After Min and Aunt Allie had helped Ruby and Flora pay their bill and had shown them how to calculate a tip for the waitress, they stepped out into the cold air and sunshine and began the walk back to the apartment building. Halfway there, Ruby suddenly bent down and scooped a handful of grit from the sidewalk.
“Ruby! Ew! What are you doing?” yelped Flora.
“Taking this home.”
“That … dirt?”
“This isn’t just any old dirt. This is a Manhattan souvenir. And it’s the best kind.”
“Because it’s free?” said Flora.
Ruby made a face at her. “No. Because it’s a little bit of the Big Apple. I guess you could say it’s a little bite of the Big Apple.”
“What are you going to do with it?”
“Put it in a jar. And keep it on my bookshelf, where I can look at it every day. Does anyone have a baggie?”
Miraculously, Min produced a baggie from her voluminous handbag. “I knew this would come in handy one day,” she said.
Ruby emptied the dirt into the baggie and wiped her hands on her jeans, and they made their way back to the apartment building, where they collected their suitcases. In no time, they had piled into Allie’s car and were driv ing north on the West Side Highway, headed for the George Washington Bridge.
“Back to our home,” said Flora with a happy sigh.
“Back to reality,” said Ruby, who could feel her mood take a nosedive. Flora would be happy enough to return to school the next day, but Ruby didn’t feel ready. Furthermore, the thought that she was on probation in the Children’s Chorus flew back into her mind, unbidden and unwelcome. That thought was followed by another equally unwelcome one: Her solo in the Christmas concert had been taken away. And it had probably been given to Lacey. How was Ruby going to face her friend?
Soon, Allie’s car was speeding along the Palisades Parkway. In the front seat, Min fell asleep. Next to Ruby, Flora fell asleep, too.
“Why don’t you take a nap, honey?” called Allie.
But Ruby couldn’t sleep. Suddenly, she was overtaken by her poisonous thoughts. Perhaps, she thought, she could arrange for some sort of accident to befall Lacey. What if Lacey broke her arm or twisted her ankle? Better yet, what if she lost her voice? But if Lacey couldn’t sing the solo, then Ms. Angelo would just give it to someone else. Ruby would not be singing it. Ms. Angelo had made that clear. Ruby was going to have to work hard to revive her career.
She stared furiously out the window until the scenery began to blur, and eventually she fell asleep after all. When she awoke, it was to the sound of her sister saying, “Good old Main Street.”
Ruby opened her eyes. “We’re back already?”
“Yes,” said Aunt Allie from the driver’s seat. “And I’m going to drop you off at the Row Houses and then go on home. Mom, I’ll call you later,” she said to Min as she turned onto Aiken Avenue.
“Okay. Rudy is going to drive me to the train station in a little while so I can retrieve my car.”
And just like that, Thanksgiving was over, the thrilling weekend was over, and New York seemed like a movie Ruby had watched a long, long time ago. She stuck her tongue out in the direction of Lacey’s house as she lugged her suitcase up Min’s front walk and Allie drove away.
Then Min unlocked the door and several things happened all at once. Daisy Dear came flying down the stairs from the second floor so fast that she stumbled on the fourth step and crash-landed at everyone’s feet. King Comma trotted into the front hall and stretched himself against Ruby’s legs. And from behind them a deep voice said, “Did you have a good trip?”
“Rudy!” cried Min. “What a nice surprise!” She gave Mr. Pennington a long hug.
“We had the best time!” exclaimed Flora.
“We went to Broadway,” said Ruby. “And I ate a chestnut.”
“We saw the windows at Lord and Taylor,” added Min.
“We ate at a French restaurant and a Chinese restaurant,” said Flora.
“Come have a cup of tea with me before we leave for the station,” said Min to Mr. Pennington, and hand-in-hand they walked toward the kitchen.
Flora dragged her suitcase upstairs.
Ruby was looking forlornly at her bag of dirt when she heard a timid knock at the door. She opened it and found Lacey standing on the stoop. “Hi,” said Lacey. “Can I come in?”
Ruby glowered at her. Then she slammed the door shut.
