So Totally Emily Ebers

by Lisa Yee

  There were no previews. The movie just began. “Something’s wrong,” I whispered to Millie. “It’s in black and white.”

  Without taking her eyes off the screen, she answered, “A lot of the classics are in black and white, but once you get into them it doesn’t matter what color they are.”

  Millicent was right. The movie was great, and we laughed all the way through it. You would have had a blast.

  Afterward, even though we were full of popcorn, Millie took me to this hot-dog stand called Mel’s that’s in the shape of a mustard jar. For a skinny person, Millicent really eats a lot. She says she has a high metabolism.

  “I’d like a high metabolism,” I said as I bit into a chili-cheese dog. It was soooo good. “Where can I get one?”

  “Oh, you have to be born with it,” she said between bites of cheese fries.

  “I know. Joking!”

  “I was just joking too,” Millie said, wiping her hands. “Come on, Emily. I want to show you someplace special.”

  We threw away our trash and headed out. It was hard keeping up with Millicent. She walks really fast, like she’s always late, only she never is.

  “Where are you taking me?”

  We passed over a bridge and headed toward the train tracks. It was a part of town I had never seen before.

  “You’ll see. We’re almost there. Don’t worry, it will be worth it.”

  Big stinky trucks kept rumbling past us, but they didn’t seem to bother Millie.

  “Here we are!” she finally said, looking pleased.

  “What is this place?” I held my nose.

  “The recycling plant. Isn’t it magnificent? Garbage goes in and recyclable material comes out.”

  I don’t know anyone at Wilcox Academy who would consider a recycling plant magnificent.

  “The Earth thanks you!” Millicent shouted as the trucks rolled past. “We thank you! Reclaim, recycle, reuse!”

  Even though I was surrounded by stink and garbage, I caught Millie’s enthusiasm. “The Earth thanks you! We thank you!” I shouted. “Great job!”

  Some of the drivers honked their horns and waved. One woman called out, “Hi Millicent!”

  Millie and I grinned at each other as we cheered on the drivers. Hanging around with her is such an adventure.

  As we walked back to my house, I said, “I’ve had so much fun! Maybe tomorrow you can show me around school.”

  Millie slowed down and grew quiet. “I don’t go to the middle school,” she mumbled.

  “Oh! Sorry, my fault. I forgot you’re homeschooled. Never mind, it’s no big deal.”

  Millicent didn’t talk much the rest of the way home. Obviously, school was a painful subject for her. I felt terrible.

  Love,

  Emily

  JULY 6

  Dear Dad,

  This morning at breakfast, Alice wanted to talk about you.

  “Emily, I think it’s time we discussed the divorce. We can’t keep sidestepping the issue.”

  The yolk from my eggs over easy oozed out onto the plate and toward the toast. I did nothing to stop it.

  “He left you and then came back,” I said matter-of-factly. “Then you separated again, and got back together once more. Then you divorced him. After that you were still mad at him, so you moved us here to make it hard for me to see him ever again.”

  “Emily, that’s not true….”

  “Yes, it is,” I screamed. “I don’t want to hear any of your excuses. I know what you want. You want me to say it’s okay that you divorced Daddy. But you know what? It’s not okay!”

  “Emily …” she said weakly. Her mood ring was black.

  I pushed my plate away and ran to my room. As I sobbed, I could hear Alice crying in the hallway. More than anything else in the world I needed a hug, but I just could not bring myself to open the door.

  Why can’t the two of you just say you’re sorry and get back together? What’s so hard about that? People make mistakes all the time.

  Listen, I’ll make you a deal. Just talk to Alice, and I’ll organize your sheet music. I’ll wax your car. I’ll do whatever you want. Just talk to her. If you do, I’ll never ask you for anything ever again. I’ll even give you the credit card back. Just talk to her and tell her everything’s going to be okay. She is so sad.

  Tonight, Libby could tell there was something seriously wrong. She brought a slice of French silk pie for me and a slice of apple pie and a cup of coffee for Alice all “on the house.”

  “Won’t you get in trouble for giving this to us for free?” I asked.

