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
You could put it in Kat's room Meri said I wouldn't mind Mom beamed at Meri That's very generous But this is yours Besides you're at the perfect age to start spending more time on your appearance Judith snickered Mom only gave her the look and headed upstairs still holding the mirror out like a shield Meri sighed Goodie She would love having something hanging on her wall to remind her that she had crazy hair puffed around her boring round face Mom quickly hung the mirror Then she began picking up the books scattered over the desk You should keep these in your bookcase Mom said Then you'll have room for some hair things I have all the hair things I need Meri said I could get you some fingernail polish Mom said And some new headbands 12
Meri moaned Mom snapped her fingers Lip gloss I'm sure Judith was wearing lip gloss at your age I have a lip balm Meri said That's plenty I should make a list and go to the store Mom said She was still naming things off as she left the room Meri sagged in her desk chair She laid Anne of Green Gables in the middle of the empty desktop It looked lonely without all of Meri's other favorites She made faces at herself in her new mirror Anne wouldn't like looking at herself all the time Meri said And neither do I Meri's reflection had no advice for her Instead she pulled her book toward her and went back to reading about Anne's dramatic apology scene Meri loved imagining herself doing over the top things like Anne Shirley She didn't look up again until Thomas yelled up the stairs that it was supper time 13
