by Ilene Cooper
“I know. We’ll just have to wing it,” Bobby told him. That’s what Bobby heard his father say sometimes. Usually it was when Mr. Quinn was worried about not being ready for a business meeting.
Winging it had a nice sound, like you’d be flying in the air with no worries or cares. That was not how Bobby felt the next day, however. He felt like he had the weight of the world on his shoulders.
Bobby could hardly keep his mind on anything except the report. He didn’t hear Mrs. Lee call him to the chalkboard during math. During silent reading, he stared out the window. He kept wondering what it would be like to stand at the front of the room, all alone.
Right after lunch, Mrs. Lee leaned against her desk. “I’m so excited about our oral reports today,” she said. “I’m eager to learn more about every one of you. And Candy, I’m so glad you had the idea for me to give a report, too. I’ll go first, so you can all see about how long I want you to speak.”
Mrs. Lee’s report on herself held Bobby’s attention. He learned that her husband’s name was Keir and that she had a teenage son. Her hobbies were scuba diving and knitting—though not at the same time.
Then it was Dexter’s turn. Next came Shannon, and after her Candy was up.
Candy’s report went on so long that Mrs. Lee had to say, “Fascinating, Candy. But we have to make sure we have time for all the reports.”
Then came the moment Bobby had been dreading. Mrs. Lee called his name.
Mrs. Lee had said they didn’t need notes, but Bobby wished he had a piece of paper in his hand. It would give him something to hold on to.
Stepping in front of Mrs. Lee’s desk, he heard his heart pounding. He wondered if the other kids could hear it, too. Thump! Thump! For a few seconds—seconds that seemed like hours—he didn’t say a word.
“Bobby, you can start now,” Mrs. Lee prompted.
Bobby looked at his classmates. He felt his face getting red. He put his hands behind his back because they were shaking. “Uh, my name is Bobby Quinn….”
“Speak up, Bobby,” Mrs. Lee said.
“My name is Bobby Quinn—”
Before Bobby could say another word, an alarm bell started blaring.
Fire drill!
“All right, children,” Mrs. Lee said, “this is our first fire drill. Line up quickly and quietly and follow me outside. We’ll get back to the reports next week.”
Bobby fell into line behind Shawn. He leaned over to whisper to him, “Saved by the bell!”
Contest Day
The big day was here. The Pet-O-Rama spokespet contest was just a couple of hours away.
Bobby was excited, but he didn’t want Lucy to get excited. He wanted her to be calm and cool. He took her aside and told her so. “Lucy, you’re going to be in a contest today. There are going to be a lot of other animals there.”
Lucy looked interested.
“You’ll probably have to parade in front of some judges,” Bobby went on. “You can’t get crazy. You have to calm down. Okay?”
Lucy snuggled her head under Bobby’s hand. Did she understand what Bobby was saying?
Bobby wasn’t absolutely sure, but maybe she did. At least when Lucy jumped off the bed where they had been having their chat, she did so slowly. She didn’t dash out of the room, knocking things over on the way, either.
Mr. Quinn was going to drive Bobby and Lucy to the contest. Shawn and Twitch were coming with them. Candy and Butch were going to meet them at Pet-O-Rama.
Later that morning, the boys and animals piled into the car. “I wish I could come,” Mrs. Quinn said. Today was her day to volunteer at the hospital.
“Lucy will bring you back a blue ribbon,” Mr. Quinn said.
Shawn frowned.
“Or maybe it will be Twitch,” Mr. Quinn added.
“Have a fun time. Lucy, be good,” Mrs. Quinn said as the car drove away.
“Do you think there will be a lot of animals at the contest?” Shawn asked.
That question was answered when the car pulled into the mall parking lot in front of Pet-O-Rama. People were walking into the store with dogs, cats, and birds. One person had a ferret.
Lucy put her paws on the open window and looked out. She had never seen so many animals in one place at one time. Her nose wiggled. When they got out of the car, she tugged on her leash to get to the store faster.
“Lucy…,” Mr. Quinn said warningly.
Lucy hopped around.
