into her college room and signed up