Me and Miranda Mullaly (17 page)

Writing Prompt:
The dictionary
defines
serendipity
as “the faculty of making fortunate discoveries
by accident.” Write about a serendipitous event in your life.
How has the fortunate accident or discovery affected you in
a positive way? Explain in detail.

Dear Mr. Minkin,

Serendipity is a really nice word, Mr. Minkin. Thank you for teaching it to me.

So serendipity, you say, is like an accident, something good or unexpected happening. But I guess all accidents are unexpected. Otherwise, they wouldn't be accidents.

I don't know if this is serendipity or not. You can be the judge.

I decide to go to Duke's cast party, and I'm surprised he's even invited me since I only had six words to say.

As I'm walking to the party, it suddenly hits me that I'm kind of sad the show is over. It's been
fun even with all the trouble I had remembering my line and the dance steps and being nervous and all that.

And I'm still sort of sad because Billy has moved out. Mom said he needed a “little nudge” to get out of the house and both Billy and I know Mom is right. I still hated to see him go, though. It was fun having Billy around, at least in the beginning when he was awake more often.

When I get to the party I suddenly have this urge to punch Duke and Sam in the nose. Not because of Miranda Mullaly, but because they're all having a good time watching the video and fooling around with some chair. And it's a weird feeling because it's not really like me to feel this way, wanting to punch guys in the nose. I'm really confused.

Since I don't want to punch anyone's lights out, and because I kind of feel like crying, I go through the kitchen and out to the backyard. It's a really pleasant night, and even though it's cold, I'm all warm inside. And there are a lot of stars in the sky. Lots and lots of stars. And something about the stars and the moon catches my attention but I really don't know why, if you know
what I mean. It's just sort of pretty and quiet and I feel better about being alone.

And then suddenly I notice Miranda Mullaly standing next to me. But for the first time I'm not nervous. I don't know why, but being under those stars makes me think. It makes me think that the world's a really big place and time is kind of going by and we're spinning around the sun and turning and spinning and the stars are so far away we can't ever get to them. And then for some reason I start thinking about this book my mom used to read to me called
Goodnight Moon
and I sort of miss those days. And that makes me think about how the moon's gravity causes the tides of the oceans to rise and fall. I don't know why this stuff pops into my head, but it does, and even though Miranda's standing next to me I keep looking at the stars and not at her.

Finally I say, “There sure are a lot of stars,” because I have to say something.

I don't remember what Miranda says next but I can hear her breathing next to me.

She asks me more about the stars, and I tell her how the stars make me think of the book
Goodnight
Moon
. Saying this makes me feel a little dumb because Miranda reads thick books and
Goodnight
Moon
is just a little kid's book.

But Miranda is so great she doesn't even care.

And she doesn't laugh at me.

And then, suddenly, I just say what I feel.

“You know, Miranda, I really liked working with you on the science project and in the lab and I really liked dancing with you even though they made me march.”

For a second I want to look up at the stars again because I feel like a fool. But then Miranda smiles at me. She's got a good smile and her eyes are bright and suddenly the stars don't mean that much because I can look into Miranda's eyes. And I don't feel like punching anyone in the nose. And I don't feel like crying. I just feel really, really good inside.

It's kind of quiet and the only sound is music from the show coming from the basement. Then it is all really simple.

“Would you like to dance, Miranda?”

Believe it or not, she says yes and I dance with Miranda Mullaly! Right there under the stars.
And the craziest thing is that for the first time the dance steps come easy.

So I don't know if this is serendipity but it seems like it to me. And I sure can't wait for serendipity to strike again.

Acknowledgments

Special heartfelt thanks
to my mother, Nancy Gerhardt, for her unwavering support and faith. And to my sisters, Donna, Maureen, Sharon, and Kristie, and my brother, Timmy. And to my in-laws William Mills Todd III and Eva Andenaes Todd. I am so fortunate to call all of you my family.

I'm indebted to everyone at Viking Children's Books. Special thanks to publisher Ken Wright for the green light, Tricia Callahan at copyediting for the indispensible calendar, and Jim Hoover for a great jacket design that captures the spirit of the book. And a huge thanks to editor Joanna Cardenas for bringing her energy and excitement to this book. Her belief in this book and her editorial expertise has made all the difference in the world.

