CHAPTER 11


The Problem Is Not the Problem. The Problem Is Your Attitude About the Problem. Got That? - Coach Brevin

Summary

Lena found herself after the fight sitting between her grandfather and Babi Dounas at a clinic. Her Bapi needed four stitches on his cheekbone, and Bapi Duonas bled a lot, but fortunately, didn't have a broken nose. As she sat there, she noticed a drop of blood on the Pants, which upset hersince they had promised not to wash them, and then she quietly told the two men she was sorry. She realized that she should have told her grandmother the truth: Kostos wasn't some kind of evil rapist. She reassured herself, however, that when everything calmed down, she would explain it all, even to Kostos, and everything would be fine.

Bee wrote a letter to Lena explaining how she had played too hard at the scrimmage, and she needed to chill. She also explained that she would feel better if she went on a run with Eric. She told Lena her hormones were making her want him and she just couldn't help herself.

Bailey showed up at Tibby's house and told her she wanted to help her make her movie. Tibby told her she didn't need any help, so Bailey turned toward Tibby's little pet, Mimi. She was the first person who had ever shown any interest in the guinea pig. That kept the conversation going, and Bailey eventually turned it back to the movie. She wanted to know who would be Tibby's first interview. Tibby told her she thought it would be Duncan, this freak who worked at Wallman's. She also described Brianna, who worked there as well, and her big long fingernails. Bailey played the leukemia card to get Tibby to allow her to help. She also asked Tibby about her little sister and brother and the fourteen year difference in their ages. Tibby found herself explaining how her parents found a new lifestyle after living like hippies early in their marriage. Bailey noted that Tibby was their experiment and that when they grew up, they wanted kids for real. Her keen observations made Tibby sad, and she had to ask Bailey to leave.

Lena wrote Tibby a letter explaining what happened with Kostos and that this was her first big episode with the Pants. Now she was sending them to Tibby, hoping she will do better with them than Lena did. Lena wished they were all together anywhere but Greece.

The scene shifts to Carmen. She was all alone in the house and was sick of being in the guest room. She went into the kitchen and saw that Krista hadn't finished her geometry homework. Because she loved math so much, Carmen sat down and completed all the problems. The next day, Krista wondered if Paul had done her homework. He denied it and left to see a mysterious friend whom the other members of the family were reluctant to name.

Lydia told Carmen that they had decided to have the reception in their own backyard. Carmen found herself unable to show any excitement even though Lydia was making the effort to talk to her about it. Then, her dad told her to come with him to the club and Carmen perked up immediately. Once they left the house, her father told her not to talk about Lydia's previous marriage to the other members of the family, and he explained that Paul had gone to visit his father who was an alcoholic. Krista didn't want to have anything to do with him. Carmen could only murmur that you can't just abandon your family.

The scene shifts to Tibby. Bailey had called and declared that she had set up the first interview for their movie. Tibby was a little put out at Bailey's calling it their movie. However, she gave in to Bailey's idea to interview the kid who played arcade games in the Seven-Eleven across from Wallman's. She showed up after Tibby's shift and pressured her into going ahead with the idea even though Tibby felt like she was dying slowly.

Notes

In every instance and scene of this chapter, the girls are dealing with problems they have either created or must deal with in some fashion. It's obvious that they are in the process of learning how to deal with what is basically life.