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A Special Invitation
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Jessica glared at Bruce. She was sure he was only there to cause more trouble. She was afraid that he was going to say that Mr. Patman had won and they had lost despite all their hard work.
"You get out of here," Jessica said, running over to Bruce. "We don't want to listen to you anymore. You don't care about ecology or our environment or anything. You're just a big jerk."
For once, Bruce didn't start bragging. Instead he shook his head. "I have something to tell you," he said in a quiet voice. He looked a little bit embarrassed as he glanced at his father. Mr. Patman was talking in a loud, confident voice to the TV news crew.
Bruce cleared his throat. "Iwanted to tell you that I'm on your side."
Jessica's mouth dropped open in surprise. "What?"
"I think I know how I can get my dad to give up the whole plan about the garage," Bruce went on.
Elizabeth and Jessica stared at one another. "What made you change your mind?" Jessica asked.
"I don't know," Bruce said with a shrug. He looked at the ground and kicked a pebble.
"I know," Elizabeth said suddenly. "It was the sea gull, right?'
"So what if it was?" Bruce asked.
He sounded like his old, stuck-up self again. But that didn't matter to Jessica. He was on their side now.
"OK, what's the plan?" she asked.
"My dad likes people to think he's a good guy," Bruce explained. "He goes to a lot of fancy dinners for good causes and charities and things. So maybe if you invited him for a picnic here, and a lot of people showed up, he'd change his mind because he'd see that it would make so many people happy."
Jessica looked around at all the trees and flowers. "Do you really think it'll work?" she asked.
"It might," Bruce said. "But you have to do it soon."
"We will," Elizabeth said, nodding. "It's our only chance."
At school the next day, Jessica and Elizabeth told Mrs. Otis and their whole class about Bruce's suggestion.
"I think it could work," Lila said. "My father goes to parties all the time where they ask for donations and things."
"Well, we can't expect miracles," Mrs. Otis said seriously. "You have to understand that there's a lot of money at stake, and that no matter how much we want to, we may not be able to change Mr. Patman's mind."
Jessica looked at the floor. It sounded as if Mrs. Otis didn't think Bruce's plan would work.
Then the teacher's face broke into a smile. "But I think it's worth a try. We should do everything we can to save our garden and to stand up for the environment. Do we all agree?" she asked. "Should we try Bruce Patman's idea? Let's see a show of hands."
Every student in the class raised his or her hand to vote for the plan. Jessica looked at Elizabeth and smiled. "Cross your fingers."
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Caroline Pearce raised her hand. "Let's make a fancy invitation," she suggested.
"We could use our recycled paper," Jessica suggested.
"Excellent idea," Mrs. Otis said.
The papers the class had torn up last week had been cooked in water on a hot plate Mrs. Otis brought in. Then the paper shreds had been soaked in a special chemical before being pressed on a screen and left to dry. The recycled paper was a little bit gray and bumpy, but it could be used for many things.
"Let's decide what to put on the invitation," Mrs. Otis said.
While Eva, Amy, and Todd picked out the best sheet of recycled paper, the others made suggestions.
"We could draw the garden on it," Elizabeth said.
"I know!" Jessica raised her hand. "Let's draw the Earth. Because the whole Earth should be like a garden. And Mrs. Otis said the garden is our way of making the whole world a little bit greener."
Mrs. Otis smiled at Jessica. "Who wants to do that?" she asked the class.
Almost everyone voted for Jessica's idea. Sandy Ferris was the best artist in the class, so she was elected to draw the Earth.
"Sandy, make sure you draw a flower growing out of the earth," Ellen said. "To show where our garden is."
Jessica was so excited about their invitation that she could hardly sit still. She was sure that Mr. Patman would see how important it was to keep the garden. Sandy began drawing a globe, and Eva offered to write the invitation.
"I'd like each of you to sign the card after Eva has written the message," Mrs. Otis said. "We all worked on the garden, and the invitation should be from all of us."
Soon the card was finished. Jessica thought it was perfect. All they had to do now was deliver it to Bruce.
CHAPTER 9
A Wet Picnic
Saturday was the day of the picnic. The moment Elizabeth woke up, she ran to the window to see what the weather was like. Almost every day in southern California was sunny.
Except for this one.
"I hope it doesn't rain." she said as she began to get dressed.
"Me, too. Mr. Patman has to see it our way," Jessica said nervously. "He just has to."
After breakfast, Elizabeth and Jessica helped their mother make a lentil salad. They chopped up carrots and parsley and tomatoes while Mrs. Wakefield made the dressing.
"Everyone is bringing natural food," Elizabeth told her mother. "And we're going to use paper cups and plates."
"It's going to be a totally natural picnic," Jessica explained proudly. "Except for the plastic forks. But we won't leave any on the ground. We're going to bring them home and wash them so we can use them again. Mrs. Otis says that's another small thing we can do that will make a big difference to the environment."
Mrs. Wakefield spooned their salad into a large plastic container. "You girls certainly know your stuff. I don't know how Mr. Patman could possibly resist your arguments," she said, giving each of them a kiss. "Good luck."
Eva's mother picked them up. Elizabeth, Jessica, and Eva sat in the backseat, looking out the windows at the gloomy, gray sky. "Rain, rain, go away, come again another day," Jessica chanted.
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"Mr. Patman is definitely coming, isn't he?" Eva asked.