  Libby waved her hand in the air. “Naw, I never get in trouble around here. What’s the worst thing that could happen? I could get fired?” She laughed as if she had just made a funny joke.

  As I was poking at my pie, I saw Wendy’s family sitting in a back booth. Her little brother kept trying to steal her French fries, and her parents just laughed at the two of them.

  When we left, Wendy called out, “Bye, Emily! See you tomorrow!”

  “Oh, is she on your volleyball team?” Alice asked.

  “Maybe.”

  “How is volleyball going?”

  “Fine.”

  “Do you like your coach?”

  “Maybe.”

  “Emily, can we talk?”

  “No.”

  See? See how hard it is with her around? Oh, Daddy, I know she’s impossible, but won’t you just try one more time to get along with her? Maybe you don’t have to get married again. Maybe you could just date or be friends. Or at least not hate each other.

  Love,

  Emily

  JULY 7

  Hi Dad,

  This morning, I bought a new sleeping bag with my credit card. But don’t worry, it was on sale, and it was a necessity, because right now I’m on a sleepover at Millie’s! Her parents are sooooo much fun! Get this, Millie’s dad collects TOYS! He’s got Matchbox cars, just like you, only tons more. He even has these old-fashioned plastic robots that box. We went three rounds before Millie made us stop.

  We had the best dinner — veggie lasagna and a salad with avocados (the Mins have their own avocado tree), and homemade brownies! Millie says her family doesn’t eat out too often because they are on a budget. I once heard Alice say that all the money you made when you were a rock star disappeared. Is that why you had to give up being a full-time musician and become a real estate agent, because of money?

  When we first saw our new house, I asked Alice how much money she makes, but she refused to tell me. Why do adults get so weirded out about money? When I have kids, I’m going to tell them everything. I will hold nothing back. In fact, I’m going to be exactly like Millicent’s mom. She treats us like grown-ups. And Millie’s dad is more like a friend than a father.

  Everything about the Mins is great. Millie even has her own tree house in the backyard. And her room is so unique. There’s a washer and dryer in it! Plus she’s totally nailed that stark look that’s so big on that home-decorating show, Less Is More with Leslie Moore. Millicent Min is a total trendsetter. As she was telling me about her summer school class, I began poking around her room, and I saw something sticking out from under her bed. Millicent saw me and immediately pushed it back. Which, of course, made me really, really, really want to know what was in it. Candy? Diamonds? Love letters?

  “What’s in there, Millie?” I asked.

  “Nothing.”

  “Oh, show me!” I pleaded.

  “It’s just old socks,” she said.

  I grabbed the box, hoping it was something wonderful, and it was. The box was filled with comics! Millie and I have exactly the same taste!! Betty & Veronica rule!!!

  “Why can’t Archie see that Veronica is evil?”

  “I know!” Millie agreed. “Betty is so nice and she always gets overlooked. What’s Archie’s problem? It’s clear that Betty belongs with him, and Veronica and Reggie should go together
.”

  We were doing our nails and talking Archie when Mrs. Min came in with an empty laundry basket. She looks really young for a mom. Her skin is so smooth, and her hair is jet-black and shoulder-length and shiny, like Millicent’s. I love the way Mrs. Min laughs. Millie’s parents laugh a lot. They don’t act like married people. They act like they are in love.

  I offered to help fold towels, but Mrs. Min said, “That’s all right, Emily. This is the last load. I’ll leave you girls alone now. Oh! But when your nails dry, we’ve got a fresh box of Moon Pies.”

  Mille and I looked at each other and yelled, “Moon Pies!” They’re my new favorite food. That, and frozen grapes. Millie introduced me to those too.

  “You are so lucky,” I told her after Mrs. Min shut the door. “Your parents are so normal.”

  Millie burst out laughing, like I had made the funniest joke in the world. Before long, I was laughing with her. Then we read Archie comics out loud until our sides hurt from giggling and we could barely breathe.

  I imagine that being on the road with the Talky Boys is like one long sleepover. I hope you’re having a wonderful time. I am.