Pet-O-Rama was a madhouse. Barks, meows, squeaks, and chirps came from all directions. Employees in bright red Pet-O-Rama aprons were checking in the pets, getting the photographs from their owners, and then leading people and animals through the back doors.
Outside was a large grassy area, decorated with colorful balloons. Along the fence were a table and chairs for the judges. Altogether there were about thirty furry, feathered, or scaly contestants.
“Hey, Bobby, Shawn! Over here.” Candy and her mother were standing next to Butch. Despite the hubbub, he was taking a nap.
While the grown-ups talked, Candy said, “Guess who’s here?”
“Who?” Bobby asked.
“Mrs. Agatha Adams and her cat, Ginger,” Candy told them.
“Uh-oh!” Bobby said. Over the summer he and Shawn had spent one long afternoon trying to find Lucy when she was chasing Ginger all over town.
Lucy gave a happy yip when she saw Ginger. She pulled at her leash as if she wanted to start chasing Ginger all over again.
Ginger, however, gave Lucy a disdainful look. She turned away from the beagle, her tail up in the air.
“Ginger looks pretty today,” Candy said.
“Her collar makes her look like a queen.”
“She’s not as cute as Twitch,” Shawn said loyally.
“She’s not as cute as Lucy, either,” Bobby said.
Candy looked down at the drooling Butch. He was snoring. “She’s probably cuter than Butch.” Candy was very honest. She added, “There are plenty of cute pets here.”
Just then, a woman with lots of brown hair piled on top of her head blew a silver whistle. Everyone stopped talking and paid attention.
“Pets and pet owners, welcome. I am Lydia Jones, the manager of this Pet-O-Rama. In a few moments our contest will start. As you know, the winner gets free pet food for a year. Our winner will also go on to compete with the winners from the other Pet-O-Rama stores throughout the state.”
The crowd buzzed.
Ms. Jones blew on her whistle again. “I would like everyone to line up with their pets. Then you and your pet will walk past the judges’ table.”
Ms. Jones introduced them. One worked at Pet-O-Rama. He looked important. Another was a dog trainer. The third was the editor of the local newspaper.
There was a bit of a rush to line up. Bobby was worried that Lucy wouldn’t like all the confusion, but she took it in stride. In fact, she seemed to like being in the middle of all the hubbub.
An accordion player began a lively tune. Ms. Jones gave the go-ahead, and the animals and their owners started parading in front of the judges. A photographer from the paper snapped pictures as the pets marched by.
Bobby, Shawn, and Candy were in the middle of the line. It was moving a little slowly. One of their dogs was getting restless and started barking. Then that dog tried to race to the front of the line. But it wasn’t Lucy. It was Butch.
“Butch, cool it,” Candy said. She must have said it five times.
Butch, however, wasn’t in the mood to cool it. Instead he stood in front of the judges’ table, barking. That got some of the other dogs in the contest barking, too. Candy tried to pull him back in line.
Ms. Jones came over to Candy and whispered in her ear. Candy looked sad, but she nodded. She walked Butch over to her mom, who gave her a hug.
“Wow,” Shawn said. “Candy and Butch got kicked out of the contest.”
Bobby shook his head. “What a time for Butch finally to get excited about something.” He glanced down at
Lucy. She seemed as cool as a cucumber. When she got to the front of the line, she strolled slowly past the judges. The photographer kneeled down to get a picture of Lucy. She stopped and posed for him. Bobby was surprised. What a time for Lucy to calm down!
All the other animals marched past the judges. Then Ms. Jones said, “We have cake and punch for you and treats for the pets. Please enjoy them while the judges make their decision.”
Bobby, Shawn, and Candy ate cake and waited for the judges. Bobby thought Candy would be upset about Butch, but nothing bothered her for long. “At least I got some cake out of the deal,” she said.
Bobby looked over at the judges. They were going through the animals’ pictures and talking. Bobby wished he were close enough to hear them.
He kneeled down next to his dog. “Whether you win or lose, Lucy, you did good,” he said. Lucy licked Bobby’s cheek. Maybe she was just licking off some frosting that had landed there, but Bobby didn’t think so.
Finally Ms. Jones went to the microphone. She had a piece of paper and a photograph in her hand. “Our winner is the little beagle, Lucy Quinn.”
