Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing Audiobook: Chapters 8-10

welcome to reading is succeeding listen and follow along with your copy of tales of a fourth grade nothing by Judy Blue chapter 8 the TV star Aunt Linda is my mother's sister she lives in Boston last week she had a baby girl so now I have a new cousin my mother decided to fly to Boston to see Aunt Linda and the new baby I'll only be gone for the weekend my mother told me I was sitting on her bed watching her pack I know I said daddy will take care of you and fudge I know I said again are you sure you'll be all right she asked me sure why not will you help daddy with fudge sure mom don't worry I'm not worrying it's just that daddy is so well you know he doesn't know much about taking care of children then she closed her suitcase we'll be fine mom I said I was really looking forward to the weekend my father doesn't care about keeping things neat he never examines me to see if I'm clean and he lets me stay up late at night on Friday morning all four of us rode down in the elevator to say goodbye to my mother Henry looked at the suitcase you going away mr. Hatcher he asked my mother answered no I am Henry my sister just had her first baby I'm flying to Boston for the weekend to help out new baby fudge said baby baby baby nobody paid any attention to him sometimes my brother just talks to hear the sound of his own voice have a nice visit mrs. Hatcher Henry told my mother when we reached the lobby Thank You Henry my mother said keep an eye on my family for me will do mrs. Hatcher Henry said giving my father a wink outside my father held a taxi he put the suitcase in first then held the door for my mother when she was settled in the cab my father said don't worry about us we'll be just fine just fine just fine mommy fudgie old bye mom see you Sunday I said my mother blew us kisses then her cab drove away my father's side while fudge jumped up and down calling bye mommy bye bye bye I had no school that day the teachers were at a special meeting so my father said he'd take me and fudge to the office with him my father's office isn't a huge building made of almost all glass it's really a busy place you never see people just sitting quietly at desks everyone's always rushing around a person could get lost in there my father has a private office and his own secretary her name is Janet and she's very pretty I especially like her hair it's thick and black she has the longest eyelashes I've ever seen once I heard my mother say Janet must have to get up at the crack of dawn just to put on her face my father just laughed when my mother said it Janet seen me before but this was her first meeting with fudge I was glad his hair was finally growing back I explained right off about his teeth he'll look a lot better when he's older I said he knocked out his front too but when he's six or seven he'll get new ones see fudge said opening his mouth all gone my father said Janet the boys are going to be here for the morning can you amuse them while I clear up some work certainly mr. Hatcher Janet said you go ahead into your office and I'll take the boys on a tour of the rest of the agency as soon as my father went into his private off is Janet took out her pocketbook she reached in and came up with a hairbrush some lipstick and a bag of crackers want some she asked me in fudge okay I said taking a handful fudge did the same the crackers were shaped like little goldfish i nibbled while janet fixed herself up she had a big folding mirror in her desk drawer she set it on top of her desk and went to work on herself when she was finished she looked exactly the same as when we came in but I guess she didn't think so because she said that's much better then she put all of her stuff away and took me by one hand and fudge by the other we walked down a long hall through a doorway and into another section of the agency we came to a room where there were a bunch of kids with mothers I guess there were at least 50 of them most of the kids were kind of small like fudge some were crying is this a nursery school or what I asked Janet she laughed they're here to try out for the new toddle bike commercial you mean they all want to be the kid who rides the toddle bike on TV yes at least their mothers want them to be picked Janet said but we can only use one you mean only one out of all of these kids is going to be picked that's right Janet said who picks him I asked your father and mr. den Bergh are doing it but of course mr. Vincent the president of the toddle bike company has to approve just then a door opened and a secretary came out next she called to the waiting kids my marae's next a mother said oh no he's not another mother called sally is next ladies please you'll all have a turn the secretary said Maury got to be next he was a little redheaded kid he wasn't in