The Whole, Entire, Complete Truth Read online

  I was paired up with one of Mindi’s giggling girlfriends. Her name was Cori Stedman. She looked like the type of girl who thought she had the world wrapped up with her cute face and bouncy hair. We moved our chairs so that we could sit across from each other. With a toss of her head, Cori swung her golden locks back over her shoulder and sat poised with her pen and paper. She looked annoyed at being stuck with the new person, and she kept glancing wistfully over at her friends.

  “Okay, let’s get this over with,” she said with a sigh. She didn’t even look up from her paper. I could’ve been sitting there naked for all she knew. “I’ll interview you first. What’s your name?”

  I was getting irritated — I mean really, was that any way to welcome the new kid? So since it was obvious she couldn’t care less about getting to know me, I gave her the full, unabridged answer. No holds barred.

  Taking a deep breath, I said, “My name is Sarah Martin. I lived in Mississauga until my parents dragged me up here without ever asking me if I wanted to move ... which I didn’t. I used to live in a big new house where I could hang out my bedroom window and practically touch the house next door, and now I live in this big old house with no neighbours in sight that’s out of town as far as you can get a bus to go from this rinkydink school. Maybe you know it, it’s Bill Brown’s old house — at least that’s what they call it in town. I have no idea when it’ll be considered our old house.” Cori was actually looking at me now so, encouraged, I kept going. “Anyway, I have a brother in grade ten who is a total pain in the butt. We live with both our parents ... no, they’re not divorced, although they do fight once in a while. My dad’s an OPP detective. He was sick of living in a busy city, so he asked for a transfer, which is why we ended up here. It didn’t seem to matter what the rest of us wanted to do. My mom doesn’t have a job here yet, but she used to work in a dentist’s office.

  “I don’t have any pets, although since we moved to Sticksville my mom has been talking about getting some pigs — I guess she’s bored with no job. She used to keep pretty busy. I don’t know why she’d want to get pigs, though. Like, what would she know about pigs? Nothing! Unless you count the pig in Charlotte’s Web. She knows a lot about him because she read the book to me when I was in grade two.” I stopped to take a breath. Let’s see Miss Perfect get all that down on paper!

  Cori was staring at me as if I was some kind of mutant insect, pen still raised. She hadn’t moved. She hadn’t written a thing. What kind of reporter was she?

  I smiled sweetly at her.

  “Anything else you’d like to know?” I asked, feigning politeness.

  “Does everybody from Mississippi talk as much as you?” she asked, with a scowl.

  “Mississauga,” I corrected her.

  “Whatever.”

  As you can see, we hit it off.

  Eventually, I had to stand up in front of the class so everyone could stare some more while Cori reported her findings. She actually told them only a fraction of what I had told her and she got most of it wrong. Memory obviously wasn’t her strong point. She should have written something down. Well, now at least they all had a name for me. That, she got right.

  I felt like repaying her poor memory by making up some tidbits about her that I’m sure the class would find interesting but I thought that would be pushing things a little too far. After all, I wasn’t in the business of making enemies. So I behaved myself and told the class exactly what she told me. I have a good memory for trivial information — and believe me, this was very trivial: basically, she lived in town and she liked playing basketball and watching TV. Thrilling, eh?

  From Mindi’s partner, I learned that Mindi lived in town, close to the school and close to her friend Stacey. She loved horses, basketball, and summer holidays. Her best friends were Cori and Stacey.

  That pretty much sums up my only human contact all day, not counting the time I spent with the teacher, who chatted with me for about two minutes to make me feel welcome. You know how people say, “If only I could have been a fly on the wall?” Well, that’s pretty much what I was that day. And believe me, it’s not all it’s cracked up to be.

  By 3:30, I was actually looking forward to the never-ending bus ride home. I hurried to the back of the school where the buses wait for us “rural” kids. Roy was already there. He was talking and laughing with several other boys as I approached. I could tell right away that he was in show-off mode. That’s never a good thing for me.

