With Love from Spain, Melanie Martin

March 16 Dear Diary, Four more hours till we land in SPAIN!! If I didn't have my seat belt on, I'd be jumping UP AND DOWN. We have been waiting waiting waiting for spring break and it's finally here! NO early-morning wake-ups, NO pop quizzes, and NO homeworkfor two weeks anyway. Since Dad had to go to Madrid on business, Mom used frequent-flyer miles so we could all tag along. Today they picked us up after school, and we went straight to the airport. I'm excited about this trip because I speak Spanish hablo espanol (Ah Blow S Pon Yole). Not fluently or anything, but I know how to count. One is uno (Oo No), two is dos (Dose), and three is tres (Trace). I can also say hi, which is hola (Oh La), and lots of other words. I hope I meet a nice Spanish girl so I can learn more. Right now I'm in seat 22 next to Matt the Brat. He asked me, "Are the street signs in Spain in Spanish?" "Duh," I said, and made a how-stupid-can-you-get face. "Wrong!" He laughed. "They're in sign language!" Believe it or not, that joke was better than some of his other second-grade humor. In the taxi, for instance, Matt said, "What goes ha-ha-ha-ha-splat?" I said, "What?" and he said, "A man laughing his head off." Well, that was so lame that I said, "You came out funny. That's why Mom and Dad stopped having kids after they had you." He said, "You came out funny. That's why Mom and Dad had me." Fortunately, Matt is now asleep. His eyes are closed and his mouth is open. Mom and Dad told us to try to sleep because when we arrive, it will be morning of a brand-new dayready or not. Problem is, I'm not sleepy. Something is bothering me. All of us are excited about this vacation, but Mom might be too excited. An old friend of hers is picking us up at the airport. And not just any old friend. An old boyfriend! And not just any old boyfriend. A "serious" old boyfriend. His name is Antonio (On Toe Knee Oh). All I know about him is that he smokeswhich is disgusting. And he speaks English but makes mistakes. And he has a kid. And his last name is Ramon (Rah Moan). How could Mom have gone out with someone who can't speak English without making mistakes? And who smokes? Last weekend Mom showed me ancient photos of them together. In one, they were holding hands at a zoo. In another, they had their arms around each other in front of a castle. Mom's friend Lori was visiting, and she and Mom started looking at scrapbooks and giggling as if they were still college roommates. "I can't believe you and Antonio have started e-mailing!" Lori said. "I can't believe I'm about to see him after all these years!" Mom answered. "That's my fantasy," Lori said. "To see an old boyfriend when I'm with my husband and kids. No, wait! I think my fantasy is to see an old boyfriend when I'm all by myself!" Lori laughed and laughed. It made me feel w-e-i-r-d. "Think he's still tall, dark, and handsome?" "Who knows?" Mom answered. "Well, get your beauty sleep on the plane," Lori said as she was leaving. "And give Antonio a big kiss for me." Get this: Mom asked, "How big?" and they both giggled! I wonder if Mom and Antonio ever did kiss. Is that a dumb thing to wonder? Obviously, they must have. I was tempted to say something toWeston, Carol is the author of 'With Love from Spain, Melanie Martin', published 2004 under ISBN 9780375926464 and ISBN 0375926461.