Teeny Weeny Zucchinis by Judy Delton Read Free Book Online

CHAPTER 1
Molly’s Good Deed
    “N ow, are you sure you’ll be all right while I’m gone?” asked Molly’s mother.
    Molly and her dad nodded. Mrs. Duff was going out of town to visit her friend Roxie for the weekend.
    “I’ve got Molly here to take care of me,” said Mr. Duff.
    Molly giggled. She was seven. She knew that her dad was supposed to take care of
her
!
    Molly carried her mother’s suitcase to the car. Her dad put it in the trunk.
    “There are TV dinners in the freezer and fresh fruit in the fridge. Be sure to feed Skippy and put the recycling bin out and—”
    Mr. Duff held up his hand. “I’ll be sure and put Skippy out and feed the recycling bin,” he said. “Have a good time!”
    He and Molly gave Mrs. Duff a kiss, and she drove off down the street toward the highway.
    When her dad went to the garage to recycle, Molly went to her room. The house was quiet for a Saturday with her mom gone. Usually on her day off Mrs. Duff tried a new recipe, and the smell of cookies baking or a roast roasting came from the kitchen.
    Suddenly Molly had an idea! She could make that happen! She could cook dinner for her dad. They didn’t have to eat frozen dinners. She could make his favorite dinner. Pork chops and mashed potatoes. How hardcould that be? And the best part of doing it was that it would be a giant good deed to report at their Pee Wee Scout meeting on Tuesday! Their leader, Mrs. Peters, heard the same old good deeds over and over, like raking the leaves and carrying packages and helping people across the street.
    Molly would be able to report something big. Something huge. Cooking a dinner was better than any good deed yet.
    She ran to the kitchen. There were potatoes in the bin. All she needed were pork chops! She raced to her room and counted her money. She had $4.62. That should be plenty.
    On the way to the store she stopped in the garage.
    “Hi, babe,” said her dad. “What do you say to dinner out this evening? Just you and me at the Big Burger.”
    Molly was tempted. Big Burgers were very good.
    “I want to cook dinner,” she said. “It will be a surprise. I have to go to the store for something.”

    Her dad looked surprised. He opened his mouth as if he was going to say “It’s too much work” or “You aren’t old enough” or “You don’t know how” or just plain no.
    But he didn’t. He just said, “That will be fun. I’ll bring the wine!”
    Molly laughed. She knew he meant apple juice.
    She ran down the street toward the store. The money jingled in her pocket. Her dad liked the idea! She hoped she wouldn’t disappoint him. Did she know how to make pork chops? Just pop them in the microwave. How hard could that be?
    In the meat department she found four small pork chops in a package. That was just right. They cost $4.50. She paid for them.
    On the way home she thought of something. Mashed potatoes needed gravy. How did you make gravy? She would stop atMary Beth’s house. Mary Beth’s mother would know.
    Mary Beth was her best friend. And she was a Pee Wee Scout too. There were thirteen Pee Wee Scouts. One was in a wheelchair. And one was a temporary Pee Wee Scout from California. They met every Tuesday in Mrs. Peters’s basement. They earned badges. Like baby-tending badges, skiing badges, and horseback-riding badges. Molly wished there were a “cooking a pork chop dinner” badge.
    When Mary Beth came to the door, Molly told her the plan.
    “Come and help me,” Molly said. “And you can stay for supper. And I’ll share my good deed with you. Does your mom know how to make gravy?”
    “Of course,” said Mary Beth.
    Mary Beth ran to ask her mom and to tell her she was going to Molly’s house for supper.
    “You mix a quarter cup of flour with one cup of water,” Mary Beth’s mom said. “And add it to the pan the meat is in.”
    The girls ran to Molly’s house. “Mary Beth is staying for supper,” said Molly.
    “Good,” said Mr. Duff.
    When they got ready to