Katie's View, Susan Evelyn [good books for 7th graders txt] 📗

there daily, and not just flights. Thanks awfully Mr Jackson," she said as she scooped up her things and almost ran from the coffee shop.

Tom stayed for a while longer. He still had five minutes. He hoped Katie would not mind being the focus of a human interest story.

...

The Spider Incident

by Susan Evelyn

Katie should have been feeling on top of the world, but she was miserable. She did what she usually did at those moments when her world was shattered. She rang her friend Annie and hoped that she would be at home for a change. She was in no mood to pour out her heart to an answering machine.

The phone rang once, twice, she held her breath, thrice, and then it stopped.

“Hello?” a familiar voice sounded down the line.

“Oh! Annie! I’m so glad you’re in,” Katie whimpered.

Annie had heard this before; too often to not know what came next. “What’s the problem?” she sighed resignedly.

Katie felt like crying down the phone but took a deep breath to calm herself before answering. “It’s Tom.”

“Of course it is, honey. Isn’t it usually?”

“But this is different.”

“Okay, okay, take a sip of wine and start from the beginning.”

“Well, it was just a few hours ago and I was up in the attic going through all those boxes of clothing. I was looking for that old vest. The one I always looked good in. You know, the one I used to wear all the time. Coz’ we have been invited to a costume party and …”

“When you come close to a point, you will tell me, won’t you?” Annie interrupted.

“What? Oh! Umm.. yeah. Sorry, you know how it is with me and clothes. Well. There I was, going through the boxes and was just about to open one when this huge spider hissed at me.”

“Spiders don’t hiss, honey.”

“Well, this one did. I swear it. It was sitting on top of the box I was going to open. And it reared up the way spiders do. You know, with their front legs in the air.”

“Uh huh!”

“So there it was, legs up, saliva dripping from the fangs and that evil PISS OFF look in its beady little eyes.”

“Uh huh. And?” Annie did not feel up to arguing about the dripping saliva, or the beady eyes, after the hissing statement.

“And what? You know I can’t stand those horrid things. I screamed, of course.”

“Oh! Of course. I don’t know what I was thinking.”

“So I’m screaming. The vermin is still there going BACK OFF and waving its horrid hairy legs at me, when Tom came running up the stairs.”

“Tom came to the rescue? Good for him. So what’s the problem?”

“Yeah, well, you see, that IS the problem.”

“I don’t get you.”

“Well, let me finish. I’m screaming. That thing is terrorising me, and Tom comes through the door. He goes ‘What is it, darling?’ and looks around wildly.”

“He still calls you darling? Ahh! That’s so sweet.”

“Hmph! Then he goes, 'Aww lookee here! A cute widdle spider' when I’m trying to tell him that the thing was going to eat me.”

“Uh huh! so what happened then?”

“Well, he goes. ‘There, there, its going to be all right’ and I thought he was talking to me.”

“He wasn’t? Who was there with you?”

“The freakin’ spider. That’s who. He was talking to the freakin’ spider. And I said it wasn’t little, it was huge. I swear it was as big as my hand. With the fingers stretched out and all.”

“Okay. And so what did you do then?”

“Well, seeing as he stepped in front of me and I didn’t have to look at it eye to beady little eyes, I managed to stop screaming and picked up an old newspaper from the recycling pile that never made it to the depot. I rolled up the paper and was going to swat it when Tom turned around and, guess what!"

"I've no idea," Annie was at a loss as to where this story was headed.

"He shook his head in that patronising way of his and took it off me.”

“Sounds fair. I mean, you could have hit him by accident,” Annie suggested.

“What’s fair about it? Not only was that monster after my blood but it had turned my husband against me too. So I grabbed the fly spray I had up there for the moths and told him to stand aside. I would deal with it my way.”

“Awww Poor spider.”

“Poor spider, nothing. Tom defended the demon and said ‘It’s okay, darling. I will take care of it’ and took the fly spray away from me and told me to go downstairs.”

“Ahh! See, he looked after you anyway.”

“Hmph! That’s what I thought too, so I came downstairs to organise dinner, you know?”

Katie was still breathing heavily but at least she was not about to cry any more. Her voice quieted a little before she continued speaking.

“I thought he’d at least take the rotten thing outside, you know?”

“So he didn’t kill it?” Annie was starting to sympathize with the spider.

“Good grief no!” Katie nearly screamed her answer down the phone. “His idea of looking after it was to make a home for it in the empty fish tank in the lounge room. He’s feeding it right now.”