  “Hey, Sarah!” he shouted.

  Everyone heading for the buses turned and stared. Just what I needed after the day I’d had. More staring. But what could I do except put on my brightest smile as though it didn’t bother me one bit that my brother was about to humiliate me in front of total strangers. I kept walking on stiffening legs, trying my best to look cool.

  Roy threw an arm across my shoulders and steered me towards the boys he had been standing with.

  “Let me introduce you to my new friends,” he said, his loud voice causing yet more heads to turn. “Sarah, this is Kurt, Dave, Chris, and John. This is my sister, Sarah.”

  The boys were gaping at me with goofy grins. Morons. I shot Roy a look but he ignored me, wearing the same goofy grin as the others.

  “I told you she looks a lot better since the plastic surgery,” Roy announced proudly. “You can hardly see the hideous scars.”

  “Ugh! Loser!” I wheeled out from under his arm as Roy doubled over in laughter. My brother can be a real jerk. It was the perfect ending to a perfectly rotten day.

  With their ridiculous cackling echoing in my ears, I boarded the bus and, to my surprise, spied Mindi sitting alone near the back. Probably going back to that farmhouse, I guessed. I was heading towards an empty seat when another explosion of laughter from Roy and his new friends burned into my brain. How could I sit by myself and let Roy see how I couldn’t make a single friend all day? Determined not to be a total loser, I passed the empty seat and headed straight for Mindi, hoping that she wasn’t saving the seat beside her for someone.

  “Hi,” I said, pasting on a cheerful face.

  “Hi,” she answered, looking mildly surprised.

  “Do you mind if I sit here?” I asked.

  “Sure,” she shrugged, moving her knapsack to the floor between her feet to make room for me. I plunked myself down.

  We sat in awkward silence for a few minutes. I started to wish that I’d just sat by myself.

  “So, what made your family move to Muskoka?” asked Mindi, finally.

  The dam opened. I told her all about our move and how it tore out my guts to be taken from my friends. I put in lots of drama to make it more interesting. I wanted to be sure to hold her attention. So what if I had to embellish the facts a little for interest’s sake?

  I was really on a roll getting into my “woe is me” story when I realized, to my delight, that Mindi actually looked interested. Especially when I told her about my mom’s insane desire to suddenly own farm animals — pigs, no less.

  “Do you own any horses?” she asked.

  “No, we don’t actually have any animals yet.”

  “Oh ...” Mindi turned to look out the window, obviously disappointed.

  “But I’ve always wanted a horse,” I added, knowing that Mindi was a horse lover. “They’re so beautiful.” She turned back from the window and smiled at me.

  “Yes, they are,” she agreed. “So where exactly do you live, Sarah?”

  I told her. Her face brightened.

  “I go to my mom’s boyfriend’s farm just up the road from you. Maybe you could come over sometime and see his horses. It would be great to have someone else to ride with once in a while.”

  I could scarcely believe my ears. “Yeah, sure. That sounds fun,” I told her, trying not to sound too excited. “I don’t exactly know a lot about horses, though.”

  “That’s okay, I can teach you. You’ll love them!” said Mindi. She smiled at me. It felt so good to have someone finally smile at
me. I felt like I had actually made a friend. I didn’t have to go home a total friendless loner.

  “Sounds great,” I said, grinning.

  “I usually go to Colin’s, that’s my mom’s boyfriend, about two or three times a week after school. I clean out the horses’ stalls, bring them in from the fields for the night, and feed them. Then they need to be exercised, so I get to ride them around all I want. There are lots of cool trails at the farm. You’d really like it.”

  “I can help you clean the stalls if you want,” I offered.

  “Really? That would be great. We can get out on the horses faster that way. Colin’s been bugging me to get them done before I take the horses out.”

  I bit my tongue, realizing I’d almost said, “I know.”

  “It would be nice having someone else around,” continued Mindi. “It gets a little boring doing everything by myself all the time. Colin and Mom don’t always come out to the stable with me. My mom’s an artist, she paints, so she likes to go over to the farm because she likes the atmosphere. She says it makes her feel more creative.”

