Finding Home

by Kingsbury, Karen

  “Got it.” Brooke was in the front seat next to Mom. “Are we getting clothes today?”

  “Not today.” Mom put her keys in her purse and opened her door. “We went through our clothes before the move. No one really needs anything new.”

  Brooke stepped out and shut her door, and Kari and the others did the same. Brooke scowled as she walked beside their mother. “But… I want new clothes.” Her words dripped with attitude.

  “Your closet is full of clothes.” Mom smiled. She definitely seemed to be trying to keep the mood happy.

  “But it’s a new school and—” Brooke hesitated as they reached the doors.

  “Brooke.” Mom clearly wasn’t changing her mind. She swung her purse over her shoulder. “You have beautiful clothes.”

  “New is better.” Brooke mumbled the words. She crossed her arms.

  “Brooke.” Mom was maybe losing her patience. “I need a better attitude, please.”

  Brooke sighed. “Okay.” Her shoulders dropped a little. “I’m sorry. I’ll have to make do, I guess.”

  Their mother smiled. “Yes. You’ll make do just fine.” She led the way into the store, and Kari stayed close to Ashley. “How are you?” Kari linked arms with her sister. They were still about the same height. But Mom said Ashley was going to be taller when she grew up.

  “I’m giving myself some pencil time.” Ashley lifted her chin. Her mouth seemed like it was trying not to cry.

  Kari narrowed her eyes. “I think you mean pensive?” She giggled. “Like you’re being quiet and thoughtful?”

  Ashley stopped and turned to her. “No.” She squinted her eyes and shook her head. “For me it’s pencil time. That’s how I say it. Pencil time makes the most sense since I’m an artist. It’s when I feel like I could do a good pencil drawing because of my thoughts.”

  Kari shrugged. Why not? “Okay.”

  They were almost at the back-to-school section. Red and yellow and blue signs and banners marked the area. Kari felt a thrill run down her spine. School supplies were everywhere. “Well, Ash.” She looked around. “If you need pencil time, you’ve come to the right place.”

  Ashley laughed. “That’s funny.” She smiled at her sister. “Everyone adjusts at their own pace, you know?”

  “I know.” Kari patted her sister’s arm.

  Mom pulled five lists from her purse. She handed one to Brooke, one to Kari, and one to Ashley. “Here you go. You older girls start finding what you need.” She grinned at Erin and Luke. “I’ll help you two.”

  Kari and Ashley stared at their lists, and Kari took a deep breath. “This makes it feel real.”

  “Yep. Unfortunately.” Ashley sighed. “I hope I wake up.” Her eyebrows lifted. “Here.” Ashley stuck out her arm. “Pinch me!”

  Kari shook her head. “No!”

  Ashley slouched. “It was worth a try.”

  “Cheer up, Ash.” Kari stood on her tiptoes. “Stand tall. A whole new year is ahead of us and I need my best friend by my side.”

  “Me?” Ashley whispered the word. Her eyes danced a little.

  “Yes, you.” Kari laughed. “Follow me.”

  Ashley let out a soft laugh. The lines on her forehead relaxed a bit. “All right. I’m with you.”

  “Good.” Kari took Ashley’s hand. “These are long lists!”

  Pep entered Ashley’s steps. “Adventure awaits!” She skipped with Kari to the start of the school supply aisle. She held a pack of pencils up. “And this… is the perfect supply when you’re feeling pencil.”

  They took packages of pencils and paper and pens to the cart and ran down the next aisle for binders and notebooks and folders. Kari picked one covered with flowers.

  Everything from the list went into the cart, until finally they were running out of room. Luke picked a sports folder, and Erin grabbed one with a horse. Brooke’s had stars and planets, and Ashley got one with the Eiffel Tower.

  Kari smiled. She could have guessed that Ashley would get that one. Last year Ashley had called it the Awful Tower, until Dad told her the actual name. Either way, Ashley wanted to go there and paint one day.

  When they were finished, Mom pushed the cart to the checkout stand. Kari could hardly wait to get home and sort through the bags.

  Her siblings were talking about what they’d found and how they couldn’t wait for school to start next week. Ashley’s face looked happy, but she was quiet again.