Lucy! Bobby jumped up and gave a whoop. Lucy won. This was absolutely the best news ever!
Uh-oh!
This was absolutely the worst news ever!
Everything was fine when Lucy had won her blue ribbon. And when the photographer took lots of pictures for the newspaper. And when everyone congratulated Bobby and Lucy. Then Ms. Jones pulled Bobby, Lucy, and Mr. Quinn aside.
“Now, you understand that the finals for the Pet-O-Rama spokespet contest are next week in the state capital,” Ms. Jones said.
“Yes, we know,” Mr. Quinn answered. “We’ll be there.”
“Good, good.” Ms. Jones beamed at Lucy. “I think our little beagle has a good chance of winning the whole thing. She’s delightful.”
Lucy quietly basked in the praise. Clearly, she didn’t mind being described as delightful.
“If Lucy wins the contest, it will be a big opportunity for you, too, Bobby,” Ms. Jones went on. “If she becomes the Pet-O-Rama spokespet, she will be in several television commercials.”
Mr. Quinn nodded. “I remember that was on the entry form.”
“The pet’s owner is part of the commercials as well. I’m sure Pet-O-Rama would like to feature a boy and his dog.” Ms. Jones beamed down at Bobby.
Bobby looked up at his father in horror. Before he or his father could say anything, Ms. Jones was pulled away by one of her employees.
“I can’t be in a commercial,” Bobby said.
“I know it wouldn’t be your favorite thing, Bobby,” his father said. “But you might not have many lines. It could be fun.”
Bobby thought about being in a TV studio with lots of strange adults telling him what to say and how to act. A scared, nervous feeling ran through his body. He looked at his father and shook his head.
“We’re getting a little ahead of ourselves, Bobby,” his dad added. “Lucy might not win that contest. For now, let’s enjoy Lucy’s win today.”
That’s what Bobby tried to do. Lucy was certainly enjoying it. If she were a cat, she would have purred. Instead she gave short, happy barks when anyone petted her.
Bobby’s mother was home when they got back. She saw Lucy’s blue ribbon right away. “Lucy won!” she exclaimed. “Tell me all about it.”
So Bobby and his dad sat around the kitchen table and gave Mrs. Quinn a blow-by-blow account. Bobby got excited all over again about Lucy’s win. Then Mr. Quinn explained about the television commercials, and Bobby felt himself flatten like a popped balloon.
“How do you feel about being in a commercial, Bobby?” his mom asked.
“Not good,” Bobby muttered.
“Would you do it?” Mrs. Quinn wanted to know.
Bobby hung his head. “I don’t think I could.”
Mr. and Mrs. Quinn looked at each other. Mrs. Quinn said, “If you don’t want to do it, I’m not sure it would be fair to let Lucy take part in the contest.”
Bobby looked up, shocked.
Mr. Quinn explained, “Pet-O-Rama is counting on a winner and an owner to be in the commercials.”
“You could be in it, Dad. Or you, Mom.”
“I think the company would rather have a boy,” his father replied. “Besides, Lucy is your dog.”
Bobby felt terrible. He didn’t want to keep Lucy from her big chance. But he didn’t want to be in a commercial, either.
Mrs. Quinn looked at Bobby. “Bobby, we have a couple of days to think about this. Let’s not make any decisions right now. Okay?”
“Okay,” Bobby agreed.
“In the meantime, let’s hang the blue ribbon on the living room mirror,” she said.
That night when Bobby was getting under his covers, Lucy jumped up on his bed like she always did. Bobby gave her a big hug. “You had a good time today, huh, Lucy?”
Lucy wriggled closer to Bobby.
“You’d have a good time in the contest next week, too,” Bobby said.
Lucy just looked at Bobby with her big brown eyes.
“You could win that contest. You could be the Pet-O-Rama spokespet, easy.” Bobby flopped back against his pillow. This was Lucy’s big chance. Was it going to be ruined all because of him?
Starring Lucy and Bobby
Now Bobby had two worries. He still had to stand in front of the class and give his oral report. And he had to decide what to do about the contest.
