Stella Díaz Dreams Big

by Angela Dominguez

  Ms. Benedetto replies, “Don’t worry. You don’t have to stay the whole time. If you need to leave early, that’s completely fine.”

  “The majority of the work will happen during our after-school club meetings,” adds Mr. Foster.

  Whew. I can still do this, I think to myself.

  “But before we get too deep into the planning, let’s take a moment to introduce ourselves,” says Ms. Benedetto.

  I volunteer to go first to get it out of the way. That way, I don’t have much time to turn roja.

  “Hi, I’m Stella Díaz. I’m in fourth grade, and I love marine animals and art.”

  As the remaining club members stand up to introduce themselves, I can’t help but feel distracted about what I just said aloud. I love painting almost as much as the oceans. I’ve never had to worry about dividing my time between the two until now.

  Thankfully, Mr. Foster interrupts my worrying. “Now that we know one another, let’s begin brainstorming what our mural should be!”

  “Oh, I know … superheroes!” exclaims a third grader.

  “Yeah, Thor!” suggests a second grader.

  Ms. Benedetto chuckles. “That sounds fun, but let’s try to think of something that relates to our school.”

  After we brainstorm for a while, we decide the best idea is to do a painting of our school mascot, the dolphin. I love that idea because I got plenty of practice drawing dolphins for our spelling bee last year.

  Mr. Foster says, “Okay, I’d love to see you all come up with a sketch for our next club meeting on Thursday.”

  “Are you going to choose just one sketch?” asks Chris.

  “Good question,” Ms. Benedetto says. “It’s going to be a real collaboration. Mr. Foster will put together the best parts from all the sketches to finalize our mural sketch. We hope to have the sketch done by next week.”

  I feel electric. This is all happening so quickly.

  Mr. Foster looks at the clock on the wall.

  “There is a little time before the meeting ends. So feel free to start drawing right away or chat with your neighbors about ideas.”

  While Anna and Chris chat, I get to work on a sketch. As I move my colored pencils on the page, I’m excited by the possibility of having my sketch incorporated into the mural. Then I remember the Sea Musketeers, again. If I explain it’s a mural of dolphins, the club should be understanding if I need to skip a meeting. I’m creating firsthand connections to the ocean at my school. I better do a terrific job on my sketch. Maybe I should work on it all night!

  When the meeting ends, I zip open my backpack to put my sketch away. I then notice my binder filled with homework assignments.

  My mouth drops. I forgot I have to do homework tonight, too. I shake it off and say to myself, “I can do both. I’m a Díaz, after all, right?”

  Chapter Nine

  The next night, I have my first swim lesson at the YMCA. But before it’s time for Jenny and her mom to pick me up, I spend all afternoon working on my mural sketch. I have to catch up because I didn’t get to draw as much as I wanted to yesterday. My homework ended up taking so long, and Mom made me stop working at 8:00 P.M. She says she doesn’t want me to overextend myself.

  Thankfully, my sketch is looking awesome. I drew a pod of dolphins swimming near some waves. I also included a dolphin reading a book because the mural is in the library. I like to imagine that dolphins can read since they are so smart and such excellent communicators. They do have their own language of clicks and whistles. I remember summer camp, when I gave the enrichment toy I built to the dolphin. She squeaked when we handed the toy to her, and with her smile and head bob, I knew she loved it. I decide to show the sketch to Pancho for his approval.

  “Do you like it?”

  He swims around the tank.

  “Thank you!” I reply.

  When Jenny and her mom pick me up for swim class, I’m a little nervous, but mostly excited. While I do know how to swim, I’ve always wanted to learn how to do more than just doggy-paddle. I also think it’ll be necessary if I ever go scuba diving on undersea explorations.

  “Do you know if the class is hard?” I ask Jenny in the car on the way to the YMCA.

  Jenny shakes her head. “I’m a little nervous, too, but it should be fun, Stella.”

  When we arrive at the YMCA, I follow Jenny and her mom into the locker room. I change into my swimsuit. I even have to wear a swim cap and goggles. I look in the mirror at my getup.

