Sticks (18 page)

Mayor Blonski tries a few shots and doesn’t do as well as me.

Mrs. Riggles says she has never thought of a pool table as having “so many dimensions.”

Arlen presents his chart,
POOL IS ALSO ABOUT MATH
, that he used to help me blow the Sledgehammer out of the water.

Lots of scrawny kids are interested in that one.

We win first prize.

The mayor shakes our hands and if he knows that Arlen’s parents didn’t vote for him, he isn’t saying. He says we’re “a credit to the town and the furtherance of science.”

I let Arlen have the blue ribbon since I got the red shirt. Mrs. Pepper takes a picture of Arlen with all his science fair ribbons and Arlen sends it off to Mr. Science the next day.

I get my picture in
The Cruckston Comet
twice in one month.

Here’s how the whole thing looks.

*   *   *

It’s like my winning the tournament gets everything going.

Arlen and I win the jelly bean guessing contest at Pearlman’s World of Fashion. We’re only thirty-three beans off, which really impresses the store manager. She gives us a hundred-dollar gift certificate, but won’t let us trade it in for cash, even when we mention that Pearlman’s isn’t a guy store.

“Maybe you boys could get your mothers a nice gift, hmmm?” she says.

Arlen convinces his mother to buy it from us for seventy cents on the dollar. “I ask you,” Arlen says to her as she hands him the cash, “where in this world can you buy a hundred dollars for seventy?”

Arlen’s parents finish the floor of his tree house and put up two of the sides. It’s got a ways to go before it’s finished. Arlen and I climb up there anyway while Mangler paws the tree and squeals. Arlen says it’s a lesson to everyone living in this plastic age, that wood has power.

Francine starts talking to her father again and convinces him to let her have a dove for her act. Francine calls the dove Lester, which she feels was the deciding factor. Francine says that Lester will make her famous as soon as he learns to fly out of her magic hat without pooping in midair.

Buck isn’t around much. I saw him by Vinnie’s Variety last week, but when he saw me he looked away. I’m practicing pool twice a day except on Sunday because Poppy says even a world champion
needs a day of rest. I’m setting my sights to play in the Northeast Youth Pool Open in Atlantic City in December. Joseph says he’ll drive me there in the Peterbilt.

I can see why he and Dad were such good friends.

Joseph and Camille are becoming friends too. He tells her he can teach her pool, how to drive a truck, or how to make real Mexican enchiladas. Camille starts with a truck-driving lesson, but after that they both decide enchiladas are safer.

Joseph brings up buckets of barbecue from Texas (the best I’ve ever tasted) when Mom graduates from college. He and Mom understand each other more now, although it still really gets her when he talks “cowboy.” Mom knows she can count on him; she says that’s the biggest gift in friendship. We have a big party in Vernon’s to celebrate Mom’s graduation. Poppy hires Francine to do her magic act for the entertainment. Francine almost has a heart attack getting ready.

“Do you think I should wear my Easter dress or my stirrup pants and my sparkly tank top?”

Arlen and I look at each other.

“Do you think I should start with Lester coming out of the hat or work up to it and start with my flying scarves trick that I do to ‘The Sound of Music’?”

“Well . . .”

“Your grandmother is a
saint
, Mickey. Do you know that?”

It’s like the whole town comes to the party. Poppy, Camille, Serena, and I blow up a hundred
balloons and hang them everywhere with ribbon. Francine starts with Lester; he flies out of her hat straight up to the ceiling fan and only comes down when she threatens to turn it on, but otherwise her show goes fine, even her card tricks. Everyone says it’s only a matter of time before she plays Vegas. Francine walks through the rest of the party in her stirrup pants and sparkly tank top with a smile so happy it makes her braces glow.

Poppy and Big Earl sing songs from olden days while Big Earl plays his guitar. Mr. Kopchnik dances with Mrs. Cassetti. Camille kisses Brad Lunder by the Coke machine near the storage closet and Arlen gets a picture of it. Mom cries and says that having the party in the pool hall is perfect because she’s learned so much living above it.

I know what she means. Every time I walk into Vernon’s now I feel courage pumping through me. That’s the thing about pool. Some people see numbered balls on a table and just learn the rules. But when the game’s in your blood, you learn what’s inside of you.

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Books by

JOAN BAUER