Portia's Exclusive and Confidential Rules on True Friendship

by Anna Hays

  “Hap, Maxwell needs Indigo’s pomegranate cake right away. He’s starving!”

  “Is Maxwell the friend you were telling me about?”

  “I cannot disclose anything. It’s for a case. And it’s strictly confidential.”

  Without hesitation, he says, “Got it. But we’ve been out of the pomegranate cake since this morning. And it sounds like you need it right away.”

  With my detective sombrero firmly atop my head, I exclaim, “Cookies! Do you think we could make cookies instead?”

  Hap already has the mixing bowl and industrial mixer revving up. “A spark of sheer brilliance.” Starry-eyed, he adds, “You remind me of someone we both know very well.”

  Hap supervises as I mix, blend, create, and bake three batches of cookies. I decide to call them Pomegranate Perfections. As soon as they’re out of the oven, I place them in a recycled tin and rush out of The Tent, straight to Misty’s house for the rescue.

  Halfway down the street, I turn and see Hap waving to me outside The Tent’s entrance. “You absolutely understand friendship. A friend in need…and so on!!”

  “Thanks! You are one of the coolest older people I know!”

  Hap laughs. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”

  Then I turn back toward my destination for another rescue mission.

  SPECIAL NOTE: Since Indigo will never open her eyes to Hap’s obvious true love for her (besides, her heart is reserved for Patch), I hope that someday Hap finds the pure and perfect love he longs for 24/7.

  Chapter 22

  5:18 P.M.,

  MISTY’S BACKYARD

  When I deliver the Pomegranate Perfections to Misty, she grabs the tin and runs off to attend to Maxwell. She promises to check in with any developments. My work is done for now, so I reverse my steps and find my way back home.

  My focus will now be on following the latest lead in the Patch case. I am determined to track down Indigo and get her undivided attention without any more interruptions or excuses!

  6:03 P.M.,

  AVATAR KITCHEN

  I slip into the kitchen through the back door. Indigo stands over our retro stove with a large wooden spoon in her hand. She turns to me and casually says, “I’m taking your advice to heart. I promise this time there’ll be no tang to the linguini. Dinner will be early tonight, okay?”

  “Okay.”

  She adds with a raised eyebrow, “I know about the Pomegranate Perfections.”

  “Hap told you?”

  Indigo reassures me, “Don’t worry, he didn’t reveal any more details than that.” She adjusts her single braid. “I tried one, and I think they’re perfect! Would you consider letting me feature them on The Tent’s new menu? They’re just what I’ve been looking for.”

  A hundred-watt lightbulb goes on in my head. “Of course, Mom. Under one condition.”

  Indigo leans back slightly and takes a deep breath. “What would that be, Portia?”

  Now it’s me who takes a deep breath. “Please tell me the unabridged story of how Vera introduced you to Patch.” Building momentum, I continue, “And what it was like when you first set eyes on him.”

  Indigo calmly squeezes a fresh lemon into two glasses of iced organic green tea. She hands me one of the glasses, and to my surprise, she begins the story of how Patch came into her life, as if the twelve years of waiting and wondering when I will meet my one and only father was never a subject of conversation at breakfast, lunch, or dinner.

  As Indigo recounts “the story,” my ears suddenly go deaf. Then slowly I hear the words floating into space, twirling toward me. Indigo tells me, “Patch was visiting from northern California. We were both so young. I don’t remember very much.”

  I can’t resist. “He wore a hat! I just know it!”

  Indigo smiles with faraway eyes. “It was a cowboy hat.”

  “Are you sure that’s what he wore? Memory can play all sorts of tricks on you. Was it really a cowboy hat?”

  Indigo laughs as she continues to paint me a portrait. “It was made of straw and there were dried flowers woven around the rim.”

  “Patch wore flowers in his hair?” I wonder just how many details I can digest as I form a mental picture of him in my mind.

  Indigo asks me, “What else can I tell you about him?”

  I let out a big exhale. “How about everything!” A knock on our front door interrupts our delicate conversation. I know exactly who is standing on the other side of the door. “Why does Rock always have to get in the way of our lives? He’s ruining this major life-will-never-be-the-same family breakthrough moment! I can’t take him anymore!” I storm upstairs to my room.