  Love,

  Emily

  JULY 8

  Dear Dad,

  I finally got a letter from A.J. and Nicole. They cowrote it. Every other sentence Nicole wrote in red and A.J. wrote in blue. They said they were having the best time ever at camp, and even won the “Most Likely to Be Twins Separated at Birth” contest. Enclosed was a photo of them wearing matching baby-blue shorts and red tank tops. Both had cut their hair in the same style. They looked like strangers to me.

  Love,

  Emily

  JULY 9

  Dear Dad,

  Another postcard! I love it when I open the mailbox and there’s one waiting for me, like a present. It seems like we’re in touch more now than when we lived near each other. (Kidding!) Are you enjoying Concord? Isn’t there a grape named after that city? I added a sticker on my map. I can see you are headed north.

  The Sunset Suites seem like a nice place. It’s cool that you get your own room. Do you jump on the bed? Remember when we did that on our Myrtle Beach vacation? The postcard says that they serve “a complimentary sunrise breakfast” and every room has a view. From my bedroom I can see our neighbor’s backyard. Mrs. Neederman has three identical white doghouses all lined up in a neat row.

  It sounds like your tour is still going great. I wish I could be there. This morning I listened to “The Emily Song” over and over while I decorated the cover to this letter journal. It’s going to look so nice. I bought a bunch of stuff at the craft store, including metallic buttons, gold paint, and even a peacock feather. I can’t wait until you get this. Won’t you be surprised!

  Love,

  E

  JULY 10

  Dear Dad,

  Today Millicent took me to her grandmother’s house. At first I didn’t want to go. Grandma Emmaline doesn’t know I exist, and Grammy Ebers was always kind of, well, you know … not the most cheerful person in the world.

  “Maddie’s not like that,” Millicent insisted. “She likes everyone, and it seems to be mutual.”

  I was so glad Millie forced me to go. Maddie — that’s short for Madison — has colorful bowling balls in her garden and a major collection of snow globes (“One from every state, and several from Guam”) in her house. Plus, there’s a huge wooden dragon in the bathroom (“That’s Julius, he’s in time-out right now”) and photos and paintings on every inch of wall (“No sense in wasting blank space”).

  Maddie doesn’t act old at all. Even though she’s sort of round, she can do the most amazing kung fu moves. She tried to teach some to Millie and me, but somehow the three of us ended up in a heap and we couldn’t get up because we were laughing so hard.

  “Do you like homemade chocolate-chip cookies, Emily?” Maddie asked when we finally got to our feet.

  “Oh, I love them!”

  “Me too,” she said before she disappeared into the kitchen.

  Millie lowered her voice. “You know, she can’t bake at all. She buys everything from the store or Butterfield’s Bakery and pretends they are hers.”

  “Well, they are hers if she bought them,” I noted.

  “Good point.”

  “Ta-da!” Maddie reappeared with a tray of cookies and lemonade.

  “These are delicious,” I told her.

  She lowered her eyes modestly and said, “Yes, I have to agree with you.” I took another bite. “Say, Emily,” Maddie said, her face lighting up. “How would you like your tea leaves read? I can predict the future, you know.”

  “You can? Really? Yes, yes, oh please read my tea leaves!”

  As Maddie brewed tea, Millie and I wandered around the house. There were lots of photos of her grandfather everywhere. He was always smiling, like he was in on a funny joke. “This one looks like a mug shot,” I observed.

  “It is,” Millicent said. “My dad’s parents play bridge and golf for fun. My mom’s parents go to jail.”

  Maddie called out from the kitchen, “Yes, but we weren’t criminals, we were activists. There’s a big difference!”

  Millie rolled her eyes. Maddie started singing. Her voice was almost as bad as Alice’s, only her singing didn’t bother me. “Emmmmee-leeee, so pretty,” and “Millieeeeee, loves her treeeee.”

  Millie and I looked at each other and tried not to giggle.

  “Okay! Ready or not, here I come!” Maddie shouted.

  There were three cups on the tray, one for each of us. Maddie read Millicent’s tea leaves first. After staring at Millicent’s cup for a long time, she waved her hands over it three times, then said in a low deep voice, “I see a long-sustaining friendship in your future. But the leaves are telling me, you must learn to trust yourself before you can trust the world around you.”