  That’s when Kari noticed the woman in front of them in line.

  She had bright red hair and a frazzled look. Four kids hovered around her and helped her unload her cart. School supplies and bread and milk. Kari watched as the last item made its way past the cashier and into a bag.

  The cashier—a teenage girl smacking gum—looked at the woman. “Sixty-eight dollars and fifty-one cents, please.”

  “What?” The redheaded woman in front of them shrank a little and her eyes got as big as circles. “But… I gave you coupons… so it should have been—”

  “I used the coupons.” The cashier cut her off. “That’s the price.”

  The woman peeled off three twenty-dollar bills. “That’s… all I have.” Her eyes got red and wet. She lowered her voice. “I… don’t know what to do.”

  Kari held her breath. She saw that her mom was watching, too.

  “Not sure what to tell you, ma’am.” The rude cashier crossed her arms. “Either pay or step aside.”

  Kari bit her lip and waited.

  “One second…” The woman rummaged through her cart, like she was trying to decide what to put back. She looked very nervous.

  Kari’s mom stepped forward. “Excuse me.” Mom took out her wallet. “I’ll pay the difference.” She pulled out a twenty-dollar bill.

  “No, no!” The woman turned to them and shook her head. “You don’t have to do that.”

  Kari’s siblings were still busy talking. Only Kari saw what was happening.

  Mom smiled and handed the money to the cashier. “Please… give her the change.” She smiled at the redheaded woman. “It could happen to anyone. Don’t worry about it.”

  The cashier handed the stranger the change. For a long few seconds the woman only stared at the money. Then she lifted her eyes to Mom. “I don’t know what to say.” She brushed away a single tear. “Thank you.”

  Mom gave the woman a quick hug and talked to her in a quiet voice. “God sees you. He loves you.” Mom smiled. “You’re not alone.”

  The woman thanked Mom. Then she put the money in her purse and walked off with her children.

  Kari couldn’t believe it. Her mom was the nicest person in the whole world. They didn’t even know the stranger. On the way back to the car, Kari looked at her mother. “That was really kind of you to pay for her.”

  “It was the right thing to do.” Mom put her hand alongside Kari’s face. “Like the Bible says: ‘To whom much has been given, much will be expected.’ ” She smiled. “And we have been given very much.”

  Kari loved her mom for so many reasons, but this was now at the top of the list. The little act of kindness made Kari look forward to school. Maybe she could do something kind for one of her new classmates.

  The possibility was something Kari thought about on the drive home and that night while Dad grilled burgers. Their family really did have so much. Not just closets full of clothes and new school supplies.

  But love and laughter and family nights like this.

  6 Ruined Hair and the Ice Cream Girl

  KARI

  Kari had a secret.

  Something about her hair that she couldn’t tell anyone. Not yet. She locked the door of the bathroom she shared with Ashley, and stared at the mirror. How had this happened? The ice cream social was an hour away and Kari was running out of time.

  Her hair was a disaster.

  A loud knock came at the door. “Let me in!” Ashley’s voice was whiny. “You’ve been in there an hour.”

  “Not an hour.” Half an hour, maybe,
Kari thought. Desperation filled the room like floodwaters. She glanced around. A quick scramble through the drawers. Nothing. She looked along the counter for help. Still nothing.

  The problem had come after she blow-dried her hair. Sure, it was clean. But it hung like a plain curtain around her face. A little curl, she had decided. That would do the trick. But Mom was the only one who had ever curled Kari’s hair. And she had been busy in the yard this afternoon.

  So Kari had figured she’d do the job herself. But not with the curling iron. That was off-limits without Mom’s help. Then an idea had hit. Hair spray! After Mom used the curling iron she always used hair spray.

  Maybe that was all she needed!

  Moving quiet and sneaky-like, Kari had tiptoed into Mom’s room and sprayed her hair better than it had ever been sprayed before. Then she hurried back to her bathroom and locked the door.

  A quick flick of her brush and Kari had expected the curls to appear. That’s what they did when Mom fixed her hair. The thing was, Kari wanted more curl today. Something older. Because sixth grade was the last year before middle school.

  First impressions were important.

