I stood in the lag line next to Wally Biscotti.
“Aw, nuts. They’re really letting you play?” he said.
I elbowed him in the side. “You bet.”
When Esau walked over and said “Good luck, Freedom,” I felt his gaze all the way to my toes.
I took out my blue taw and warmed it up on my leg. As the judges rattled off the rules, my mouth went dry. We were playing Sudden Death. One loss and I’d be out of the competition. Each player would be listed on a tournament bracket according to lag throw.
I was so nervous I thought I might be sick. I sneaked a look at my family. Uncle Mort was grinning. Daddy was, too.
Finally it was time to throw lag. Esau threw the farthest. I bungled mine and came in ninth. The judges wrote our names on the official brackets. I couldn’t stop fidgeting. They taped the brackets to the judges’ table, and I found my name. I was signed up to play in Ring Two. I’d be competing in the first game against a kid I didn’t know.
The two of us threw a quick lag, and I was first. The referee set up the cross in the middle of the ring, and I bent down to shoot. The people around us crowded in too close. The referee shouted, “Give these mibsters some room!”
There wasn’t even time to pray. I blew on my taw and flipped it into the ring.
I got seven marbles in two shots. We weren’t playing for keepsies, but that kid had tears in his eyes when I beat him.
We shook hands. “Good match,” I told him.
Esau had won his first game in Ring One. I’m sure he beat the kid easy.
I sat out for games two, three, and four, just watching the other matches. Wally Biscotti lost right away. His daddy grabbed him by the ear after his game. They didn’t even stick around to watch the rest.
Anthony won his first game but lost his next one.
Mama made me eat a sandwich from the picnic basket. I drank some root beer and paced around on the grass.
In my second game I was paired up with a kid from school. I won by two marbles. Then I sat out again. My feet were getting cold, and I had to go to the bathroom.
Jacob won his first match. But he lost his next game to a kid who looked even tougher than he did. He pouted and stormed off.
I was set to play that tough kid in my third game. If I were playing him in the school yard, I would have been afraid. He was at least fifteen.
It had started to drizzle. We threw lag, and the tough kid won. I put my hands in my pockets to warm up my fingers.
The kid cracked his knuckles and sneered at me. “I’m gonna clean up this ring, girl.” His black hair was greasy, and his breath stank.
My heart beat in my ears.
When he knuckled down in the cold mud, he flinched, and his taw bounced out without hitting a thing. It was my turn.
I looked over at my family. Mama had been pacing around all afternoon without resting much in the lawn chair that Daddy had set up for her. Nancy and her mama and Mrs. Zierk had joined them. Uncle Mort had given Mrs. Zierk his lawn chair. I stared at Daddy.
“Focus,” Daddy mouthed.
So I did.
And I was the one who cleaned up the ring. My family clapped and cheered. I kind of wished Higgie were there.
I didn’t want to shake hands with that greasy-haired kid, but I did it anyway.
By 4:00 there were only three of us left.
The air had grown colder, and the crowd had thinned.
Over in the other ring I watched while Esau played against another kid I didn’t know. I chewed my thumbnail clear to the skin as I watched them battle it out.
Esau won by two marbles.
I would be playing Esau Mooney for the championship!
The refs rushed us along because of the weather. I didn’t even have time to get a drink or go to the bathroom before the final game.
Esau winked at me as we gathered at the ring. We threw lag. Esau threw farther and got to shoot first. He knocked out two marbles and missed on the next shot.
I closed my eyes and cradled my blue taw for a moment before I took my turn. The wind had picked up. And the rain, too. Truth be told, playing marbles in the rain wasn’t much fun. My eyelashes were nearly frozen to my face.
Mama looked like she was holding her breath—along with her belly. I knew she needed to get home.
I ignored the rain and the mud and everything else and knuckled down. I knocked out three marbles. And missed my next shot. It was Esau’s turn again.
He knuckled down and put a fancy spin on his shot. I closed my eyes. The crowd started cheering.
When I opened my eyes again, I saw my fate: He’d won the championship.