the other room for two minutes when the door opened and a big man with the cigar in his mouth came out no no no he shouted he's not the type at all Maury was crying his mother yelled at the big man what do you know anyway you wouldn't know a treasure if you found one she shook her fist at him Janet whispered to me that's mr. Vincent the president of toddle bike mr. Vincent walked down to the center of the room he looked around at all the kids when he looked over at us he pointed and called there he is that's the kid I want I thought he meant me I got excited I could just see myself on TV riding the toddle bike all my friends would turn on their sets and say hey look there's Peter while I was thinking about what fun it would be mr. Vincent came over to us and grabbed fudge he lifted him up perfect he cried he's perfect the mothers who were waiting packed up their kids and left right away mr. Vincent took off with fudge in his arms Janet chased him she called but mr. Vincent you don't understand I ran after Janet mr. Vincent carried fudge into the other room he announced I found him myself the perfect kid to ride the toddle bike in my new commercial mr. Vincent put fudge down and took the cigar out of his mouth there were two other men in the room one of them was mr. den Berg the other one was my father hi Daddy fudge said George my father told mr. Vincent this is my son he's no actor model he can't make your toddle bike commercial he doesn't have to be an actor or a model he's perfect the way he is mr. Vincent insisted now look George we want to make the best possible commercial for your company but fudge can't be the boy to ride the total bike now you listen Hatcher the mr. Vincent raised his voice I wondered why he called my father Hatcher just like mr. yarby did mr. Vincent pointed at fudge either that kid rides my total bike or I take my account to another advertising agency it's that simple my father looked at mr. den Bergh it's your decision warned mr. den Berg told my father I don't want to be the one to tell you what to do my father picked up fudge and held him on his lap would you like to ride the toddle bike fudge it's just like the one you have at home why are you asking him I said what does he know about making commercials my father acted like he'd forgotten I was even around I'm thinking Peter he said please be quiet well Hatcher mr. Vincent said what'll it be this kid of your or do I move to another agency I remember how my father lost the juicio account because of fudge now maybe he lose this one too and I don't think he can afford that finally my father said all right George you can use him on one condition though what's that Hatcher mr. Vincent asked the commercial has to be made this afternoon after today my son fudge won't be available that's fine with me Hatcher mr. Vincent said is he going to get paid I asked my father I'll worry about that Peter my father said that probably meant yes he'd be paid and have lots of money in the bank I'd have nothing and someday I'd have to borrow from him no wait a minute never I'll never borrow money from fudge I'll starve first can I at least watch when you make the commercial I asked certainly my father said you can watch the whole thing I turn to mr. den Berg we'll fudge be famous I asked no not famous but a lot of people will think he looks familiar mr. den Berg said I turned to mr. Vincent do you know he has no front top teeth that's part of his charm mr. Vincent said and he cut off all his hair two months ago well he looks fine now mr. Vincent said and he can't even talk in long sentences yet I told everyone in the room he doesn't have to say a word mr. Vincent told me I couldn't think of another reason why mr. Vincent shouldn't use fudge in his toddle bike commercial it was settled soon fudge would be a famous television star and I would be plain old Peter Hatcher fourth grade nothing let's begin right after lunch mr. den Berg said we should get it filmed in about two hours while my father and mr. den Berg worked out all the arrangements I asked Janet where the men's room was she walked me to it I told her thank you and that she didn't have to wait I'd find my own way back when I was safely inside I looked at myself in the mirror I wish fudge had never been born I thought everything good always happens to him if he had to be born I wish he could be 9 or 10 like me then mr. Vincent wouldn't want him to be the one to ride the total bike in his commercial Janet sent down to the coffee shop for some sandwiches and drinks after we ate we all walked to another section of the agency where the cameras were set up a make-believe street scene was the background the toddle bike was shiny red my father told fudge all he had to do was ride it around fudge like that he zoomed all over the place broom broom broom he called my father mr. Vinson and Janet sat on