looked at his father. “You think that’s crazy?”
His father shook his head and smiled. “Nah, Miah-man,” he said softly. “I don’t think that’s crazy. I don’t think that’s crazy at all.”
Chapter 20
I HAD BEEN TO BROOKLYN ONCE. WHEN I WAS SEVEN, Marion took us to visit her great-aunt. The twins were still living at home then. All morning they had argued with my parents. Neither of them wanted to go. I sat at the kitchen table, eating a bowl of Chee rios, dressed and ready. They had been to Brooklyn before, had visited the aunt a couple of times before I was born.
“We’ve done that already,” Anne had said. “I have no interest in spending a Saturday afternoon sitting around that cramped Flatbush apartment.”
“Me neither,” Ruben had said from behind the pages of his history textbook. “And I have a ton of homework anyway.”
“You’re going,” Marion said. “Everybody who lives in this house is going.”
“You really want to see where I live?” Jeremiah asked nervously. We were sitting in the bleachers waiting for basketball practice to begin. Other players drifted in noisily. There were a couple of other girls scattered around the gym. We all knew that the minute the coach walked in, we’d all be kicked out. I crossed one ankle over the other and stared down at my loafers.
“Of course I want to see it, silly. You make Fort Greene sound like the only place in the world.”
Jeremiah grinned. “It is the only place in the world. The only place I’d live.” He grabbed my ankle and held on to it. “It’d be cool if you came to Brooklyn.”
“Then it’s a plan. When do you want me to come?”
“Come now.”
I raised an eyebrow at him. “Somebody has practice, Miah. And it’s not me.”
“After practice. I’m done at four-thirty. We can - take the train there.” He winked at me. “I’ll have you at my house by dinnertime.”
I could feel myself blushing. “You’re such a gentleman.”
“Anyone not on the team—out!”
I looked up to see Coach standing in the center of the gym. Slowly, people started filing out.
“I’ll meet you out front,” I said, kissing my finger and touching it to his face.
He grabbed my hand and kissed it. “Four-thirty—Ellie Eisen heads to Brooklyn.”
That time I had gone to Brooklyn with my family, I hadn’t thought much of it. My great-aunt’s apartment was cramped and dark and smelled of unbaked bread and morning breath. I had sat between Ruben and Anne while my parents talked to my great-aunt in low whispers-about the weather, their various aches and pains, and long-dead family members. My great-aunt served us weak tea and graham crackers. Then Marion evil-eyed us until we each had a cracker and had mumbled thank-you’s. Then she eyed us a minute longer until we each took a bite of cracker and a sip of tea. Content, she went back to discussing the state of age-old affairs with my great-aunt. That was a long time ago.
As Jeremiah and I walked through the gate, I felt my stomach dip at the idea of returning to Brooklyn again—a different Brooklyn. Jeremiah’s Brooklyn.
“Is it near Flatbush?”
Miah shook his head and smiled. “That’s like asking is the Upper West Side near Soho. Yeah they’re in the same borough, but there’s a little bit of space between them.” He was still sweating from working out. His eyes were bright the way they always were after practice.
“You call your moms?”
I nodded. I had lied-well, half lied-and told Marion I was staying late to work on something with another student.
“You call yours?”
Miah nodded. “Right after I stepped off the court. She said she’d make us a burger—You eat meat?”
I nodded.
“Well, that’s too bad because my moms is like me. It’ll be one of those soy burgers. They’re good though.”
“Yeah, right,” I said, making a face.
Miah laughed. “Well, you’re still gonna have to eat every bite so you don’t hurt Nelia’s
His father shook his head and smiled. “Nah, Miah-man,” he said softly. “I don’t think that’s crazy. I don’t think that’s crazy at all.”
Chapter 20
I HAD BEEN TO BROOKLYN ONCE. WHEN I WAS SEVEN, Marion took us to visit her great-aunt. The twins were still living at home then. All morning they had argued with my parents. Neither of them wanted to go. I sat at the kitchen table, eating a bowl of Chee rios, dressed and ready. They had been to Brooklyn before, had visited the aunt a couple of times before I was born.
“We’ve done that already,” Anne had said. “I have no interest in spending a Saturday afternoon sitting around that cramped Flatbush apartment.”
“Me neither,” Ruben had said from behind the pages of his history textbook. “And I have a ton of homework anyway.”
“You’re going,” Marion said. “Everybody who lives in this house is going.”
“You really want to see where I live?” Jeremiah asked nervously. We were sitting in the bleachers waiting for basketball practice to begin. Other players drifted in noisily. There were a couple of other girls scattered around the gym. We all knew that the minute the coach walked in, we’d all be kicked out. I crossed one ankle over the other and stared down at my loafers.
“Of course I want to see it, silly. You make Fort Greene sound like the only place in the world.”
Jeremiah grinned. “It is the only place in the world. The only place I’d live.” He grabbed my ankle and held on to it. “It’d be cool if you came to Brooklyn.”
“Then it’s a plan. When do you want me to come?”
“Come now.”
I raised an eyebrow at him. “Somebody has practice, Miah. And it’s not me.”
“After practice. I’m done at four-thirty. We can - take the train there.” He winked at me. “I’ll have you at my house by dinnertime.”
I could feel myself blushing. “You’re such a gentleman.”
“Anyone not on the team—out!”
I looked up to see Coach standing in the center of the gym. Slowly, people started filing out.
“I’ll meet you out front,” I said, kissing my finger and touching it to his face.
He grabbed my hand and kissed it. “Four-thirty—Ellie Eisen heads to Brooklyn.”
That time I had gone to Brooklyn with my family, I hadn’t thought much of it. My great-aunt’s apartment was cramped and dark and smelled of unbaked bread and morning breath. I had sat between Ruben and Anne while my parents talked to my great-aunt in low whispers-about the weather, their various aches and pains, and long-dead family members. My great-aunt served us weak tea and graham crackers. Then Marion evil-eyed us until we each had a cracker and had mumbled thank-you’s. Then she eyed us a minute longer until we each took a bite of cracker and a sip of tea. Content, she went back to discussing the state of age-old affairs with my great-aunt. That was a long time ago.
As Jeremiah and I walked through the gate, I felt my stomach dip at the idea of returning to Brooklyn again—a different Brooklyn. Jeremiah’s Brooklyn.
“Is it near Flatbush?”
Miah shook his head and smiled. “That’s like asking is the Upper West Side near Soho. Yeah they’re in the same borough, but there’s a little bit of space between them.” He was still sweating from working out. His eyes were bright the way they always were after practice.
“You call your moms?”
I nodded. I had lied-well, half lied-and told Marion I was staying late to work on something with another student.
“You call yours?”
Miah nodded. “Right after I stepped off the court. She said she’d make us a burger—You eat meat?”
I nodded.
“Well, that’s too bad because my moms is like me. It’ll be one of those soy burgers. They’re good though.”
“Yeah, right,” I said, making a face.
Miah laughed. “Well, you’re still gonna have to eat every bite so you don’t hurt Nelia’s
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