“I didn’t think of that,” Fiona admitted.

Charlie and Natasha weren’t interested in looking through the attic. Charlie went to play with her fashion doll and Natasha went out to the meadow with her binoculars, leaving the two older girls to spend the rest of Friday afternoon pawing through boxes of things, most of it dusty old books and dishes and rusty gardening tools.

“People put things in attics that they ought to just throw away if you ask me,” said Marlin when they’d finished rummaging through the last of the boxes without finding any clothes at all.

“Well, that’s that anyway,” said Fiona. “It’s my white shirt and black pants or nothing. Anyway, the important thing is that I’m going to the dance. You know what Mom said, don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater. You don’t mind staying alone with Charlie and Natasha at night, do you? You’ve never done it before.”

“Pfff,” snorted Marlin. “Kids babysit at thirteen all the time. I’m going to the secondary school next year. I guess that means I’m old enough.”

“I guess,” said Fiona.

“I stay with them when you grocery-shop.”

“This is at night.”

“Stop being such a worrywart and speaking of night, how are you getting there? You’re not biking down that dark road with the bears and cougars, are you?”

“Well, it will still be light when the dance starts,” said Fiona.

“Yeah, but not when it’s done.”

“Yeah, I know. I hate to do it but I think I’m going to have to ask Al to drive me. He owes us still for the chocolate chip cookies.”

“Waste troll,” said Marlin.

“I know it’s your turn to take him his dinner tonight but I think I’d better so I can ask him. I’ve been meaning to every time I took dinner over this week but I kept losing my nerve and this is my last night before the dance so I’d better just do it. I hate to ask him for anything, he gets so shouty.”

“I’ll ask him if you like. I’m not afraid of him.”

“I’m not afraid of him, I just know it’s going to be an ordeal.”

All the way to Al’s, Fiona practiced how she would ask him. “So, you know that favor you owe us?” Or, “Remember those chocolate chip cookies?” Or just straight up, “I need you to drive me to the school dance and pick me up tomorrow night.”

She was still rehearsing ways to ask him when she knocked on his door so that when he opened it and shouted “WHAT!” she startled so badly she almost dropped his dinner.

“Jeez Louise!” she blurted out. “I wish you’d stop doing that.”

“Doing what?”

“Shouting ‘WHAT!’ every time you open the door. We’ve been bringing you dinner for months.”

“What is it tonight?” he said, peering into the food container. “Ah, Marlin’s pork chops. My favorite.”

“Speaking of favorites,” said Fiona, which she realized made no sense but she couldn’t think of another way to segue, “I was wondering if you could drive me to the school dance tomorrow night. And pick me up. It starts at seven and is over by ten.”