  It’s like I’m straight out of the Esther Williams movies that mi abuela likes to watch. In the movies, Esther swims around in a pool with a group of swimmers in these big choreographed productions. Mi abuela usually watches those movies with subtitles since she speaks only Spanish. She has visited us in Chicago only a couple of times because she doesn’t like to travel as much anymore. Still, it’s one of my favorite memories with her. She’d watch them do an aquatic ballet on TV and make me sopa de fideos. There is nothing better than her tomato-and-noodle soup. Well, outside of Mom’s albóndigas.

  We rinse off in the shower before we head to the pool. It seems a little silly, but that’s to help keep the pool clean from the outdoors. Thankfully, the locker room is right next to the pool. I’m glad I don’t have to walk far in a wet swimsuit and squeaky flip-flops.

  “Whoa,” I say when I see the size of the pool. It’s not as large as the ocean, but it’s certainly larger than our neighborhood community pool—at least three times the size! It also has much longer lanes to swim laps in. This seems way more serious than when Jenny and I usually go swimming. Since our neighborhood pool is much smaller, we end up just floating around and competing to see who can hold her breath the longest. Those competitions usually end in a tie, although I’ve been practicing holding my breath the past few days at home. I hope to beat Jenny this time if we’re required to do it for class.

  “There’s our class,” says Jenny, pointing to a group of kids. The class is standing in the pool between the three-foot and four-foot zones. I also see one young teacher wearing a whistle and holding a safety raft. Jenny’s mom waits for us on the bleachers.

  “Good luck, girls!” she calls out.

  “Ready for some megafun?” Jenny pulls her goggles over her eyes and then jumps in.

  There is a small splash, and she pops back up to the surface of the water.

  “It’s refreshing!”

  “Is refreshing a code word for cold?” I ask, eyeing her. Probably my least favorite feeling is being cold—unless it’s the feeling of cold Oberweis ice cream in my mouth.

  Jenny shakes her head. “Nope. Sea Musketeers honor. It’s warm enough. C’mon in.”

  “Okay,” I reply.

  Unlike Jenny, I walk over to the ladder and carefully lower myself into the pool. It feels colder than Jenny said, but when I’m ready, I pinch my nose and finally go under.

  When I come back up to the surface, the temperature feels great. And I discover I can stand on my feet in the four-foot area! I was afraid water would go up my nose, but my head pokes out high enough that I can see above the water. It makes me feel grown up.

  Our instructor, Megan, checks me off her clipboard and then begins.

  “Let’s start with a warm-up,” says Megan.

  We begin class by rotating our shoulders. Megan says this will help warm up our muscles.

  “Trust me: You all are young now. When you’re older, warm-ups really matter.”

  Then we jump up and down to loosen up our legs. I look over at Jenny, who is having a blast.

  “Stella, it feels like I’m dancing in the water!” she exclaims as she swirls around.

  I suddenly realize I’m not sure why Jenny signed up to take classes in the first place. She’s already so busy with her dance class that she has missed a couple of Sea Musketeers meetings. How can Jenny juggle one more thing?

  “Don’t get me wrong. I’m happy you asked me.” I take a breath and continue, “But why did you sign up for swim lessons? Isn’t
dancing your favorite thing to do?”

  Jenny replies, “Because it’s fun! Plus, my mom wanted me to try another hobby. One that has no grades and no competition.”

  I pause. While I do agree that swimming is awesome, I love competition! What’s more fun than being the best at something?

  Jenny then adds, “Not to mention that I get to spend more time with my best friend.”

  I smile. I agree with that reason a hundred percent.

  After our warm-up, Megan has us practice holding our breath without using our hands to plug up our noses. It’s super hard at first. I keep getting water up my nose, but after a little while, I’m able to do it.

  Then she passes out kickboards to hold with our hands while we practice swimming across the width of the pool using only our feet. As I kick my feet in the water, I’m reminded of a photograph I saw of a young polar bear learning to swim. Even though they are big, polar bears happen to be graceful swimmers. They can see very well under the water and hold their breath for up to two minutes.

