Lucky Charm (17 page)

C
an we please talk about Saturday night?” Maeve said at lunch. “I want Marty’s homecoming to be the best homecoming party ever. Hey, where’s Avery?”

“Where else?” Katani asked. “She’s over at the boys’ table talking baseball.”

Maeve stood up and called out Avery’s name. She motioned for her to come. But Avery didn’t seem to notice.

“I’ll be right back,” Maeve said. She walked over to the boys’ table.

Avery was in the middle of a big story about Robbie Flores when Maeve tapped her on the shoulder.

“We need you at our table.”

“For what?”

“We’re planning Marty’s homecoming party.”

“Sweet! Later guys!” Avery gathered what was left of her lunch and followed Maeve back to the table.

“So what are we having to eat?” Avery asked before she even sat down.

“Good question,” Maeve said. “Any suggestions?”

“If it’s not too much trouble, I’d like to have some of that homemade pizza you and your dad always make, Charlotte,” Isabel said.

“I think that could be arranged,” Charlotte said sweetly.

“Excellent!” an enthusiastic Avery cried.

“How’s that sound to you, Katani?” Maeve asked.

Katani shrugged. “Okay, I guess.”

“Do you have another suggestion?”

“No. It’s just that…well, to be honest…” Katani muttered. “I’m not sure if I’m going to come.”

“Why not?” Maeve asked. “You’ve got to come.”

“Yeah,” Charlotte said. “It wouldn’t be the same without you, Kgirl.”

“And don’t tell us you have to help your sister with riding lessons. That excuse isn’t going to fly with us this time,” Avery announced.

“What do you mean by that?” Katani asked.

“Nothing. It’s just that the homecoming party is important,” Avery said.

“So are the horses. After today, my riding lessons will be over,” Katani said in a depressed voice.

“Are you going to stay mad forever?” Avery demanded.

“Never mind,” Katani mumbled. “You just don’t understand. So let it go. I’m really sorry, but every time I look at Marty, I feel bad that Kelley and I will never be able to ride again. I would feel like I was a phony if I came to the party.” Katani shook her head sadly.

“That’s not fair, Katani. You don’t get your way, so you don’t want to play any more?” Avery asked.

“No! That’s not what it is at all. Okay, Avery, you know how you feel about Marty and how wonderful he is? Well, that’s how I feel about Penelope.”

“Who’s Penelope?”

“My point exactly. Penelope is my horse that I ride. I love her and you don’t even know who she is,” Katani said.

“It’s not Marty’s fault,” Charlotte reasoned.

“It’s not anyone’s fault,” Isabel added.

“I know,” Katani said. “I just think it’s going to be hard for me to be around Marty again, knowing I’ll never be able to see Penelope.”

Avery opened her mouth, but nothing came out. She suddenly understood just how Katani felt. Avery wanted to meet Penelope too.

“Please come, Katani,” Isabel said, putting her hand on Katani’s arm.

“You have to come,” Maeve told her. “It won’t be the same without you.”

“Besides,” Charlotte told her. “I finished that piece—the one you encouraged me to write. You promised to be my audience. I really want you to read it.”

Katani smiled in spite of herself. “Yeah. It has been a while since we’ve had an overnight. I’ll think about it. I have a riding lesson after school. My last. I don’t know if I could love any horse as much as I do Penelope,” Katani said.

Hope-less?

“Are you girls ready?” Grandma Ruby asked as she drove the girls to the stable after school.

When Grandma Ruby turned on the familiar road to High
Hopes, Katani’s heart sank. This was probably the last day she’d ever see Penelope. She tossed the apple she’d brought for Penelope back and forth in her hand. She was out of hope today.

Grandma Ruby looked back at Katani in the rearview mirror. “Hey, can you turn your frown upside-down, Katani? You’d think I was driving you to a funeral. I thought you liked riding lessons.”

Katani nodded and gave her grandmother a weak smile.

“Why are you sad, Katani?” Kelley asked. “I love Wilbur. I thought you loved Penelope too.”

“I do love Penelope, Kelley,” Katani said. Kelley grabbed her hand as Katani looked out the car window and whispered, “That’s why I’m so sad….”

When they pulled up to the stable, things already seemed different. No one was doing chores around the fence. There weren’t any horses in the corral. Katani wondered if they had decided to close down the stable early.

“Something is wrong,” Kelley said. “Maybe one of the horses is sick.”

When Big Blue ground to a halt, Katani slowly opened her door and walked toward the stable. Samantha was the first out the stable door, quickly followed by Catherine.

“There they are!” Catherine shouted. “Claudia, look, they’re here!”

“Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!” Samantha said. She plowed into Katani and gave her a huge hug.

“For what?” Katani asked.

Catherine laughed. “For what? Like you don’t know!”

Claudia walked out of the stable and waved.

Katani waved back.

“So I guess I owe you about five years of private lessons,” Claudia said.

“You do? Why?”

Claudia looked at Catherine, who was still beaming. Catherine shrugged and shook her head.

“Ahem. Katani, Robbie Flores donated ten thousand dollars to High Hopes in your little dog’s name,” Claudia said.