  A FEW MINUTES LATER,

  MY BEDROOM

  There’s a light tap on my door. I shout, “I’m not hungry!”

  Then I hear, “It’s Misty.”

  In absolute disbelief, I call out, “Did you say ‘Misty’?”

  “Portia, open the door!”

  I hesitate at first, then walk over to the door and open it. There she is, Misty Longfellow, in my house, outside my room, standing there with all her creatures, too! Frederick races through her legs, jumping onto my bed, anxious to get a front-row seat. “Does your mom know you’re here?”

  “Of course not. I ran away from home. I wouldn’t share something like that with her. Besides, she’s too busy to listen to me anyway.” Misty steps inside my room and looks around like she’s Dorothy just after she landed in Munchkinland. “It’s positively perfect!”

  Looking at Misty’s pendant, her retainer case, and the old shoebox containing Maxwell, I ask, “You brought all your friends, too?”

  Smiling, she says, “Of course! I can’t think of a cooler place to run away to than the Avatar household.”

  Frederick sits on my bed, studying Misty’s traveling circus. Maxwell is wrapped in the torn and worn fleece blanket that had previously served as his tent. Misty carefully takes him out of the shoebox and places him at the center of my throw rug. Frederick follows Maxwell’s every move.

  Indigo arrives with hot carob drinks topped with whipped soy cream for me and Misty and a bowl of mineral-enriched water for Maxwell. Carefully she slides the bowl next to Maxwell, who suddenly howls like an Alaskan wolf. Indigo quickly jumps into emergency mode, calmly handing out instructions to me and Misty. Within minutes, Maxwell is resting comfortably on one of my pillows in the far corner of my room (where Frederick has been sleeping), surrounded by bathroom towels.

  Frederick cautiously approaches Maxwell, who hisses at anyone who tries to get close to him. Misty, Indigo, and I keep watch over Maxwell to determine exactly what’s wrong, while Misty pleads, “It’s my biggest wish in life that you’ll let me and my animal friends live with you in your amazing home. I’m a highly cooperative person and I’m good with animals.” Frederick brushes up against her right leg affectionately on cue.

  Then something happens. Maxwell’s growling stops, and the room is suddenly silent. I look over at him. He appears to be in a trance now. He starts panting like he’s just run a marathon. Then he sticks out his tongue at us. A collection of high-pitched squeals fills the room. Indigo rushes over to him. With her hands in the air, she says urgently, “I’ve got to go to The Tent to pick up goat’s milk and alfalfa. I’ll be back in ten minutes!”

  Misty gently strokes Maxwell, while Frederick and I watch in awe as we see eight baby bunnies squirm around Maxwell’s belly.

  I whisper to Misty, “I think we should rename Maxwell Maxine!”

  Chapter 23

  9:05 P.M.,

  AVATAR KITCHEN

  Mrs. Longfellow samples a freshly baked Pomegranate Perfection. She and Indigo are finishing up a “long talk” about Misty’s animal rescuing “situation.” When Misty and I walk into the room, Mrs. Longfellow reaches out to hold Misty’s hand. Misty freezes in her tracks.

  OBSERVATION: Maybe Misty doesn’t know how to react to her mother’s hand-holding gesture because she’s not used to it. It’s pos
sible that Misty might be entering a new, unknown universe that she doesn’t understand yet, so she doesn’t know what to do with herself.

  IMPORTANT NOTE: Just like the Avatars, I wonder if the Longfellows are on their way to experiencing a major life-will-never-be-the-same family breakthrough.

  9:23 P.M.,

  AVATAR KITCHEN

  The mockingbird sings his loud nightly tune outside our open kitchen window while Misty gathers Sweet Sunshine and Ralphie, checking three times that they’re in their respective portable mini-homes. She also collects her knapsack and her overnight bag. One conspicuous piece of Misty’s belongings is missing, though. It’s Maxine, who’s upstairs under Frederick’s watchful eye, resting comfortably. Indigo and Mrs. Longfellow both agree that the happy mother and her octuplets should stay at the Avatars’ for a while, at least until the bunnies are old enough to travel.

