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home.”
    â€œOnce a week is not enough to learn how to be a father,” said Emma.
    â€œI know a lot already,” said Uncle Elliot. “You have taught me about divided grapefruit and seven kisses in a row.”
    â€œAnd how to wash and feed and diaper,” added Emma.
    â€œHow to diaper?” Aunt Evelyn said, surprised. “When did you learn about diapering?”
    â€œYesterday,” said Uncle Elliot. “We practiced on Emma’s doll, Mavis. Emma put water on the diaper. It was very real.”
    â€œThere is more,” said Emma.
    â€œMore than washing and feeding and diapering and divided grapefruit and seven kisses?” asked Uncle Elliot.
    Emma nodded. She went over to the closet and took out Mavis, who was bald with only one eye that worked. She wrapped Mavis in a blanket and handed her to Uncle Elliot.
    â€œLullabies,” she said.
    Uncle Elliot put Mavis up on his shoulder and rubbed her back. Aunt Evelyn smiled.
    â€œLullabies,” said Emma, “so that the baby will not scream all night and have terrible dreams.”
    â€œI don’t know any lullabies,” said Uncle Elliot.
    â€œMake one up,” said Emma.
    Uncle Elliot thought. “How about,” he began,
    â€œ Baby, baby, stop your screams .
    Â Â Go to sleep and dream sweet dreams .”
    Zachary and Aunt Evelyn laughed.
    â€œThat’s good, Uncle Elliot,” said Emma. “The baby will like that lullaby.”
    â€œSo am I now a father?” asked Uncle Elliot. “Do I pass?”
    â€œJust one more thing,” said Emma.
    â€œWhat is that?” asked Uncle Elliot, burping Mavis.
    â€œTalking to the baby,” said Emma. “Most mothers and fathers and aunts and uncles do not talk right to babies. They talk baby talk to them. And that makes babies bored. They cry a lot and fall off beds to get attention. Talk to Mavis.”
    â€œNo baby talk?” asked Uncle Elliot.
    Emma shook her head. “No itsies or do-dos,” she warned.
    â€œNot even a goo?”
    â€œNo goos,” said Emma.
    Uncle Elliot put Mavis on his knee and held both her arms. Her one eye rolled up and looked at him.
    â€œWelcome, Mavis, old shoe,” he said. “You’re not a half bad baby, actually. You only cry at night when I’m trying to sleep, you only spit up on my clean shirts, and you’re only wet most of the time. You only rolled off the bed once. You eat everything but strained broccoli.”
    Emma and Zachary laughed.
    â€œPretty soon,” said Uncle Elliot, “you will get to know your cousins, Emma and Zachary. You will learn all about bottle cap collections and night rumbles and strange spots that come and go. You will see them soon, because in my pocket I have two bus tickets for them to keep until you are born and they can come for a visit all by themselves to watch you burp and spit up. What do you say, old bald Mavis, do you think they will like that? And do you think I have passed yet?”
    There was a silence. Uncle Elliot gave Mavis to Aunt Evelyn and took the two tickets out of his pocket. He handed one to Emma and one to Zachary.
    Emma grinned at him.
    â€œYou know a whole lot about being a father, Uncle Elliot,” said Emma.
    â€œAnd a whole lot about being an uncle,” added Zachary.
    â€œHe does now,” said Aunt Evelyn, patting bald Mavis. “But he didn’t before we knew you. We hardly knew any children before we knew you.”
    â€œI know,” said Emma. She looked up at Uncle Elliot. “You passed, Uncle Elliot.”
    Uncle Elliot put one arm around Emma and one around Zachary.
    â€œYou did too,” he said.

Credits
    Cover art © 2002 by Barbara McGlynn
    Cover design by Andrea Simkowski
    Cover © 2002 by HarperCollins Publishers Inc.

Copyright
    SEVEN KISSES IN A ROW
    Text copyright © 1983 by Patricia MacLachlan
    All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright