See You on a Starry Night

by Lisa Schroeder

  *  Mermaid

  *  Starfish

  *  Seahorse

  *  Sand castle

  *  Waves

  *  Saltwater taffy

  *  Jellyfish

  *  Coral

  *  Boogie board

  I carried the plastic container of soup. Emma held the bag with the loaf of French bread, a green salad, and two breath mints in a small plastic bag. She’d thrown those in at the last minute.

  “Fresh breath is important, right?” she’d told me.

  “You know I won’t argue with that,” I’d said.

  I also held a small bag with the jar of Vicks along with a box of chamomile tea from the tea and coffee cupboard at Emma’s house.

  We’d eaten a quick meal with the Renton family and then packed up the stuff.

  “It’s really nice you girls are doing this for him,” Emma’s dad had told us as we were leaving. He was proud of her. I could tell. It had made me wish my dad knew what I was doing, so maybe he’d be proud of me, too.

  When we got to their house, a white one with blue trim, Emma went to the door and knocked.

  Mrs. Button answered. Before she said anything, Emma jumped in and explained why we were visiting. “We brought Mr. Button some things to help with his cough.” She lifted the bags just slightly. “See?”

  “Oh my goodness, that is really kind of you girls.” She held the door open. “Please. Come in.”

  The house smelled good—like onions and peppers and spices. Emma must have noticed, too, because she said, “Have you already eaten?”

  Mr. Button stepped out from the kitchen we could see partially from where we stood. He coughed into his elbow before he said, “We just finished. And it was delicious, as usual. Mrs. Button is quite the cook, let me tell you.” He walked closer, throwing the dish towel he held onto his shoulder. “Now, what have you girls got there?”

  “We made you some chicken noodle soup,” I said. “Since you don’t feel well.”

  He smiled. “Oh, my. Please, come in here and set it down.”

  As we followed him into the kitchen, I glanced at Emma. Her eyes told me she felt disappointed. I felt the same. We shouldn’t have eaten first. We should have come right over as soon as the soup was done cooking.

  “Oh, girls,” Mrs. Button said as we put the salad, bread, and soup on the counter. “Look at what you’ve done. This is wonderful.”

  “I’m afraid I’m too full to eat again,” Mr. Button said. “But it’ll keep ’til tomorrow, won’t it, dear?”

  “Yes, yes, it’ll keep,” Mrs. Button said as she turned to us. “I’m really touched by your thoughtfulness, Emma and Juliet. Thank you so much.”

  I handed her the little bag. “In here there’s some Vicks to rub on his feet at night. Cover them with socks and it’ll help with the coughing.”

  Emma piped in. “You can also have him drink some chamomile tea before bed. Hot tea is very good for colds, you know.”

  “Did the two of you think of all of this by yourselves?” Mrs. Button asked.

  Suddenly, I couldn’t help but wonder if we’d gone too far. Maybe they didn’t like people giving them medical tips. We were just kids who didn’t really know anything about bad colds except what our mothers had told us.

  “Yes,” Emma said. “We really want to help him get better.”

  “We can see that,” Mrs. Button said as she went to work putting the soup and salad into the fridge. “I’m certainly going to have a lot to write in my notebook of beautiful things tonight.” She turned and smiled at us. “It’s been a chicken soup kind of day, hasn’t it? First chicken soup for feelings and now chicken soup for a cold.”

  We all laughed because it was strange and funny and true.

  Mr. Button coughed again, and this time, it went on for a lot longer. Mrs. Button’s smile turned into a frown. “I’ll put the kettle on and make you some tea, Ray. You go and put your feet up.”

  “We better go,” Emma said.

  “You don’t need to run off on account of me,” Mr. Button said in a raspy voice.

  “No, we really have to go,” I said. “We’re going to play Pictionary with Emma’s family.”

  “It’s spring break, remember?” Mrs. Button called from the stove.

  “All right,” he said as we made our way back to the front door. “You go and have fun.” He coughed into his sleeve again. “Meanwhile, I’m gonna drink some tea and get my feet nice and stinky, thanks to the two of you. Good night, girls.”