folding chairs and watched the action I sat on the floor at my father's side mr. den Berg was the director he said okay fudge we're ready to begin now you ride the toddle bye like where I tell you and I'll take a picture of you doing it all right no fudge said what does he mean Hatcher mr. Vincent asked why did he say no my father groaned look George using fudge was your idea not mine mr. den Berg tried again okay fudge this is it the cameraman said start writing this way ready set go fudge sat there on the toddle bike but he wouldn't pedal come on kid let's go the cameraman called no don't want to fudge answered what's with this kid mr. Hatcher the cameraman asked fudge my father said do what the nice man tells you to know don't have to janet whispered to my father how about some cookies mr. Hatcher good idea Janet my father told her I have some Oreos right here she said patting her pocketbook shall I give them to him one at a time my father said Janet walked across a room to fudge he was still sitting on the toddle bike if you do what the nice man says you can have a cookie Janet told him show me fudge said Janet held up a box of Oreos she was really well prepared I thought she must eat all day long what with the crackers shaped like goldfish and a whole box of Oreos to I wondered what else she had in that pocketbook give me fudge said Janet held up one cookie fudge reached for it but Janet didn't let him get it if you do what the nice man says you can have an Oreo maybe even two or three Oreos first cookie fudge said first do what the nice man says Janet told him no first cookie give him one Janet mr. Denvir called we haven't got all day to fool around Janet gave fudge one Oreo he ate it up okay kid already now the cameraman said you write over me fudge didn't do it mr. Vincent was losing his patience Hatcher he hollered you get that son of yours to ride my total bike or I'm taking my whole account away from you and your agency must I remind you George using fudge was your idea not mine my father said forget about whose idea was Hatcher he's your kid you better get through to him now I have an idea my father said he walked to the corner of the room and beckoned to the others mr. den Berg and mr. Vincent gathered around him along with the cameraman and Janet they look like a bunch of football players huddled together talking about the next play soon my father called me Peter would you join us please sure dad I said what is it Peter we want you to ride the toddle bike for us to show fudge how it's done but he already knows how to ride I said didn't you see him zooming around he won't do it for the cameras though my father explained so we need your help will I be in the commercial too I asked well the total bike is really for very young children mr. den Berg said otherwise we'd have you do it in a minute I got the message it was like buying the shoes and like it dr. Brown's office they were going to use me to get fudge to do what they wanted him to I wondered how anybody would ever manage my brother without my help I walked over to fudge and told him I was going to ride the toddle bike get off I said fudge held on to the bike no mine it's not yours my father told him but fudge wouldn't move for anything he closed his eyes and screamed can he scream loud when he tries so my father had to pull him off the toddle bike fudge kicked and kept screaming and I'll bet mr. Vincent was sorry that he ever spotted my brother in the first place I got on the toddle bike it was so small my knees practically touched the ground but I managed to ride it around just where the counter man told me to see how nice Peter can ride the toddle bike janet said here Peter come have an Oreo you did that so well you can have two or three if you want fudge stop screaming me he said what my father asked him me ride me you can't ride as well as Peter can mr. den Berghe said can so fudge told him I don't think so mr. den burg said you already had a turn you didn't do what I told you to do me you want to try again my father asked again fudge said again again again well I don't know mr. den burg said well mr. vincent said chewing on his cigar well the cameraman said scratching his head please fudge bag I never heard my brother say please before mr. den Berghe said okay we'll give you one more chance fudge ran to the toddle bike I got off and he jumped on now he asked mr. den Bergh now mr. den bergh said ride this way fudge over here towards me fudge did as he was told just like Peter he said see just like Peter Janet gave me a kiss on my cheek you saved the day Peter hatcher she said when she wasn't looking I wiped off my face her kiss was too juicy chapter nine just another rainy day the next day it rained my father asked me how I'd like to go to the movies just me I asked no all three of us he said fudge is very young to go I said don't you