Double Fudge by Judy Blume Read Free Book Online

Fudge understand," Dad agreed. "Good idea, Muriel!"
    Grandma beamed.
    "We haven't been to Washington in ages," Mom said.
    "I've never been there," I told them. "Jimmy Fargo says the Air and Space Museum is so cool. Can we check it out?"
    "Sounds good to me," Dad said.
    Grandma volunteered to stay at our apartment with Tootsie, Turtle, and Uncle Feather.
    And a week later, when school was closed for two days because of teachers' meetings, we headed for Washington, D.C.
    We started out early and ate breakfast on the train. Fudge was really impressed by the snack car. As soon as we carried our food to our seats, he was ready to
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    go back for more. Mom and Dad were sitting in the row in front of us, so I was the one he kept annoying. "Come on, Pete... let's go back to the snack car."
    "I'm still eating," I told him, slurping up the last of my juice.
    He was quiet for about two minutes. Then he asked, "Are we almost there, Pete?"
    "No, we're not almost there. We're not even close. It takes three hours to get to Washington, so why don't you look at your books, or draw a picture or something."
    I got out my Electroman Advanced Plus. But just as I started a game Fudge covered the screen with his hand. "Will you take me back to the snack car now?"
    "If I do, will you leave me alone?"
    "Sure, Pete."
    I asked Dad for money. He reminded me not to get Fudge any candy, as if I needed reminding. He was already flying high. "A banana would be good," Dad said. "And juice, not soda."
    The snack car was three cars forward. Fudge had already learned to open the doors between the cars by kicking the open door plate at the bottom of each door. He liked the whoosh of air as he raced from car to car. "This is so fun, Pete! I wish I could ride the train every day."
    "We ride the subway," I reminded him.
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    "But there's no snack car on the subway and the seats aren't soft and when you look out the window it's all dark."
    "That's because the subway is an underground train."
    "Wow, Pete ... I never knew that!"
    "Well, now you know."
    "William says, learn something new every day."
    I snorted.
    "William is smart, Pete. He's the smartest teacher in the world."
    Sure he is, I thought.
    Fudge got a banana and a juice box at the snack car. While I paid, Fudge peeled all the skin off his banana and shoved half of it into his mouth. His cheeks puffed out and he couldn't talk his mouth was so full. He insisted on carrying the little cardboard box that held the rest of his banana and his juice box. But on the way back from the snack car the train swerved and Fudge lost his balance. He flew into the lap of a woman in a red suit and coughed out the gooey, half-chewed banana all over her clothes.
    "Get off me!" she shouted. "Someone get him off me!" She shoved Fudge off her lap as if he were a slobbering dog, or worse. "Ohhhh," she cried, "look what you've done. You've ruined my suit." She turned to the man across the aisle. "Can you believe this?
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    And I've got an appointment at the White House!" Then she glared at Fudge, who was picking himself up off the floor. "You know who lives at the White House?" she asked him.
    "The President," Fudge said.
    "That's right! And I'm going to tell him exactly how I got these stains on my suit." She jumped up and marched to the rear of the car, where there was a rest room.
    "Tell him it was a banana," Fudge called. "And tell him my name, too. It's Farley Drexel Hatcher, but he can call me Fudge."
    I grabbed him and pulled him back to our seats. No way was I ever taking him to the snack car again.
    When we finally got to Washington our first stop was a tour of the Bureau of Printing and Engraving. That's where the green stuff is printed. There were about twenty other people in our group. Our tour guide's name was Rosie. She had dark eyes, reddish hair, and big teeth.
    Before our official tour began, Rosie told us some of what we'd see during our tour. Fun Facts, she called them. I decided to write her Fun Facts in my