Not If I Can Help It
Page 17
“So we’ll bring the dog home in two weeks?” I ask.
“Yep,” Dad says. “And Mom and Bill are on board to have it there as well. You’ll come back to the city for a day or two in July, and I’ll pick the dog up with you, and then we’ll bring her right to Tomsville for the rest of the month.”
“I really can’t believe it,” I say.
Dad smiles at me in his rearview mirror. “I know, Waggy. I’m so happy for you.”
I don’t correct him. This is definitely a Waggy moment.
Just then, Ruby opens her eyes, yawns loudly, and says, “Did you tell Willa about the problem?”
I tug at my seat belt, pulling it out far and letting it snap back onto my shoulder. “Problem?” I ask nervously. “Is it a big problem?”
Ruby shakes her head. “No … I guess it’s a … crazy problem.”
Sandhya glances back from the passenger seat. “Remember how the dog is reddish colored?”
“Russet,” Benji says, rubbing his eyes.
“Well,” Sandhya says, “another way to describe red is—”
“Do not tell me the dog is named Ruby!” I scream, bouncing in my seat. Seriously. This is so crazy there’s no way I can sit still.
“Yep,” Ruby says, grinning.
“It’s true,” Dad says.
I tug at my bracelets, twisting them and letting them go. “Can we change a dog’s name?” I ask. “I mean, we can’t have two Rubys in the family.”
“And I’m not changing my name,” Ruby says.
“You could,” Benji offers. “Like, you could be Frida Kahlo. Or Rosa Parks. Or Joan of Arc!”
Ruby rolls her eyes like yeah, no thanks.
“I talked to a trainer,” Dad explains, “and he said we can definitely teach a dog a new name, but he recommended we keep it to the same syllables and the same basic sounds. In this case, two syllables and end with an ‘e’ sound.”
“But didn’t you want to name it Oatmeal?” Benji asks.
“Oatmeal?” Ruby asks, wrinkling her nose.
“Willa and I have talked about breakfast-food names,” Dad explains. “Maple, Cinnamon, Waffle—things like that.”
“But none of those end with an ‘e’ sound,” I say.
“I know a better type of food,” Ruby says, grinning at me. “Our favorite!”
“Ice cream and sorbet with gummy bears on top?” I ask.
“Exactly,” Ruby says. “What about Gummy Bear?”
“Gummy Bear,” I say thoughtfully.
Sandhya turns again to look at me, and I can see Ruby and Benji watching me too.
“Gummy Bear would be her full name,” Ruby says, “but we’d call her Gummy.”
“No,” Benji says. “Her full name would be Gummy Bear Kapoor-Garrett.”
“What about your mom and Bill?” Ruby asks. “Gummy will be living there too.”
“Anderson,” I say. “That’s my mom. And Bill’s last name is Lucic.”
“So, Gummy Bear Kapoor-Garrett-Anderson-Lucic,” Benji says. “Definitely a blended-family dog.”
“So it’s official?” Dad asks.
I nod. “I love it.”
Dad honks a bunch of times and we roll down the windows. “Gummy!” we call into the warm air. “We’re on our way to meet you!”
“Get ready for your new name,” Ruby shouts from the middle, “because Ruby is all mine.”
“Get ready for your new family,” Benji says out his window.
As we’re screaming into the New Jersey countryside, I think about Old Yeller. I always paused the book before the sad part, but a few weeks ago when I listened until the very end I actually loved the last chapter. Travis sees the speckled puppy, Old Yeller’s son, running wild around the house. You know, then and there, that Travis is going to fall in love with this new puppy. What I’m thinking about now is that if I hadn’t listened to the sad part that made me cry, then I never would have gotten to the happy ending.
Maybe that’s what life is like, that you have to survive the sad to get to the happy.
“Gummy!” I scream out the window so loudly that my voice cracks. “Here we come!”
There’s a brief silence, and then a dog somewhere outside barks a bunch of times, almost like it’s responding to me.
Thanks to:
My son Miles Rideout for giving me permission to tell your story of Sensory Processing Disorder through Willa, for making me a better parent, and for helping me realize that all the ways I’ve felt Invisible Weird my whole life aren’t that weird after all.
My son Leif Rideout for being your unique and awesome self. You own it and I love you for that.
My husband, Jonas Rideout, for always encouraging me to write the book that is in my heart.
My editor, David Levithan, for nurturing Willa and Ruby, and to the superb team at Scholastic including Maya Marlette, Nina Goffi, and Christopher Stengel.
My agent, Jodi Reamer, for making it all possible, and to everyone else at Writers House including Alec Shane and Cecilia de la Campa.
Lori Rothman, for giving me a tour of your sensory gym and for talking with me about occupational therapy and Sensory Processing Disorder.
Phoebe Fried and Flora Jansche for answering my questions about life in fifth grade.
My early readers—Dianne Choie, Jackie Barney, Julia Barney, and Dr. Vijayeta Sinh—for giving me your valuable feedback.
My family and friends—you love me for who I am and I am forever grateful.
I tried to capture a child with Sensory Processing Disorder based on my son’s experiences and my own; however, SPD manifests itself differently in every person. If you or someone you love is struggling with sensory issues, please know that you are not alone. There are many resources out there to help you—start with your pediatrician or a counselor at your school. Also remember that what often feels like your worst weaknesses will turn into your greatest strengths.
Carolyn Mackler is the Printz Honor–winning author of the middle-grade novel Best Friend Next Door as well as several novels for teenagers. Carolyn’s books have appeared on bestseller lists and been translated into more than twenty-five languages. She lives in New York City with her husband and two sons.
Copyright © 2019 by Carolyn Mackler
All rights reserved. Published by Scholastic Press, an imprint of Scholastic Inc., Publishers since 1920. SCHOLASTIC, SCHOLASTIC PRESS, and associated logos are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Scholastic Inc.
The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data available
First edition, August 2019
Cover design by Nina Goffi & Christopher Stengel
Cover photo and throughout: © Surasak Klinmontha/Shutterstock
e-ISBN 978-0-545-70950-7
All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. No part of this publication may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the express written permission of the publisher. For information regarding permission, write to Scholastic Inc., Attention: Permissions Department, 557 Broadway, New York, NY 10012.
: grayscale(100%); -o-filter: grayscale(100%); -ms-filter: grayscale(100%); filter: grayscale(100%); " class="sharethis-inline-share-buttons">share