Katie could hear Annie trying to stifle giggles.

“My life is a horror story,” Katie groaned as she hung up the telephone.

...

Not an Average Day

by Susan Evelyn

The day began as normal. Katie woke up. But that is about as far as normal went on this particular day.

As she opened her eyes, Tom was entering the bedroom. He was fully dressed, beard neatly trimmed, hair a little scraggy but, hey, what do you expect for first thing in the morning?

There was nothing out of the ordinary for him to give her a little kiss goodbye on his way out. Nor was it unusual for him to be on his way to an early call at the studios. After all, they were both actors and understood that it was just a requirement of their work.

What was unusual was that he was carrying a breakfast tray which he carefully put down on the little set of drawers beside her bed. There was juice and a small pot with teabag tags hanging down the side, a sugar bowl and little milk jug.


The plate was covered to keep the food warm, and there was toast in a little rack, a small dish of butter curls and a pot of jam. To finish it all off, there was also a bud vase with a perfectly shaped carnation in a brilliant scarlet colour.

Katie raised herself on her elbows and squinted at him through sleep-laden eyes.

"What's this?" her voice squeaked before she had had a chance to swallow properly and lubricate her throat. "What time is it?"

"It's early, luv. Don't get up. I brought you this so you didn't have to and you could have a really good sleep in."

He picked up a piece of toast and buttered it, then added a smear of jam. It was strawberry jam. The smell was strong and sweet and inviting as he held it out for her to take a bite. She obliged by taking about two thirds of the little triangle. It tasted as good as it smelled.


"It is your day off, isn't it?" he looked at her without raising his head before popping the last of the piece of toast into his mouth.

"Umm, yeah," she answered a little dubiously.

"And you don't have anything planned, right?"

"Uhh, no."

"So, I thought you'd like a nice sleep in. Besides, Nina can see to the tradesmen. I didn't want them worrying you."

"I was going to give Nina the day off seeing as I'll be home. What tradesmen?"

"They'll be working in the dining room. You know, finally fixing that light fitting, and the window shutters. And the carpet needs a thorough cleaning."

"Why? We hardly use it. How come it needs cleaning?"

"Well, I'd hoped I wouldn't have to tell you but," he picked up another piece of toast and buttered it.

"The other night, when you were late, that dance rehearsal thingy, remember?" She nodded. "Well, your dog came up to my study. I think he was trying to find you. And, ummm, we started playing and, well, short story, he knocked over the spider tank. So I had to use that big empty fishbowl down in the dining room until I can get their tank fixed."

He offered the next piece of toast and jam. "But in taking everything down there, I dropped the bag of soil for the tank and then the dog ran through it and it's all over the carpet."

"You idiot," she laughed at him. "Good thing I didn't go into the dining room, then, otherwise the neighbours would be calling the police again to check that you hadn't murdered me."

"So, that's why I thought you might like to have a luxurious day up here." His face brightened as a thought occurred to him. "Say, why don't you go down to that new beauty spa place or whatever it is, pamper yourself a bit?"

"It would be nice. I could do with a pedicure after the dancing last week. But I can't really afford it right now."

"If that's all that's stopping you," he began as he reached for his wallet.

"Don't you dare," she raised her voice. "If I can't afford it myself, I'm not taking your money. Now get to work and let me have breakfast in peace."

He smiled at her dotingly and leaned over to claim a kiss from her strawberry sweetened lips.

"Oh, I may be a bit late," he added as he straightened up. "You'll be okay on your own?"

"How late?"

"Not sure. As long as it takes. It's a difficult scene, and we have to get it in the can today."

Katie pouted.

"Well, I suppose it's a good idea you didn't let me give Nina the day off, after all." She said at length.


"I'm sure she'll find plenty to do anyway. I know she's been itching to rearrange the pantry since my last failed attempt at cooking."

"There. See? It's all working out already. Shyte! Is that the time? I gotta' run, luv."

"Thanks for breakfast," Katie called after him as Tom rushed out of the room. She heard his hurried steps take the stairs two at a time and burst out the front door. Within a few moments, the purr of the Prius engine retreated down the driveway and merged with the distant traffic.

No princess or queen could have felt as spoiled and pampered as Katie felt this morning. Breakfast was a delicious combination of several tasty morsels that she had at one stage called her favourites. Tom was a good cook. The juice was freshly prepared, and the tea was a light refreshing blend. It was almost a crime to add the highly creamed milk to it.