“Ruby Jane Northrop!”
Ruby froze. Min had returned to the hallway. She was reaching for her purse.
“Yeah?” said Ruby.
“Was that Lacey?”
“Yeah.”
“Open that door this minute, young lady.”
Ruby turned the doorknob. Lacey was crossing into the Malones’ yard, one shaky hand rubbing her eyes.
“Lacey,” said Min gently. “Come back.” She ushered Lacey inside, then took her by one hand and Ruby by the other, led them into the living room, and sat them on the sofa.
“Ruby,” said Min, “that was one of the rudest things you have ever done, and I want you to apologize to Lacey right now.”
“Sorry,” said Ruby.
“You never, ever” (Min continued looking directly into Ruby’s eyes) “ever slam a door in anyone’s face for any reason. Do you understand me? It’s humiliating and mean and petty.”
“Sorry,” said Ruby again.
“I’d like you to imagine how you would feel if someone slammed a door in your face.”
Ruby nodded. “Horrible,” she said. And added yet again, “Sorry.”
“All right. Now, I promised Mr. Pennington a cup of tea, and I expect that you two have some things to discuss. So I’m going to go back into the kitchen and I want you girls to stay here and talk things over. Civilly.”
Ruby nodded and Min left the room. “Lacey?” said Ruby. “I really am sorry. I guess I —” She paused, uncertain how to continue. “Ms. Angelo gave you my solo, didn’t she?” she said at last.
Lacey nodded. “I knew you’d be mad.”
“Well, I am. But not at you. You aren’t the one who skipped rehearsals and made a giant mistake during the concert. And anyway, you know you deserve the solo.”
“But Ms. Angelo offered it to you first. That must mean she thinks you’re better.”
“Not necessarily. She tries to give everyone a chance. And I blew mine. But you’re not going to. You’ll do a great job, Lacey. Doing well at something,” said Ruby slowly, “comes partly from being really good at it and partly from working hard. That’s what I learned this weekend.”
“You learned that in New York?” said Lacey suspiciously.
“Yup. We went to this play on Broadway —”
“On Broadway?”
Ruby nodded. “It was called Spotlight. And there was this character in it named Eva.” Ruby told Lacey about how Eva had fallen out of favor. “So, see, even though Eva was really talented, she couldn’t get parts anymore, except for playing maids and old aunts and stuff. Which is what I mean about being good at what you do and having to work hard. And that’s you, Lacey. You go to all the rehearsals and you practice at home. You work really hard … and you have a beautiful voice.”
“Thanks,” said Lacey quietly. “I am excited about singing the solo. I just didn’t like getting it this way. And I didn’t want you to be upset.”
“Well, I’ll be sad not to be singing the solo at the concert,” admitted Ruby. “It’s going to feel weird. But I do have a chance to start over and I’m going to take it seriously. I guess that’s why Ms. Angelo put me on probation.”
“You’re on probation?” squeaked Lacey. “Like a criminal?”
“I prefer to think of myself as an experiment,” said Ruby stiffly.
Lacey nodded. “Anyway, are we friends again?”
“Yeah.”
“Good.” Lacey relaxed. “So, did you get any souvenirs in New York?”
Ruby nodded. “I’ll show yo
u the best one,” she said, and went off to find her bag of dirt.
Flora liked Camden Falls during every season of the year. She liked her town when it put on its spring face and the dull, dreary days of February and March became green and pink and violet and azure, just as if, Flora thought, a giant had taken up his paints and brushes, colored in the town, and added leaves and flowers and freshness. She liked Camden Falls in summer, when school was out and she and her sister and friends planted vegetables and swam in the freezing water at the state park and wandered along Main Street, eating ice-cream cones and watching the tourists. She liked autumn, when the giant’s palette changed and the trees burned orange and vermilion and gold and bronze, and pumpkins grinned from porches and Main Street got ready for Halloween night. But her favorite season in Camden Falls was winter. As soon as Thanksgiving was over, Main Street began to glow and glitter with the holiday decorations put up by Mr. Freedly and the owners of the stores and businesses in town. Wreaths appeared on doors. Menorahs appeared in windows. It was the season of lights and of darkness, Flora thought dramatically. The days were short and dim, but it barely mattered because the town twinkled and shone.
