“Don’t be silly, of course I’d be glad to see you if you can refrain from chasing me onto broken bottles!” And she spit a seed at me and laughed.

Then Mrs. Bazlinton came into Jennifer’s room. I stood up to go, but she said, “You may stay as long as you wish to keep Jennifer company.”

Jennifer said, “Mummy, will you write out our address and telephone number for Calvin so he can visit us during school break?”

Mrs. Bazlinton didn’t look very pleased but she wrote it out anyway and said, “Do write to us and let us know how you are.” But the way she said it I could tell she didn’t really want me to visit them. I could guess why. They knew we were strange people. Mom’s prayer had proved it once and for all. I figured that on vacation they let Jennifer play with me because they couldn’t help it but they didn’t want Reformed missionaries showing up at home who were only vacation friends. Vacations were different than regular life—there were different rules.

I said, “Thank you,” and folded up the piece of paper.

Jennifer said to me, “Could you hand me my hairbrush please?”

I did and when I was handing it to her she winked. I took the wink to be a message about the hairbrush and how I had used it before and how she knew I knew her mom didn’t want me to visit but we could find a way maybe.

Then I went back to the beach.

Only Rachael was there. Mom and Janet had gone shopping in Santa Margherita and Dad had walked back to Portofino early. Rachael said, “I want to say how sorry I am I told on you. I didn’t know how hard you’d get punished.”

This was the second time Rachael had apologized so I just said, “I already said it’s O.K.”

“Are you still mad at me?”

“No. . . . Our family’s strange.”

“What do you mean, strange?”

“Come on, you know what I mean. What kind of people live in Switzerland and are missionaries to Roman Catholic youth? What sort of mothers pray all the time at people so they don’t like me? How many people have dads that pull down toilet flush boxes and smash dishes? That’s what I mean!”

“Well maybe we’re a little different from other people. But what’s wrong with that?”

“I’ll tell you what’s wrong! I’m sick and tired of it, that’s what! I hate this family, that’s what! I hate Mom’s talks about our bodies and how they’re changing, that’s what! And I hate Dad’s church services! And I hate Janet and I hate the Gospel Walnut and I hate being missionaries! That’s what!”

Rachael stood up and said, “Oh, Calvin!”