"Bruce said he would," Elizabeth said. "Ihope he's right"
"Here we are," Mrs. Simpson said. "Good luck, girls."
Elizabeth, Jessica, and Eva got out of the car with their food. Many of their classmates were already at the garden, spreading blankets on the ground and arranging stacks of paper plates and cups.
"Is he here yet?" Jessica asked, looking around.
Lila shook her head. "Not yet."
Nobody was talking much. Everyone was too worried.
"Here he comes!" Todd shouted.
They all watched in silence as Mr. Patman and Bruce stepped out of their limousine. Mr. Patman walked toward the group with a wide, jovial smile.
"Well, well," he said in a hearty voice. "I haven't been invited to a picnic in a long time. Isn't this a pretty spot?"
Elizabeth could tell he didn't really mean it. He smiled, but she was sure he was just being polite. She just hoped that they could change his mind.
"The kids would like to give you a tour of the garden, Mr. Patman," Mrs. Otis said. "They've put in a lot of hard work here, and they're very proud of what they've done."
In single file, they led Mr. Patman up and down the wood-chip pathways. Elizabeth was too nervous to say anything, and so was everyone else. Mrs. Otis pointed out the handmade benches, the birdbath, the trees, and every part of the project that the students helped with. Mr. Patman smiled and nodded politely.
"Now, how about starting our picnic?" Mrs. Otis suggested.
Elizabeth looked up at the sky. It was getting darker by the minute.
"Rain, rain, go away," Jessica whispered under her breath.
As everyone filled their plates with food, there was a loud clap of thunder.
"Oh no!" Lila screamed, covering her head.
Rain began pouring out of the sky. Elizabeth tried to pick up a blanket, while Mrs. Otis grabbed a platter full of cold fried chicken. Everybody tried to cover the food and stay dry at the same time. Some of the kids ran under the little trees for shelter. The birdbath quickly filled to the top and overflowed.
"Oh, no," Elizabeth moaned, hiding under a blanket with Jessica. "Everything is ruined. Now he'll never change his mind!"
The only person who wasn't trying to get out of the rain was Mr. Patman. He was sitting on a bench with water dripping down his face—and he was laughing.
"I haven't been caught in the rain in a long time!" he said, chuckling. "But if you have to get drenched, this is a nice place for it"
Elizabeth and Jessica stared at him. He looked like he was having fun!
Then, as quickly as the rain had started, it stopped. The clouds parted, and sunlight came streaming down. One by one, the kids came out from their hiding places and looked around. Raindrops sparkled brilliantly on every leaf and twig.
"This is beautiful," Mr. Patman said in a loud voice. "Look at those flowers! Look how green the grass is!"
"Do you really like it, Dad?" Bruce asked his father timidly.
Mr. Patman didn't answer. "Tell me, son," he said in a stern voice. "What made you so serious about this garden?"
Bruce gulped. He looked a little bit nervous, as though he wasn't used to standing up to his father. "I just think it's a good idea to keep it this way, so birds and squirrels and other animals will have a nice place to live."
"Hmmm..." Mr. Patman said with a frown.
"Can we keep the garden the way it is?" Jessica asked. "Please?"
Mr. Patman was silent for a moment while he wiped some water from his forehead. Just when Jessica thought she couldn't stand the suspense for another moment, Mr. Patman cleared his throat and looked around at them all. "I've made my decision," he announced. "I'm definitely going to buy this piece of land."
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Elizabeth and Jessica looked at one another, too disappointed to speak. They had lost.
CHAPTER 10
Victory
"But Dad!" Bruce gasped.
Tears came to Jessica's eyes. Her plan had failed. They had worked so hard to clean up the pollution in one little spot, and all their effort had been for nothing.
"I’m going to buy this piece of land," Mr. Patman repeated. "And I'm going to keep it exactly the way it is. Who could be heartless enough to cover a lovely spot like this with a parking garage?"
Jessica threw her paper cup in the air, sending juice splashing everywhere. "Hurray!" she yelled. Then she picked up her cup again.
"Mr. Patman, we are so thankful for your decision," Mrs. Otis said with a delighted smile. "I'm sure you won't regret it."
"I'm sure I won't," Mr. Patman agreed. "Right now, I think the most important thing is to finish our picnic. That shower gave me a huge appetite."
Jessica felt so relieved that she sat down on the wet grass. It made her happy to think that from now on, there would always be a little green island in the middle of their city.
And it was all thanks to them. And Bruce. And Mr. Patman.
She looked over at Bruce and smiled. Maybe he wasn't so bad, after all.
"Hurry up!" Elizabeth said when they got home from school the following Monday. "It's almost time for Dr. Snapturtle's Animal Hour."
Jessica followed her sister into the den and turned on the television.
"Won't it be fun to see him in person?" Jessica asked as she sat down on the couch. "We've never been to a live TV show taping before. I'm definitely going to raise my hand when he asks for volunteers."
Elizabeth smiled. "Dr. Snapturtle is the best. And so is Duke," she said. Duke was the veterinarian's dog who was on the show every day.
Jessica and Elizabeth hummed along with the theme music. Dr. Snapturtle was their hero. They couldn't wait to meet him and get his autograph.
What will Dr. Snapturtle be like in person? Find out in Sweet Valley Kids #28, ELIZABETH MEETS HER HERO.
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