Book 3 — Story 3
A group of friends celebrate one of their birthdays.
The Wilsons’ Night Out
Wilson Green was on his computer. He heard a ding and saw a box that said, “Ted’s birthday, April 12th.” Wilson Green and Ted Wilson became friends in seventh grade. By mistake, the gym teacher put them together in ABC order. Then, the teacher asked if they were related. Joking about their names made them close.
Wilson sent an e-mail to six friends. He wrote, “Ted’s birthday is Friday. Let’s surprise him with dinner and a movie.”
Katie Cross replied, “Maybe he’d rather do something more exciting.”
Wilson e-mailed back to the group. “He just told me that he wanted to see Boraz, Serious Smiles, or Lisa Hanson this weekend. He also said he wanted to eat at the ‘Weeping Willow.’ It will be a surprise if you all show up. I’ll get back to you.”
Next, Wilson called Ted. He said, “Hey, Dude, are we doing your birthday on Friday? You know, the movie and ‘Weeping Willow.’ ”
Ted said, “Maria’s going to be out of town. So, yeah, let’s make it a night. I’ve got the newspaper right here. I’ll look at movie times.” He turned to page E12. “Both Boraz and Lisa Hanson are on at 6:00 p.m. We could go to the movie first. Which one do you want to see?”
“I’ve heard that Boraz has sort of a weak plot. So, I vote for Lisa Hanson.”
“Sounds good to me. It’s a plan. Later.” The two boys hung up. Wilson e-mailed the other six. They planned to be in their seats at 5:40.
When Friday came, Wilson picked Ted up. Since it was only 5:35, Wilson took the long way to the theater. He didn’t want to get there before the others did. Ted said, “Why are you going this way? Do you have gas money to blow? If so, you can put some gas in my car!”
Wilson lied, “I just wasn’t thinking. I guess this is the long way, isn’t it?” At the theater, Wilson pulled out his credit card to pay. He said, “I’ll treat you, birthday boy!”
Ted said, “When did you get a debit card? What’s your pin number? I’ll put it in for you.”
Wilson said, “It’s not a debit card. It’s a credit card with a $150 limit. It’s so I don’t have to carry cash.”
On the way to their seats, Ted said, “We should have called Hugo. He really wants to see this movie.” Then they walked through the door and heard “Happy Birthday!” Ted was surprised to see Hugo and the others.
Ted looked at Wilson. “You planned this?”
“I thought it would be fun to surprise you! And, they all wanted to see the movie, too!”
Soon the movie started. It was very funny and they all laughed a lot. All of a sudden, LaDee North yelled out, “Stop that, you creep! Move before I call the manager.” The stranger sitting by LaDee moved to the back.
Suna Chow was sitting next to LaDee. Suna asked, “What’s wrong? What did he do?”
“The creep touched my thigh.”
“Maybe he didn’t mean to.”
“Oh, he meant to. The first time he did it, I just quietly moved his hand. Then he did it again. He’s just a creep,” LaDee whispered.” Then things quieted down. They all went back to the movie.
Afterwards, the group went to the ‘Weeping Willow’ restaurant. Wilson said, “It’s your birthday. So, you don’t have to pay, Ted.”
When the waitress came, Ted said, “I’m not hungry. I’ll just have water.”
Wilson said, “Ted, don’t be crazy. I know you are hungry. And, I know you like this place. So, eat!”
Ted said, “But, I know that you are watching your money.”
“Yes, I am,” Wilson said, “but I have planned for tonight. Plus everyone else has agreed to chip in. I’m OK. Eat!”
Katie Cross said, “I’m going to find something healthy and cheap. I don’t want to mess up my diet or my budget.”
“I’m starving!” Jin Shin said. “I think I want a steak, a pizza, and a hamburger.”
“Trying to gain a little weight?” Calid Pye laughed.
“Well, my pocketbook is going to help my diet. I can’t afford everything I want!” Jin said.
When the waitress came, she started at one end of the table. She wrote down all eight choices. A couple of times, she asked people to repeat something. She was very careful to get the whole order written correctly.
When the drinks came, Katie took a sip. Then she spit it out all over the others. She yelled, “Oh, yuck!”
The waitress was nearby and came back over to the table. She asked, “Is something wrong?”
Katie showed the waitress her glass. “What is that in there? It looks like garbage. And, I drank out of that glass.”
The waitress said, “I’m so sorry. I don’t know what it is. I’ll get you a new drink right away.” She came back with a new drink. She said, “It was a piece of moldy cheese. I don’t know why it was there. I’m so sorry. Your dinner is on the house.”
Katie thanked the waitress. After she was gone, Wilson looked in his glass. Then he said, “Darn! No moldy cheese in my glass!”
What do you think?
- When a stranger touched LaDee’s leg, she told him to move and then just let it go. Do you think she handled the situation properly? Explain.
- Wilson received a ding and a message about Ted’s birthday. What do you think Wilson did so he would receive the reminder ding?
What would you do?
- Wilson wanted Ted to choose the movie they would see on his birthday. But, he sort of shot down one of the movies. What would you have said or done if you had been Wilson and Ted asked you about the two movies.
