again, she nodded and stuck a thumb in her mouth.
“That’s, like, an old lady name,” I said, and she just blinked at me. “All right. I guess you can be Opal.” I went back to looking through the pile. “I sure wish I could find your other shoe, because right now it looks like you’re gonna have to hop to the Book Basket on one foot.
Opal scrambled around the other side of the bed, lifted the covers off the floor, and came up with a tennis shoe that didn’t match the sandal in my hand, but at least it was for the opposite foot. “Tshooo, tshoo!” she cheered.
“Yup, that’s a shoe.” Even if Opal was hard to understand, she understood me real good. I was gonna have to be more careful about what I said around her.
“Come ’ere,” I told her. “Let’s get dressed. You’ll be cool with two different shoes, right?”
Opal made a squeaky sound in her throat, then followed me into the other room, and laid down on the floor, waiting for me to get her dressed. “Stand up, for heaven sakes,” I said. “You’re not a baby. You’re a big girl.”
“Big gul,” she echoed. “Popal big gul.”
“Right. You’re a big girl.” We talked about what a big girl she was while I put her in the cleanest thing I found in her bag—a pink sun-dress that was too big for her, and two pink socks that didn’t match. The shoes were a great finishing touch. One pink sandal, one purple tennis shoe. “Perfect,” I said. “You look like Hannah Montana.”
“Anna banbana!” Opal cheered, swinging her hands until she lost her balance, stumbled sideways, caught my hair, and almost pulled it out.
“Ouch!” I squealed. “Hold still!” I said it louder than I meant to.
Opal stopped moving and stuck her thumb in her mouth, then pulled her chin into her neck and ducked away like she thought I was going to smack her.
“It’s okay.” Was Kiki the reason Opal acted that way? The idea made a shudder go down my back. I was glad Kiki was sound asleep.
“Come on,” I said, then took Opal into the bathroom and fixed her hair into two ponytails, which wasn’t easy because I don’t know anything about black-girl hair, but it was pretty cute when I got done. At least she was dressed and it looked like someone had tried to clean her up.
Opal followed right behind me while I got a little money, my book, and the key to the front door. She grabbed the hem of my shorts, and hung on like she was afraid I was gonna leave her behind, then she choo-choo-trained along behind me out the door.
The parking lot was empty, but I could feel someone watching us. The Mexicans were all gone to work by now, and as far as I could tell sweaty Charlie slept until noon before opening the office, so it was probably the crippled lady. She never came out, except when the Dial-a-Ride showed up for her. Then she’d take it somewhere, and when she came back, she’d go right inside and shut the door. She sat at her window and watched a lot, though.
I stepped back and looked down there, and her curtain moved.
The kids from next door came out near the Dumpster and ran to the other side of the parking lot. They disappeared into the breezeway between the two buildings across from ours, scampering off like little mice looking for a place to hide. I wasn’t sure why at first, but then I heard something hit the Dumpster, ringing it like a big drum before bouncing off the pavement. A basketball. Looked like the gangbangers were skipping school today. Great.
“C’mon, Opal,” I said, then opened the door and pushed her back inside. It wasn’t so much that I was afraid of those stupid gangster wannabes, but I was worried they’d scare Opal. “We’ll go in a minute,” I told her, and locked the door to wait.
Chapter 7
SandraKaye
As I exited the interstate near Poppy’s house, I turned the car radio on. “Another clear day ahead,” Jim, from Metro Morning with James and Jim, predicted. “The unseasonable cool spell continues, with a high
“That’s, like, an old lady name,” I said, and she just blinked at me. “All right. I guess you can be Opal.” I went back to looking through the pile. “I sure wish I could find your other shoe, because right now it looks like you’re gonna have to hop to the Book Basket on one foot.
Opal scrambled around the other side of the bed, lifted the covers off the floor, and came up with a tennis shoe that didn’t match the sandal in my hand, but at least it was for the opposite foot. “Tshooo, tshoo!” she cheered.
“Yup, that’s a shoe.” Even if Opal was hard to understand, she understood me real good. I was gonna have to be more careful about what I said around her.
“Come ’ere,” I told her. “Let’s get dressed. You’ll be cool with two different shoes, right?”
Opal made a squeaky sound in her throat, then followed me into the other room, and laid down on the floor, waiting for me to get her dressed. “Stand up, for heaven sakes,” I said. “You’re not a baby. You’re a big girl.”
“Big gul,” she echoed. “Popal big gul.”
“Right. You’re a big girl.” We talked about what a big girl she was while I put her in the cleanest thing I found in her bag—a pink sun-dress that was too big for her, and two pink socks that didn’t match. The shoes were a great finishing touch. One pink sandal, one purple tennis shoe. “Perfect,” I said. “You look like Hannah Montana.”
“Anna banbana!” Opal cheered, swinging her hands until she lost her balance, stumbled sideways, caught my hair, and almost pulled it out.
“Ouch!” I squealed. “Hold still!” I said it louder than I meant to.
Opal stopped moving and stuck her thumb in her mouth, then pulled her chin into her neck and ducked away like she thought I was going to smack her.
“It’s okay.” Was Kiki the reason Opal acted that way? The idea made a shudder go down my back. I was glad Kiki was sound asleep.
“Come on,” I said, then took Opal into the bathroom and fixed her hair into two ponytails, which wasn’t easy because I don’t know anything about black-girl hair, but it was pretty cute when I got done. At least she was dressed and it looked like someone had tried to clean her up.
Opal followed right behind me while I got a little money, my book, and the key to the front door. She grabbed the hem of my shorts, and hung on like she was afraid I was gonna leave her behind, then she choo-choo-trained along behind me out the door.
The parking lot was empty, but I could feel someone watching us. The Mexicans were all gone to work by now, and as far as I could tell sweaty Charlie slept until noon before opening the office, so it was probably the crippled lady. She never came out, except when the Dial-a-Ride showed up for her. Then she’d take it somewhere, and when she came back, she’d go right inside and shut the door. She sat at her window and watched a lot, though.
I stepped back and looked down there, and her curtain moved.
The kids from next door came out near the Dumpster and ran to the other side of the parking lot. They disappeared into the breezeway between the two buildings across from ours, scampering off like little mice looking for a place to hide. I wasn’t sure why at first, but then I heard something hit the Dumpster, ringing it like a big drum before bouncing off the pavement. A basketball. Looked like the gangbangers were skipping school today. Great.
“C’mon, Opal,” I said, then opened the door and pushed her back inside. It wasn’t so much that I was afraid of those stupid gangster wannabes, but I was worried they’d scare Opal. “We’ll go in a minute,” I told her, and locked the door to wait.
Chapter 7
SandraKaye
As I exited the interstate near Poppy’s house, I turned the car radio on. “Another clear day ahead,” Jim, from Metro Morning with James and Jim, predicted. “The unseasonable cool spell continues, with a high
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