Starring Sally J. Freedman as Herself by Judy Blume Read Free Book Online Page A

pointing … up, down, left or right …”
    “Don’t you have the alphabet here? At home we have charts with all the letters …”
    “Up, down, left or right … if you don’t know your left from your right just point …”
    “I know my left from my right,” Sally said andshe began to read the chart. “Up … left … right … up … down …”
    When both her eyes had been tested and the nurse was satisfied that Sally could see, she said, “Now have a seat and unbraid your hair.”
    “But my mother just fixed it for me …”
    “And it looks very pretty … but I have to check your head before you can be admitted to class, so the sooner you take down those braids the sooner you can get going …”
    Sally reached up and unpinned her coronet. Then she took the rubber bands off the ends of her braids and unwound them.
    The nurse started picking through Sally’s hair, messing it up. Sally hoped Mom had a hairbrush in her purse. “Oh oh …” the nurse said, clicking her tongue against the roof of her mouth. “You’ve got them.”
    “Got what?”
    “Nits.”
    “In my hair?”
    “Where else?”
    “What are they?”
    “Lice eggs . . I can’t admit you to school with them … you’ll spread them everywhere …”
    “But how could I have them? My hair’s very clean … my mother washed it last night and gave me a vinegar rinse besides …”
    “No matter … shampooing can’t get them out … you need something much stronger … they’re nasty little critters. Put your shoes back on while I tell your mother what to do.” She walked out of the room.
    Sally jumped into her loafers and listened at the doorway.
    “I’ve never heard anything so outrageous!” Mom said. “I’ve always kept my children immaculate. Anyone with eyes can see that. Why, just last night I shampooed her hair …”
    “Look, Mrs. Freedman … don’t take this personally … you’ve been traveling … you’re in another part of the country … she could have picked them up anywhere … it’s very common … that’s why we check the new children so carefully … she’s not alone …”
    Mom shook her head. “You don’t understand.”
    “Take her home and use the treatment,” the nurse said, “and in a few days I’ll be happy to check her again.”
    When Sally heard the word
treatment
her throat tightened and tears came to her eyes.
    “I hate it here!” Sally and Mom were walking home from school. “I hate the nurse and the school and Miami Beach!” She bit her lip to keep from crying.
    Mom said, “Listen, honey … that nurse is crazy … she doesn’t know what she’s talking about. You don’t have nits. And we’ll never tell anyone about it, okay?”
    “Then I don’t need her treatment after all?” Sally asked, brightening.
    “Oh, I suppose it can’t hurt to go along with her … otherwise she might not let you into school … but between you and me, there’s nothing wrong … absolutely nothing …”
    When they got home Sally went into the bathroom and carefully examined her hair in the mirror. She didn’t see anything unusual. She came out and found her mother, Douglas and Ma Fanny talking quietly in the kitchen. They stopped when they saw her.
    “Well …” Mom said, “I think I’ll go down to the drugstore … I’ll be back as fast as I can.”
    As soon as she’d left Douglas said, “I hear you’ve got the cooties.”
    “I do not have cooties. Mom said there’s nothing wrong … that nurse is crazy … besides, she didn’t say
cooties
, she said
nits
.”
    “What do you think cooties are?”
    “Cooties are make-believe … there’s really no such thing.”
    Douglas started laughing. “Baloney … they’re lice … little bugs that fly around in your hair…” He rubbed his thumb and second finger together.
    “You’re lying,” Sally said.
    “Cootie … cootie … cootie …”
    “Ma Fanny,”