Read Jackie's Jokes for Free Online Page B

Georgia said, looking pleased with herself.
    "What's more," Annie said, "we have to keep in mind at all times that we always have two problems."
    "And those are?" Rebecca asked.
    "Discovering what happened to Mommy and Daddy," Annie said, " and keeping the rest of the world from discovering that eight little girls are living home alone."
    "Because if the world discovers that, "Petal said with a shudder, "they will surely split us up and then we will be eight little orphans living in eight separate houses."
    "Exactly," Annie said. "And somehow, I don't think we'll ever learn what's really happened to Mommy and Daddy if we get split up."
    "So you see," Marcia said, "discovering what happened to Mommy and Daddy is what you would call a long-range problem. But if Mommy and Daddy's taxes aren't paid on time like normal, people will begin to suspect that something is not right here, and then the jig will be up. So dealing with the Tax Man is a more immediate problem."
    "Okay, I can see all that now," Georgia said, "and it is nice being reminded of how smart I was last month. But now that we've seen those ... pictures on Mommy's computer, shouldn't we be doing something more active to learn what's going on? I mean, even if we know that we won't really know everything until Zinnia gets her power and her gift in August—"
    "But Jackie did do something more active," Zinnia pointed out. "It was Jackie who thought to look around more in the files of Mommy's computer in the first place."
    "And I'm sure we'll all become more active in the search for the truth when we have the time to be," Jackie said, "but right now we have a more immediate problem to deal with, which is exactly what I'm going to do."
    Then Jackie picked up the phone again and speed-dialed our man in navy blue.
    "Mr. Pete," she said when he answered, "we found the file and printed everything out."
    "Excellent!"
    "What do we do next?"
    "Why, next you call back that CPA person and make an appointment as soon as possible. Then call me and tell me when the appointment is."
    So that's what we did.
    "Here you go," Annie said to Jackie, holding out the slip of paper with Alan Watts's phone number.
    "I must say," Marcia said, "that I'm finding this all rather odd."
    "How so?" Annie asked.
    "It's just that you never let anyone else take charge of anything," Marcia said, "and now you're letting Jackie take charge of everything. It makes me wonder if, someday, another one of us might not wrest some power from you."
    Marcia was the one who was most concerned about power; she had been ever since Annie changed which bedroom she slept in. Marcia was now the youngest in the bedroom with Annie, Georgia, and Jackie, and Annie had put Durinda in with Petal, Rebecca, and Zinnia. Before that, Marcia had been the oldest of the youngest; now she was the youngest of the oldest. We knew she didn't like that.
    Marcia's words had a strong effect on Annie, who could also be a little power crazy. Just as Jackie was about to take the slip of paper with the phone number, Annie snatched it back.
    "On second thought," Annie said, "I'll call him myself. I only thought to let Jackie do it because it is her month. But really, I should be the one."
    Jackie just shrugged. Funny, Jackie didn't seem interested in power at all, in who had it and who didn't, so long as the job got done.
    Annie punched in the number and told Alan Watts's secretary that Annie Huit was calling. We supposed she figured that since we were going to have to meet him in person, there was little point in impersonating Daddy now.
    "Alan Watts here," a deep voice said.
    "And Annie Huit here," Annie said with authority, "Robert and Lucy's daughter."
    "Well," Alan Watts said, "it's good to finally be hearing from someone in your family at any rate, although I must say, I was hoping it would be your father."
    "About that," Annie said. "We've received your messages, but I'm afraid both Mommy and Daddy are, um, out of the country right now and