There was clapping and shouting and whistling. In the middle of it all, I reached for Esau’s hand. “Good game.”
He shrugged and bent his head close to mine. “You sure are a good mibster, Freedom. It could’ve been either of us.”
We waited for the referee and the judges to make the announcement. I couldn’t look at my family now. They had to be disappointed in me. The grand prize would have helped Mama to buy some things for the baby and who knows what else.
And I wasn’t the Marble Queen.
A judge went to the microphone stand. “Folks! Folks!” He waved for everyone to be quiet. “Mr. William Shaw, publisher of the Post Register, will be announcing the winner of the 1959 Autumn Jubilee Marble-Shooting Competition.”
He picked up a bronze trophy of a boy marble player from the judges’ table and handed it to a man wearing a thick black coat and a tall hat.
Mr. William Shaw shouted into the microphone, “Let the record show: Freedom Jane McKenzie is the runner-up. And Esau Mooney is the 1959 Marble King of Idaho Falls! Come up and get your prizes, kids. Courtesy of the Post Register, your local newspaper.”
I didn’t know there was going to be a prize for runner-up.
Esau clutched a crisp hundred-dollar bill in one hand and the trophy in the other while he posed for pictures.
I collected twenty-five dollars from a judge and watched while Esau was congratulated by Mr. William Shaw and the judges and referee.
“Let’s get an official photograph for the front page,” a man with a camera said. “Shake hands, mibsters.”
Esau put his money in his pocket. He held out his hand, and I squeezed it. We turned to look at the photographer. A flashbulb popped. And I saw stars.
Daddy picked me up and spun me around. “Whoo-hoo!” he yelled.
Uncle Mort said, “You played good.”
Nancy said, “That sure was exciting!”
Mrs. Zierk patted my shoulder. “Nice job, Freedom!”
Mama just beamed.
“But I didn’t win,” I told them.
“It’s not about winning. It’s how you play the game!” Mrs. Zierk declared.
I could tell Mama was tired, but she said, “Shall we go for ice cream to celebrate?”
“Naw, let’s go home and tell Higgie all about it,” I said.
While we walked to the car, Mama announced “That’s my girl!” to everyone we passed.
The rain turned to fat snowflakes just as Daddy started up the new old car.
Chapter Eighteen
Oh, Baby!
NOVEMBER 23, 1959
Mama let me keep ten dollars from my marble winnings. She put the rest in the bank.
“For your future education,” she told me.
My picture was in the paper. Underneath, it said: Esau Mooney, Marble King, and Freedom McKenzie, Runner-up. It looks like we’re holding hands instead of shaking. I’m blushing. You can tell, even though the photograph is black-and-white. Daddy must’ve bought up twenty papers.
I bought new roller skates and some wax lips for Higgie. On the Sunday after the competition, I put a whole dollar in the collection plate.
Daniel’s mother called from work and asked if he could eat with us tonight. Mama said yes, but she was grumbling about an extra mouth to feed as soon as she got off the phone. She asked me to call Daniel.
I was reading in the living room. “Can’t you call him?”
Mama had her cookbook out on the table. She was making a grocery list for our Thanksgiving feast in two days. She had told me that I could bake the pumpkin pie by myself.
“Freedom! He’s your friend,” Mama said, rubbing her belly. It looked as if it were going to pop at any second. The baby was late.
“Used-to-be friend, Mama.”
“Call him,” she said, and hurried into the bathroom.
I stood in the kitchen staring at my fingernails while I waited for the operator to put the call through.
He finally answered on the fourth ring. “Hello?”
“Hi, Daniel. It’s me, Freedom.”
“What do you want?”
“You have to come over for supper. Your mother is working late tonight, doing inventory.”
“I’m fine right here.”
I stomped my foot. “Daniel, don’t you dare get me into trouble. My mama says to come over.”
There was only silence on the other end of the line.
“Daniel?”
“What?”
“You can bring your marbles, and we can shoot on the rug like old times.”
He hung up on me!
When I got back to the living room, Higgie was sitting in the fuzzy green rocker. I pulled on his arm. “I was sitting there!”