think so maybe but I can't think of anything else to do with him and that will take up a few hours you can give him some socks I suggested you know how he loves to play with your socks socks won't last the whole afternoon my father said that's why I thought of the movies what do we see dad my father checked his New York Magazine a bears life is playing in the neighborhood how does that sound what's it about I asked a bear's life I guess my father said it's rated G I was thinking of a good western with lots of action or else a picture rated R where you can't get in if you're under 17 unless you're with your parents but my father had made up his mind a bear's life it was I suggested that my father get fudge cleaned up because by then he was looking kind of messy I don't think my father even put him into his pajamas last night he's been wearing the same polo shirt ever since my mother left yesterday morning by one o'clock we were ready to go all three of us bought our raincoats and rubbers and my father took his big black umbrella one thing about New York it's hard to get a cab when it's raining but the movie theater wasn't very far away my father said the walk would do us all good there were a lot of puddles it was really pouring I like to walk in the rain especially if it isn't too cold out it feels nice when it wets your face I jumped over the puddles my father avoided them too but not fudge he jumped right into everyone and splashed around like a little duck by the time we got to the movie theater the bottoms of his pants were soaked my father took him into the men's room he stuffed a bunch of paper towels up each pant leg so fudge wouldn't have to sit around wet at first fudge complained but when my father bought him a big box of popcorn he forgot about his stuffed pants right after we got settled in our seats a big boy sat down in front of fudge so he had to change seats with my father now he was on the aisle I was in the middle and my father was on my other side when the lights dimmed fledge said ooh dark I told him be quiet you can't talk in the movies okay Peter he said that's when he started throwing his popcorn at first I didn't notice but I wondered why people in front of us were turning around every second then I heard fudge whisper pow pow pow and I saw him throw a handful of popcorn I poked my father he's throwing his popcorn I whispered my father reached across me and tapped fudge on the leg if you throw one more piece I'm going to take it away from you no throw fudge said very loud Shh the people in front of us said Shh fudge said back to them you see I told my father he's too young for the movies he doesn't understand but from the moment the first bear came onto the screen fudge sat still and watched and after a while I forgot all about him and concentrated on the movie it was much better than I thought it would be it showed all these bear cubs in how they live I'm not sure when I realized fudge was gone I guess it was when I turned to ask him if he had any popcorn left I had already finished mine and was still hungry I was really surprised to see he wasn't there I mean one minute he was sitting right next to me and the next minute he was gone hey Dad I whispered to my father he's gone what my father asked fudge isn't in his seat my father looked over where did he go I don't know I just noticed he was gone let me out Peter I'll find him should I come too I asked no you can sit here and watch the rest of the picture he's probably wandering around by the candy counter I stood up to let my father out I wondered what my mother would think if she knew fudge was lost in the movies a few minutes later the picture stopped right in the middle of a scene the soundtrack trailed off like a broken record all the lights came on the audience let out a groan some kids called boo-boo then my father and two Usher's a man in a suit came over to me he was sitting right here my father told them pointing to the empty seat on the aisle well the man in the suit said we've checked the restrooms and the office he's not behind the candy counter we'll have to search the theatre he cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted ladies and gentlemen may I have your attention please we'll continue with our film in one moment but first we have to find a three year old boy answering to the name of fudge some people laughed when the man said his name I guess fudge does sound funny if you're not used to it I thought maybe he's been kidnapped when my mother being mad then I thought who'd want to kidnap him anyway what should i do dad I asked why don't you walk up and down the aisle and call him Peter okay I said here fudge I called starting down my aisle I sounded like I was calling a dog come on out fudge when I got down to the first row and called here fudge he popped out at me he scared me so bad I yelled oh hi