by Monica Brown
“Hi, Milo,” I say. “I thought I’d have a pet cat, just like you, but it turns out that my brother is allergic.”
“Your mom told me about Jelly,” Principal Blot says, and stands up. “I’m sorry to hear it.”
“She’s in my dad’s art studio for now,” I say, and suddenly I feel like crying. “But if we don’t find a family for her soon, we have to take her back to the shelter, because cats and paint don’t go together and Dad needs to work. We’d better get back. It’s almost lunchtime, and I think Jelly gets bored in there.”
“Wait, I have an idea,” Principal Blot says, and walks over to the corner of her garden. She bends over and snips off a few leaves. “Here’s some fresh catnip, Lola. Jelly will love it. Rub it on her scratching post and her cat toys, and she’ll be really entertained.”
“Thanks!” I say, and I can’t wait to get home with my gift for Jelly. I didn’t know Principal Blot could be so nice.
“Mom!” says Josh. “I almost forgot! We made these ADOPT A KITTY posters for Jelly.” He gives one to his mom. “Can you put this up at school? I know the students are gone, but teachers still come by.” Principal Blot nods and takes a look at our poster.
“Oh, she’s an orange tabby,” says Principal Blot, smiling. “How lovely. I had an orange tabby when I was a little girl. We called her Marmalade.”
When we get home, we eat lunch and then introduce Jelly to catnip. She loves it! She’s so fun to watch. After swim lessons and the water park, I am so tired. When I get home, I make an announcement.
“I, Lola Levine, am taking a nap.”
“Wow,” says Dad. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard you say those words together.”
“No way!” says Ben. He’s still covered in white splotches, but they are much less bumpy.
“Good for you,” says Mom, who is home early from work. “You’ve had an emotional few days,” she says. “Ben’s going to the grocery store with Dad, so the house will be quiet.”
“Are you saying I can’t be quiet?” asks Ben.
“Well,” I say, “can you?”
“Probably not,” he admits. “Mrs. Goldstein asked me to keep my voice down more than once today. Finally, she just told Mira and me to go play in the backyard.”
I go upstairs to lie down, but before I do, I write a quick note in my diario.
Dear Diario,
I’m worried we won’t find a home for Jelly. I know that she will be okay at the shelter, but I want her to have a family of her very own to love. Mom says to be patient, but I just don’t know how I can do that. It’s like trying to keep my foot still with a soccer ball touching my toe. Besides, patience just means waiting and waiting, and, in my opinion, waiting isn’t fun at all. Especially when my kitty is all by herself in my dad’s studio. Maybe my parents will let me sleep out there with Jelly tonight. I can bring my sleeping bag. I’m going to close my eyes now because I’m getting pretty tired of them leaking.
Shalom,
Lola Levine
When I wake up, I smell… pancakes!
“Hi, Lola!” Dad says. “We are having breakfast for dinner. What shape pancakes do you want?” My dad is so silly.
“How about a great big smiley face?” I say. I love breakfast for dinner, and I need to cheer up.
“I want a monster!” says Ben.
“Surprise me,” says Mom, who is making us banana milk shakes without the ice cream.
“Want to help Ben make scrambled eggs?” Dad says, smiling. Since Ben making just about anything alone can be pretty dangerous, I agree. Ben gets a little crazy whipping the eggs with a fork and makes a mess, but other than that, our eggs turn out great—and green, because Mom chops up some spinach and makes us swirl it in.
Dad makes a big heart-shaped pancake for Mom and a blob he calls a monster for Ben, but my smiley face is perfect.
We are just finishing clearing the table when the doorbell rings.
“I’ll get it,” says Dad, and he practically skips to the door.
“Why is Dad so bouncy?” I ask Mom. “I mean his pancake art did turn out good, but…”
“I think it might have to do with your second surprise today,” Mom says.
“I get ANOTHER surprise?” I say.
“Yep!” says Ben, and he starts hopping up and down. Dad walks in the house with none other than… Principal Blot!
“Hi, Lola,” she says, and she’s smiling. I still can’t get used to it.
“What are you doing here?” I ask.
“Well…,” Principal Blot says, “Josh and I had a long talk today, and we both think we have room for another cat at our house. Will you introduce me to Jelly?”
I’m so surprised that I can’t move or even say anything. I just stare at Principal Blot with my mouth open, that is, until Ben gives me a push.
“Lola!” he says. “This means you will be able to visit her! And Jelly will have a big brother cat, Milo!”
“Shall we go to the studio?” Dad says, smiling at me.
“Yes!” I say, and when we get to the studio, I do something I’ve never, ever done before. I run to Principal Blot and give her a great big hug.