Higgie swatted me away. “Not anymore!”
I almost flicked him on the head, but then I remembered. Christmas was only weeks away. I didn’t need to get on Santa’s naughty list.
I settled for the floor in front of the television. I stared at the clock. It was almost five. Mama would be putting supper on the table soon.
I waited and waited. There was a soft knock at the front door. When I opened it, I saw Daniel. He had snow in his hair and a scowl on his face.
Mama put on a big smile and handed him a towel. He took off his coat. “Wipe your feet, please,” she cooed. “Supper’s almost done.”
I narrowed my eyes at her back while she waddled into the kitchen. I didn’t smell any food cooking in there. The table wasn’t even set yet. What were we going to eat? And where?
Daniel and I sat side by side on the sofa, but he acted like I wasn’t even in the room. I said, “Didn’t you bring your marbles?”
“Nope, I traded them for two Archie comic books.”
“All of them?”
“Yep.”
I couldn’t believe it. He worked on some arithmetic homework with one eye on the television. I couldn’t stop wiggling my feet.
Higgie got up and bounced against Daniel’s arm. I sneaked over to the rocker and sat down.
Daniel told Higgie, “Stop that.”
Higgie said, “Make me.” He danced around the living room with his blanket over his head.
Daniel looked at me. “I’m sure glad I’m an only child.”
Mama came out of the kitchen. “I’ve got a surprise. Daddy’s over at the high school, helping to fix the boiler. You kids are going to have Swanson dinners in front of the TV. My back hurts. I’m going to take a hot bath.”
I was amazed. We never get to eat frozen dinners.
“Daniel, would you set up the TV trays? They’re in the hall closet.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he said.
Oh sure, he had plenty of smiles for my mama.
I didn’t move from the rocker to help him. I just watched as Daniel set up the trays. “You’re in the way,” I said. “Show’s starting.”
Higgie was lying under his blanket on the floor. Mama brought out a stack of aluminum-covered trays. Higgie and I were having turkey and mashed potatoes. Daniel was going to have Mama’s TV dinner, which was meat loaf.
He smiled at Mama again. “I love meat loaf, Mrs. McKenzie.”
She patted him on the head. “I thought you might. I’ve got Twinkies for dessert.”
I gave her the eye. “Twinkies? When do we ever have Twinkies?” I said. “You have all this stuff hidden in the kitchen, but we never get to have it?”
“Hush, Freedom,” Mama said. “I always put Twinkies in your daddy’s lunch. You know about his sweet tooth.”
When she brought out our glasses of milk, she nudged Higgie on the floor. “Higgie, you asleep already?”
He sat up and yawned. He can be such a phony.
Mama helped him up. “Sit here and eat your turkey. Then you can go to bed.”
“I don’t want to go to bed!” Higgie cried.
I had to cut up Higgie’s turkey for him. I sat back down to eat mine, but my glass tipped over and drowned my TV dinner. I would’ve eaten it to avoid trouble with Mama, but she came out with the Twinkies and saw the mess.
Mama frowned. “I guess you’ll have a ham sandwich.”
Daniel had gobbled up his meal before I even got my sandwich.
She brought it out to me and said, “I’ll be in the bathroom.”
Daniel licked the cream from the middle of his Twinkie. “I saw your picture in the paper,” he mumbled.
“Yep.” I looked at him. “I missed seeing you at the competition.”
“Well, I meant what I said about being done with marbles. I’m going to play football. Maybe get a scholarship and go to college.”
“So?”
He chewed on the inside of his lip. “So, I guess I’m sorry.”
“For what?”
“I wasn’t nice to you all the time we were friends.”
I nodded.
“You’re pretty good at marbles, for a girl. The Mooney brothers said so when you weren’t around. I think Esau is sweet on you.”
I grinned. “I know.”
Daniel dug around in his pocket and put something on the edge of my TV tray. It was his shooter.
“What’s that for?”
“I thought you might want it,” he said.
I put the orange-and-white striped taw up to my eye, but I couldn’t see through it. The middle was murky. It had a tiny chip, probably from Bombsies. It was a gift, though. And Mama’s rule is, always say thank you for a present.