Katani suddenly felt dizzy. “Excuse me?” she murmured.

“Better yet, he and his teammates have agreed to sponsor a fundraiser over the winter to establish an ongoing foundation to keep the program running.
Forever
.”

Kelley tapped Catherine on the shoulder. “I can ride Wilbur for a long time?” Kelley asked.

“For a very long time,” Claudia said.

Kelley cheered.

In Katani’s daze, it occurred to her that she was smiling. And it occurred to her that both Claudia and Catherine were calling her name. “Katani? Hello, Katani?” Claudia called.

“What? Yes?”

“Just one teeny, tiny question. How on Earth were you able to get the Red Sox to donate time and money to the stable?” Claudia asked.

The group had begun to make their way over to the stable. Miracle or no miracle, someone had to curry the horses.

Katani thought before she spoke. “It wasn’t me,” Katani explained. “One of my best friends made this happen. Would there be any way you guys could help me with a little thank you gift?”

Claudia laughed. “For the girl who saved the stable? Anything. You name it.”

Katani nodded and ran ahead to the barn. She couldn’t wait to be reunited with Penelope. Apparently Penelope felt the same way. She nuzzled right against Katani’s cheek with her soft nose.

Katani loved trotting around the ring with Penelope that day more than any other. Katani hugged Penelope and buried her face in her neck. “We’ll get to be together for a long, long time. I know we will,” she whispered into Penelope’s ear.

I
sabel heard a knock on Charlotte’s front door. “I’ll get it!” she cried.

“Thank you!” Charlotte called from the kitchen. She and Mr. Ramsey were busy in the kitchen making pizzas for Marty’s homecoming party. Isabel bounced down the grand stairway of the old Victorian home on Corey Hill. Since Katani hadn’t returned her e-mail, Isabel expected to see Maeve or Avery.

She opened the door to find Katani standing there, looking radiant and carrying two large bags. “Katani!” she shouted and quickly hugged her friend. “I’m so happy to see you! Thank you for coming,” Isabel said, squeezing Katani’s hand.

“Are you kidding? I wouldn’t have missed this for the world!” Katani said.

Isabel raised an eyebrow doubtfully.

Katani smiled. “Okay, maybe I
almost
missed this for the world. But the point is, I didn’t!” The girls laughed and embraced again.

“Let me carry one of your bags,” Isabel said. “Oof! This is heavy. What do you have in here? Rocks?”

“You’ll see,” Katani said mysteriously.

“Who is it?” Charlotte called down as they started up the stairs.

“You’ll never guess!”

“Robbie Flores?” Charlotte asked devilishly.

“Ha-ha,” Isabel said.

“Katani!” Charlotte screeched when Katani reached the top of the stairs. “I’m so glad you came! It wouldn’t have been the same without you!”

“I’m glad to be here,” Katani said. “If you don’t mind, I’m going to take my things up to the Tower now.”

“Want any help with this one?” Isabel asked.

Katani put one finger over her lips so Isabel would know not to say anything about the bag. Isabel nodded and helped carry it to the top of the ladder.

“Here you go,” Isabel said, setting the bag on the floor.

“Thanks,” Katani said. “I’ll take it from here. Thanks for not saying anything about it. It’s a surprise.”

“Just having you here is surprise enough for me,” Isabel replied softly.

By the time Katani made it down from the Tower, Avery and Maeve had arrived. Both were delighted to see that Katani had joined the party.

After everyone snarfed down homemade pizza and salad, Mr. Ramsey built a fire in the living room fireplace, and the girls toasted marshmallows and made s’mores—a favorite BSG tradition.

“Ready on three,” Isabel prompted. “One…two…three!”

“Thank you for dinner, Mr. Ramsey,” the girls sang out in unison.

“We’re going up to the Tower now, Dad,” Charlotte said.

“Marty too, of course!” Avery added. “After all, he’s the guest of honor.”

“Good night, ladies,” Mr. Ramsey said. “And try to get a little sleep. It’s called a
slumber
party for a reason.”

“Technically, it’s a welcome home party for Marty,” Charlotte reminded him. “But we’ll consider sleeping, I guess.”

Up in the Tower, the true homecoming party began.

Avery had made a banner and got Marty to do all his tricks. She was happy to discover he hadn’t forgotten a single one. He even tried to give her a high five.

“Or paw five, as I like to call it,” Avery laughed.

Maeve had borrowed the huge picture of Marty dressed as Klondike Pink for the Dress-Your-Pet-in-Pink contest at Think Pink.

“Okay, girls,” Charlotte said. “I have some news.”

“Me too,” Katani said.

“Okay, Katani, you first,” Charlotte insisted.

“Well, my news is about High Hopes,” Katani said.

“The riding stable?” Isabel asked.

“Or literally…high hopes?” Maeve asked.

“Both…sort of.” Katani reached into one of the enormous bags she had brought. “I have something for each of you. I hope that your high hopes will come true today, so I made a ‘lucky charm’ for each of you.”

Isabel laughed as Katani produced a horseshoe. “That’s why they were so heavy!” Isabel exclaimed.

