Momentous Events in the Life of a Cactus
Page 19
1. Three thousand kids. Three thousand potential new friends.
2. Comic Con. Comic Con was pretty cool. I’ll definitely give it another try next year, though I don’t think I’ll go as Armless Master again. Arm-Fall-Off-Boy is a possibility, though. And then I would have some arm weapons to battle with if anyone messed with me. (I’m looking at you, Wolverine!)
3. Football games. Especially when one of the players is super-cool. And super-cute.
4. Bullies getting the justice they deserve. Okay, I know that sounds vengeful and I should remove it from my list. Consider it removed.
5. Algebra. Because I can always tackle math.
6. Wearing a terrible costume to school for Halloween and not caring what other people think.
7. I’ve decided to add back “Bullies getting the justice they deserve.”
8. Zombie tarantulas coming back from the dead with new legs. Turns out Fathead was just molting.
9. The look on Zion’s face when I stuck Fathead’s molted exoskeleton on the lunch table.
10. Seeing long-lost family members reunited, especially when it was never their choice to be apart.
11. Horseback riding.
12. First crushes.
13. First kisses.
14. Pretzels are X9 in the vending machine. I can reach X9. And I’m getting taller. The Cheetos will soon be mine. Oh, yes. They will be mine.
15. I’m not only getting taller, but also I think I might be getting wiser. And part of that wisdom is no longer feeling ashamed because of something someone else has done that has nothing to do with me and everything to do with them.
16. Going to my first punk show, though Mom did leave with a black eye. She wore it proudly like it was an Olympic medal.
17. Friends who embarrass themselves in public for you.
18. Friends who risk everything to defend you.
19. Friends who lie down on their backs in the middle of a greasy steakhouse dance floor to do the “Y.M.C.A.” with their feet for you.
20. Friends who see the real you, even when you can’t.
42
No one could ever take your place, Spaghetti.
We love you forever, Spaghetti.
Not meatballs, not baked ziti, not even lasagna.
Spaghetti, Spaghetti, Spaghetti.
We love you forever, Spaghetti.
— Kids from Alcatraz
(debut song—five downloads sold)
I marched across the dirt of Main Street in my riding boots. It was crowded today at Stagecoach Pass—the first crowded day we’d had since the festival.
I walked into the horse stall and laid my head on Chili’s side, feeling her breath. I closed my eyes. For the first time ever, I felt like maybe we were in sync. But whether we were in sync enough, I was about to find out.
“Aven?” I looked up and saw Mom and Dad standing outside the stall. “You okay, Sheebs?” Dad asked.
I nodded and smiled. “Yes.”
Mom clapped her hands. “We have a surprise for you.”
I followed them to the petting zoo, where a handful of kids were brushing the goats. We went into the covered area.
“Oh my gosh!” I cried when I saw the small llama. I knelt down in front of him. Though he only had three legs, he didn’t seem to have any trouble standing. “Hey, boy,” I said, nuzzling my face into his soft fur. I’d missed the feel of that soft llama fur.
“We got him from a llama rescue,” Dad said. “We knew as soon as we saw him he was the one for us.”
“Just like we knew when we saw you,” Mom said.
I swallowed and kissed the top of his head. “What’s his name?” I asked.
Mom and Dad glanced at each other. Then Mom’s smile fell. “Mama.”
I looked from Mom to Dad and back to Mom. “His name is Mama? Mama the llama?”
Mom shook her head. “The people who run the llama rescue let their three-year-old name the llamas who come in without a name.”
I nodded slowly. “Ah, that explains it.” I turned my attention back to Mama. “You know, I’m not sure I can live with the name Mama. I mean, especially considering he’s a dude.”
Dad grinned. “You can name him anything you want.”
I stared into the llama’s deep brown eyes. Ran my cheek over his soft cream-colored fur. I felt a pang for Spaghetti. But Spaghetti was gone, and it was time to let go. Of a lot of things.
“What are you thinking?” Dad asked.
“I’m thinking . . .” I looked up at my parents and smiled. “Lasagna.”
“Connor, Connor, Connor!” I cried when I saw him walking down Main Street. “I got a new llama! And he only has three legs! And his name is Lasagna!”
He barked. “Cool.”
It was only then that I saw Connor was with a man. I didn’t need anyone to tell me this was Connor’s dad—he had the same hazel eyes and light brown hair as his son.
“Aven, this is my dad,” Connor said.
“Oh.”
The man smiled. “Nice to meet you, Aven. Connor’s told me a lot about you.”
I raised an eyebrow at Connor. “Really?”
“Yes, really,” Connor said.
I looked back at Connor’s dad. “It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Bradley. Connor’s told me a lot about you, too.”
Mr. Bradley cringed. “I hope it’s not all been bad, even if I deserve it.”
I smiled at him. “It’s not all been bad.”
We walked ahead of Connor’s dad, and I whispered to Connor, “What’s going on?”