  Instead of thanking her, Millie made a face. Maddie didn’t seem to notice.

  “You next, Emily!”

  I scooted my chair right up next to hers and held on to my friendship necklace for good luck. Maddie smelled like gingerbread. Slowly, she shook the cup so that the tea leaves swirled like couples waltzing around a dance floor. At last the leaves stopped. Most settled to the bottom. A few floated on top. Maddie peered into the cup. I did too, even though I wasn’t sure what we were looking at.

  “I see a happy girl who has had some troubles,” she began. I gulped and stared harder at the tea leaves. “Wait, there’s more,” Maddie said, holding up her hand. She leaned toward me and whispered, “There’s always more.” My eyes widened. “Emily Ebers, a lot of changes are ahead, but try not to worry too much. Change is not always bad. You have embarked on a journey that will take you far, but it’s up to you to decide where you are headed.”

  “Will it be a good journey?” I could feel my insides quiver. This was better than A.J.’s Ouija board.

  “Ah, the leaves do not answer that.”

  “But how will I know where to go? What if I get lost? I always get lost.”

  “Maddie,” Millicent interrupted. “Do you really believe this stuff? I thought you said that the Magic 8 Ball was the only true predictor of the future.”

  Her grandmother did not answer. Instead she was peering into the third cup of tea. “Ah!” Maddie exclaimed. “Just as I thought!”

  As she closed her eyes and sipped her tea, I started to ask her what it was she saw. But by the way she was smiling, I could tell she was having a pleasant time enjoying her own secret.

  Love,

  Emily

  JULY 11

  Dear Dad,

  This afternoon I met Millie at the drugstore. I needed more Bonne Bell Lip Smackers. I’ve lost three since we moved here.

  “Oh! Let’s buy makeup and do makeovers on each other,” I exclaimed as we neared the cosmetics aisle.

  “Oh! Okay,” Millicent replied as she walked briskly past the lipsticks. “But first let�
��s poke ourselves in the eyes with a fork, since that would be so much more fun.”

  Later, when Millie and I were in line, it felt like someone was staring at me. I slowly turned around, and it was as if my body had been struck by a million billion jolts of electricity.

  Standing in the very next line was this Asian boy with black hair, big beautiful brown eyes, and long eyelashes. I smiled at him, and he smiled back. His grin was crooked and totally to die for. Do you believe in love at first sight? (Do you still believe in love?)

  The boy was staring at me staring at him. Just when it looked like he was going to say something, Millie whirled around. His eyes went from me to her, and instantly his smile disappeared.

  “Millie, you’re all red. Do you know him?” I whispered. “Is he from around here? Oh, he’s soooo dreamy.”

  “Looks like a nightmare to me,” she muttered. As we turned back to check him out again, he tossed something and ran. The alarm shrieked as he bolted out the emergency exit. I scooped up what he had dropped — a tube of Zappo Zit — and slipped it in with the things I was buying.

  As we walked to Maddie’s house, I had so many questions. “So, Millicent, do you know him? It looked like you knew each other. I wonder what he thought of me? Do you think he’s thinking about me right now? I sensed a real connection, like they say you can get when you find your soul mate. I wonder if he’s my soul mate? I mean, I really felt like we were speaking through our eyes. Do you think people can speak through their eyes? Don’t you think he has the dreamiest eyes? And his smile, I could talk about his smile for …”

  “ENOUGH!!!” Millicent yelled. “If I hear one more word about that stupid boy, I’m going to regurgitate my entire lunch and a good deal of my breakfast too!”

  “Oh. Sorry.”

  I held on to my necklace and hoped that I would see him again — soon. I wonder what Millie has against him. I’ll ask again later. In the meantime, I’m going to sleep with his Zappo Zit under my pillow.

  Love,

  Emily

  JULY 13

  Hi Daddy,

  Loved the postcard from Cozy Bear Cottages in Bangor, Maine. I showed it to Alice and she just smiled, turned around, and headed to the bathroom. For a while her 2 p.m. crying sessions really bothered me, but I’m getting used to them. It’s like when I broke my foot ice-skating. At first it hurt all the time, and then after a while it only hurt when I thought about it.