Katani had personalized each horseshoe by painting each BSG’s name in bright pink letters and adding the phrase “May all your high hopes come true.” She had adorned the writing with designs to fit all of her friends: notebooks and pencils for Charlotte, dance shoes and musical notes for Maeve, paint-brush and easel for Isabel, and baseballs for Avery—with the words “Red Sox.”

“Look at these. I can’t believe you did all this work, Katani!” Charlotte exclaimed.

“A Red Sox horseshoe?” Avery cried. “Sweeeeet! One of a kind by the Kgirl!”

Maeve held hers close to her heart. “I’ll treasure this forever,” she said softly.

Katani looked at Charlotte. “I have
you
to thank for what happened,” Katani told her.

“Why, what happened?” Isabel asked.

“Now, I’m curious,” Katani continued. “What exactly
did
you say to Robbie Flores?” she asked Charlotte.

“I don’t know…what do you mean?” Charlotte sputtered.

“Whatever it was, it must have been pretty convincing, because he wrote a check for ten thousand dollars to High Hopes.”

The girls stared with open mouths.

“They won’t have to close after all!” Katani shrieked.

“Are you kidding? I don’t believe it!” Charlotte shouted.

“Get OUT!” Avery shouted. “This is completely amazing. A-MAZING!”

Katani retold the whole story of arriving at the stable Friday afternoon expecting it to be her last riding lesson.

“That’s why I asked for the lucky horseshoes. I wanted you all to have a lucky charm for your high hopes,” Katani said.

“Well, now I have some news. Katani, I think your good luck has already worked for me! I have something for each of you too,” Charlotte said. She went over to the desk and returned with a pile of papers. She handed each girl a copy of the
Beacon Street News
. “Turn to the sports section, page five,” Charlotte instructed them.

Avery was the first to find the article. “Wow! Look at this! ‘Lucky Charms Power Baseball,’ by…” Avery gasped. “CHARLOTTE RAMSEY!” Avery said.

“You said I should write something for you guys, Katani. I hope you don’t mind if everyone else in the neighborhood reads it as well,” Charlotte said.

Everyone was quiet as they read the article.

“This is awesome,” Maeve pronounced.

“I guess I have you to thank, Katani, and your advice to ‘get back in the saddle.’ I decided to write an article about baseball players’ superstitions. And since I had Robbie Flores’s cell phone number…”

“You go, girl!” Katani shouted out.

“I called Robbie Flores and interviewed him over the phone. He told me lots of details about his teammates’ superstitions,” Charlotte reported.

“This is so cool,” Avery said, looking at the article again.

“By the way, Mr. Flores also said that everything worked
out great for him. When he arrived in Baltimore they made a big point to tell him that dogs weren’t allowed in the ballpark. He wouldn’t have been able to take Marty on the road to a lot of the dugouts after all. So now he thinks that his real lucky charm is Happy Lucky Thingy. That’s probably why he sent the check to High Hopes, don’t you think?” Charlotte wondered.

“Probably,” Katani agreed.

“It’s a great article, Charlotte. But, how did it end up in a real, live newspaper?” Isabel asked.

“Dad knows the editor. He e-mailed him my article. I got a check in the mail the next day,” Charlotte added.

“You got paid for this?”

“Yup. And the editor called this evening to say that AP picked up the story. It’s going to be in newspapers across the nation starting tomorrow,” Charlotte said proudly.

“You’re famous!” Maeve shouted.

Charlotte blushed. “Well, I wouldn’t go
that
far. But it is pretty cool.”

“So does that mean you’re not quitting the
Sentinel
?” Isabel asked.

“I’m staying. Dad suggested that I turn this article into Ms. Rodriguez first.”

“Phew! I’d miss you too much!” Isabel said.

“And I have something for you, Isabel,” Charlotte said.

“For me?” Isabel asked. She was stunned.

Charlotte handed Isabel an envelope. Isabel opened it and pulled out a thin slip of paper. It was a check.

Isabel felt faint. “What? No…I could never accept this,” she murmured.

“No arguments, please. I’m signing it over to you. It’s not much, but you can use it for whatever you like. Maybe it will help fly your father here for Christmas, or you could get something extra special for your mom, or if you want, you can donate it to the MS Society.”

Isabel’s throat swelled up with emotion. “Charlotte…this is your first paycheck for writing. It’s too much.”

Charlotte shook her head. “If I’ve learned anything in the last few days it’s that the support and love of friends is much more important than money. Money is only worth something when it can be spent on the good of all,” Charlotte said.

Marty jumped in her lap and yapped loudly.

“See? Even Marty agrees,” Charlotte said with a laugh.

Isabel hugged Charlotte. “Thank you,” she whispered. “This means so much.”

Soon the other three joined in.

“Group hugs for all,” Maeve cheered.

“It’s all for one,” Avery shouted.

“And one for all,” Katani finished.

“Yap! Yap!” Marty barked.

The BSG were back in business.

“OH, before I forget.” Katani went to her bag. She turned and proudly displayed her handiwork. A new Happy Lucky Thingy—all pink and clean and definitely not smelly!