“Playing marbles won’t be as much fun without you. But thanks.”
We watched the rest of Bonanza. Higgie fell asleep for real.
When the show ended, Daniel whispered, “I’d still like to be friends, if you want.”
“Sure,” I said. “But Nancy is my friend, too.”
“I know.” Daniel opened his arithmetic book. “It’s okay to have more than one friend. We’ll always be friends. And neighbors.”
“Yep.” I stared at him. His face looked a little red. He might’ve been embarrassed, or maybe it was only the glow from the television.
Mama was still in the bath, so I cleared away the tinfoil plates while Daniel put away the TV trays. We didn’t talk much after that.
When Daniel’s mama came to pick him up, I said to him, “See you at school tomorrow.”
He put on his coat. “Tell your mama thank you for dinner.”
After they left I sat in the chair by the window and peeked between the curtains. A light snow was falling. I watched as Daniel offered his mama his arm as they walked across the street. At least they had each other. But I’d be lonely without my daddy. Maybe even having a mean daddy like Nancy’s is better than no daddy. I can’t imagine life without Higgie, either.
Daniel helped his mama up the icy stairs to their front porch. He unlocked the door with the key he keeps on a string around his neck and held it open for her. She kissed the top of his head and pointed at the steps.
She went in. A light turned on inside their house. The yellow beam spread out into the yard. Daniel tipped his face up at the sky for a moment. He caught a snowflake on his tongue. Then he reached for the shovel and started clearing the snow off the steps, just like Daddy does. He shivered but kept going.
When he was finished, he leaned the shovel up against the house and went inside to join his mother. I let the curtains fall back into place.
I kn
ocked on the bathroom door. “Higgie’s asleep in front of the TV. Mama? Are you okay?”
A shaky voice came from inside. “I’m fine, Freedom. Go on to bed.”
I put myself to bed without brushing my teeth.
In the early morning hours, Daddy woke me. “Freedom, it’s time for Mama to go to the hospital.”
I rubbed the sleep from my eyes and started to get up, but Daddy tucked the covers around me. “There’s a lot of snow out there. Stay in bed. Mrs. Zierk is on her way over to sit with you.”
He went to Mama in the hallway. “It’s all right, Freedom,” she said. “Homer, start the car.”
I heard the click of the front door. Car doors slammed, the engine rumbled, and then it was quiet. So quiet. All I could hear was my brother’s slow, sleeping breaths in the bed beside mine. Daddy must have carried him in during the night.
A few minutes later Mrs. Zierk poked her head in. “I’m here,” she whispered. “I’ll be on the couch.”
I pulled the covers up to my chin and lay there, wondering if I was getting another brother or a sister.
I decided that either one was fine by me. As long as Mama was all right.
Chapter Nineteen
Every Queen Needs a Crown
DECEMBER 25, 1959
Mama was already tired of Christmas. Strands of tinsel and bits of wrapping paper were all over the carpet. The Christmas tree’s branches sagged from the weight of the colored balls and lights. We’d opened our presents bright and early.
Perry Como sang on the radio. My belly was full from our Christmas breakfast of pancakes and bacon. Daddy had the instruction manual for his new Polaroid camera in his hand, and I was sitting on the floor with my new Etch A Sketch. It didn’t matter which way I turned the dials, I couldn’t figure out how to draw anything on the silver screen.
Mama had taken one look at the dried-up tree this morning and said she wanted to buy a plastic tree next year. Ever since Daddy brought it home and set it in the stand, Higgie had been lying under the Christmas tree, looking up through the branches. I didn’t care if our tree was half dead. It was still beautiful, and I wasn’t ready for Christmas to be over yet.
Mama had put the turkey in the oven at the crack of dawn. Every single burner on the stove was going. She was boiling potatoes, sautéing onions, and letting the bread dough rise. Mrs. Zierk and Uncle Mort and Aunt Janie were coming at two for Christmas dinner. We were having two kinds of pie—my pumpkin and an apple from Mrs. Zierk—and I had helped Mama with the bread pudding.
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