Elisa on Saturday 

 Ahhh, Saturday.  Elisa turned over in bed, hoping to go back to sleep for a little while, but the bright sunlight streaming in her window would not let that happen.   


 So instead, she sat up, stretched, and swung her feet over the side of the bed.  It really was too nice a day to spend it sleeping.  Most of the snow had melted, and the robins were chirping loudly, as they hopped around the yard looking for food.  Elisa could even see the beginning of tiny green leaves on the big tree outside her window.  She put on her robe and slippers, and headed to the kitchen, just in time to kiss her mom goodbye, before she left for work.   

Elisa’s mom sometimes had to work on Saturday mornings.  Not often, but just once in a while.  On those Saturdays, Elisa had the house to herself for a few hours.  At first she had been a little scared to be alone in the house, but now she had a routine; get dressed, straighten her room, put any dirty dishes in the sink, and finish any weekend homework that she might have.  And of course, read.  Just a few days ago, she would have done anything to skip the reading part.  Now she couldn’t wait to get everything else finished, so that she could get back to the class book and get a few more chapters ahead.  At this point in the book, the boy and the bugs were inside a giant peach that was flying over the ocean, with the help of hundreds of birds holding it up.  It was kind of crazy, but she couldn’t wait to see what was going to happen next.

The morning flew by, and then it was noon, and Mom was walking in the door, her work over for the weekend.  She and Elisa made lunch together and sat down at the table.  Yesterday when she got home, Elisa had told her mom about reading to the little kids.  Her mom was almost as excited as Elisa was.  Today she asked Elisa to tell her the story again, so that when she told her sisters and their families, she would not forget any of the details.

The phone rang.  Mom answered it and then handed it to Elisa.  It was one of Elisa’s friends from school, just checking in to be sure that they would all still be meeting, so that they could go to the school dance together.  When Elisa returned to the table, her mom asked her what she was going to wear.  Elisa told her that most of the girls were going to wear dresses, and that she planned to wear a dark blue velvet dress, that her mom had made her a few months ago, for her birthday in November.  The dress was simple, but beautiful.  It made Elisa look and feel very elegant and grown up.

The remainder of the afternoon turned into a flurry of phone calls between Elisa and her friends, filled with lots of chattering and giggling.  The girls all decided to meet at Elisa’s house for pictures, and then Elisa’s mom would drive them to the dance.  Around 4:00, after showering and washing her hair, Elisa asked her mom if she would help with the curling iron, to put some more curls in her hair.  It took a while, because Elisa’s hair was very thick and long, but by the time they finished, they both agreed that it had been worth it.  Elisa’s hair looked like she had gone to a salon to have it fixed up.

By 5:15, Elisa’s friends had started to arrive, and by 5:30, all were there in their prettiest dresses.  Elisa’s mom, as well as the other moms who had driven their daughters to Elisa’s house, were taking pictures.  Elisa had asked for, and had received, permission to wear just a little touch of pink lipstick, since this was a special occasion.  Then the other moms left, and the girls all piled into Elisa’s mom’s car for the short ride to the school.  They arrived shortly after 6:00 and entered the school gym, where the dance was being held, still talking and laughing.

Elisa took a quick look around the gym.  She said, “Hi” to a lot of the kids she knew, but she felt a twinge of disappointment that she did not see Andy there.  Maybe he had changed his mind about coming.  No, wait – the curtains on the stage fluttered, and then she could see Andy and Connor helping the band get set up to play.  The disappointment fell away, to be replaced by butterflies in her stomach.

A little while later, after everyone had a chance to hang out, drink punch, and eat cookies, the band started playing.  It was a fast song, and the girls could hardly wait to get on the dance floor as a group, and let loose.  A few of the girls in the upper grades danced with their boyfriends.  At this point, most of the rest of the boys were standing by the punch bowl.  After a couple of fast songs, the band started playing a slow, romantic song.  Some of the boys started asking her friends to dance.  Elisa couldn’t help but take a quick glance at Andy, who was, she thought, still across the room talking to Connor and some other guys.  She was startled to see that he was walking directly towards her, with a nervous smile on his face.  When he was standing directly in front of her, he held out his hand to her.  Elisa smiled……

1) Sometimes on Saturday mornings Elisa’s mom 
  a) took a long walk
  b) played cards
  c) 

2) Elisa’s friends were going to come over before the dance to:  
  a) study

3) Elisa wore a beautiful blue dress that 
  a) had come from a very expensive store
  b) that she borrowed from one of her cousins

4) Elisa was a little disappointed when she got to the dance and thought that:

5) At the end of the story, it looks like Andy will 
  a) go home early
  b) ask Elisa to dance
  c) shake hands with Elisa 

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