Connor shrugged. “He found out about this, and he wanted to meet you, and he asked if he could take me, so I thought . . . What would Aven do?”
I grinned at him. “And what would Aven do?”
Connor nudged me with his shoulder. “Aven would give him a second chance,” he said. “Because Aven always believes the best about people.”
I left Connor and his dad at the stands and went into the stall with Chili. I stood in front of her, pure determination. “Are you ready?” I asked her.
She snorted in response.
“Well, I hope that was a yes.” I took a deep breath. “Let’s do this.”
She lowered her head to my foot, but my boot was on. “You can have all the face rubs you want afterward.”
Bill walked into the stall holding my helmet. “Are you ready, Aven?” I nodded as he set the helmet on top of my head and buckled it. Then he patted the side of it. “I’m proud of you, you know?”
“You are?”
“Yeah, not everyone has the guts to get back up on a horse after they’ve had a good fall.”
I thought about Bill’s words as I walked with Chili out to the arena. I’d had a pretty darn good fall. But I wasn’t about to stay down. I would keep getting back up, no matter how many times I fell. And no one could keep me down. No one.
We were at the center of the arena now. “Down,” I told Chili, ignoring the people in the stands. She lowered, and people ahhed over how smart she was. She was a smart girl.
I swung my leg over Chili and slipped my boots into the stirrups. “Stand.” Chili stood. I tapped her lightly with my feet. “Walk.” We walked around the arena for a moment. “Whoa,” I said to her.
For the first time I looked out at the crowd. I saw Connor and his dad. I saw Zion and Lando. I saw Josephine and Milford and Henry and Mom and Dad. I saw Trilby. I saw my friends. I saw my family.
I kicked gently at Chili’s sides. “Walk.” As we neared the jump, I clucked my tongue. Chili went into a trot, leaving a trail of dust behind us. I clucked my tongue again. Chili moved into a canter. The jump was close now. We were moving fast, the warm fall air of the Arizona desert blowing in my face. I closed my eyes to it. Leaned into it. Embraced it.
Don’t try. Just believe.
And then I was in the air again. But I wasn’t afraid of falling.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Thank you to my editors, Christina Pulles and Suzy Capozzi. To
Heather Kelly for designing an amazing cover, complete with cape. And thank you to everyone else at Sterling for the constant support: Theresa Thompson, Lauren Tambini, Maha Khalil, Chris Vaccari, and the entire sales team. Thank you to my agent, Shannon Hassan. To Barbie Thomas, Tisha Shelton, and all my sensitivity readers. To my favorite writer people: Stephanie Elliott, Kelly Devos, and Lorri Phillips. You three girls are my lifeboat in this choppy publishing sea. Thank you to all the booksellers, librarians, and educators who work so hard to spread book love to children. To my husband for his unwavering belief in me. To Bronte, Adlai, and Monet for always inspiring me. Thank you to God for His endless blessings. And to my readers—I hope you enjoyed spending a bit more time with Aven.
MOMENTOUS EVENTS
IN THE LIFE OF A CACTUS
• DISCUSSION QUESTIONS •
1 This book is told in the first person, from Aven’s point of view. How do you think the story would change if it were told from another character’s point of view? Some characters to consider are Zion, Lando, Trilby, Connor, and Joshua.
2 Why do you think the book is titled Momentous Events in the Life of a Cactus? What happens in the story that Aven considers momentous?
3 Aven has very diverse interests: horseback riding, guitar, soccer, and now punk music. What are your interests? How do you share your interests with others?
4 Before reading the story, would you have thought that a person without arms could do all of the things that Aven can do? What does that tell you about making assumptions about the capabilities of others?
5 Consider how you talk about people with disabilities. Why do you think it’s important to use “person-first” language?
6 How do you react when you see a person with a visible disability? How do you think people with disabilities would want you to react? What makes you feel welcomed when you meet someone?
7 Are disabilities always visible? What kinds of challenges do you think a person with a hidden disability might have?
8 Why do you think Aven is so determined to find out if Henry has any family? What makes people family?
9 Aven discovers a love of punk rock in the story. What do you think it means to be punk rock?
10 What do you think you should do if someone won’t stop verbally bullying you or someone else? Do you think Aven handled the situation well? What can you do to be an upstander?
11 Which characters in this book experienced personal growth? How did they change? Were there any characters who didn’t appear to grow or change?
12 Did reading this book change your opinions or perspectives on anything? How?
13 It was difficult for Aven to learn how to ride and jump a horse. Is there something in your life you’re struggling to learn? What steps can you take to tackle it?
14 Aven has a rough start to high school, but she’s able to get through it largely due to supportive friends. How do your friends support you during tough times? How can you support your friends?
15 Connor has to forgive his father in order to start rebuilding their relationship. Can you think of a time in your life when you’ve had to forgive someone or needed forgiveness from someone? How did forgiveness make you feel?