  Instead her brush got trapped in her hair like a spider in a web. She tugged it and turned it and tried to get it out. But nothing worked. And now her hairbrush was so buried and stuck in her wild, matted hair she couldn’t even see it.

  Which was the secret she couldn’t share even with Ashley.

  “I just have to brush my teeth.” Ashley knocked again. “Please, Kari.”

  What to do? Kari’s heart pounded hard against her chest. Then at the last second she spotted her bath towel. She grabbed it from the rack, wrapped it around her head and flung open the door.

  Kari breathed fast and hard. “Okay.” Her eyes felt wide and nervous and panicked. “Your turn!”

  Ashley stood there, arms crossed. “Why are you panting?” She wrinkled her face. “You sound like a dog.”

  “It’s hot.” Kari’s heart raced like running feet. What could she say? They both knew she couldn’t possibly have wet hair. She’d been out of the shower way too long for that. Kari tried to step around Ashley.

  “Wait.” Her sister blocked the door. “Take the towel off your head.”

  Before Kari could stop her, Ashley grabbed the towel and threw it to the floor. “What in the world?” Her gasp came quick and loud. “Kari! Your hair!”

  “I’m ruined.” Kari hung her head. “I borrowed Mom’s hair spray.” She lifted her eyes to Ashley. “I think I used too much.”

  “You look… awful.” Ashley walked past her and grabbed her toothbrush. “You’re supposed to ask.” She squeezed toothpaste onto the brush and ran it under the water. The whole time she didn’t take her eyes off Kari’s hair. Ashley shook her head. “Mom’s going to ground you for a year.”

  “That’s why I had the door locked.” Kari stepped back into the bathroom and collapsed against the wall. “How could this happen?”

  Ashley started brushing her teeth. She turned and studied Kari, tilting her head one way, then the other. She spit the toothpaste into the sink. “You know…” Ashley touched the smooth side of Kari’s head. “It’s not bad. If you could find a way to even it out.” Ashley smiled. She was clearly trying her best. “This look is in style I believe.”

  Then the worst possible thing happened. Mom walked in. “Hey, girls! It isn’t long till—” Her gasp was even louder than Ashley’s. “Kari! What have you done?”

  “Time to go.” Ashley flashed another quick smile. Then she darted out of the bathroom, her toothbrush still in her mouth.

  Kari’s words spewed like water from a faucet. “You were in the garden, and I couldn’t use the curling iron. But, I wanted extra curls. Because sixth graders dress up for nights like this. Which is why I borrowed your hair spray, and now my hair is a giant fuzz ball and I look like a human dandelion.” Kari grabbed a breath. That might’ve been her record pace for fast talking.

  Mom touched the frizziest parts. “We can… fix it. Somehow.”

  Kari’s heart sank. “No one will want to be my friend tonight.” She collapsed in her mom’s arms. “Are you mad?”

  “No.” Mom patted Kari’s giant hair. “Come here.” She turned on the water and got her hands wet. Then she ran her fingers thorough Kari’s hair.

  “It looks like a tumbleweed.” Kari felt like crying.

  For a second, her mom looked into Kari’s eyes. “It’s always better to ask first.” She smiled. “But in this case I think you already agree with that.”

  Mom left and returned with her hair straightener. “We need the big gun.” She plugged it in and they waited for it to warm up. “Other than your hair… are you excited for tonight?” Mom leaned against the doorframe.

  “Yes.” Kari thought about it. “And kind of scared. I don’t know what to expect. And I’m afraid I’ll say something wrong or make some other mistake. Like the hair.” Kari frowned.

  “Kari Baxter.” Mom put her hand on Kari’s shoulder. “You are an amazing, fun, beautiful girl. You are going to have too many friends to count.” She smiled. “Just be yourself.” Her mom picked up the hair straightener.

  “Okay.” Kari could do that. Be herself.

  After a few minutes, one section of Kari’s hair was straight. The brush was still stuck somewhere in the mess, but Kari wasn’t worried anymore. Mom kept talking. “Everyone makes mistakes.” She took some of Kari’s hair and set it in the straightener. “The key is to straighten things out.” She grinned. “As soon as you can.”

  “Straighten them out?” Kari laughed. “Like my hair.”