  “Good night,” Emma said.

  “Good night,” I echoed as we walked out the door.

  The sky was a pretty golden color when we stepped out. “Wanna go watch the sun set?” Emma asked.

  “Yes!” I said, happy I’d be able to cross another item off of my “Things I want to do at the beach” list.

  We hurried toward the beach along with lots of other people coming out of their houses. Everyone loves a good sunset, I guess.

  We took a seat in the warm sand, squinting at the horizon where the sun looked like someone had set a grapefruit on fire. It was red and glowing on the outside and a deep orange color on the inside.

  “Too bad we didn’t get the soup there in time,” I said.

  “I know,” Emma said, scooping up sand and letting it slip through her fingers. “Even though soup doesn’t really have magical powers or anything. It just tastes good when you’re sick. Do you want to go home and write Some Kid and tell her what we did anyway?”

  “I feel like I should wait,” I said. “Like, maybe it would be better to tell her when we know for sure that the stuff we did helped him. That’s the point, right? The email said, ‘Find someone’s wish. Make it come true.’ ”

  “Basically you’re saying Part A is done, Part B is not.”

  “Basically.”

  The sun inched lower, and the sky exploded with color—orange, red, and yellow. What a show. Emma got her phone out and took some photos.

  “What is it about sunsets, anyway?” she asked me. “I could watch one every night for the rest of my life and never get tired of them.”

  I stared at the sky, watching the sun disappear. I wished I had a phone so I could take a photo and send it to my dad. Tell him the beach wasn’t so bad after all. “I guess that’s how it is with things you really love. You never get tired of them. Ever.”

  “I wish we could stay and watch the sky turn starry,” Emma said as she got to her feet. “But we should probably get back.”

  “There’s a song called ‘Starry, Starry Night,’ ” I said as she helped me up. “It’s about Vincent. Have you heard it?”

  “My mom loves that song,” Emma said. She started singing, “Starry, starry night.”

  I waited for more, but she turned and looked at me. “That’s all I know. Maybe Mom will let me download it on my phone later.”

  “Hey, that should be our official club song!” I said.

  “Oh, but I kind of like ‘On Top of Spaghetti’ for our official club song.”

  “So we walk around hungry all the time?” I teased. “That’d be really fun.”

  As soon as we walked in the front door of Emma’s house, her family waved us over to the dining room table.

  “Boys against girls,” Thomas said. “Sit on that side.”

  Emma replied sarcastically, “Gee, thanks, not sure I would have been able to figure that out just by looking.”

  We took seats in the two empty chairs. It made me feel good that one of them was for me.

  “Were Mr. and Mrs. Button happy to see you?” Joanne asked.

  “I think so,” Emma said, grabbing two pencils from the box and handing one to me. “They’d already eaten dinner, so they’re going to have the soup tomorrow.”

  “He was going to put the Vicks on his feet, though,” I added.

  Everyone turned and stared at me. Oh my gosh. So embarrassing! I realized maybe I shouldn’t have mentioned that part.

  I t
alked fast, trying to explain it so it made sense. When I finished, Rick said, “Huh. Interesting.”

  “I’ll have to remember that home remedy,” Joanne said.

  I settled back in my chair. They really were nice people.

  “Okay, come on, let’s play,” Molly said as she set her phone on the table and scooted in. “Dad, flip the coin so we can see who goes first.”

  The boys won the coin toss, but I didn’t care. I was just happy to be playing.

  *  The Appreciation Jackpot—genius!

  *  They are loud and noisy sometimes, which is the opposite of quiet the way it is at my house most of the time these days.

  *  They love food, especially ice cream.

  *  They have rules. Sometimes rules are annoying, but sometimes they are helpful.

  *  Even when they don’t get along, they still watch out for one another.

  *  They play games together.

  *  They seem to like each other (most of the time).

  *  They are nice to me, someone they hardly know.

