Wâ
Y
âoâmâiânâg.â
âRight,â she laughs. âOne hundred percent right.â
âWow, that was a tough one,â Little Johnny says as he stirs blueberries into pancake batter. Flour dusts his face, and milk dribbles down the front of his shirt. Heâs happy because he got to choose what we have for breakfast this morning.
âThatâs not tough,â Matt snorts. âI can spell it easy. I can spell all the states
and
the state capitals.â
If I had food in my stomach, Iâd throw up.
âWell thatâs good,â Lizzie says, ladling pancake batter onto a griddle. âBut right now, I want to talk about whose turn it is to choose breakfast next Saturday.â
Without hesitating, Matt speaks up. âJohnny had his turn today, so itâs my turn next.â
âNuh-unh,â Luke says, pushing his glasses up his nose. âNow thereâs five of usââ His face turns as red as one of the apples on the wallpaper. âWhat I mean is, uh . . .â
âWhat he means,â Lizzie says, dishing pancakes onto plates, âis a rotation systemâs the way weâve always done things. Oldest down to the youngest. And I donât see any reason not to continue that way.â She pauses to look at Matt. âAnd
that
means itâs Frankie Joeâs turn to pick a favorite food for next Saturdayâs breakfast.â
I sit silent as a rock. I donât want a turn. A turn would just make things worse for me. Huckaby Number Two would make sure of that.
âAnd thatâs not all,â Lizzie says. âFrom now on, the same rotation system goes for the shower. I know itâs a lot, having all of you take your showers in the morning. But I have to do laundry in the eveningâand run the dishwasher, tooâwhich only leaves enough hot water for your father and me to bathe in the evenings. So weâre going to a rotation system.â
âBut Iâm the oldestâthe
real
oldest,â Matt protests. âAnd besides, I have to be to school earlier than the others âcause Iâm the fifth-grade representative on the Student Council.â
âDoes that mean I donât have to shower last no more?â Johnny screws up his face like heâs thinking hard about something. âExcept now that Frankie Joeâs here, he showers last. Itâs not fun âcause Matt hogs the hot water so thereâs not enough for all of us. I know âcause I was always last till Frankie Joe got here.â
âIs that right?â Lizzie looks at Matt, her eyebrows raised. âWell, no more being last all the timeâfor
any
of you. Youâll take turns. And youâre limited to two minutes each, no more.â
âCool,â Mark says as he butters his pancake. âI hated lukewarm showers all the time.â
As he reaches for the syrup bottle, Luke says, âYeah, double cool! I hated chilly showers all the time, too.â
There are daggers in the look Matt gives me.
âNow,â Lizzie says, looking at me. âWhat do you want for your special breakfast next Saturday, Frankie Joe?â
âSomething tells me heâd like burritos.â FJ stands at the back door, holding a bunch of letters in one hand.
He must have been at the post office. I didnât hear him come in and donât know how long heâs been standing there. But the smile he gives Lizzie says that heâs heard all her announcements.
âWell thenââLizzie returns his smileââburritos it is!â
âWhatâs a âbriâtoâ?â Mark asks, looking skeptical. His âexcellent brainâ obviously doesnât include the word in its vocabulary.
âItâs made from corn and beans,â I say.
âOh,â Mark says, helping himself to another pancake. âCool!â
âAnd itâs burâriâto,â I