  “Wow, an artistic mom,” I said. “My mom’s idea of being artistic is to use butter instead of margarine when she’s cooking.”

  Then it was Mindi’s stop. I waved to her from the bus and suddenly I realized my day was much brighter than it had been just half an hour ago. After the lousy day I’d had, who would have thought things could turn out so ... promising?

  As if it isn’t bad enough that I have to write this huge report for you, Dad, I also have to have a know-it-all brother who demands to read everything I write. He says that I need to have a fact-checker, but really he wants to make sure I don’t write anything that’ll get him into trouble. So, he’s insisting that he needs to approve everything I write before I give it to you. You see what I have to put up with?

  Then last night I had to listen to Roy whine on and on about how I’m always putting him down in this report. I only write the truth. Honestly. He is always showing off and acting like a goof. I can’t help it if the truth hurts. Maybe he should learn something about himself. I told him to get a counsellor. He told me he was going to sue me for slander.

  Can he do that, Dad?

  Mindi was surprised to read how nasty Cori was to me the first time we met — or should I say, Little Miss Perfect! Mindi felt really bad about it, but it had nothing to do with her. Cori and I are never going to be friends, there’s nothing she can do about it.

  Not only did I meet Mindi and Cori that first day of school, I also found out some things that made me wonder what was going on at the farmhouse where Roy and I first saw Mindi. And guess what, Dad? It was because of you that I became suspicious of Mr. Braemarie in the first place. You provided the first real clue that things were not quite right.

  DAD’S CLUE

  DATE: TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 4

  (CONTINUED)

  LOCATION: HOME AND THE FARMHOUSE

  At suppertime on that first day of school I sat at the table and suffered through Roy’s long-winded monologue about his perfect day and his perfect new friends. It was really something. That mouth of his just never stopped moving. He just kept yakking and yakking. How he managed to eat his supper and talk so much at the same time was beyond me. What a pig! No wonder Mom wanted one so badly: they remind her of her dear son.

  I guess I shouldn’t complain, at least one of us had something to talk about. I had finished eating and was tapping my fingers waiting to ask to be excused when Mom put a hand on my arm.

  “How was your first day at school, dear?” she asked.

  Oh great! Everyone looked at me, waiting for my answer. I had been hoping that they would just forget about me while getting the earful about Roy’s perfect day.

  “It was ... okay,” I answered, with a shrug.

  “Did you meet any of the other kids?” she probed mercilessly.

  My eyes shifted to Roy, who looked miffed at the loss of attention. The last thing I wanted was for him to know what a lousy day I had. So I told a tiny white lie.

  “Well, I met Mindi and Cori in my homeroom class today. They’re really nice.” I felt my face heat up the way it does when I don’t tell the whole truth. Not that I lie all the time or anything. I mean, some of this was true. I did meet both of them and one of them was nice to me. The other? Well, I didn’t need to go into that.

  “That’s terrific, honey,” said Mom. Dad smiled. They waited — obviously wanting me to go on. So I did.

  “Mindi sometimes takes the same bus as me,” I said, “when she goes to her mom’s boyfriend’s farm down the road after school, that is.” Roy tried to catch my eye, but I ignored him. “She helps take care of his horses and she’s allowed to ride them too. She told me that there’s lots of trails to use and that if I want, she’d teach me stuff about horses and how to ride them.”

  My dad’s expression changed as I spoke. His smile slowly turned into a frown.

  “Which farmhouse are you talking about?” he asked

  “Just down that way.” I pointed in the direction of the farmhouse. “The bus stop just before our house.”

  Dad didn’t say anything. He just kept looking at me with that frown on his face.

  I told him more. “It has a long driveway and looks like it’s falling apart but I think it’s getting fixed up. Anyway, it’s our closest neighbour. C’mon, you know which one I mean.”

  He kept looking at me with that funny expression I couldn’t quite read.

