Read Online Betti on the High Wire by Lisa Railsback - Free Book Online Page B

have so many things to do! You’re going to play dolls with me and watch cartoons and we can roller-skate ... For HOURS.”
    Suddenly I was very, very tired. I lay down on my bed and put my head on my very own “peee-lo.” It was way too fluffy, but I was so tired that I could’ve slept on top of ten monkeys. I reached for my orange bag on the floor, took out my potato sack, and laid it carefully over that weird pillow.
    Lucy lay down with her head next to mine. She closed her eyes. “Shhhh. We have to act like we’re asleep.” She reached out and softly closed my good eye for me, when...
    Mrs. Buckworth walked into the yellow room.
    Lucy let out a loud noise like a sleeping cow. She elbowed me, so I let out a cow noise too.
    “Girls,” laughed Mrs. Buckworth, “you can’t fool me. Go put on your pajamas, Lucy, and then it’s off to bed.”
    “Ohhhhhhh, Mom.” Lucy bounced off my bed and ran out of my room. She was back in about one second. “Can we have a cookie first?”
    “Tomorrow.” Mrs. Buckworth sighed. “Now it’s pajamas.”
    “Pajamas. I know.” Lucy ran away again.
    Mrs. Buckworth sat down on my bed and smoothed out my blanket with her hand. “Betti, I have some pajamas for you too.”
    “What is pujamuzz?” I asked.
    She opened a secret drawer that was inside of a large wooden chest against the wall. She took out a long, fuzzy pink dress and held it up. “I wanted you to have something to wear tonight. I also bought some other things.” She opened another drawer and then another. “I hope you like them.”
    Four pairs of pants, three pairs of shorts, eight pairs of socks and underwear, another striped pajamas dress, a “swimming soot for swimming in a swimming poo,” and a pair of “overallzz.” The overalls were blue and looked like what the poor farm people wore in my country. But mine had a red flower on the front.
    Then Mrs. Buckworth walked to a skinny secret door and opened it. I curiously followed her and looked inside. Hanging like empty people from a pole that went from one side to the other, were three brand-new dresses and three brand-new shirts.
    “And some shoes, Betti.”
    “Shoes?”
    There were perfectly white shoes for playing, which I planned to get very dirty, and shoes kind of like my flip-flops, only fancier, with holes in the front that would show off my missing toes.
    I looked down at my flip-flops. Sister Baroo had spent a lot of money for my flip-flops. They were just fine, but not here I guess, and yesterday seemed like a million years ago.
    Then Mrs. Buckworth held up a third pair of shoes. “These are for birthday parties and special things like that.”
    Special occasion shoes! Red and shiny with buckles. My good eye bugged out and my mouth hung open. I wanted to touch all of my new clothes and my new red shoes. Instead I said, “Thank ... you,” and closed the door. I was not going to like any of it.
    “I’ll help you put on your pajamas, sweetie,” said Mrs. Buckworth, “but first you can take a bath.”
    “Bath?” I said. I definitely didn’t want my skin scrubbed until I was blue and raw and wrinkled like a baby elephant.
    “I know you’re probably so tired after your trip, but it might feel good to—”
    “No bath, no bath.” I put my arms across my chest. I pointed my nose at the ceiling.
    “Oh. Well ...” Mrs. Buckworth put her hand on my shoulder, on my circus dress. “I guess it can wait until tomorrow. Sure.”
    So I shyly let her help me put on my pajamas. My new pink pajama dress was soft and warm.
    I sat down on my bed again. I yawned.
    “Betti, I also wanted to give you this.” Mrs. Buck-worth handed me a book.
    She watched hopefully as I was very busy flipping through the pages. I was afraid it was another book about my country that was not really my country. “It is no words,” I said.
    Mrs. Buckworth laughed. “It’s a blank book. It isn’t supposed to have words yet.”
    “Blank?”
    “It’s ...” Mrs.