Dear Diario,
Guess what? Tonight was the best night ever. Principal Blot loved Jelly. And Jelly loved her back. I can’t believe my kitty is going to be adopted by my super best friend! And Principal Blot may be a little scary as a principal, but she sure isn’t as a cat mom! Double yeah! And now I’ll know that Jelly is just a few blocks away, with a garden full of catnip! Tonight, before I go to sleep, I’m going to think of all the words that mean happy because that’s what I am. Happy! And glad… cheerful… jolly… excited… smiling… super-duper… awesome… feliz… alegre!
Shalom,
Lola Levine
Chapter Seven
The Last Surprise
My week is very weird. It seems like Dad and Ben go off and disappear together a lot, but I don’t mind because I get to go over to Josh’s house and visit Milo and Jelly whenever I want. They are so cute together. Milo doesn’t seem to mind that Jelly always wants to play, and Josh says Milo needs the exercise.
“I’m so happy you adopted Jelly Levine,” I say to Principal Blot. “I’ll bet you never thought you’d have a Levine in your family!”
“I sure didn’t,” she replies, and bends down to pet Jelly, who purrs and nuzzles Principal Blot’s hand. Josh is super-duper happy, too. His house is a little quiet sometimes because he doesn’t have any brothers or sisters, and his dad lives in another town. Jelly keeps him busy! He moved our giant cat castle into his room, so he gets to watch the cats play and scratch and climb all the time.
One day, a few weeks later, I’m in my room reading when I hear Ben yell.
“Lola! Zola! Granola!” he says. “Come out into the backyard for a picnic. Mom’s home for lunch!”
“Yeah!” I think. I love it when Mom comes home for lunch. Usually she is so busy investigating or interviewing or writing stories for the newspaper that she has to eat lunch at her desk. I hop down the stairs two at a time and don’t see anyone in the kitchen. They must be outside already.
As soon as I walk into the backyard, I see something move—a fluffy little bundle of black fur with a spot of white on his chest. A little black puppy is running around the yard sniffing everything he can.
“He’s a boy!” says Ben. I kneel on the grass, and the black puppy runs over to me. I give him a hug and then look at Ben to check for dots. He reads my mind.
“Dad and I have been going to the shelter every day, so I can play with the dogs and make sure I’m not allergic.”
“Is he ours?” I ask. I can hardly believe it.
“He’s ours,” Dad says, and I start crying. Again! I’ve cried more in the last month than I have since I was two. Our new puppy licks my chin and then he’s off and running. He is the cutest puppy I’ve ever seen.
“So do you like him?” asks Mom.
“I LOVE him!” I say. I pick up the
red ball that’s on the ground and toss it toward him. He scrambles to get it and fit it into his little mouth. “What’s his name?” I ask.
“I had an idea,” says Ben. “I thought we could name him Bean in honor of Jelly. You know, because jelly and bean sort of go together—like candy. And then his two names will rhyme.”
“That’s true,” I say, laughing. “I like it! Welcome to the family, Bean Levine.”
“Yeah!” Mom says.
“Family hug!” says Dad.
“Yes!” I say. “But not without Bean!”
“Lola, I’ve got a joke for you,” Ben says. “Why do dogs run in circles?”
“Why?” I say.
“Because it’s hard to run in squares!”
Chapter Eight
Woof
During the summer, we go to the library on the weekends, and we get lots and lots of books. Some kids check out one book at a time, but Ben and I check out as many as we can carry because every morning is reading time. This time, we are looking at books about how to build the perfect doghouse!
“Hi, Ms. Red!” I say when Mom, Ben, and I walk into the children’s section of the library. Then I stop. I said that out loud, and I don’t actually know Ms. Red’s real name.
“I’m sorry,” I say. “That’s the name I call you in my head because of your pretty red hair. I don’t know your real name.” I hope she won’t be mad.
“That’s okay,” she says. “Red is my favorite color.”
“What’s your real name?” I ask.
“Ruby,” she says, smiling.
“I’m pretty sure I can remember that!” I say, and then we laugh together.
Dear Diario,
It’s been a crazy summer. First I got a cat and was happy. Then I found out my brother, Ben, is allergic to cats, and I was sad. I learned two things. One, you should NEVER lie about how your body feels, and two, having friends and the best family in the whole wide world can make you feel better. I was worried that I wouldn’t find an awesome home for my cat, Jelly Levine, but then I did! I was happy again. I didn’t think things could get any better, but then I found out they could. I now have a new puppy named Bean Levine. He is amazing. And guess what? It’s taken us a long time, but I think he’s finally potty trained. Yeah!
Shalom,
Lola Levine
P.S. Woof! Woof! ¡Guau! ¡Guau!
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