Katie’s Secret

By Jeffie Ross Gordon

“I have a secret, Lisa,” Katie said after she finished her milk. She put her glass on the kitchen table and swung her legs.

“What is it?” Her sister stopped eating her cereal.

“It’s something that you can see,” Katie said, swinging her legs faster.

Lisa looked all around. “I don’t see a secret. What is it?”

Katie shook her head. She slid off her chair and hopped around the table. “Dad, I have a secret.”

Dad looked up from feeding the baby and smiled at Katie. “Give me a clue.”

“It’s something that you can see.”

Dad looked really hard at Katie. He wrinkled his brow. “You grew ten inches?”

Katie laughed.

“No. Look again.”

“I can’t see your secret,” said Dad. “You’ll have to tell me.”

Katie shook her head. She ran around the table to her mother. Mother put her arm around Katie and kissed her. “I have a secret,” said Katie, bouncing up and down on her toes.

“That white mustache?” Mother asked, dabbing Katie’s mouth with a napkin.

“No. Something else. Something that you can see.” Katie looked down at the floor.

“We will have to guess later, Katie,” said Mother. “Now, let me tie your shoes so that you can go to preschool.”

“No thank you,” said Katie.

“Do you want me to tie your shoes?” asked Lisa.

“No thank you,” answered Katie.

“Shall I tie them?” asked Dad.

“No thank you, Dad.” Katie giggled.

“Someone will have to tie them, Katie. You can’t go with your shoes untied,” Mother said.

Katie jumped up and down, then held up one foot so that everyone could see her shoe. “That’s my secret. I tied them all by myself!”

Illustrated by Susan Schmuhl