And now, miracle of miracles, it was December again, and had been for nearly two weeks. Min and Flora and Ruby had bought a tree, which they had decorated with help from Mr. Pennington, and then they had helped him decorate his tree. Flora’s house smelled of pine and cinnamon and peppermint and chocolate. And it was filled with secrets. Ruby had hidden something under her bed, something she refused to discuss with anyone. Min had declared the guest bedroom — the one that, just a year earlier, had been occupied by Aunt Allie — absolutely off-limits to Flora and Ruby.
“Aren’t you just dying to peek in there?” Flora whispered to Ruby one evening.
“I already have.”
“You have?”
“Well … I tried to. But it’s locked! Min locked the door!”
“Ruby.”
“I wonder where the key is. Do you know?”
“No. And it’s a good thing I don’t. Besides, you wouldn’t want someone peeking under your bed, would you?”
Ruby narrowed her eyes. “Have you been peeking?”
“Nope. I like to be surprised.”
“So where are you hiding your stuff?” asked Ruby.
“I’m not even going to give you a hint.”
But this year, though it was as exciting as the previous one, was different. Some of the best surprises had nothing at all to do with the holidays and instead were about Jane Marie. Jane Marie was doing well, and so was her mother, and in two days Camden Falls was going to become Janie’s home.
A surprise baby shower had been planned for Allie and Janie, to be held on a Thursday afternoon, the moment Allie walked through the door after her final trip to Manhattan.
“Girls?” Min called up the stairs on Wednesday evening. “Are you coming with me to Allie’s? We should leave in just a few minutes.”
“Coming!” replied Flora and Ruby instantly.
As they clattered down the stairs, Min said, “I want to do as much as possible to get ready tonight, because tomorrow afternoon is going to be busy. Can you give me a hand with the food, please?”
Flora and Ruby helped Min carry bags of party food to their car, and then they drove through the quiet dark streets of Camden Falls toward Allie’s house.
“I hope it snows for Christmas,” said Ruby wistfully. “I hope we have a big old white Christmas.”
“Snow for Christmas would be lovely,” said Min, “but not for the shower. And not for Allie’s drive back from New York tomorrow with the baby.”
“No! We don’t want anything to spoil that,” said Flora hastily.
When they reached Allie’s house, Flora couldn’t help taking one more peek at Janie’s nursery. Allie had been delighted with the makeshift nursery she had discovered after the Thanksgiving adventure in Manhattan. But since she hadn’t been able to bring Janie home with her yet, she had had time to buy a new crib and changing table and to pick out fabric from which Min and Flora had made curtains and a matching crib set.
Flora looked around the room and let out a sigh. The nursery was a cloud of pale pink and blue and yellow. A teddy bear sat in the Morrises’ white rocking chair — on a pink cushion made by Flora. Allie had painted the dresser blue with gold stars. It looked, Flora thought, like the ceiling in Grand Central Station. On the wall above the crib hung the word JANIE in jaunty yellow and pink gingham letters.
Still, the room looked a bit bare. The shelves of the bookcase were mostly empty, and so was the top of the dresser.
“And that’s exactly why we need to give Allie a shower,” Min had said. “She may have bought a lot of baby things, but she still needs a lamp and books and toys and stuffed animals. And, of course, everyone wants to welcome Janie home.”
“Allie is going to be so surprised tomorrow,” said Flora when she returned to the kitchen to help Min with the food.
“Did you finish your present?” Min asked her.
“Yup,” replied Flora, opening a package of paper plates. “But it’s all wrapped up. I don’t want anyone to see it before the shower.”
“I have a good surprise, too,” said Ruby.
“And I will have a good surprise,” said Min, “if I can get in about an hour of knitting time tonight.”
“Oh, I am so excited about tomorrow!” squealed Ruby. “I can’t wait, I can’t wait, I can’t wait!”
“Just imagine — our first peek at Janie,” said Flora rapturously. “I wish it were time for the party right now.”