Peter he said hey I found him I called I found him I found him here he is then I turned to my brother you dope what are you doing way down here and why are you sitting on the floor wanted to touch the Bears fudge said but bears are all gone he spread out his arms and said all gone again my father the ushers and the man in the suit ran to us fudge my father said scooping him up are you all right he wanted to pet the Bears I said can you beat that well I guess we can continue the picture now the man in the suit said he cupped his hands around his mouth again thank you ladies and gentlemen our young man has been found safe and sound now we return to our conclusion of a bear's life my father carried fudge back to our seats he held him on his lap for the rest of the show I guess he wasn't taking any more chances later when we got home my father explained to fudge that movies are like TV it's just a picture there's nothing to touch fudge listened but I don't know whether he believed my father I had the feeling he still thought those Bears were in the theater somewhere I made up my mind that I would never take my little brother to the movies never at least not until he was 9 or 10 my father said he was going to cook us something special for dinner to celebrate finding fudge in the movies I thought that was really strange because as far as I know my father can't cook anything he doesn't even know where my mother keeps the peanut butter the dishes or the pots and pans lucky for him I was there to show him what are you going to cook dad a super-duper omelet he said omelet I'm not sure me and fudge like omelets you'll like this one my father said humming as he gathered his ingredients together get me a big frying pan Peter okay I said I gave it to him he melted some butter in it what's going in the SuperDuper omelet I asked while fudge sat on the floor banging two pot covers together well the eggs of course my father said omelets are made of eggs and what else I asked oh I think I'll make a mushroom omelet eggs and mushrooms I said yes you'll love it I'm not so sure you'll see Peter my father said I set up the table while my father cooked I even put fudge in his booster chair when the omelet was done my father brought it to us he was still humming that's some big omelet I said when I saw it it filled up the whole frying pan how many eggs did you use about a dozen my father said mom only cooks one at a time I told him when you taste this you'll know why I use them all up you mean it's that good I asked go on my father said as he served mine taste it I took a bite it was awful the worst thing I ever ate in my life but my father was standing there grinning at me I didn't want to hurt his feelings well he said it's nice I told him swallowing the chunk hole I washed it down with the glass of milk you see your mother ought to experiment more then you learn to eat a lot of different things I don't think mom ever made me a mushroom omelet I said my father puts them on fudges plate then he served himself fudge shoved a lot into his mouth at once I waited figuring he'd choke on it instead he said oh good my father beamed fudge wasn't smart enough to fool my father so he must have really liked it but a kid that can eat flowers and swallow teeth wouldn't know much about omelets anyway then my father sat down and tasted his super-duper concoction he not only choked on it he spit it out oh no he said this is awful something went wrong maybe the eggs are rotten mom just bought them on Thursday I said maybe it's the mushrooms then my father said maybe it's how you cooked it I suggested my father jumped up from the table and threw the mushroom omelet into the garbage fudge started to cry want more more no my father told him it wasn't any good fudge screamed eat it or wear it eat it or wear it he flung his spoon across the room it hit my mother's favorite plant the dirt spilled all over the kitchen floor now you stop that my father yelled at fudge I'm going to make us nice peanut butter sandwiches then you're going to have a bath your mommy's coming home tomorrow and we're going to show her how well daddy managed all by himself Peter where does your mother hide the peanut butter after supper my father bathe fudge the only thing he decided not to do were the dishes he stacked them in the sink and left them for my mother on Sunday afternoon we drove out to the airport to meet my mother's plane on the way there my father said wouldn't it be fun if we kept all the things we did over the weekend a secret just between the three of us kind of a man's secret I agreed not to say a word and my mother was so glad to see us that she didn't even mention the dirty dishes in the sink six weeks later we're watching TV one night when the tatl bike commercial came on that's me fudge said my mother looked up from the book she was reading he does look like