by Martha Hynson

Nurse White’s Salon

At first, nobody moved. Then everything started to happen at once. Jonah laughed so hard, he fell out of his seat. 

Samantha yelled, “I knew it was a trick!”

Jackson handed Macy a napkin from his lunchbox. 

Miss Snow wrote something on a slip of paper. Then she walked over and put her hand on Macy’s shoulder. “Give this note to Nurse White,” she said. “Don’t worry. She’ll get you cleaned up.” 

Macy was not worried about that. She was big enough to clean herself. But what if Bella thought she had tried to trick her? That was the worry that stuck in Macy’s brain. Plus, what if the art teacher, Mr. Betts, was in the hall? He might say, “Macy Joy, you did not make a good choice. You cannot teach art.” 

Macy slid the note into her pocket. Hey, what was in there? She pulled out a crayon. It was the one she had used on the bus to draw freckles on her egg picture. She sat on the floor in the hall and drew freckles on the note. Then, she mashed it to her cheek to cover the sticky egg. That was called camouflage. 

When Macy got to the clinic, she peeled the paper off and handed it to Nurse White. 

     “I’m afraid I can’t read this, Macy.” Nurse White held the note by one corner. “Do you know what it said?”

Macy stuck her tongue through the toothless space. “I can imagine what it said.” 

“Well, let’s hear it.” Nurse White pulled a small chair over to her desk. They both sat down.  

Macy moved to the edge of her chair. “The note might have said I was reading Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. I read so good, it started raining eggs. There was a breakfast flood. I made a boat out of bacon. Too bad Jonah and Samantha ate it. Now everyone is stuck in syrup. Miss Snow sent me for help.”

“I see. Looks like you got caught in a shower of eggs. Good thing an egg shampoo makes your hair shiny. Step into my salon.”

Macy followed Nurse White to the sink and looked at herself in the mirror. The egg did mix with her orange hair and make kind of a glow. Maybe she should not wash it out. But then flies might buzz around her on the playground. 

Nurse White was one fast worker. Soon Macy’s hair was good as new. She gave Macy a wet paper towel to wipe the rest of her.

“You just need a clean outfit and you’ll be all set.” Nurse White dug through a basket of clothes. She handed Macy a t-shirt and pants. “This should fit. You can step right behind that screen and change. And, next time you read Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, hold an umbrella.” 

Macy stepped behind the screen. Hey, there was a little bed back there and some markers and paper. Maybe she would be sick one day and get to come there to rest. She held up the shirt Nurse White had given her. The front said, “Maple Elementary.” The back said “Kindergarten.” Macy took a black marker from a bucket and under the word “Kindergarten,” she carefully wrote, “Art Teacher.”

***

After school, Macy marched right to her room. She pulled off her fuzzy pink sock. That thing did not turn out to be so lucky. Her ticket was not even in it anymore. She shoved the sock back under her bed. 

Mama came and sat with her on the green rug. Macy told her all about the day. Mama laughed. 

“You should have listened to Jackson, honey,” she said. “I did cook your breakfast egg.”

“You tricked me.” Macy put her hands on her hips. “You said that egg was fresh from the nest.”

“It wasn’t a trick.” Mama tapped Macy’s nose. “I just meant the egg was not from the store.”

Macy flopped back on the rug. Then she popped up again because her brain had a very genius idea. Her

family should get a cow! Then they would have milk that was not from the store, too. Plus, Macy could

ride that pet to school!