by Lisa Yee
Gloria de la Tour ignores her and turns to Ted. In her distinct clipped voice she asks, “How could you do this to me?”
“What?”
“How could you leave me?”
“I told you,” Ted says patiently. “I want to go home and be with my mom and dad.”
“You were abandoned, or have you forgotten?”
“That was when I was a baby. My parents adopted me and raised me,” Ted corrects her as he adjusts the clasp on her necklace.
“Nonsense! If that’s what you want, I will adopt you.”
“I’ve already been adopted.”
“My lawyers can fix that.”
Jess sets a plate of tacos down at the table. Chauffeur slides a chair out for Miss de la Tour. She sits and takes a bite, then waves her hand in the air. Her diamond rings are the size of marbles.
“Teddy, tell the chef that this is good.”
Ted turns to Jess. “This is good.”
Jess beams.
“You can’t leave, Teddy,” Miss de la Tour says, her voice softening. “What will I do without you?”
“We’re all going to miss him,” I say.
Miss de la Tour notices me for the first time. She looks me up and down. “What’s the matter with your hair? Do you have cancer?”
“That’s Maybe, my best friend,” Ted whispers.
“Ah, I’ve heard a lot about you. So, you don’t want Teddy to leave either then, do you?” I shake my head. “See, Teddy, L’Oreal says to stay too.”
“Excuse me, but my name is Maybelline, and I don’t want him to go. But if he needs to and wants to, then I think he should.”
“Rude girl,” Miss de la Tour snaps. “Who asked you?”
I back away, but Ted handles her with ease. “Miss de la Tour, you know how much I love you.”
Her eyes get moist as she takes his hands in hers. “I do know that, Teddy. That’s why you can’t leave me.”
“You’ll find someone to replace me. Plus you have your staff to look after you.”
“If you are referring to Cook, the housekeeper, my lawyer, and Chauffeur, then you know they are just after my money. They all want a spot in my will.”
Chauffeur rolls his eyes. Vilma smiles coyly at him and hands him an extra-large piece of cake.
Ted’s face is as somber as Miss de la Tour’s. Suddenly he lights up. “I know who my replacement is—at least until I get back in a year or two!”
“And whom might that be?” Gloria de la Tour sniffs.
“She’s right here.”
Ted looks at me and I freak. Uh, no. No, no, no, no. This is just wrong. He comes close, winks, and keeps walking right past me. Chessy looks shocked when Ted takes her hand and pulls her toward Miss de la Tour.
“Ted,” my mother hisses. “What are you doing?”
“This is Chessy Chestnut,” Ted tells Miss de la Tour, “the woman I have been telling you about. The one who runs the charm school in Florida.”
My mother curtseys again. “Miss de la Tour,” she says reverently.
“So you think you have what it takes to be my personal assistant, do you?”
Chessy is speechless. Ted speaks up. “She does.”
I can tell by the stunned look on my mother’s face that this is news to her. Her eyes keep darting to mine. I’ve never seen her look so unsure of herself.
“Tell me, Miss Chestnut,” Miss de la Tour says disdainfully, “who will run the charm school?”
“The charm school has run its course,” Ted says. “Chessy is closing it down and moving on.”
“So you want to work for me, is that it?”
“She does.” Ted nods.
“Why would you do that?”
“Because,” Ted tells her, “Chessy feels that it is time for a new chapter in her life. She wants to be here in California with her beloved daughter. And she is just now realizing that she can be of service to you, and at the same time immerse herself in the glamour of Hollywood that is so sorely lacking in Kissimmee, Florida. Isn’t that right, Chessy?”
My mother doesn’t move. It’s like her entire body has been Botoxed.
“That means yes,” Ted translates.
Miss de la Tour looks my mother up and down. For once I am glad that Chessy has overdressed. She is wearing an Oscar de la Renta-inspired Ridgeway magenta gown and gold high heels with a small crown tucked into her big hair.
“Teddy’s recommendations go a long way with me,” Miss de la Tour says. “We will have a trial period of two weeks. During that time, you will live with me in the main house. If you don’t work out, Teddy will be obliged to return to Beverly Hills. Do you understand?”
“What about Maybelline?” my mother asks, finally finding her voice.
“What about her?”
“She would need to live with me. She’s still in school.”
“I’m going to work on the taco truck,” I say. “I don’t need to go to school— “Yes you do,” my mother and Sammy say at the same time.
“Fine,” Miss de la Tour says grudgingly.
“Oh,” and Chessy adds. “I can’t start immediately. I’m booked at the Oasis Gardens for a week.”
“The AA package?” Miss de la Tour asks, looking at my mother with mild interest. Chessy nods. “Excellent choice,” Miss de la Tour tells her. “I go myself a couple times a year. All the movie stars do.”
My mother glows when she hears this.
Miss de la Tour glances my way. “If she’s going to be living in my house, she’s going to need some work. She’s sort of shabby, don’t you think? Hard to believe that she’s your daughter. She looks like trouble, and from what I’ve heard from Ted, she is.”
I look at Ted. He shrugs sheepishly. Before I can protest, Chessy speaks up. “Maybelline may look like a slob and a slacker, but that’s her choice. Besides, I can’t do a thing about her hair until it grows in. Then I’m thinking blonde.”