  “Isn’t that great, Dad?” I prompted. “I mean about Mindi saying that maybe sometime I could go over there? Imagine me on a horse! That would be so cool, don’t you think?” I shifted in my seat. He still wore that weird face. Why wasn’t he saying anything?

  “Dad?” I asked. “What’s wrong?”

  His frown deepened. He cleared his throat. “I feel a little uneasy about you going over to a strange household with people I don’t know. I think you need to hold off going over there until I get to know the man who actually lives in the farmhouse. I’ll stop in and introduce myself.”

  I was dumbfounded. What was this about? I didn’t hear him trying to screen the families of Roy’s new friends. So why mine?

  “When are you going to do that?” I asked, my heart sinking.

  “I don’t know exactly, I’m really busy at work right now. I’ll get over there as soon as I can.” He picked up his fork and pierced a piece of chicken.

  Now I was angry. I made one lousy friend at school and my dad was giving me a hard time about it. This was injustice.

  “So I have to wait — for how long?” I pressed.

  “I’ll get there as soon as I can,” he said around a mouthful of food.

  “What about Roy’s new friends? When are you going to meet their parents?”

  “I don’t know.”

  This really made me lose it. I admit, I had a bit of a meltdown.

  “I get it!” I shouted. “I’m not supposed to have any friends, but Roy can have as many as he likes. Don’t you think you’d better meet Chris’s dad? He might be an axe murderer! All I want to do is visit Mindi and see the horses. I don’t care about her mother’s boyfriend.”

  Dad slammed down his fork. “I do care about him!” he yelled. “It’s his home you’ll be going to. I have no idea who he is. A single man entertaining two young girls.”

  I stood up and my chair fell over behind me. “Dad!”

  “Well? You never know.”

  “I don’t believe this.” Her mom would be there! “This is just stupid!”

  “Watch it, Sarah.” Dad’s face turned to stone, a sure sign that I should stop. I couldn’t.

  “Well, how am I supposed to get to know someone if I can’t even spend time with her when I’m invited to?” I argued, blinking back angry tears.

  “You’ll see her at school or you can have her over here,” he stated firmly. “Now, sit down or leave the table.” He picked up his fork and resumed eating. As far as he was concerned, the co
nversation was over.

  I picked up my chair and sat down, silently appealing to my mom. She looked confused.

  “Ed, don’t you think you’re being a little overprotective here? There are going to be new people in all of our lives. We can’t know everything about them all right away. It would be good for Sarah to be around horses. Maybe it will help her appreciate the country more.”

  Dad sighed. “Gina, I just think we should know a little more about the person whose home Sarah is planning to spend time at,” he stated matter-of-factly, as if he wasn’t ruining my life in one sweeping statement. “You know as well as I do that our daughter doesn’t always make the best decisions, and her going to a strange man’s home makes me a little uneasy.” Then he shot my mom one of those meaningful looks that meant they were having one of their silent conversations. This was usually not good for me.

  “You’re right, Ed,” Mom finally agreed in a quiet voice. I think she still looked a little confused, though. “We don’t know anything about Mindi or her mother’s boyfriend. You’re right to be cautious.” She looked down at her food.

  I stood up from the table and stamped my foot. Yes, I know it sounds childish but I was really angry. I couldn’t help it.

  “I don’t believe this!” I shouted. “Roy sits here and tells you all about his new friends and everything’s great.” I clasped my hands together and did a cruel, but accurate, imitation of my parents. “Ooooh, isn’t Roy wonderful? Listen to all the great new friends he’s made. Well, I had a terrible day, thanks for asking. I only met two people and one of them doesn’t even like me! Then, when I tell you about the one who does, I’m not even allowed to visit her without you doing a stupid police check! And she’s the only person that’s even close enough for me to visit after school. In case you haven’t noticed, you stuck us out in the middle of nowhere here and I have no friends! You made me move away from all of them. Doesn’t anyone around here want me to be happy? I hate this house!”