  With each leg kick, I feel stronger and more powerful. I’m so glad I signed up for classes, and I guess it doesn’t matter that there is no competition. Although if I were to get a ribbon for completing the class, I wouldn’t mind that at all.

  After a few laps, Megan has us take a break.

  One of the kids from our group asks, “When will we use our arms to swim?”

  “What you’re learning right now is the foundation of swimming,” Megan explains. “Once you get the rhythm down, we’ll work with our arms next. Before you know it, you’ll be able to do this.”

  Then Megan zips across the pool. She looks almost like a caffeinated frog swimming. On the way back, she is even faster. Almost as fast as Olympian Amanda Beard.

  I look at Jenny excitedly. She nods.

  “I can’t wait to do that!” Jenny says.

  After class, when we’re back in the locker room, I ask Jenny, “By the way, are you coming to the Sea Musketeers meeting this week?”

  “Yup,” she replies. “What did I miss last time?”

  I tell her all about our presentation for the city council.

  “And everyone is bringing a baked good for our next fundraiser…”

  I stop midway through the sentence. Suddenly I remember that I need to finish two tote bags and a poster for Saturday. With all the excitement of the art club, homework, and swim class, I actually forgot! I begin to panic a little.

  Quickly, I ask Jenny, “Do you think you could help me make a poster on Friday after school?”

  “I can try,” she replies. “It’s tough to find time with all the new activities and more homework.”

  I nod and say, “Who knew fourth grade was going to be so much harder?”

  “Could you ask Nick for help? My babysitter helps me sometimes and that makes a difference.”

  I shake my head. Nick has too much going on to help me, what with his part-time job and homework. “I’ll be okay.”

  When Jenny’s mom drives us home, the smell of chlorine lingers on my clothes. My body feels tired, but my mind is wide awake. It’s racing, thinking about everything I need to get done for the Sea Musketeers.

  Once I get home, I see Mom reclining on the couch. She’s already wearing her comfy pj’s and watching the news on the Spanish television channel. She looks very tired. I sit down next to her.

  “Any good news?” I ask, looking at the television screen. Mom likes to watch the news in español. She says you get to see more of what’s happening across the world than just in our country. But I can only understand what they are saying half of the time. They speak too quickly for me.

  “Not really,” she groans. “Todo está muy mal.”

  It must be really bad, because she turns off the television.

  “But tell me good news. How was your first swim class?”

  “AMAZING!” I reply. I tell her all about class and how much I loved it.

  She hugs me. “That’s wonderful, mi amor. You’re turning into your hero Sylvia Earle.”

  Sylvia Earle is a legend in marine biology and a huge inspiration to me and the rest of the Sea Musketeers. She was the first female chief scientist of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. She also created these “Hope Spots” around the world to help preserve the ocean. Thinking about her reminds me of Saturday’s meeting again. I bring up the fact that I need to make tote bags by Saturday.

  Mom looks at me disappointedly. “I wish you had mentioned it earlier. I’ve had a long day, too.”

  I frown. Mom does work so hard. I don’t want to make her do more work.

  I look down and lean against her. “I’m sorry.”

  I want to tell her that I’m feeling a little overwhelmed by all the things I want to do, but I’m afraid she’ll tell me to cut back on something. So I just stay quiet.

  Mom puts her arm around me. “It’s okay, mi amor. Let’s work on it mañana or Friday. I think we should be able to get at least one done before your meeting. We’ll make sure it’s fabuloso, too. Does that sound good?”

  I nod.

  “For now, let’s go get you a snack and then bother your hermano. He’s been in his room working on homework.”

  She grabs my hand, and as I follow Mom into the kitchen, I give her a big hug.

  Chapter Ten

  Thursday ends up being another busy art club day and Mom has to work late, so we aren’t able to work on the tote bags. Instead, Mom and I spend part of our Friday night weekly appointment making them. Mom uses the sewing machine while I select fabrics. We get one whole tote bag finished, and it does turn out pretty fabuloso. It has a combination of polka dots and swirly fabrics. It’s all in shades of blue, too.

