Special Delivery Read Free Page A

two years, but because of Needle and Thread, she spent a lot of time on Main Street, and Main Street was the heart of the town. Ruby had walked up and down Main Street countless times. She knew every store and business there, from Needle and Thread to College Pizza, from Dr. Malone’s dental practice to the real estate agency. She knew Jackie and Donna, who ran the post office, and Sonny Sutphin, who worked in the second-hand bookstore, and Frank, who owned Frank’s Beans, the coffee shop. The family of her new friend Hilary ran the diner and lived above it, and her neighbors the Fongs owned an art gallery. Every now and then a new business came to town (Ruby had seen signs for a magic store that was to open soon), but in general, Ruby felt she knew Main Street. And since she was a member of the Children’s Chorus and also took dance lessons, she was acquainted with all sorts of other people, too. Not to mention that she knew every single one of her neighbors in the Row Houses.
    Ruby thought and thought, but she didn’t know what kind of business to start. Wasn’t she a little young to start a business anyway? And didn’t starting a business take a lot of time? Ruby needed fast cash. How did kids her age earn money? Baby-sitting? She knew of only one baby — Grace Fong — and Flora always got to sit for her. (Ruby fervently hoped that eventually Aunt Allie would let
Ruby
sit for her cousin.)
    Well. This was getting frustrating. It was just one of the many problems associated with being ten years old as opposed to, say, twelve.
    Ruby heaved a sigh. Maybe she could pet-sit. But no, in order to get jobs, she would have to wait for the pet owners to go away on trips, and she didn’t have time for that.
    What else did Ruby know about her community? What did people need? What would they pay other people to do?
    What would
I
pay someone to do? Ruby asked herself.
    And in an instant, she had her answer. She would pay someone to do all those things that needed doing but that she didn’t want to do — cleaning up her room, for instance, or vacuuming the bedrooms (her current household chore).
    â€œThat’s it!” exclaimed Ruby, jumping to her feet. “I’ll be the Doer of Unpleasant Jobs!” Now, that was a business she could actually start. She wouldn’t need anything except herself — no store, no equipment. There must be, she thought, any number of unpleasant jobs that people would pay her to do.
    Ruby tore down the hall, grabbed the cordless phone from Min’s bedside table, and brought it back to her room. She closed her door and dialed Lacey Morris’s number. “Lacey!” she cried. “Guess what! I had a brilliant idea. I’m going to start a business. I’m going to be the Doer of Unpleasant Jobs. Do you want to be my partner?”
    Lacey Morris, who lived at the left end of the Row Houses with her parents and her sister and brothers, said cautiously, “Your business partner? What would I have to do?”
    â€œHelp me with the unpleasant jobs.”
    â€œBut what kind of unpleasant jobs are we talking about?”
    â€œI don’t know. Anything no one wants to do. Cleaning and stuff. All those jobs people keep putting off.”
    On the other end of the line, Lacey scrunched up her nose. “There’s a reason people keep putting them off.”
    â€œYes,” said Ruby. “They’re unpleasant.”
    â€œExactly. Which is why I don’t think I want to do them.” Lacey paused. “I, um, sort of have a lot of allowance money saved up. Besides, I want to put in more practice time on my solo.” Lacey also had a solo (a tiny one) in the Thanksgiving concert.
    â€œOkay-ay,” sang Ruby, “but you’re missing out on a great opportunity.” She hung up the phone and punched in Hilary Nelson’s number. “Hilary? Do you want to be a Doer of Unpleasant