way to work, but you haveto walk her home after school. I'll be back around six.” Mom worked at Macy's in the Ala Moana Shopping Center on the other side of the island.
“I want you to keep an eye on her until I get home. Can I count on you, Calvin?”
“Sure, Mom.” The walk home was only a mile or so.
“When Stella gets here, she'll watch Darci after school. But today she's your respon sibility.”
“I can do it.”
“Just don't forget… Oh, and Ledward's coming over this afternoon to help you clean out the storage room.”
I scowled, remembering. I had to move in with the roaches, spiders, lizards, ants, earwigs, mice, centipedes, and wet-cardboard stink. “Mom, why can't Stella and Darci share a—”
“No, Cal.”
I sighed. “Fine.”
“Please walk Darci to her class thismorning, too. Just for today, so she knows where to go.”
“Sure.”
Mom smiled. “Thank you, Calvin. I need your help.”
“I know, Mom.”
She brushed my cheek with the back of her fingers. “You're excited about fourth grade, aren't you?”
“Yeah, Mom. That's me … excited.”
On
my way out to the car, I remembered the centipede. The jar was still on the garbage can. The centipede didn't look so good. Maybe it needed air. Or food. What did those things eat, anyway?
I quickly stuffed the jar into my backpack. If Mom saw me with a centipede, she'd make me squish it.
“Darci's teacher's name is Ms. Wing,” Mom said when she dropped us off at Kailua Elementary. “I called her last night and told her you would be bringing Darci to class, since I can't.”
“I know what to do, Mom.”
“That's my boy!”
We waved as she drove off. “Let's do it, Darce.”
Ms. Wing was standing at the door to Darci's new class room. She was Chinese, like Maya. Her super-shiny black hair flowed all the way down her back. Wow, I thought. She looks like she just stepped out of one of Mom's magazines.
Darci looked up at her.
“Uh … this is Darci,” I said. “She's in your class.”
Ms. Wing leaned over with her hands on her knees. “Good morning, Darci. I'm Ms. Wing, and I'm so happy to have you in my class.”
Darci opened and closed her mouth, like a fish.
I nudged her with my elbow.
“Hi,” Darci squeaked.
“I'm her brother.”
Ms. Wing stood and reached out to shake hands. “Nice to meet you, Darci's brother.”
We shook. Ms. Wing looked at the list of student names taped to the door. “Let's see … Darci, Darci. Oh,
you
are Little Johnny Coconut's daughter.”
Darci beamed. “He's a singer.”
Ms. Wing sang, “‘A little bit of la-la-la-love’ … that was a
very
popular song!”
“I gotta go,” I said, before she sang more.
“Thank you for bringing Darci to class, Darci's brother.”
“No problem.”
On the way to Mr. Purdy's room, I ran into Julio and three of his four younger brothers-Marcus, Diego, and Carlos. “Scat!” Julio told them. “Find your classrooms.” They ran off. “If my mom has one more kid I'm moving into our fort.”
“I have to move into my garage.”
“That junky storage room?”
“Uh-huh … some girl is coming to live with us.”
“What girl?”
I shrugged. “Hey, look at this place.”
Kids were everywhere, running and shouting and raising dust all over the playground.
“Like a party,” Julio said.
“You think Mr. Purdy will let us sit together?”
“We can ask.”
“Yeah, let's.” I studied the dusty playground. “You see Sinbad?”
“Shhh.
Don't call him that. What if you say it to his face?”
“No way.”
Julio tapped my arm. “There's Rubin and Maya. Hey! Over here!”
I hadn't seen Rubin Tomioka in two months. He didn't live on our street, and anyway, his parents sent him to Japan in the summer to live with his grandparents and learn Japanese. Rubin was always in a good mood.
I lifted my chin as he and Maya walked up. “Hey. Check this out.”
I pulled the peanut butter jar out of my backpack and raised it to my eyes. The