The Merriman's

By D.J. Lohr

Andrew, Clayton and Charlotte Merriman are ready to grow up! However, it's hard to strike out on your own when you know everyone in town and they all know your parents.

Andrew, a twelve year old wiz at math and science, is ready for his own room and friends his own age. Though he makes plenty of mistakes, he's kind and thoughtful... and writes everything down to send to his penpal in New Zealand.

Clayton, a ten year old, discovers that he is not only talented in the kitchen, but also on stage. Being a creative person has its benefits, but being the only ten year old in town is tough. A new pet might be just what Clayton needs.

Charlotte, a seven year old, is always getting into mischief. Swallowing a tooth, blowing bubbles in church, breaking her glasses, talking too much and more. It's a good thing she has three best friends by her side!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Feb 12, 2013
• ISBN: 9781479737215

D.J. Lohr

D.J. Lohr is a retired minister living in the mountains of Virginia with her husband of 40 years. As a child, D.J. loved writing stories. In her retirement, D.J. has finally found the time to pursue this passion. Besides writing, D.J. enjoys playing the piano, spending time with her daughters and grandson, and discovering new authors. D.J. loves hearing from her readers. Email her at [e-mail]

Book preview

CHAPTER 1

THE BEST BIRTHDAY EVER

Clayton Merriman couldn’t sleep.

I n their triple bunk bed, he could hear the heavy breathing of his older brother sleeping above him. Andrew always slept soundly. Nothing ever woke him up—not even the night last summer when fire trucks, the rescue squad, and police cars had driven down their street with sirens blaring and light blinking.

In the bed below him, Clayton could hear his younger sister muttering. Charlotte always talked a lot in her sleep. Sometimes it was fun to listen to her and try to figure out what she was saying, but he didn’t have time to do that tonight.

During dinner his mom had said, Clayton, your birthday is tomorrow and I need to know what you want for your birthday dinner.

And you still haven’t given us any suggestions about what you would like for presents, added his father. We’re all going to Staunton tomorrow and we’d like to do some birthday shopping for you.

And that was the problem. Clayton didn’t know what he wanted.

For his birthday, when Andrew had turned twelve, he had asked for a wrist watch with a second hand and a retractable tape measure. Andrew liked numbers and figuring things out like how large the shower was in their bathroom or how many centimeters his hair grew in a week.

For her seventh birthday, Charlotte had asked for lots of plain white paper, colored construction paper, magic markers, papers dolls and the biggest box of crayons ever made. Charlotte was really good at making things from paper. The clothes she made for her paper dolls looked like real skirts and blouses, and the pictures she drew had some things looking far away and other things looking closer. Dad said they had something called perspective.

Clayton sighed. What he really wanted was a dog like Lassie or Rin Tin Tin on those old black and white TV shows they sometimes watched. He would have trained his dog to do all kinds of things and they would have gone exploring and have had exciting and daring adventures together. He’d asked for a dog last year for his ninth birthday.

Clayton, his mom had said, I know you want a dog, but we’re cramped for space. We’re on top of each other now. A dog would make us even more crowded.

When the addition is finished, his dad had added, we’ll have a lot more room. You can have a dog then. That’s a promise.

Yeah! That was a great promise! Clayton muttered softly to himself. It had taken his dad all last year just to lay out the footprint for the addition and put up the outside walls. Just that—no inside walls, no floors, no windows and no stairs. His dad had done absolutely nothing after that. It would be years before he would get a dog at the rate his dad was working.

They were still living in the small rooms above Dad’s carpentry shop.

There was a kitchen with a table and chairs where they ate and did their home schooling lessons. There was also a washer and dryer in the kitchen so they were all crowded together, making it hard for them to move around.

The living room had a sofa, one chair, a coffee table and a TV. When they all watched TV together, someone had to sit on the floor. Dad’s office was so small that there was only room for a desk and a chair. The one and only bathroom was just big enough for a sink, toilet and a shower, which was so small that your elbows bumped against the walls when you washed your hair. Mom and Dad’s bedroom was tiny too, with just enough room for a double bed, a dresser and a closet.

And he had to share a bedroom with Andrew and Charlotte. And instead of a dog, he’d gotten a goldfish for his birthday!

You couldn’t have adventures with a goldfish. It was a stupid, boring fish that did nothing but swim around and around in the bowl. He was always being reminded to feed it and change its water.

And then there was the problem of his birthday dinner.

Andrew had asked for hamburgers, French fries and chocolate cake. Charlotte had wanted hot dogs, potato chips and an ice cream sundae which had to be made in a special way: the chocolate ice cream had to have strawberry sauce, the vanilla ice cream had to have chocolate sauce, and the strawberry ice cream had to have caramel sauce. The whipped cream had to be swirled and the cherries on top had to have stems. Actually, all of it tasted pretty good.

