But now her Dad was gone and her Mom worked long hours at the Red Cross, often arriving long after dinner had ended. Her Dad would have something special to say to everyone, from riddles for Brad to compliments to Jill and Mrs. Molly recalls how before her Dad left, everyone ate dinner together in the dining room. He had been gone for seven months and Molly missed him every single day. Her Dad was a doctor and when America started fighting in the war, he joined the army and was now somewhere in England taking care of wounded soldiers. Molly opened up her locket to look at his picture. Molly thinks how none of this would have happened if her Dad was still home. And since then, Molly had been stuck at the table. Gildford tells her that no such language would be used at the table and anyone who didn't eat the turnips would not get dessert and not be allowed to leave the table until they were gone. As Molly's turnips grew cold and started to ooze water, Molly mutters it was disgusting. Molly thinks that if that's how she was going to be when she turned 14, she'd rather be 9 forever. But since she turned 14, Molly had to fuss herself while Jill acted superior. Molly sighed as she recalled how she could count on Jill to fuss about things like turnips. Molly mentally calls Ricky a rat as she looked at Jill, who was taking ladylike bites out of her turnips.

Ricky says he likes to eat turnips as he ate some. Ricky whispers he would like to ' re-turn it' and Mrs Gilford asks sharply what he just said. Gilford glared at her as she said the vegetable Molly was lucky to have on her plate was mashed turnip. Molly asked what the orange stuff was and Mrs. When Molly had first sat down and saw an orange heap on her plate, she made a decision not to eat it. Molly had been at the kitchen table for two hours and forty six minutes, eve since Mrs. Molly thinks how she felt like Grumpy tonight as she looked at the clock. She would want to be Snow White due to her black hair, and she would probably make Molly and Susan into Grumpy and Sleepy. Molly thinks that Susan would be happy to be an ugly stepsister as long as she got to wear a dress, but Linda would be more difficult. All she had to do was talk her mother into buying the materials and making the costume, find some glass slippers, and convince her two best friends to be the ugly stepsisters. Molly wanted to be Cinderella for Halloween and dress up in a long, float-y skirt. Molly was sitting at the kitchen table, daydreaming about her Halloween costume. Chapter by Chapter Summary Chapter One: Turnips

Meet Molly by Valerie Tripp