finished her sandwich. “Lunch will be over in five minutes. Let’s go out to the playground before the bell rings.”
Outside, the playground was dotted with kids wearing brightly colored jackets. Julie, Joy, and Carla walked over to the swings, while T. J. chased off after some boys playing kickball. The girls pumped their legs, swinging higher and higher. Julie leaned back and looked up at the tree branches spreading like black fingers across the gray November sky. She felt as if she were flying. How fabulous it would be to soar across the sky like an eagle and perch on one of those black branches…
“Hey, Nancy!”
Carla’s voice jolted Julie out of her musings. She opened her eyes and saw Carla waving at some little kids who were playing hopscotch on the other side of the playground.
“That’s my kindergarten sister, Nancy,” Carla told Julie and Joy. “Nan for short.”
“In the green hat?” asked Julie.
“Yup.” Carla called Nan’s name again and waved, but the child was busy with the game and didn’t look up.
“Nan is a cute name.” Julie wished again that she had a little sister. “And she’s cute, too! Let’s go over and say hi. I want to meet her.”
“Okay, but wait a sec—I’m almost swinging as high as you!” Carla pumped harder. “Do you think it’s possible to go so high that you can loop over the bar? My brother Todd told me he knew a kid who said he did it—but I don’t see how you could, really.”
“I don’t either,” said Julie. “But it would be fun—as long as you didn’t fall!”
“Wait for me!” yelled Joy, kicking her legs and straining to reach the same height.
The three girls pumped harder and flew higher until the bell rang. As she slowed her swing, Julie watched the kindergartners line up by the door. By the time she and Carla and Joy had jumped off the swings and were running toward the building, the kindergartners had gone inside.
...
After school Julie and Carla walked out to the playground gate together. Julie hoped Carla might invite her over to her house. She wanted to see Carla’s big house—was it really nearly as big as the White House?—and meet Carla’s dog, Blackjack. She wanted to see all of his tricks. It would be fun to meet Carla’s family, too. But Carla didn’t say anything. So Julie invited Carla to come over to her apartment instead, hoping the invitation would remind Carla that it was actually her turn to invite Julie.
Carla shook her head. “Sorry, I can’t today. I have to go straight home to babysit for Nan and baby Debbie. And walk the dog. I’ll take them all to the playground. The boys all have sports after school, or music lessons—I forget what—but they’re not going to be home.”
“I could help you babysit,” Julie offered eagerly, “or throw a ball for the dog while you watch your sisters.”
“Sorry, I’m not allowed to have friends over when my parents aren’t home.”
“Well, the playground isn’t your house. I could meet you there.”
“No, better not,” said Carla. “We might just stay home instead. It’s so foggy today.”
Julie shrugged. “Okay, well, I’ll see you tomorrow then.” She didn’t see why Carla had to be so stingy with her little sisters and her dog!
Carla started up the hilly street away from her. Julie set off walking in the opposite direction, toward her own home. Maybe she’d stop at Joy’s house and see if Joy wanted help with the dog-walking job.
She crossed the busy street and continued up the next block. A familiar figure came around the corner, wearing a light blue hooded jacket. It looked like Carla—but hadn’t Carla just set off in the opposite direction?
“Hey, Carla!” shouted Julie, and she started running. But the figure didn’t turn. Perhaps it wasn’t Carla after all. Julie slowed, frowning.
It was Carla. She was sure of it. But if Carla had errands in Julie’s neighborhood, then why hadn’t she said so? Had she changed her mind about going straight home, then gone around the block and crossed the street ahead of Julie? Maybe she just didn’t hear me shout, Julie reasoned. She shouted Carla’s name again, more loudly, but still the figure ahead of her did not stop. In fact, it walked even faster—almost as if it didn’t want someone catching up.
Her curiosity piqued, Julie decided to follow. Certainly Nancy Drew and Harriet the Spy would want to know what was going on! Julie sucked in her breath, hitched up her school backpack, and started walking faster.
She shadowed Carla—if it was Carla—for two blocks, even past her own street. The backpack seemed to grow heavier and heavier with each block. Then Carla veered off toward Market Street, and Julie’s steps faltered. If she went as far as Market, she’d really be going out of her way. But the neighborhood ahead wasn’t entirely unfamiliar; Julie had been there once before when she’d visited the veterans’ rehab center where Hank worked. Maybe she could stop in and see him, and he’d offer both her and Carla rides home. But what if Hank wasn’t there?
As Julie stood there indecisively, the toot of a car horn made her jump. “Hey, babe, goin’ my way?” called a familiar voice.
It was Tracy, driving Mom’s station wagon. She had the window rolled down and a grin on her face. “Mom sent me on an errand! I’ve finished at the bank now, and there’s time for ice cream. Want to hitch a ride?”
Julie watched the light blue jacket a block ahead merge into a throng of people crossing busy Market Street, and then disappear in the crowd. Ice cream with her big sister suddenly sounded like a lot more fun than playing Harriet the Spy. “It’s a date!” she said. “Thanks, Tracy.”
...
After their ice cream, Julie and Tracy arrived home to find Mom and Hank outside, building a ramp to go up the front steps leading to the apartment. “There’s no way the soldiers in wheelchairs will be able to get up these steps,” Joyce Albright explained to her daughters.
Hank nodded, his kind face creased with a frown. “So many buildings are not accessible to people in wheelchairs. How are they supposed to live independently if they can’t even get inside most buildings in this city?”
“It’s a real problem,” Julie’s mom agreed. “But at least our apartment is going to be accessible when we finish this ramp!”
“The ramp would also be good for getting strollers into the building, Mom,” Julie pointed out.
“I guess so,” her mom replied. “But nobody in the building has a stroller.”
“But we could have one,” said Julie, “if we had a little kid to push in it! Oh, Mom, I’d love to have a little sister or brother.”
Hank laughed. “I think your mom has enough on her plate just raising you two girls.”
“The other day you were asking for a border collie and a bigger house—and now you want another sibling?” Mom smiled ruefully at Julie.
“She