  “We’ll finish the second one after your meeting,” Mom says.

  I also finished part of the poster for the Sea Musketeers. I meant to do more, but I got distracted with the final mural sketch, which is due next Tuesday. I actually thought I had finished my mural sketch, but at our last meeting, Mr. Foster pointed out that the pectoral and dorsal fins on my dolphins looked too similar. I can’t believe I made such a rookie mistake! I guess I was too excited and rushed a bit. Then Ms. Benedetto suggested that I include more of the ocean environment in the next sketch, so I decided to add colorful coral after I fixed the dolphins. Unfortunately, I lost track of time adding all the details, which meant I spent less time on the poster.

  I begin to work on the poster again after we finish the tote bag, but Mom stops me. She insists that Nick and I take a break from work.

  “It’s our family night, and you two need to have some fun.” She walks over to the closet where we store all the board games.

  “You don’t have to tell me twice not to work on homework!” Nick says. “Hey, what if I practice driving the car?”

  Mom laughs and wags her finger. “No, señor. The only coche you’re going to be driving tonight is the one from Monopoly.”

  Nick crosses his arms in disappointment.

  “Oh, I’ll be the dog!” I say.

  I love the tiny silver Scottish terrier piece. Saying the word dog reminds me of Biscuit. I haven’t seen him or Linda in a couple of weeks. I used to see the two of them weekly during the summer, when Linda babysat me.

  “Maybe Linda and Biscuit will want to join us,” I suggest.

  “Good idea!” Mom replies, and picks up the phone.

  Linda happily comes over, and the four of us end up playing Monopoly for hours. Biscuit even curls up and falls asleep in my lap for part of the game. He rests his little head on my arm. I try to keep my arm very still while I play so I don’t wake him up. But I don’t mind. Having him cuddle with me is the highlight of my day.

  When I arrive at the Sea Musketeers meeting the next day, I am filled with dread. I have not completed my poster for the fundraiser, and I only finished one tote bag. I decide to avoid bringing it up as long as I can. Unfortunately, when I get to Mariel’s house, it seems like everyone else has their fu
ndraiser goods ready.

  Kristen and her older sister updated our blog while Mariel made some “save the oceans” bracelets to sell for our fundraiser. Stanley made stickers that encourage people to use less plastic, and Logan made a huge poster—larger than the one I haven’t finished yet.

  “What about you, Stella?” asks Kristen. “Where are your tote bags?”

  “And the poster?” adds Logan.

  “I’m sorry. I don’t have everything quite finished,” I reply, holding my one tote bag and my half-finished poster. “I ran out of time this week.”

  I can sense a few glares, especially from Kristen.

  “Don’t worry about it,” Mariel says nicely.

  “And I’ll help you finish the poster during the meeting,” Jenny adds. I look at her kindly. I could hug her right then. I quickly change subjects.

  “So does anyone have a good idea for where we can hold our fundraiser?”

  Mariel speaks up. “I spoke to my soccer coach about our club. She said we could have our fundraiser at the soccer field next weekend after our game. There will be other games all day, so we’ll have plenty of customers.”

  “Great idea!” Stanley exclaims.

  “Maybe instead of the meeting, we could just have the fundraiser, too,” I suggest. “We could discuss the city council presentation while we’re selling.”

  “That’s a good idea,” says Jenny.

  I flash a guilty smile. I’m really only trying to be time-efficient. “When is the game?”

  “Saturday afternoon,” Mariel replies. She pulls out her soccer schedule, and we all write down the information. Then we do the necessary phone calls home to double-check that our parents will let us go. When they give us the go-ahead, we plan the last details. We all promise to bring a baked good for the fundraiser. Although this time, I don’t try to commit to too much. Just chocolate chip cookies from the easy-to-bake section.

  After the meeting, Mom picks me up like usual. This time she’s sipping on a cup of coffee in the re-usable mug she bought after she signed our plastic pledge. I’m surprised she’s still drinking coffee, though. She was supposed to get coffee with Diego today during my meeting.