would pan out. Two, I was now relishing a second cup of mango juice, along with a trail mix of crushed almonds and walnuts, unsalted sunflower seeds, and tiny chocolate chips. Three, I judged if I provided a list of my accomplishmentsâplus failuresâit would alter our mood. It was good to see Joey enjoying his new life in the tree.
Then I reported the bad news.
"Someone stole my bike, Joey."
"No!" Joey put down his paper cup and finished chewing a mouthful of his trail mix. "That's messed up."
"Yeah, I was riding over to see you, and these two guys tricked me. Their truck was, like, in the middle of the street, and they needed me to help them push it." I painted a picture of my shoulder pressed to the back of the truck and pushing with all my strength.
"I'm surprised the truck didn't shoot off into space. You got a lot of leg strength."
I eyed Joey. "You mean that?"
"Yeah, Ronnie, you're stronger than you think."
I enjoyed hearing those words and was waiting for him to say more when the truck I helped rounded the corner onto Joey's street. It approached loudly.
"That's the truck!" I stood up, angry and ready to parachute from the tree and run after it.
The truck popped foul exhaust, and from the cab a bottle flew and crashed against the ground. Then a banana peel flew out from the driver's side.
"I gave him that banana," I bawled.
At the stop sign, the truck barely applied its brakes as it rounded the corner. By the glow of a streetlight, I could see my bike in the back. I considered swinging from the tree and running after the truck, but what would have been the use? I was fast, but not Superman.
"I know that truck," Joey announced. Even in the dark, I sensed a hot glow on his cheeks and fire in his eyes.
"Who are those guys?"
"That's Cory's half brother. He's in eleventh grade but my brother used to wrestle him." Joey turned to me. "Are you sure he's the one who stole your bike?"
I nodded. For a long time we stared at the place where the truck had recklessly skidded around the corner and listened for the sounds of the truck's popping exhaust.
I borrowed Joey's mom's cell phone and called Mom to ask if I could sleep over at Joey's. She agreed, but said she wouldn't take me to the hospital if I fell out of the tree and cracked open my head. Of course, this was sort of a joke, and I released a chuckle to suggest that she was a really funny mom. However, I could sense that Mom might be worried about my new status as a tree dweller.
I bedded down next to Joey. For a while we watched the stars slowly wheel westward. Then Joey got up and made that smoothie out of the banana and apple I had brought from home, adding portions of a pineapple and some sort of berry. That sweet brew was history in no time.
Then it was back to bed.
"Joey," I mumbled, near sleep. "Are we going to stay chimps?" I had my fingers crossed that we were just in phase two of our growth as human beings, that in a few months we would wake up and find new faces in our steamy bathroom mirrors. We would wipe the mirrors, and discover we were just regular boys.
"I think so."
"Really?" I had expected a more philosophical answer. I was too tired to worry. I yawned and pulled on the blanketâJoey was a hog when it came to sharing it. I folded my hands behind my head. Through the leaves I followed the flights of occasional airplanes, and had started inventing stories about the people in the planes when a shock ran through me.
I sat up and scratched my head.
"I know what to do," I mumbled. Joey, thumb in his mouth, was asleep. I lay back down as I played out my plan in my mind. It took me only a short while to lower my eyelids and slide down a roof into a happy dream.
Chapter 8
The next morning when I returned home on foot, I found Mom in the kitchen stirring a pot of oatmeal. She seemed nice and toasty in her fleece-lined robe, and her big woolly slippers added to this image.
"How did you sleep?" she asked. She raised a wooden spoon
Then I reported the bad news.
"Someone stole my bike, Joey."
"No!" Joey put down his paper cup and finished chewing a mouthful of his trail mix. "That's messed up."
"Yeah, I was riding over to see you, and these two guys tricked me. Their truck was, like, in the middle of the street, and they needed me to help them push it." I painted a picture of my shoulder pressed to the back of the truck and pushing with all my strength.
"I'm surprised the truck didn't shoot off into space. You got a lot of leg strength."
I eyed Joey. "You mean that?"
"Yeah, Ronnie, you're stronger than you think."
I enjoyed hearing those words and was waiting for him to say more when the truck I helped rounded the corner onto Joey's street. It approached loudly.
"That's the truck!" I stood up, angry and ready to parachute from the tree and run after it.
The truck popped foul exhaust, and from the cab a bottle flew and crashed against the ground. Then a banana peel flew out from the driver's side.
"I gave him that banana," I bawled.
At the stop sign, the truck barely applied its brakes as it rounded the corner. By the glow of a streetlight, I could see my bike in the back. I considered swinging from the tree and running after the truck, but what would have been the use? I was fast, but not Superman.
"I know that truck," Joey announced. Even in the dark, I sensed a hot glow on his cheeks and fire in his eyes.
"Who are those guys?"
"That's Cory's half brother. He's in eleventh grade but my brother used to wrestle him." Joey turned to me. "Are you sure he's the one who stole your bike?"
I nodded. For a long time we stared at the place where the truck had recklessly skidded around the corner and listened for the sounds of the truck's popping exhaust.
I borrowed Joey's mom's cell phone and called Mom to ask if I could sleep over at Joey's. She agreed, but said she wouldn't take me to the hospital if I fell out of the tree and cracked open my head. Of course, this was sort of a joke, and I released a chuckle to suggest that she was a really funny mom. However, I could sense that Mom might be worried about my new status as a tree dweller.
I bedded down next to Joey. For a while we watched the stars slowly wheel westward. Then Joey got up and made that smoothie out of the banana and apple I had brought from home, adding portions of a pineapple and some sort of berry. That sweet brew was history in no time.
Then it was back to bed.
"Joey," I mumbled, near sleep. "Are we going to stay chimps?" I had my fingers crossed that we were just in phase two of our growth as human beings, that in a few months we would wake up and find new faces in our steamy bathroom mirrors. We would wipe the mirrors, and discover we were just regular boys.
"I think so."
"Really?" I had expected a more philosophical answer. I was too tired to worry. I yawned and pulled on the blanketâJoey was a hog when it came to sharing it. I folded my hands behind my head. Through the leaves I followed the flights of occasional airplanes, and had started inventing stories about the people in the planes when a shock ran through me.
I sat up and scratched my head.
"I know what to do," I mumbled. Joey, thumb in his mouth, was asleep. I lay back down as I played out my plan in my mind. It took me only a short while to lower my eyelids and slide down a roof into a happy dream.
Chapter 8
The next morning when I returned home on foot, I found Mom in the kitchen stirring a pot of oatmeal. She seemed nice and toasty in her fleece-lined robe, and her big woolly slippers added to this image.
"How did you sleep?" she asked. She raised a wooden spoon
Similar Books