you fudge but that's not really you oh yes fudge said that's me see my mother squinted and looked harder you know Warren she told my father he really does look like fudge then she laughed imagine another little boy like fudge its fudge all right I said it's fudge all right my brother repeated we didn't tell you dear my father said we thought you'd like to be surprised but that is fudge what my mother said like she couldn't believe it you see mom I began remember that week you went to visit Aunt Linda then I stopped and thought about all the things my mother didn't know like the puddles fudge splashed in and the paper towels up his pants and how he wanted to touch the bears and the mushroom omelet and mr. Vinson and his big cigar and Janet and her goldfish crackers and I looked at my father and I started to laugh so did he chapter 10 dribble I will never forget Friday May 10th it's the most important day of my life it didn't start out that way it started out ordinary I went to school ate my lunch I had gym and then I walked home from school with Jimmy Fargo we plan to meet at our special rock in the park as soon as we changed our clothes in the elevator I told Henry I was glad summer was coming Henry said he was too when I got out at my floor I walked down the hall and opened the door to my apartment I took off my jacket and hung it in the closet I put my books on the hall table next to my mother's purse I went straight to my room to change my clothes and check dribble the first thing I noticed was my chain latch it was unhooked my bedroom door was open and there was a chair smack in the middle of my doorway I nearly tumbled over it I ran to my dresser to check dribble he wasn't there his bowl with the rocks and water was there but dribble was gone I got really scared I thought maybe he died while I was at school and I didn't know about it so I rushed into the kitchen and hollered mom where's dribble my mother was baking something my brother sat on the kitchen floor banging pots and pans together be quiet I yelled at fudge I can't hear anything with all that noise what did you say Peter my mother asked me I said I can't find dribble where is he you mean he's not in his bowl my mother asked I shook my head oh dear my mother said I hope he's not crawling around somewhere you know I don't like the way he smells I'm going to have a look in the bedroom you check in here Peter my mother hurried off I looked at my brother he was smiling fudge do you know where dribble is I asked calmly fudge kept smiling did you take him did you fudge I asked not so calmly fudge giggled and covered his mouth with his hands I yelled where is he what did you do with my turtle no answer from fudge he banged his pots and pans together again I yanked the pots out of his hand I tried to speak softly now tell me where dribble is just tell me where my turtle is I won't be mad if you tell me come on fudge please fudge looked up at me in tummy he said what do you mean in tummy I asked narrowing my eyes dribble in tummy he repeated what tummy I shouted at my brother this one fudge said rubbing his stomach dribble in this tummy right here I decided to go along with this game okay how did he get in there fudge I asked fudge stood up he jumped up and down and sang out I ate him ate him ate him then he ran out of the room my mother came back into the kitchen while I just can't find him anywhere she said I looked in all the dresser drawers and the bathroom cabinets and the shower and the tub and mom I said shaking my head how could you how could I want Peter mom asked how could you let him do it let who do what Peter mom asked let fudge eat dribble I screamed my mother started to mix whatever she was baking don't be silly Peter she said dribble is a turtle he ate dribble I insisted Peter Warren Hatcher stop saying that mom hollered well ask him go ahead and ask him I told her fudge was standing in the kitchen doorway with a big grin on his face my mother picked him up and patted his head fudgie she said to him tell mommy we're brothers turtle is in tummy fudge said what tummy mom asked mine fudge laughed my mother put fudge down on the kitchen counter where he couldn't get away from her oh you're fooling mommy right no fool fudge said my mother turned very pale you really ate your brother's turtle big smile from fudge you mean that you put him in your mouth and chewed him up like this mom made believe she was chewing no fudge said a smile of relief crossed my mother's face of course you didn't it's just a joke she put fudge down on the floor and gave me a look fudge babbled note you know chew gulp gulp all gone turtle down fudge his tummy me and my mother stared at fudge you didn't mom said did so fudge said no mom shouted yes but shouted back yes mom asked weakly holding onto the chair with both hands yes fudge beamed my mother moaned and picked