On Monday at school, it was time to deal with Worry #1. Mrs. Lee said, “I’m sorry the fire drill interrupted our oral reports. We’ll get back to them later today.”
All morning Bobby worried. He worried through math and he worried through spelling. It was raining hard during recess, so the class stayed inside. Mrs. Lee read from The Mouse and the Motorcycle. Bobby barely heard her, and he loved that book.
Soon it was almost lunchtime. Maybe he wouldn’t have to give his report until the afternoon. Then he had an even better thought. Maybe Mrs. Lee would forget it was his turn. Or what if she thought he had finished his report before the fire-drill bell rang? That would be great!
But at eleven forty-five, Mrs. Lee said, “Let’s get to some reports.”
Mrs. Lee looked around the room. Bobby held his breath. Then her eyes landed right on him. “I think you were speaking when the bell rang, right, Bobby?”
“Yes, ma’am,” he whispered. Bobby dragged himself to the front of the room.
“All right, Bobby. Start over, and speak up nice and loud,” Mrs. Lee said.
Bobby looked at all his classmates looking back at him. He felt a little dizzy. He fixed his eyes on the clock at the back of the room. “My name is Bobby Quinn. I live with my parents. I like to draw superheroes….” Bobby rushed along. “And I have a beagle named Lucy. I got her this summer for my birthday. Any questions?”
That was how Mrs. Lee told them to end their reports, by asking if the class had any questions. Hoping there weren’t any, Bobby turned to go back to his seat.
“Bobby,” a familiar voice called.
Oh no! Candy had raised her hand. Bobby frowned. Some friend.
“Bobby, you should tell the class about how Lucy won the contest on Saturday,” Candy said.
Bobby could feel his face getting hot. That was a long story.
“Did Lucy win that contest at Pet-O-Rama?” Mrs. Lee asked.
Bobby nodded.
“I almost entered my kitten in that contest. Tell us about it,” Mrs. Lee said.
“Well…,” Bobby shyly began, “the contest was out behind the Pet-O-Rama store. I came with Lucy. Shawn brought his mouse, Twitch.”
“I was there, too,” Candy said, waving her hand. “With my dog, Butch.”
“Yes, Butch was there.” Bobby didn’t mention the trouble Butch had caused.
“Was there lots going on?” Mrs. Lee asked.
“There was pretty good food, and music, and balloons, and stuff.”
“What
kind of pets were there?” Dexter called from his seat.
“Dogs, cats, even a ferret,” Bobby remembered. “The judges thought Lucy was the best.” For the first time during his report, Bobby smiled.
“What did she win?” Grace asked.
“A blue ribbon. And some free dog food,” Bobby said.
“Don’t forget she’s got a chance to be the Pet-O-Rama spokespet,” Shawn reminded him.
“What’s a spokespet?” one of the kids wanted to know.
Bobby explained about the next contest. He felt a little knot in his stomach when he talked about the television commercials. The other kids thought it would be great to be in a commercial.
“Television! That would be awesome,” Dexter said. “You and Lucy would rock!”
Everyone in the class seemed to agree.
“Well, thank you, Bobby. That report was wonderful,” Mrs. Lee said. “We’ll all be eager to hear if Lucy wins the next contest.”
Bobby went back to his seat. Grace got up to give her report. But Bobby was thinking about what had just happened. He had been very, very nervous when he started speaking. Then everyone was so interested in Lucy and the contest. Talking to his classmates had seemed easy. He couldn’t quite believe it.
When Bobby got home from school, he and his mom took Lucy for her walk. He told her what had happened.
Mrs. Quinn pulled her sweater around her. It was getting cold. “Well, Bobby, you were talking about something interesting and exciting. The other kids thought it was interesting and exciting, too.”
“I was talking about Lucy,” Bobby said.
Lucy heard her name and turned around.
“Everyone likes hearing about Lucy,” Bobby added.
“So have you thought any more about the contest?” Mrs. Quinn asked.
Bobby nodded. “I think we should go.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes,” Bobby said. “This is a big chance for Lucy. I don’t want to spoil it for her. She likes to be the center of attention. I don’t. But today, it wasn’t too bad. I think I could be in those commercials if Lucy wins.”