  Misty gives me a big hug before stepping into her mom’s just-washed car. “I am so proud to call you my friend, Portia Avatar.”

  From her opened backseat window, she calls, “Would you please give Maxine and the babies a kiss good night for me?” I stand at the edge of my pebbly driveway watching Misty, her mother, and her mother’s shiny car disappear into the distance.

  CASE FINDINGS: Perhaps the reason Misty has been so stray-animal-obsessed is because she saw herself as a stray. With busy parents and a brother sent off to an out-of-state boarding school, she felt ignored and alone on a twenty-four-hour basis.

  CONCLUSION: Maybe now that Misty has a little more practice in making friends, she might start seeing herself differently. Maybe she won’t hide behind orphaned bunnies, spiders, and three-legged crickets so much anymore. Maybe she will hang out with more human types (like me!).

  The Case of Misty Longfellow: The Mystifying Animal Rescuer is now officially closed.

  Before I step inside, I take off my hat and tuck it in my side pocket. I feel for my postcard, which is still there. I take it out and study it.

  Then I look up at the stars and think how badly I want to share my case findings with my extraordinary detective father. I start to count the sparkly miracles in the sky one by one. When I get to twelve, I look down and there’s Frederick. He stretches his whole body up toward me until I’m forced to pick him up. I cradle him like a baby, rocking him back and forth. “Aren’t the bunnies amazing, Freddy Fred Frederick?”

  He licks my hand as if to tell me, “Thank you for bringing me all these new little friends. I know that they’re going to fill up my life, like the way the stars are filling up the sky right now with their bright light and deep mystery.”

  Frederick’s purring competes with the lone mockingbird’s song. I just stare at the universe above us and wonder what my family would look like if Patch were home with us right now. Would the sounds I’m hearing be different? If I stood in front of the mirror, would I recognize myself?

  Chapter 24

  6:16 P.M.,

  MY BEDROOM, SUNDAY

  Frederick takes a break from baby-bunny watch. He jumps onto my bed while I prepare for the big Patch Powwow tonight. He swipes at my hand as I create the itinerary for our discussion on my loyal PDA. Now that the Misty case is closed, I can focus exclusively on the case of my missing father.

  NOTES FOR THE PATCH POWWOW TONIGHT:

  Figure out what Vera knows about Patch.

  Learn more about the postcard and the mysterious correspondence between Patch and Vera.

  Create a new plan for the search.

  Find Patch!

  I try to think about how to use this precious powwow time when I hear a familiar laugh downstairs. I cannot believe Rock is here again! I dial our phone number.

  Indigo picks up after one ring. Surprised, she asks, “Portia, where are you?”

  “I’m upstairs. Is he here again?”

  “You mean Rock?”

  “Shh! I don’t want him to know that we’re talking about him.”

  “He stopped by to give us the wonderful news that the fires are finally under control. Isn’t that beautiful?”

  “Yes, it’s great. Now please, Mom. He has to go now. We’re having our powwow tonight, and he’s not invited.”

  “Of course. Hold on one minute.” She hands the phone to Rock. I cannot believe this!

  QUESTION: Where do mothers get their amazing talent for bad timing?

  Rock asks in a cheerful way, “Is this Portia Avatar, girl detective and math whiz?”

  “Affirmative.”

  Rock chuckles. “I’ll just take a minute of your time. I know you’ve got an important meeting scheduled soon.”

  “That’s right.”

  “Here’s my proposal. We’ve got a dog at the station. His name is Mack.”

  Pretending to care, I answer, “Uh-huh.”

  “We’re all dog people at the station, but what we really need is a civilizing influence. It can get pretty darn rowdy with just us guys.” He laughs out loud at what he’s just said.

  Still pretending to care, I mumble, “Uh-huh.”

  “I’d like to adopt Miss Maxine as an honorary member of the Palmville Hook and Ladder Company No. 1. I understand Misty’s mother won’t allow any more pets, so I want to step in and make an offer. Once Miss Maxine is finished weaning her bunnies, it would be my honor, and I speak for the rest of the guys too, to take her back to the station and give her a home there.” I’m stunned at first. This is not what I was expecting from the “I’m so heroic, look at my muscles” firefighter. Rock is thrown off by my silence. “Portia, are you still there?”