up my brother oh no my angel my precious little baby oh no my mother didn't stop to think about my turtle she didn't even give dribble a thought she didn't even stop to wonder how my turtle liked being swallowed by my brother she ran to the phone with fudge tucked under one arm I followed Mom dialed the operator and cried Oh help this is an emergency my baby ate a turtle stop that laughing my mother told the operator send an ambulance right away 25th West 68th Street mom hung up she didn't look too well tears were running down her face she put fudge down on the floor I couldn't understand why she was so upset fudge seemed just fine help me Peter mom begged get me blankets I ran into my brother's room I grabbed two blankets from fudges bed he was following me around with that silly grin on his face I felt like giving him a pinch how could he stand there looking so happy when he had my turtle inside him I delivered the blankets to my mother she wrapped fudge up in them and ran to the front door I followed and grabbed her purse from the hall table I figured she'd be glad I thought that out in the hall I press the elevator button we had to wait a few minutes mom paced up and down in front of the elevator fudge was cradled in her arms he sucked his fingers and made that slurping noise I like but all I could think of was dribble finally the elevator got to our floor there were three people in it besides Henry this is an emergency mom wailed the ambulance is waiting downstairs please hurry yes mrs. Hatcher of course Henry said I'll run her down just as fast as I can no other stops someone poked me in the back I turned around it was mrs. rudder what's the matter she whispered it's my brother I whispered back he ate my turtle mrs. rudder whispered that to the man next to her and he whispered that to the lady next to him who whispered it to Henry I faced front and pretended I didn't hear anything my mother turned around with fudge in her arms and said that's not funny not funny at all but fudge said bunny funny funny fudgie everybody laughed everybody except my mother the elevator door opened two men dressed in white were waiting with a stretcher this the baby one of the masked yes yes it is mom sobbed don't worry late we'll be to the hospital in no time come Peter my mother said tugging up my sleeve we're going to ride in the ambulance with fudge my mother and I climbed into the back of a blue ambulance I was never in one before it was neat fudge kneeled on a cot peering out through the window he waved at a crowd of people that had gathered on the sidewalk one of the attendants sat in the back with us the other one was driving what seems to be the trouble lady the attendant asked the kid looks pretty healthy to me he swallowed a turtle my mother whispered he did what the attendant asked ate my turtle that's what I told him my mother covered her face with her hand started to cry again hey Joe the attendant called to the driver make it snappy this one swallow a turtle that's not funny mom insisted I didn't think so either considering it was my turtle we arrived at the back door of the hospital fudge was whisked away by two nurses my mother ran after him you wait here young man another nurse called to me pointing to a bench i sat down on the hard wooden bench I didn't have anything to do there weren't any books or magazines spread out like when I go to dr. Cohen's office so I watched the clock and read all the signs on the walls I found out I was in the emergency section of the hospital after a while the nurse came back she gave me some paper and crayons here you are be a good boy and draw some pictures your mother will be out soon I wondered if she knew about dribble and that's why she was trying to be nice to me I didn't feel like drawing any pictures I wondered what they were going to do to fudge in there maybe he wasn't such a bad little guy after all I remembered that Jimmy Fargo's little cousin once mauled the most valuable rock from Jimmy's collection and my mother told me that when I was a little kid I swallowed a quarter still a quarters not a turtle I watched the clock on the wall for an hour and ten minutes then the door opened and my mother stepped out with dr. Cohn I was surprised to see him I didn't know he worked in the hospital hello Peter he said hello dr. Cohn did you get my turtle not yet Peter he said but I do have something to show you here are some x-rays of your brother I studied the x-rays as dr. Cohn pointed things out to me you see he said there's your turtle right there I looked hard will dribble be in there forever I asked no definitely not we'll get him out we gave fudge some medicine already that should do the trick nicely what kind of medicine I asked what trick castor oil Peter my mother said fudge took castor oil and milk of magnesia and prune juice too lots of it all those things