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Authors: Laurie Halse Anderson
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fascinating. They’ve saved alligators found in swimming pools, pelicans with fishing hooks in their beaks, deer that have been hit by cars, and an egret with a broken wing.
Some of it is sad. A sandhill crane run over by a drunk driver. A manatee that had some jerk’s initials carved into its back with a knife. Three baby river otters deliberately killed.
But we focus on the good stories, not the bad, and the work goes quickly. When Carlos brings in boxes of hot pizza for dinner, none of us can believe that the entire afternoon has flown by. He sends me to find Dr. Mac and Gretchen.
Dr. Mac is sitting on the edge of the dock with her feet in the canal. Gretchen is sitting next to her.
“Pizza’s here,” I say. “You’d better come if you want any.”
“Have a seat, Brenna,” Dr. Mac says, patting the deck next to her.
Uh-oh.
It’s that serious, grown-up tone of voice again.
“What’s wrong?” I ask as I sit down.
Gretchen tucks a loose strand of hair into her bun. “The bank won’t loan us any more money, and we can’t afford to pay back what we already owe,” she says. “The rescue center has to close.”
Close the center? They can’t!
“No!” I shout.
Dr. Mac knows what I’m feeling. “I realize that sounds drastic, Brenna. We’ve been trying to come up with an alternative all day.”
“You can’t close this place!” I exclaim. “What about Violet? And Key Lime? And the snakes and alligators? They’ll die without you. Doesn’t the bank know that? Go to a different bank. And what about the fund-raiser? Dr. Mac is giving you money. Everyone is giving money.”
“I wish it were that simple,” Gretchen says. She pries a sliver of wood up from the dock. “This isn’t the first bank I’ve gone to—it’s the ninth. And Dr. Mac has been very generous, but we need really big bucks. Checks with lots of zeros on the end. It costs thirty thousand dollars to care for one manatee for a year. And our equipment is very expensive. Some of it isn’t paid for yet, and the rest has to be maintained. The money just isn’t there.”
The insects have quieted down. The only sounds are the faint radio playing for the snakes and tortoises inside and the gentle slap of the river against the hulls of the rescue boats.
Gretchen rubs her hands over the wooden dock to feel for more slivers. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for this to happen.”
I try again. “But Violet …”
“We’ll work it out. I’ll talk to the other critical-care centers and see who can take our manatees. We’ll find homes for the other critters, too. Then I have to help my staff find jobs …”
She stops, her voice choked with emotion. Dr. Mac reaches out and squeezes her hand. Gretchen clears her throat.
“The bankers are coming here tomorrow morning. They want to inspect the property.”
Dr. Mac lifts her feet out of the river and shakes the water off them. “We’ll stay out of your hair,” she says. “The girls are ready for some beach time, and I have tickets to the baseball game tomorrow.”
“Did you cancel the fund-raiser?” I ask.
Gretchen collects the slivers in the palm of her hand. “The fund-raiser is still on,” she says. “We still need every dime to cover our debts. I’ll make the announcement there. I hope you can come.” She looks over at me. “It will be your last chance to say good-bye to Violet and Key Lime.”
Dr. Mac stands up and motions to me with her hand. We should leave Gretchen alone.
“I’ll save you a slice of pizza,” I say as I get to my feet.
“Um-hmm,” Gretchen answers.
We leave her at the water’s edge.
Chapter Eleven
A fter breakfast the next morning, we head for the beach. Maggie and Zoe both glop on handfuls of thick white sunscreen.
“You’d better put some on, too,” Maggie says as she tosses me the bottle of lotion. “You don’t want to take a sunburn home as a souvenir.”
Zoe stretches out on her towel. “Ah, the sun! Don’t you love
Some of it is sad. A sandhill crane run over by a drunk driver. A manatee that had some jerk’s initials carved into its back with a knife. Three baby river otters deliberately killed.
But we focus on the good stories, not the bad, and the work goes quickly. When Carlos brings in boxes of hot pizza for dinner, none of us can believe that the entire afternoon has flown by. He sends me to find Dr. Mac and Gretchen.
Dr. Mac is sitting on the edge of the dock with her feet in the canal. Gretchen is sitting next to her.
“Pizza’s here,” I say. “You’d better come if you want any.”
“Have a seat, Brenna,” Dr. Mac says, patting the deck next to her.
Uh-oh.
It’s that serious, grown-up tone of voice again.
“What’s wrong?” I ask as I sit down.
Gretchen tucks a loose strand of hair into her bun. “The bank won’t loan us any more money, and we can’t afford to pay back what we already owe,” she says. “The rescue center has to close.”
Close the center? They can’t!
“No!” I shout.
Dr. Mac knows what I’m feeling. “I realize that sounds drastic, Brenna. We’ve been trying to come up with an alternative all day.”
“You can’t close this place!” I exclaim. “What about Violet? And Key Lime? And the snakes and alligators? They’ll die without you. Doesn’t the bank know that? Go to a different bank. And what about the fund-raiser? Dr. Mac is giving you money. Everyone is giving money.”
“I wish it were that simple,” Gretchen says. She pries a sliver of wood up from the dock. “This isn’t the first bank I’ve gone to—it’s the ninth. And Dr. Mac has been very generous, but we need really big bucks. Checks with lots of zeros on the end. It costs thirty thousand dollars to care for one manatee for a year. And our equipment is very expensive. Some of it isn’t paid for yet, and the rest has to be maintained. The money just isn’t there.”
The insects have quieted down. The only sounds are the faint radio playing for the snakes and tortoises inside and the gentle slap of the river against the hulls of the rescue boats.
Gretchen rubs her hands over the wooden dock to feel for more slivers. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for this to happen.”
I try again. “But Violet …”
“We’ll work it out. I’ll talk to the other critical-care centers and see who can take our manatees. We’ll find homes for the other critters, too. Then I have to help my staff find jobs …”
She stops, her voice choked with emotion. Dr. Mac reaches out and squeezes her hand. Gretchen clears her throat.
“The bankers are coming here tomorrow morning. They want to inspect the property.”
Dr. Mac lifts her feet out of the river and shakes the water off them. “We’ll stay out of your hair,” she says. “The girls are ready for some beach time, and I have tickets to the baseball game tomorrow.”
“Did you cancel the fund-raiser?” I ask.
Gretchen collects the slivers in the palm of her hand. “The fund-raiser is still on,” she says. “We still need every dime to cover our debts. I’ll make the announcement there. I hope you can come.” She looks over at me. “It will be your last chance to say good-bye to Violet and Key Lime.”
Dr. Mac stands up and motions to me with her hand. We should leave Gretchen alone.
“I’ll save you a slice of pizza,” I say as I get to my feet.
“Um-hmm,” Gretchen answers.
We leave her at the water’s edge.
Chapter Eleven
A fter breakfast the next morning, we head for the beach. Maggie and Zoe both glop on handfuls of thick white sunscreen.
“You’d better put some on, too,” Maggie says as she tosses me the bottle of lotion. “You don’t want to take a sunburn home as a souvenir.”
Zoe stretches out on her towel. “Ah, the sun! Don’t you love
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