"Replica04 - Perfect Girls - Kaye, Marilyn" - читать интересную книгу автора (Kaye Marilyn)

Nancy smiled. "I hope this Kelps make up for the contest."
"What contest?" Mrs. Morgan asked.
"I told you, Mom, Amy won an essay competition," Tasha said.
"I didn't win anything," Amy corrected her. "I'm a finalist. But I can't go to the national competition because it's in New York over spring break."
Mr. Morgan's face went all dreamy at the mention of New York. "My favorite city in the world," he said. "The last time we were there, I went to every jazz club in Greenwich Village."
"What do you mean, 'the last time we were there'?" Eric questioned. "We've never been to New York."
"I meant your mother and me," Mr. Morgan told him. "We had a life before you kids were born, you know."
"It's been fifteen years since we've seen the New York skyline," Mrs. Morgan mused. "We stayed at a lovely hotel, right on Central Park, and we went to the theater almost every night. And the restaurants! Unbelievable." She looked at her husband. "Remember the horse-drawn carriage ride we took through the park? It was so romantic." She smiled at Nancy. "Eric was born nine months later."
Eric scrunched his face in agony. "Mom."
"We need to get back there one of these days," Mr. Morgan said. "Show the kids the sights, take in some theater . . ."
"See the Knicks play," Eric said.
"Tasha, why are you rubbing your wrist like that?" Mrs. Morgan asked.
"Huh? Oh. I broke out from my bracelet. I guess it has nickel in it."
"Nickel allergies are very common," Nancy remarked. "If you really love your bracelet, just paint the inside with clear nail polish. Your rash will disappear."
"Okay," Tasha said. Then her eyes widened. "How about over spring break?"
Her mother looked at her blankly. "What?"
"Let's go to New York over spring break!" Tasha's voice rose an octave, as it always did when she had a brilliant idea. "Really, think about it, this would be perfect! Amy could come with us, and then she could be in the essay final!"
"Now, Tasha," Nancy remonstrated.
Mrs. Morgan, however, was looking at her daughter thoughtfully. "You know, that's not such a crazy idea."
"Are you serious?" Mr. Morgan said, looking at her in disbelief. "Spring break is just next month, isn't it?"
"Two weeks from now," Eric told him.
"We can't just drop everything and go to New York in two weeks!" his father declared.
"Of course not," Nancy said quickly. "Tasha, it's sweet of you to think about Amy, but—"
"No, wait," Mrs. Morgan interrupted excitedly. "Why not? We don't have anything else planned. I could arrange the whole trip with a travel agent tomorrow. There are some excellent airfares. I saw an ad in yesterday's paper." She turned to her husband. "And you need a vacation."
"So do I," Eric added quickly.
His father snorted. "Your life is one long vacation."
"Daddy, it would be so fabulous," Tasha shrieked. "Please?"
Amy hid her smile. Tasha only called her father Daddy when she really wanted something. But she had to admit, she was getting pretty excited herself at the prospect. "And one of you could go for free," she told them. "It says in the brochure, free airfare for a parent or guardian!"
"The Knicks, Dad," Eric added. "The Knicks!"
"Remember the pastrami at the Carnegie Deli?" Mrs. Morgan wheedled.
Mr. Morgan was beginning to look tempted. Amy could see it written all over his face. "Well . . ."
"No, this is crazy," Nancy protested. "I can't ask you to take Amy to New York!"
"You're not asking us," Mrs. Morgan said briskly. "We're inviting her." She nudged her husband. "Aren't we?"
He gave in. "Why not?"
Tasha and Eric began to make whooping sounds. Amy looked at her mother anxiously. "Mom . . . ?"
Nancy looked torn. Then she uttered another of her resigned sighs and smiled. "Get the permission sheet."


3

"In a few moments we will begin our descent into New York City's John F. Kennedy Airport. Passengers should return to their seats and fasten their seat belts. Please also return your seats and tray tables to their upright positions."
Amy listened to the in-flight announcement and riddled with the lever by her seat. The back pulled up. She handed her soda can to the passing flight attendant, took off her headset, and checked to make sure her seat belt was still buckled. Then she strained to get a look out the window at the New York skyline. They were still too high, and it was probably too cloudy anyway. It didn't matter; she was content. The flight from Los Angeles had been smooth, the food had been pretty good, and they'd been shown a funny movie. Everything was perfect.
Well, almost perfect.
She poked Eric, and he opened his eyes. "Are we there?" he asked.
"Almost," Amy said. "You have to pull your seat up now."
She looked to her other side. Tasha was still engrossed in her tourist guide. "Listen, it says here that the ancestors of one out of every two people came to this country through Ellis Island. There's even a museum. We have to see it." She scribbled in her little notebook, adding Ellis Island to the growing list of places to visit.
Amy looked at the list. "We're only going to be in New York for a week, Tasha," she reminded her friend. "And some of that time I'll be busy doing essay stuff. There's a get-together for the contestants tomorrow morning, then the actual competition on Tuesday. They announce the winner at the banquet on Thursday."
"That leaves plenty of time to see everything," Tasha assured her. "All the museums, of course. Plus we've got tickets to Cats on Monday, and we're going to Rockefeller Center to see if we can get into a TV show."
"Knicks on Wednesday," Eric reminded her.
Tasha wrote that down. "Too bad this isn't December. There's always a huge Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center, and ice skating . . ." Her voice trailed off as she consulted her guidebook.