  When I woke up the next morning, it took me a few seconds to remember where I was. The slats of the bunk bed above me clued me in. The clock next to the bed told me it was a little after seven. Early. I had no idea what time the Renton family got up, but the house seemed quiet.

  After I lay there for a while, waiting to see if Emma might wake up, too, I finally got up because I had to use the bathroom. When I finished, I tiptoed downstairs to see if anyone was up yet. Joanne was in the family room, sitting in one of the chairs with a book in her lap and a cup of tea in her hands. I tried to turn around without her seeing me, but I didn’t make it.

  “Good morning, Juliet,” she said. “How’d you sleep?”

  “Fine,” I said. “But I’ll go back upstairs. I don’t want to bother you.”

  She closed her book. “You’re not bothering me at all. I’m the early bird of the family, along with Emma. Surprised she isn’t up yet, actually. Probably any time now. Do you want something to eat or drink? A glass of juice, maybe?”

  I shrugged. “Okay.”

  She got up and I followed her into the kitchen. As she poured some orange juice, she said, “What do you like to have for breakfast at home?”

  “It depends. My mom is big on protein, so eggs or peanut butter toast most days. Oh, and cereal once in a while.”

  Except not lately, I thought. Mom used to buy Raisin Bran or Honey Nut Cheerios for my dad. I ate the Cheerios sometimes, too, and now that she’d stopped buying them, I missed them.

  “I thought I might make some waffles,” she said as she handed me the glass. “If you’re a waffle fan, that is.”

  “I am definitely a waffle fan.”

  “Good. Happy to have another one in the house.”

  “Is it hard feeding so many people?” I asked.

  “I’m used to it by now,” she told me as she pulled a big mixing bowl out of the cupboard. “The main thing I’ve learned over the years is that I expect people to tell me if there’s something specific they want from the store. I keep a piece of paper on the fridge for just that purpose. We make a lot of lists around here—helps keep things organized.”

  “I love lists,” I said. “I should tell my mom to do that. She’s been so busy lately, we’re lucky if she remembers to go grocery shopping at all.”

  “Well, meal planning and shopping take a lot of time. I’m sure she’s doing her best. Let me get my waffle recipe out and you can help me make the batter, okay?”

  “Sure.”

  As she was reaching for a binder on the counter, her phone buzzed. She looked at the number. “Hm. I wonder … Hello?”

  After a short pause, she said, “Yes, good morning, Flora. Is everything all right?”

  While she listened, I watched as worry covered her face. “Oh, no. I’m sorry to hear that. Yes, of course we’re glad to help. Consider it taken care of, okay?” She listened a minute before she said, “We’re happy to do it, I promise. And if there’s anything else, please ask.” Pause. “Okay. Will you give us an update tonight or tomorrow? When you have a minute?”

  “An update to what?” Emma asked quietly as she suddenly appeared beside me.

  “I don’t know,” I whispered. “Also, hi.”

  She smiled. “Hi! I can’t believe you got up earlier than me. You could have woken me up.”

  “It’s fine. Your mom and I are making waffles.”

  Before Emma could reply, Joanne set the phone down, crossed her arms over her chest, and leaned against the counter. “That was Mrs. Button,” she told us. “I have bad news.”

  “Oh, no,” Emma said. “What’s wrong?”

  “She’s taking Mr. Button to the hospital this morning.”

  “What?” Emma said while I just gasped.

  “He became much more ill in the night,” Joanne explained. “She didn’t share any details. She called to ask if you girls might be willing to make a sign that says ‘Closed indefinitely due to illness’ and hang it on the door of the bookmobile. She’s not sure when they’ll be able to open it again.”

  There was that word again. Indefinitely. It was starting to be a very annoying word, showing up again and again when I didn’t want it to.

  “We can do that,” Emma said as she looked at me. I noticed her hair was plastered to one side of her head. She hadn’t even brushed it before coming downstairs to find me. “Can’t we?”

  “After waffles?” I asked.

  It made her smile a little. “After waffles.”