will help to get dribble out of flight just tell me we just have to wait dr. Cohn said probably until tomorrow or the day after fudge we'll have to spend the night here but I don't think he's going to be swallowing anything that he isn't supposed to be swallowing from now on how about dribble I asked will dribble be alright my mother and dr. Cohen looked at each other I knew the answer before he shook his head and said I think you may have to get a new turtle Peter I don't want a new turtle I said tears came to my eyes I was embarrassed and wiped them away with the back of my head then my nose started to run and I had to sniffle I won't dribble I said that's the only turtle I want my mother took me home in a taxi she told me my father was on his way to the hospital to be with fudge when we got home she made me lamb chops for dinner but I wasn't very hungry my father came home late that night I was still up my father looked gloomy he whispered to my mother not yet nothing yet the next day was Saturday no school I spent the whole day in the hospital waiting room there were plenty of people around and magazines and books too it wasn't like the hard bench in the emergency hallway it was more like a living room I told everybody that my brother ate my turtle they looked at me kind of funny but nobody ever said they were sorry to hear about my turtle never once my mother joined me for supper in the Hospital coffee shop I ordered a hamburger but I left most of it because right in the middle of supper my mother told me that if the medicine didn't work soon fudge might have to have an operation and get dribble out of him my mother didn't eat anything that night my grandmother came to stay with me my mother and father stayed at the hospital with fudge things were pretty dreary at home every hour the phone rang it was my mother calling from the hospital with a report not yet I see grandma repeated nothing happened yet I was miserable I was lonely grandma didn't notice I even missed fudge banging his pots and pans together in the middle of the night the phone rang again it woke me up and I crept out into the hallway to hear what was going on grandma shouted Whoopie it's out good news at last she hung up and turned to me the medicine has finally worked Peter all that castor oil and milk of magnesia and prune juice finally worked the turtle is out alive or dead I asked Peter Warren Hatcher what a question grandma shouted so my brother no longer had a turtle inside of him and I no longer had a turtle I didn't like fudge as much as I thought I did before the phone rang the next morning fudge came home from the hospital my father carried him into the apartment my mother's arms were loaded with presents all four fudge my mother put the presents down and kissed him she said fudgie can have anything he wants anything at all mommy's so happy her baby's all better it was disgusting presents and kisses and attention for fudge I couldn't even look at him he was having fun he probably wasn't even sorry he ate my turtle that night my father came home with the biggest box of all it wasn't wrapped up or anything but I knew it was another present I turned away from my father Peter he said this box is a surprise for you well I don't want another turtle I said don't think you can make me feel better with another turtle because you can't who said anything about a turtle son dad asked you see Peter your mother and I think you've been a good sport about the whole situation after all dribble was your pet I looked up could I be hearing right did they really remember about me and dribble I put my hand inside the box I felt something warm and soft and furry I knew it was a dog but I pretended to be surprised when he jumped up on my lap and licked me fudge cried Oh doggy see doggy he ran over and grabbed my dog's tail fudge my father said taking him away this is your brother's dog maybe someday you'll have a dog of your own but this one belongs to Peter do you understand fudge nodded PETA's dog that's right my father said Peters dog then he turned to me and just to be sure son he said we got a dog that's going to grow quite big much too big for your brother to swallow we all laughed my dog was neat I named him turtle to remind me

Channel: Reading Is Succeeding

Views: 214,941

Keywords: Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing, Fudge, Superfudge, Reading Is Succeeding, ReadingIsSucceeding, Read Along, Judy Blume, Chapters 8-10, Last Part, Final Chapter, Last Chapter, Third Part, Part Three, Chapter Eight, Chapter Nine, Chapter Ten, First Book, Book One, Audiobook, Audio, Book, Children's Book, chapter book, learn to read, children's literature, education, english, learn english, bedtime story, story, chapter, fourth grade, boy brother, turtle, Dribble

Id: ZxA08cr38Hw

Length: 49min 44sec (2984 seconds)

Published: Tue Jun 14 2016