figuring we’d catch the sea breeze. On our way through the yards we saw Mr. Spivey staring at the back of the barn. As we broke through the shade, Lil said, “I don’t think he loves my mural.”
I said, “Well, then you’re doing good work!”
We saw Officer Macey coming along Beach Road.
“Hey, Officer Plainclothes!” Lil called out. “We’re heading out to Hallenrock Dairy. Want to come?”
“Wish I could,” he said. “I’m on duty in less than an hour. Hallenrock is a little too far out in the wrong direction. But thanks!”
The sea breeze felt awesome—a reminder of summer beach days when I had nothing to do but push my toes into the sand and keep my lunch away from the gulls. But I could not have relaxed into a day like that. Not while I was managing the Bike Barn. As we got closer to the dairy, I got a wicked case of shop fever. Kept feeling like I ought to be working, and like Officer Macey had said, I was heading in the wrong direction.
A couple of scoops of raspberry swirl in a waffle cone and a cool patch of grass in the shade helped me chill. But I was the first one to snap my helmet back on. If I hadn’t been Vince’s tandem partner, I might have gone on ahead of my siblings. I set a fast pace for home. I took us up the connector to the highway. We flew down the ramp toward home.
“Whee-hee! We’re on the high-a-w-a-a-y!” The twins cheered from their seats in the carrier, hands up in the wind.
Vince and I began to pull away from Robert and Lil.
“Hey, hey. Not so fast with the precious cargo!” Lil called.
“Can’t go fast! Too much twin in the trunk!” I called. “But we’ll beat you home, for sure.”
“Not by much!” Lil insisted. It was funny to look back and see her neck and neck with Robert.
“Vince, you ready?” I asked.
“Oh yeah.”
We biked out. Best we could with the extra weight.
I do a lot of things with my brother. Home stuff. School stuff. Bike-shop stuff. But there is no place on earth that we are better together than on the tandem. We had perfectly smooth road and wide-open space to travel. I had to laugh when I remembered Lil saying, “Dad always says the highway is fastest.” It was.
“We should come out more often!” I shouted.
“You say when!” Vince called back.
It was true. He’d go anytime.
“Soon!” I said. “Who knows how long the shortage will last? Ha! Picking it up now,” I called. “We are two with the machine!”
24
I AM NOT MAGICAL. THAT’D BE RIDICULOUS. BUT sometimes I can sense that something is up. This isn’t about my sharp hearing. This happens closer to my bones. By the time we got off the highway I just knew it; something was going to be different at home.
The nanny goats were all up at the gate doing a nervous sort of dance. Everybody-to-the-left, now everybody-to-the-right. Something or somebody was around. Vince knew it too.
“What’s going on?” he said. “And where are the dogs?”
“I don’t know. Good-ness! Great-ness!” I called.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Greatnesslift her head for just a second. Deaf, old Goodness couldn’t hear me. They were both bowing outside the Bike Barn door. Noses to the sill, haunches in the air. I clapped my hands. Greatness looked at me and wagged her tail. Goodness looked up and did the same. There was something way more interesting than me over there by the door.
“Hey, Vince, get the twins out of the carrier, will you? I’m going to unlock the shop.”
I ran into the house and grabbed the shop key. I came jogging, bound for the shop door. I figured I’d let Goodness and Greatness go inside. Quench their curiosity. But I changed my mind. I veered past the dogs and headed toward the back fence. Maybe the Spive had something to do with all the weirdness. Maybe he’d borrowed Gloria Cloud again.
Oh no! What if he’s done something to Lil’s mural? Would he?
I hustled. I looked back over my shoulder to see if the dogs had followed me. A voice
I said, “Well, then you’re doing good work!”
We saw Officer Macey coming along Beach Road.
“Hey, Officer Plainclothes!” Lil called out. “We’re heading out to Hallenrock Dairy. Want to come?”
“Wish I could,” he said. “I’m on duty in less than an hour. Hallenrock is a little too far out in the wrong direction. But thanks!”
The sea breeze felt awesome—a reminder of summer beach days when I had nothing to do but push my toes into the sand and keep my lunch away from the gulls. But I could not have relaxed into a day like that. Not while I was managing the Bike Barn. As we got closer to the dairy, I got a wicked case of shop fever. Kept feeling like I ought to be working, and like Officer Macey had said, I was heading in the wrong direction.
A couple of scoops of raspberry swirl in a waffle cone and a cool patch of grass in the shade helped me chill. But I was the first one to snap my helmet back on. If I hadn’t been Vince’s tandem partner, I might have gone on ahead of my siblings. I set a fast pace for home. I took us up the connector to the highway. We flew down the ramp toward home.
“Whee-hee! We’re on the high-a-w-a-a-y!” The twins cheered from their seats in the carrier, hands up in the wind.
Vince and I began to pull away from Robert and Lil.
“Hey, hey. Not so fast with the precious cargo!” Lil called.
“Can’t go fast! Too much twin in the trunk!” I called. “But we’ll beat you home, for sure.”
“Not by much!” Lil insisted. It was funny to look back and see her neck and neck with Robert.
“Vince, you ready?” I asked.
“Oh yeah.”
We biked out. Best we could with the extra weight.
I do a lot of things with my brother. Home stuff. School stuff. Bike-shop stuff. But there is no place on earth that we are better together than on the tandem. We had perfectly smooth road and wide-open space to travel. I had to laugh when I remembered Lil saying, “Dad always says the highway is fastest.” It was.
“We should come out more often!” I shouted.
“You say when!” Vince called back.
It was true. He’d go anytime.
“Soon!” I said. “Who knows how long the shortage will last? Ha! Picking it up now,” I called. “We are two with the machine!”
24
I AM NOT MAGICAL. THAT’D BE RIDICULOUS. BUT sometimes I can sense that something is up. This isn’t about my sharp hearing. This happens closer to my bones. By the time we got off the highway I just knew it; something was going to be different at home.
The nanny goats were all up at the gate doing a nervous sort of dance. Everybody-to-the-left, now everybody-to-the-right. Something or somebody was around. Vince knew it too.
“What’s going on?” he said. “And where are the dogs?”
“I don’t know. Good-ness! Great-ness!” I called.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Greatnesslift her head for just a second. Deaf, old Goodness couldn’t hear me. They were both bowing outside the Bike Barn door. Noses to the sill, haunches in the air. I clapped my hands. Greatness looked at me and wagged her tail. Goodness looked up and did the same. There was something way more interesting than me over there by the door.
“Hey, Vince, get the twins out of the carrier, will you? I’m going to unlock the shop.”
I ran into the house and grabbed the shop key. I came jogging, bound for the shop door. I figured I’d let Goodness and Greatness go inside. Quench their curiosity. But I changed my mind. I veered past the dogs and headed toward the back fence. Maybe the Spive had something to do with all the weirdness. Maybe he’d borrowed Gloria Cloud again.
Oh no! What if he’s done something to Lil’s mural? Would he?
I hustled. I looked back over my shoulder to see if the dogs had followed me. A voice
Similar Books