  And they were so good. I think they cheered us up a little, even though we were still worried. Not only were they homemade but also served differently than I’d ever had them. We topped them with fresh cut-up strawberries along with a dollop of whipped cream. My new favorite!

  After we finished breakfast, we got ready and made the sign. I packed my things because after we finished at the bookmobile, I’d head home. I wasn’t too excited about that, but as Mom always says, it’s never good to overstay your welcome.

  “I feel so bad for Mr. Button,” Emma said as we walked along the boardwalk. It wasn’t even nine o’clock yet, so there weren’t many people out and about. From the looks of the clear, blue sky, it promised to be a really nice day.

  “I hope he’s okay,” I said. “Will you let me know how he is? When your mom hears back?”

  “Yes. You know, I also feel bad for us. We didn’t make his wish come true. So we have to start over.”

  My heart sunk even more. “I hadn’t even thought of that. Why is this turning out to be so much harder than I thought it’d be?”

  “Did you answer Some Kid’s email at all?” Emma asked. “Like, just to say, ‘Sounds good’ or whatever?”

  “No. I probably should, huh?”

  “Maybe write them back and tell them you’re excited and you’re working on it.”

  “Okay. I will.”

  “And maybe ask if it’s okay if a friend helps you because she wants to be in the club, too. A really, really awesome friend.”

  I smiled. “All right.”

  We reached the bookmobile and hung the sign on the door with the tape we’d brought along. We stepped back to make sure the sign was straight and readable. “It makes me sad seeing that,” Emma said.

  “Me, too.”

  She sighed. “Hopefully, it won’t be too long.” Then she burst into song: “Somewhere over the rainbow, skies are blue.”

  I didn’t say anything. I wasn’t sure what that had to do with Mr. Button’s illness.

  “It’s a song about hope,” she told me as we turned around, back toward the boardwalk. “In case you were wondering.”

  “Actually, I was.”

  “My favorite song, too.”

  “I love the lion,” I told her. “In the movie, I mean.”

  “Next time you come over, let’s watch it!” she said. “We have it on DVD.” She held out her hand. “Deal?”

  I shook it. “De
al.”

  We turned toward my house. “Think you can come over again before spring break is over?” she asked.

  I tried to play it cool. “Yeah. I have some stuff to do around the house. And my sister’s probably really been missing me. But spring break isn’t even halfway over, so I should be able to.”

  “Good,” Emma said with a smile. “I’m glad.”

  *  They are very organized (kind of like my lists).

  *  When I find a book I like, the next time I go back, I know where to look to see if that author has any more books I might like.

  *  Certain shelves in my school library have become almost as familiar to me as my own bedroom.

  *  Doesn’t matter what you look like, how old you are, if you’re popular or not—anyone is welcome in the library.

  *  They make you feel welcome. Safe. Happy.

  *  Free books!!

  I was glad to see Casper and he was glad to see me. As soon as I walked in the door, he was right there, weaving in and out of my legs.

  “Okay, okay,” I said, laughing. I threw my bag down and picked him up. He rubbed the top of his head on my chin. “I missed you, too.”

  “Hello?” I called out, wondering if my sister might be home. But there was no answer.

  I walked in the kitchen and put Casper next to his food bowls. He gets canned food twice a day, at breakfast and dinner, but snacks on kibble throughout the day. He picked at the dry pellets while I read the note Mom had left me.

  Hi, Juliet,

  Hope you had fun at Emma’s house. Please move the laundry from the washer to the dryer. And it’d be wonderful if you could clean out the dishwasher, too. Miranda’s with friends today, training. I’ll be home in time for dinner. Might bring takeout with me. We’ll see.

  Love,

  Mom

  After I did my chores, I grabbed a banana from the fruit basket and picked out a piece of light blue construction paper. I wanted to make Mr. Button a get-well card and mail it to him. I had his address on a piece of paper stuffed in my pocket. He wasn’t at home, but I figured Mrs. Button could take it to him at the hospital. I drew a vase of fresh flowers with some markers and just as I was about to write the words Get Well Soon, the phone rang.