I'll sign it Meri offered The man looked over Meredith's head clearly hoping a grown up would appear Finally he sighed and shoved the clipboard into her hands Sign here he said Meri signed on the line She was very proud of her handwriting She liked the loops and humps and swooping tails in her name The man didn't even look at her signature He just grabbed the clipboard and ordered her to have a nice day Then he turned and ran down the front steps Judith heaved the box to the floor beside the piano She peered at the address label It's for you Meri she said It's from Aunt Prudence It's a birthday present Kat said A big one Meri looked at the box It might be a birthday present Her birthday was over a month ago but Aunt P never got things quite right
Mom Meri got a present Thomas yelled racing from the room Kat ran behind him So are you going to open it Judith asked nudging the box with her knee I would have had this thing open so fast Meri knelt and began carefully peeling the tape from the box She heard Judith making irritated huffy noises over her head Finally
Meri pulled off the last piece of tape and opened the flaps of the box Yards of Bubble Wrap covered a shadowy object inside Bubble Wrap The twins were back in the room shrieking Meri pulled the thickly wrapped object from the box It was heavy She thought it must be some kind of picture from the shape As she pulled off each sheet of Bubble Wrap one of the twins would grab it and leap on it Soon the room rang with the sound of tiny bubble explosions Meri looked down at her gift It was a mirror Why would Aunt P send her a mirror Maybe she confused Meri with Kat Her little sister loved looking at herself in the mirror Didn't Aunt P remember that Meri was more into books than looks
Movie Night Oh Meredith it's beautiful Mom said She stepped around the twins They had begun laying the Bubble Wrap sheets on the floor so they could jump on them The noise was almost painful Mom picked up the mirror and held it at arm's length We can hang it over your desk she said It will be like having a vanity Kat stopped jumping A what A vanity is where you sit and stare at yourself Judith said I want a vanity Kat wailed Mom patted her youngest daughter on the head When you're older And you do not simply sit and stare at yourself It's where you prepare to look your best each day 11
