Part 2 of "The Three of Us"

202. To Be Like Everybody Else

Sorry to all the people who read this with mistakes, my editing was so bad this time. I think I got them all now 😫

—

"There's only seven pictures," Walter said.

After Anne didn't respond he tried again: "There's only seven pictures, mama."

Anne looked at the camera. She did not want to spoil her surprise of what the first picture would be. She shrugged. "Well, then I suppose you only have seven."

"But why-"

"Why do you always have a question about everything?" Anne asked. Marilla could not keep herself from smiling, amused that the tides had turned- Anne was exasperated by questions!

But Anne was only exasperated by the question because she did not want him to spoil the surprise.

She said, "Go on with it. Take some pictures quickly and we'll go have them developed."

—-

Instead of dropping off the film and picking it up later, they waited in town for it to be finished. Anne wanted Walter to see the gift she was giving him, that would appear as picture number one on that roll.

"Can we buy jelly beans?" Walter asked suddenly as they strolled down the street. Anne was about to say no when he continued, "I want to bring Clara jellybeans for a present."

Anne smiled. "All right," she said cheerfully. "Jellybeans it is."

In the store Walter was very selective about his jellybeans. 

"Can we give them to her right now?" he asked when he had chosen just the right ones.

Anne considered it. "We have time. Let's go."

Emily welcomed them in. When she saw the jellybeans she laughed. "Oh, you wouldn't believe- Clara, come here. Bring your pictures with you."

Anne did not know what was so funny until little Clara explained her piece of paper with the blue lump on it: "It's a jellybean."

"Apparently jellybeans are very amusing, after the birthday party," Emily said good naturedly.

It took Anne a moment to remember that Walter, on his birthday, had begun pulling jellybeans right off the cake and handing them to Clara, both of them giggling at their minor theft.

Now Walter held his gift out to Clara, suddenly shy.

Clara took the little bag and gave him her jellybean picture, also pink cheeked for some reason.

Then she laughed. Once she started, Walter joined in. "Jellybeans!" They said amid their laughter. They escaped into the parlor together.

Anne and Emily followed. "How did she make the colors?" Anne asked, curious. "It doesn't look like pencil or paint."

"It's wax," Emily explained. She picked up the empty package to show Anne. "Sticks of it."

Clara was showing Walter the two other pictures she'd made, also of jellybeans, but in different colors.

"How much do they cost?" Anne asked, seeing Walter begin coloring on paper with her.

"A nickel for the eight pack," Emily said. "There are bigger boxes, but I can't imagine why they'd need so many colors."

Anne could imagine why. She considered herself a writer, not an artist, but she was already itching to make pictures with all the different colors. She wondered if you could blend them, one into another, until you'd made a vibrant rainbow.