“Or auburn,” Miss de la Tour muses.
“Yes, and I’m going to get her into a dress— “She’d look good with more color— “A nice floral pattern.”
“What about makeup?”
“Absolutely.”
“A wig!” Gloria de la Tour cries.
“Yes!” Chessy agrees. “You’re brilliant!”
As they bond over how pathetic I am, I grab Ted and drag him away again. “You’d think someone would ask me what I want,” I tell him.
“What do you want, Maybe?”
What do I want, I wonder.
“I want to be somebody,” I finally say.
“You already are.”
Ted and I are quiet as we watch Hollywood film my mother and the movie star.
“Looks like Hollywood’s found his next documentary,” I say.
“Do you like him at all?” asks Ted.
“As a friend. As a really good friend.”
“But do you think he’s gay? You know, the James Dean thing, and he’s never gone out on a date, unless you count Jess. But I know for a fact that they haven’t really made out, and— It suddenly hits me.
“Oh my God,” I gasp. “Duh. I get it now. You like Hollywood, don’t you?”
Ted won’t look at me.
“Oh, Ted,” I say, reaching to give him a hug.
He punches me hard. “So? So what?” he says defensively.
“You goof,” I laugh. “You’re right—so what? If Hollywood’s who you like, you’ve got great taste. And so what if you’re gay, straight, bi, or tri. I don’t care if you’re Thai, Chinese, French, or from Mars. You’ll still be mine, all mine, no matter what. God, I love you, Thammasat Tantipinichwong Schneider!”
Ted looks relieved. “Don’t tell Hollywood, okay?”
“Okay.”
“And take good care of Miss de la Tour. She’s actually very fragile, despite what she says.”
“I will.”
“And cross your heart and hope to die and promise, promise me, you’ll be good to my best friend Maybelline Mar
y Katherine Mary Ann Chestnut.” His voice cracks. “She really needs a lot of help. In fact, she’s pretty hopeless.”
By now I’m crying. My heart is breaking into a thousand pieces. Ted presses something into my hands. It’s a cell phone. “So we can keep in touch,” he says. “I’ve programmed my number in. It’s speed dial number one and I’m listed as ‘National Treasure.”“
Suddenly there’s a big gasp from the group. Willow points to the sky and screams, “Look! A wishing star.”
I close my eyes and make a wish.
Ted breaks the silence. “You idiots, it’s an airplane!”
Sammy looks up from his telescope. “The boy’s right,” he says.
“Of course I’m right,” Ted says. “I always am.”
I just laugh. He is so annoying.
“I need more cake,” Ted announces.
“You go ahead,” I tell him. “I need a minute alone.”
CHAPTER SIXTY-EIGHT
Los Angeles—my new home. The lights shine for miles and wink at me as another plane arches across the sky. Or is it a shooting star? I take my chances and make another wish.
When I look toward the group, no one else seems to have noticed it. Chauffeur is eyeing the leftover tacos as Vilma eyes him. My mother is busy staring at Gloria de la Tour, who is looking at Ted. Ted is gazing at Hollywood as he talks to Jess. Sammy is staring at Chessy, and Willow is watching him. Hollywood glances at me and grins.
“Hey Maybe,” Ted hollers. “Get over here! You don’t want to miss your own party, do you?”
“Ted’s right,” my mother calls out. “Maybelline, come back.”
I start walking, then pick up speed as I run toward the party. “All right,” I shout. “Here I come!”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
When she was little, Lisa Yee could see the Hollywood sign and the Griffith Park Observatory from her house. She attended the University of Southern California (go Trojans!), then spent seventeen years in Florida before returning to the Los Angeles area. She now lives with her family in South Pasadena.
Lisa is the author of Millicent Min, Girl Genius, the winner of the Sid Fleischman Humor Award; Stanford Wong Flunks Big-Time, an ALA Notable Book for Older Readers; and So Totally Emily Ebers. As part of her research for Absolutely Maybe, Lisa ate at approximately twenty-four different taco trucks. She recommends the carnitas.
Table of Contents
Lisa Yee - Absolutely Maybe
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
CHAPTER NINETEEN
CHAPTER TWENTY
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
CHAPTER THIRTY
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
CHAPTER THIRTY- SIX
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
CHAPTER FORTY
CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
CHAPTER FORTY-THREE
CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR
CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE
CHAPTER FORTY- SIX
CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN
CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT
CHAPTER FORTY-NINE
CHAPTER FIFTY
CHAPTER FITY- ONE
CHAPTER FIFTY-TWO
CHAPTER FIFTY-THREE
CHAPTER FIFTY-FOUR
CHAPTER FIFTY-FIVE
CHAPTER FIFTY-SIX
CHAPTER FIFTY-SEVEN
CHAPTER FIFTY-EIGHT
CHAPTER FIFTY-NINE
CHAPTER SIXTY
CHAPTER SIXTY- ONE
CHAPTER SIXTY-TWO
CHAPTER SIXTY-THREE
Chapter SIXTY-FOUR
CHAPTER SIXTY- FIVE
CHAPTER SIXTY- SIX
CHAPTER SIXTY-SEVEN
CHAPTER SIXTY-EIGHT