To Flora’s relief, school flew by the next day, and before she knew it, she and Olivia and Nikki were walking to the Row Houses so Flora could pick up her gift for Janie and they could all drive to Allie’s with Min and Ruby.
“What if Allie and Janie get there before we do?” said Ruby ner vously from the backseat. “Wouldn’t it be awful if we couldn’t surprise her?”
But the driveway was empty, and they were able to hurry inside and set out the food before Allie or any of the guests arrived.
“Now remember,” Min said later as twenty-eight people sat eagerly in Allie’s living room, “this is going to be a very quiet surprise. We don’t want to frighten Janie, so no shouting or jumping up and down when Allie walks through the door.”
“Okay,” said Flora. But she couldn’t sit still. She walked ner vously among Ruby and Nikki, Olivia and her parents, Mr. Pennington, Robby and his parents and the other Row House neighbors, Gigi, and even Mary Woolsey, until finally Ruby let out a shout:
“They’re here! They’re here!”
Min opened the door. “Welcome home,” she said softly as Aunt Allie carried Janie to the front porch. “We have a surprise for you,” she added. She opened the door wide so Allie could see the friends and neighbors gathered inside.
Allie’s mouth dropped open and her eyes filled, but she smiled a wavering smile and then put a finger to her lips, pointing at Janie, who was sleeping soundly.
Flora, standing just behind Min, stood on tiptoe for her first glimpse at her new cousin. She gazed at the soft brown face and the finely curled black hair.
Ruby peered at Janie, too.
“What do you think, girls?” asked Aunt Allie.
Flora suddenly found that she wasn’t going to be able to speak without crying, and anyway, she didn’t want to say something that sounded like a line from a movie (“I’ve been waiting for Janie all my life,” or “Now our family is complete”) so she simply stepped forward and kissed the baby lightly on her forehead. And Ruby, parting the blankets to find a small hand, stroked the tiny fingers and whispered, “I don’t care if she is a girl.”
Allie stepped all the way inside then, and Min closed the door behind her. The guests returned to the living room, moving in near silence until Robby said rather loudly, “What are we waiting for? Let’s get this party started!”
Now Allie could see the sign that had been
strung across the mantelpiece, proclaiming IT’S A GIRL, and the pink and white balloons tied to the backs of chairs, and the unwieldy mound of gifts stacked where, in two days, a Christmas tree would stand. “Oh,” she said. “Thank you so much. This is a wonderful surprise.”
Everyone began to talk (quietly) all at once.
“How was your drive home? Is Janie a good traveler?”
“I can recommend an excellent pediatrician.”
“I wonder if she’s sleeping through the night yet.”
“Look! The baby just woke up! She’s squinting at me!”
Flora began to feel overwhelmed, and as the guests chatted with Allie, and Min held Janie for the first time, and Ruby passed around the cookies and brownies that Olivia’s parents had baked, Flora stood back. She watched the party as if she were much smaller than a human girl, as if she were a spider in a corner. She saw Lacey and Alyssa counting the gifts that Allie would soon open. She saw Min pass Janie to Mr. Pennington and settle her on his lap. She saw Robby put out a gentle hand to stop a wrestling match that was about to turn into a fight between Jack Walter and Travis Morris. She saw Mary Woolsey sitting apart from the other guests but smiling, her hands folded lightly in her lap.
And Flora thought, Today is Janie’s first day in her new home, but she won’t remember it. She won’t remember the moment she arrived here and began to make her place in Camden Falls. Janie will grow up here; this will always be her home. She won’t be the newcomer, not in the way Ruby and I were once newcomers. She’ll belong here from the beginning.
Then Flora thought, This baby, this one tiny baby girl, has transformed our family.
Nikki touched Flora’s elbow. “Look how happy your aunt is,” she whispered. “I’ve never seen her like that.”
“Me, neither,” Flora whispered back.
Allie was smiling — grinning, actually — but she looked serene, too. She radiated peace and calm as Mr. Pennington laid Janie in her arms again.
“When are we going to open the presents?” cried Alyssa Morris, who was standing impatiently over the pile of gifts. “I can’t wait any longer.”