  “That sounds awesome.” Then I gently hang up. After a handful of giggles from downstairs, I hear the front door finally close. I rush to the window and see Rock heading toward his red pickup truck. I find myself waving to him and shouting out my open window, “Thanks, Rock!” As soon as his truck zooms away out of view, I leave Maxine and her bunnies to check in with Indigo downstairs. Frederick is at my heels.

  All I can think about now is what I will learn tonight about my mysterious family past.

  6:44 P.M.,

  AVATAR KITCHEN

  I set the table for three. The phone rings. It’s Misty, checking on the bunnies. Indigo hands me the phone but signals with her insistent brown eyes for me to make it short.

  I lean back on the living room couch pillow and give Misty a full report on Maxine. She laughs when I tell her how Frederick is Maxine’s new best friend, and how he keeps watch over the bunnies almost every minute of the day. And she’s amazed that Rock and his firefighter buddies are going to adopt Maxine. She’s already planning weekly visits to the station. Then my phone call is interrupted by an incoming message from Amy. I ask Misty to hold on while I pick it up. Cautiously I say, “Hi, Amy.”

  Sensing a complete attitude makeover, Amy speaks softly and slowly. “I’m checking in on you and your new oh-so-secret case.”

  “It’s officially closed as of today.”

  “That’s too bad. I’ve got the final sketches for your fabulous new look. I guess you won’t be needing them anymore. I even have some samples.”

  “I’d love to see what you’ve got! You never know when I’ll stumble on a new case.”

  Amy tests the water. “Does that mean you won’t be spending as much time with Misty?”

  I respond, “Actually, now that the bunnies are here, I’ll be seeing a lot of Misty.”

  “Bunnies?”

  “It’s a long story.”

  Amy’s voice brightens when she says, “I’ve always wanted a bunny!”

  “Really? Maybe you should come by and see them.”

  “I’d love to. That is, if I’m welcome.”

  I can tell that Amy is still feeling left out of the newly forming friendship triangle, even though I tried to explain to her that three is definitely not a crowd. So I suggest, “Let’s all meet up after school tomorrow.”

  Amy agrees and also informs me, “I’ve developed a few ideas to spice up Misty’s look too. I think she’
s going to like what I’ve come up with.”

  “Perfection…Misty! She’s on the other line. I’ve got to get back to her.”

  “Wait, Portia.”

  “Yes, Amy?”

  “I’m sorry.”

  I smile to myself. I’ve never heard Amy say these words to me before in the history of our friendship. Then I apologize. “I’m sorry too. I never meant to make you feel left out. You’re so totally my BFF!”

  OBSERVATION: Just like families, friendships are tested too, and those tests can lead to breakthroughs and new beginnings.

  QUESTION: Is this a new beginning of my friendship with Amy that includes our new friend, Misty?

  FRIENDSHIP RULE #7: Just like all the stars and all the planets in our ever-expanding universe, friendships are constantly changing too.

  I hang up with Amy and quickly switch back to Misty. “Misty? Are you still there? Do you read me?”

  “I’m here!”

  “Sorry about that. Now I’ve got to go to an important meeting for another case, the one about Patch. Before I hang up, there’s big news to report.”

  “Yes?”

  “I found a new home for one of Maxine’s little bunnies.”

  “Who? Where?”

  “Amy C. wants one.”

  Misty’s mood shifts. Suddenly she’s quiet. “Oh.”

  “It turns out she has new fashion concepts that she designed just for you. She wants you to see them tomorrow.”

  Misty is truly mystified. “For me? I’m beyond amazed!”

  “Oh, and I found another home for one of the baby bunnies too.”

  “Awesome. I hope it’s not too far away.”

  “It’s right here! Indigo is letting me keep one. Frederick has taken a real liking to the striped one. We’re going to call him Tiger.”

  “Fantastic! Oh no, I’ve got to go. My mom is actually making dinner for me and my dad tonight. It’s a major miracle. Thank you and Frederick and Indigo for looking after Maxine and her little ones.”