Thanks to Dan Lazar, agent extraordinaire, who knew exactly how to get this book into the right hands, and everyone at Writers House, especially Victoria Doherty Munro.

Gratitude to the world's greatest manager, Aleen Keshishian, who made this happen, and to everyone at Brillstein Entertainment, especially Alex Gumbert.

Special thanks to Lulu Troyer for reading an early draft and giving it her considerable stamp of approval. And to Kit Troyer for pointing out the direction I was writing. And Jesse and Boomer!

Thanks to the UCLA Writers' Program, especially Laurel van der Linde, Mary Lynne, Shelia, Glen, and Margaret, and everyone for helping to move this book along with invaluable feedback on late Wednesday nights.

Thanks to everyone at the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) for creating a network of inspiration and support for writers throughout the world.

Thanks to Pat Walsh, Tom Nelson, and Jay Sefton for friendship and encouragement.

Special thanks to my wife, Karen, and our daughters, Frida and Ada. You make my dreams come true every
day.

1
. This is how the poet William Butler Yeats described first seeing Maud Gonne, to whom he would propose marriage four times.

2
. Of Greek origin—a member of a prehistoric race of people that lived in caves, dens, or holes.

3
. The great early twentieth-century writer whose stories were the basis of the Broadway musical
Guys and Dolls.

4
. The third book in their senseless series on the Voiceless in America.

5
. Of Latin origin—to a disgusting or ridiculous degree; to the point of nausea.

6
. Bullies who think humor is stuffing a younger, more intelligent student into a locker and tossing his briefcase in the trash can.

7
. After Neanderthal, a valley in Germany west of Düsseldorf, an extinct species or race of human beings. In Penn Valley a boorish, crude person; or just about half the male population.

8
. You don't want to know about James Devine. Trust me.

9
. Of Latin origin—of, in, or by itself or oneself; intrinsically.

10
. A rowdy, boisterous person; ruffian.

11
. Perhaps the world's greatest museum, located in Paris, France. Mr. O'Reiley's unflinchingly positive feedback is a perfect example of the disaster “self-esteem” has wrought on American education.

12
. Their third book,
Christ, the King of Rap
, was about the Christian roots of hip-hop. Not their best effort.

13
. Paraphrasing Winston Churchill. The full quote is: “We have not journeyed across the centuries, across the oceans, across the mountains, across the prairies, because we are made of sugar candy.”

14
. What he meant to say is “the die is cast,” in reference to Julius Caesar's famous crossing of the Rubicon River in 49 BC.

15
. A Japanese “meditation hall.” In Zen Buddhism, the
zen-do
is a spiritual dojo where
zazen
(sitting meditation) is practiced.

16
. The philosophical idea that the only thing that exists and is real is what one experiences oneself. Not a flattering adjective.

17
. A small classroom meeting designed not as a lecture but where each student is given a chance to speak about the assigned readings.

18
. New York University, located in Manhattan. (I may study film there in graduate school for a lark.)

19
. The inimitable poet and playwright William Shakespeare. When I finally have some free time, I intend to commit my favorite sonnets to memory.

20
. The great Irish writer and satirist most famous for his masterpiece
Gulliver's Travels.

21
. Patrick Henry, an important American revolutionary, demanded in a speech to the Virginia Convention, “Give me liberty, or give me death.”

22
. Harvard's colors!

23
. The first four lines of William Wordsworth's lovely “She Was a Phantom of Delight.”

24
. A person of remarkable talent who achieves great success at an early age.

25
. Learned; well educated.

26
. The fairly inaccurate rifle commonly used during the colonial period and the American Revolution.

27
. Covered with hair; hairy.

28
. Joint sixteenth emperor of the Roman Empire. Especially remembered for his philosophical writings.

29
. The great British prime minister and Nobel Prize winner.

30
. See the nauseating
Father Knows Best.

31
. The great American humorist. See especially “The Remarkable Case of Mr. Bruhl” and “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty.”

32
. This is what Lyndon Johnson once said about Gerald Ford.

33
. The great award-winning American actress and spiritualist.

34
. Sherlock Holmes said it was most important for detectives, but it wouldn't hurt for theatrical directors to have imaginations as well.

35
. Completed in thirty-three hours and thirty minutes May 20–21, 1927, in the
Spirit of St. Louis.

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