He’d like hamburgers, French fries and an ice cream sundae, but then Andrew and Charlotte would say that he was being a copycat and it wasn’t fair that he’d stolen their birthday dinner ideas.

Clayton turned over and sighed. He loved any kind of food except liver and spinach. Everyone in his family teased him about getting fat because he ate so much. Except he wasn’t fat, he was really skinny and he was always hungry. He didn’t have a favorite meal and he couldn’t help it that he liked food.

Clayton sighed again. That’ll have to be a surprise too. I’ll just have to tell Mom and Dad that I want to be surprised.

Seat belt, Dad reminded Clayton, as he opened the pickup truck door the next morning. You’re in the middle, son.

I’m always in the middle! Clayton protested. I never get to sit by the window. Couldn’t that be part of my birthday celebration?

No way, son, his father said, Hop in. You know what always happened to Andrew and Charlotte when we go over the mountains. Let’s make a special birthday bet, he whispered, leaning over and fastening Clayton’s seat belt. I bet that we won’t make it past the second mountain.

A real bet? I’ll get to win something? asked Clayton.

Yes, his father grinned. It’s your birthday. You can choose where we eat lunch—Wendy’s, Arby’s McDonald’s or Burger King. But don’t tell your mother. You know how she feels about betting. Do you want to take me on?

Clayton thought and then asked, Couldn’t we put Pizza Hut in the bet?

No. Only fast food. We’ve got a lot of things to do today. Do you want to take me on, son?

I really get to pick the place? Clayton asked again, wanting to be absolutely sure his father wasn’t joking.

Yes, replied his father.

Clayton tried to remember when Andrew and Charlotte got carsick. Finally he said, I’ll bet it will be on the last mountain, the big one with the horseshoe curve. What is it called?

The Shenandoah Mountain.

That’s the one. I bet they get carsick on the Shenandoah Mountain.

It’s a deal then, his father said smiling.

Clayton couldn’t stop himself from glancing at Andrew and Charlotte every few minutes once they had left home. Even when his mom turned around in the front seat of the pickup and suggested that they sing, he kept glancing at his brother and sister.

On the first mountain, Andrew opened his window. Charlotte opened her window on the second mountain. That was always the first sign that they were feeling a little queasy and needed air.

At the top of the third mountain they both had their heads hanging out of their windows.

That’s good, Clayton thought. They’re not sick enough to throw up. Go slower, Dad, go slower. Please slow down, he chanted softly under his breath, while crossing his fingers for good luck. Take the cures, slowly, Dad. We’re still not at the big mountain yet—the Shenandoah Mountain.

Then they were in a small valley and starting up the Shenandoah Mountain. The road twisted and turned, doubling back on itself again and again. The truck swayed back and forth around the steep curves.

Charlotte leaned over the plastic grocery bag first and then Andrew followed.

Clayton saw his father wink at him in the mirror as they stopped at the overlook on the top of the Shenandoah Mountain to air out the pickup truck and clean up Andrew and Charlotte.

It didn’t matter that it was smelly and disgusting. He had won the first be he’d ever made! He could pick where they would eat lunch.

It took most of the morning in the lumber yard and an at an appliance store to get all the things Dad needed. His dad was renovating a rundown old garage and turning it into a guest cottage for some people in town.

Since Andrew loved figuring things out, he followed their father everywhere. He even pulled out his own tape measure and re-measured everything their father purchased—the sink, the refrigerator, the washer and dryer and even the countertop.

Charlotte had found a place to put her small drawing pad and she drew pictures. Mom sat in the truck and made out a huge grocery shopping list.

Clayton wandered around the appliance store, feeling bored and wishing that he had brought a book to read. The problem was that he had read all the books at home, at least once and some several times.

My life stinks, he muttered under his breath. Why can’t I be artistic like Charlotte or a whiz with numbers like Andrew?

At last his father had loaded everything in the truck bed. Lunch time, he announced, starting the engine and winking at Clayton in the rear view mirror. Since it is Clayton’s birthday, he gets to choose.

Clayton chose Wendy’s.

After lunch, his mom said, There are some things to do at the mall since it is Clayton’s birthday.

Great! Just great! Clayton though sourly. That means boring clothes, and I’ll have to try them on and then Mom with fuss about how they fit and if there is enough room for me to grow into. Who wants clothes for a birthday present?

Dad led the way into the mall but instead of going into a store, he went to the movie theatre. Three children and two adults, he said, pulling out his wallet, for Harry Potter.

Then he bought five bags of popcorn. It was the first movie Clayton had ever