  “Exactly.” Mom worked the tool through another section and she raised her hand. “I can see the brush! We’re getting there.”

  “Yes!” Kari watched her mother move the hot metal tool over the puffed part of her hair. Mom was good at everything.

  Especially advice.

  After a long while Kari’s hair actually looked good as new. “It’s a miracle.” She turned her head one way and then the other. “Me and Ashley thought it would look like that forever.”

  Mom even added some curl at the ends. And then she ran and got Kari’s pink headband! The one she had been missing! “I found this.” Her mom stepped back and studied her. “There. You look beautiful.”

  Kari hugged her mom. “Thank you!” She turned and got one more look in the mirror as her mother left the bathroom. If this mistake could be straightened out, then Kari was pretty sure she could survive anything.

  Even being brand new at the ice cream social.

  * * *

  The Clear Creek Elementary gymnasium buzzed with hundreds of kids and their families. Kari and her siblings got their ice cream and saw Dad at a nearby table. Brooke had stayed home to organize her school supplies. Her open house was tomorrow.

  When they were all seated, Dad looked at Kari first, then Ashley and Luke and Erin. “Well, what do you think?”

  Luke held up his spoon. “It’s a great place. I made three friends.” He gave a chocolate grin. “I like it.” The youngest two had already been to their classrooms.

  Kari took a breath. “It’s nice here.” She looked at Ashley. “What about you?”

  Ashley frowned. “I haven’t met my teacher. Plus he’s a ‘he.’ Which I haven’t had before.”

  Dad sat between Kari and Ashley. He patted Ashley’s head. “ ‘He’ teachers are very capable.”

  “Hmm.” Ashley’s finger tapped the table. “Maybe.”

  They finished their ice cream and Mom checked a piece of paper. “Kari and Ashley, let’s go meet your teachers.” She stood, and Kari and Ashley followed.

  Their dad stayed with Luke and Erin.

  Room 112 was just down the hall. Kari’s sixth-grade homeroom. A sign above the door read: WELCOME STUDENTS!

  “Here we are!” Mom walked Kari and Ashley into the classroom. The walls had one brightly colored strip of paper that ran around the room. It had a pattern of pencils,
apples, and composition books. A woman approached Kari and Ashley and their mom.

  “Hello! I’m Ms. Nancini. You can call me Ms. Nan.” She bent down. “Which of you is Kari?”

  “I am.” Kari shook Ms. Nan’s hand. Her teacher wore a beautiful green dress covered in pink flowers. She had a pretty smile and her dark hair was pulled back into a white headband! “I like your hair.” Kari stayed close to her mom. She still felt a little shy. “It looks like mine.”

  Ms. Nan raised her eyebrows. “Why, yes it does!”

  Kari introduced her teacher to her mom and Ashley. And Ms. Nan talked about what they would do in class this year. The teacher’s eyes lit up when she talked. “And before Christmas we will write our own books!”

  Their own books! Kari wanted to jump around, but she stopped herself. This was sixth grade, after all. “I love writing!”

  “Good!” Other kids were waiting for her, so Ms. Nan had to go. “I like you, Kari. You’re special.” She waved. “See you Monday!”

  Ashley’s class was next, just down the hallway. Kari was glad their rooms were close. This one was busy with lots of animal and number posters on the walls.

  A man walked up. “Hello!” He extended his hand to their mom. “Welcome to Room 107. I’m Mr. Garrett.” He looked at Ashley. “Let me guess. Ashley Baxter. New girl.” He shook her hand next. “And please tell me there’s at least a little ice cream left in the cafeteria!”

  Ashley and Kari both laughed. Mom, too.

  A good sense of humor, Kari thought. Perfect for Ashley.

  They talked awhile with Ashley’s teacher, and then returned to the cafeteria. Dad and the other kids were waiting for them.

  “I think I need more ice cream. Chocolate this time.” Ashley started back toward the line. She looked at their dad. “Don’t worry. Ice cream is good for stressful times like this.”

  When she returned with a scoop of chocolate, she looked at Kari. “Your teacher is better than mine.”

  “Yours is funny!” Kari leaned her arms on the table. “He has a nice laugh.”