Read Online Mr. Chickee's Messy Mission by Christopher Paul Curtis - Free Book Online Page B

greatest scientists have figured is less than point zero one percent of the total. That tiny bit doesn't work properly and I'm unable to use my eyes.”
    Richelle said, “But wait a minute, Mr. Chickee, does that mean the same thing happened to us when we crossed from Earth to here? Is there something that is point zero one percent different on us now?”
    “Excellent question, Ms. Cyrus-Herndon, and the answer is yes.”
    Steven whispered to Russell, “Man! I was just about to ask that myself. She shoots her mouth off so quick no one else has a chance to—”
    Richelle said, “But we all can see, we all can hear, what's different?”
    “You never know. It affects each person differently. It might be something as minor as your hair is one shade lighter, it might be as trivial as your left earlobe is a millimeter longer or it might be something so major that it causes you to lose your vision.”
    “Hmmm,” Richelle said, “I'll have to keep a watch on this.”
    “Yeah,” Steven chimed in, “me too.”
    Richelle rolled her eyes. “Well, we see whatever has changed with you, Steven Carter, it's not your ability to think on your own, that's still as lame as ever.”
    Steven turned and looked at Richelle for the first time since they'd landed in Ourside. He knew he couldn't let her get away with saying that in front of all these people.
    “Is that right, Cyrus-Herndon?” He looked right in her eyes. “On you I can see the point zero one percent change is …”
    “Man,” he thought, “I never noticed before that there's something kind of cute about Richelle when she's tapping her foot and rolling her eyes like that.
    “Now, what was I about to say?” he asked himself. “Oh, yeah …”
    “On you, Richelle, it's real easy to see …”
    He thought, “It's real easy to see you're about the most beautiful person I've ever seen!”
    A look of disgust swept over Richelle's face. “Why are you looking at me like that?”
    “Like what, sw—” Steven quickly slapped his hand over his mouth before the last word he was going to say to Richelle came out. He couldn't believe it, but he'd been that close to saying “Like what, sweetheart?”
    Russell said, “Yeah, Bucko, the way you're looking at Madam President is giving me the creeps!”
    Richelle said, “If it's giving you the creeps, think what it's doing to me! I feel like I've got the heebie-jeebies, the walking willies and the creepy crawlies all at the same time.”
    Russell looked like a stomachache was coming on and said, “And what were you getting ready to call her, Bucko?”
    Steven quickly looked away from Richelle and it seemed like his mind came back to him.
    He said, “I was starting to say ‘Like what, sw … sw … sweat hog! That's it! I was gonna say ‘Like what, sweat hog?’ ”
    Mr. Chickee and the African woman laughed.
    The woman put her hand on Steven's head and said, “Hmmm, I think I see what has changed on this one.”
    Mr. Chickee sighed and said, “Ah, Naomi, do you remember?”
    “How could I ever forget? I'll always remember my first love.”
    Steven slapped his hands over his eyes, Richelle slapped her hands over her mouth and Russell slapped his hands over his ears, and all three screamed, “Noooo!”
    Sounding a lot like the Godfather of Soul, Steven kepthis eyes shut and pleaded to himself, “Please, please, please, don't let this be true. Please!”
    He pulled his hands down and thought, “Okay, think like a detective, try to put things together. It seems like something has changed when I look at Richelle. When I think about her, I can't stand her, I know what a rotten, stuck-up little brainiac she is. I know she's about the worst person I've ever seen, I know she stole my presidency from me and I've got to pay her back.
    “But when I see her face”—he opened his eyes, looked at Richelle and moaned to himself—“all I can think of is another one of Dad's weak old rhythm-and-blues songs: ‘Heaven must be