Another Day as Emily Read Free Page B

OTTILIE
    I tell Ottilie:
    “Mrs. Harden is out of the hospital.”
    Ottilie flicks her tail fin.
    I think it’s her way of smiling.
    “And Mom is coming home.
    And I forgot to tell you before—

    Parker is riding with Mayor Paloma
    in the Fourth of July parade.”
    Another fin flick.
    “And I’m jealous and—”
    The fin stops.
    I stop.
    My hand shoots to my mouth,
    clamps it shut.
    Ottilie and I boggle at each other,
    both fish-eyed.
    I can’t believe I said that.
FRIDAY-MORNING VISIT
    I go over to check on Mrs. Harden.
    She is up and dressed
    and having tea.
    Her cheeks are rosy.
    She doesn’t look tired anymore.
    She gives me a hug.
    “I’m so glad you stopped by, Suzy,”
    she says.
    “I have something for Parker.”
PRESENTS
    Mrs. Harden goes into the hall.
    She returns with a teddy bear
    dressed like a doctor,
    complete with a tiny stethoscope.
    “I got it at the hospital gift shop.
    Think Parker will like it?”
    “Sure,” I say.
    Then she hands me a box
    tied with red ribbon.
    “And this is for you, Suzy.”
    “Me?” I say.
    “I’m not the one who called 911.”
    Mrs. Harden drapes an arm around me.
    “No, but I have a nice, fuzzy memory
    of you holding my hand.
    I can still hear you saying,
    ‘Don’t worry, Mrs. Harden.
    Help is on the way.’ “

TEARS AGAIN
    I untie the ribbon
    and open the box.
    And for the second time
    in two days,
    I burst into tears.
    There, nestled in tissue paper,
    is a foot-long memento baseball bat.
    It says
    PHILLIES WORLD CHAMPIONS
    2008.
    Mrs. Harden grins.
    “I was going to give it to you
    for your birthday.”
    I hug the bat to my chest.
    “This is birthday and Easter
    and Christmas
    for the rest of my life!”

READ ALOUD
    Later,
    Alison and I are sitting
    on the front porch.
    I’m reading to her
    the first chapter of
    Black Beauty
,
    which Ms. Mott recommended to me
    since it was written in the 1800s.
    Reading aloud is one way
    I try to get Alison into a book.
     
    Alison inspects her nails,
    flaps at a fly,
    yawns.
    “I’m bored,” she says.
    I give a sigh.
    “How can you be bored?
    I just started. Besides,
    don’t you want to be an actress?”
     
    Alison shrugs. “Yeah—so?”
    “So actresses have to read scripts.”
    She snorts. “I know that.
    When I was in the school play,
    I not only read the whole play—
    I memorized it.”
    “I rest my case,” I say. “You do read.”
    “Only plays I’m in.”
    “Just let me finish this chapter.”
    Alison gives me a wicked grin.
    “Can’t. Here comes Gilbert,
    your not-boyfriend.”
NOT FOR ME
    Gilbert isn’t here for me.
    “Is your dad around?”
    he asks.
    “Mr. Kim’s lawn mower
    won’t start.
    I can’t figure out
    what’s wrong.”
LAWN-MOWER MAN
    Dad loves tinkering
    with lawn mowers.
    There are four in our garage.
    Only one works.
    The others Dad got at yard sales.
    They don’t run now, but they will.
    And once they work,
    he’ll give them away
    and buy more.
    Mom calls it
    Dad’s “harmless addiction.”
    Like hers with books.
DON’T ASK ME
    Dad has worked on
    Mr. Kim’s lawn mower before.
    Mr. Kim, who recently retired
    from NASA,
    always jokes with Dad.
    He says: “I can send a man
    to the moon, but don’t ask me
    to fix a lawn mower.”
NICE WATCH
    Dad comes out to the front porch.
    Parker too.
    Gilbert gives Parker a friendly punch
    on the arm.
    “Nice cape, buddy,” he says.
    Parker eyeballs Gilbert’s watch.
    “Nice watch.”
    “Thanks. I got it at Trader Bill’s.”
    Parker lowers his voice to a whisper.
    “Be careful with that watch.
    There’s robbers in town.”
JUST GETTING STARTED
    Alison shoots me a look.
    I ignore her.
    Gilbert tilts his head,
    reads my book title.
    “
Black Beauty
, huh?
    Any good?”
    “Just getting started,” I say.
    “Well, you can tell me
    how you like it
    over ice cream,”
    he says.
    He winks at me.
    “Someday.”
    Alison jabs me
    with her elbow,
    hisses under her breath:
    “Aha!”
AFTER SUPPER
    I decide to clean the