Dedicating Every Day to You

Chapter Thirty-Five

"School's out!" I scream, when I'm awoken by Alex at seven in the morning. Odom Academy got out yesterday, and I was more than excited to sleep in today.

Alex perches on the edge of the bed beside me. "I know it is, but you have plans for the day."

"What plans?" I squish my face into my pillow. As far as I can recall, my only plans for all of the week were slipping into a comatose state, then waking up at the end of the week and spending the entire summer in fun.

"Vanessa wants to take you out today. I think you're going to Coney Island for the day."

I spring up out of bed so fast that I land heavily in the carpet. I'd almost forgotten that Vanessa and I were going out today! I've never been to Coney Island before, but Alex and John have promised me that it's a really fun time. "I've got to get my stuff ready!"

Still in my Hogwarts pajamas and bunny slippers, I jump over to my closet and begin searching for a bathing suit. The only one I can find is a lemon yellow and white striped one-piece that's more like a dress. I fold it haphazardly and shove it into my bag. Getting packed has never been my best skill.

Alex laughs. "Someone's excited." He kneels down and takes the swimsuit out of the bag, folding it properly and replacing it. "I'll send you with some money, okay? Win John a stuffed turtle or something."

I nod and grab clothes for the day out of the closet- high-waisted shorts and an ancient Mickey Mouse Club shirt that I found at the thrift shop. I know it's coming up on sandal season, and that if we're going to Coney Island I should wear easily removable shoes, but I can't leave my Converse at home. I grab my taco socks and sneakers, then hop downstairs to breakfast pulling on one shoe.

John is in the kitchen with a pan full of French toast. I run at him for a hug, and he laughs, raising the hot pan above my head. "Be careful, honey. This is hot."

"You're hot," Alex calls from the table, where he's reading the New York Post and drinking coffee.

"And don't you forget it," John responds, setting down the pan of breakfast.

I grab three plates out of the cabinet and gather up forks and glasses. It's an intricate dance in the kitchen for every meal, but we've got it down to a science after almost a year of being a family. As I pour out orange juice, John makes his way over with the French toast and Alex clears away his newspaper. Breakfast is only ever like this on the weekends- most weekdays, John's at the diner by six and Alex is either already gone or on his way out.

I'm halfway through my plate when there's a tentative knock on the door. Alex jumps up to get it, and a moment later, Vanessa pokes her head in. "Hey, Kat," she calls, smiling shyly. I drop my fork and dash over to hug her.

John laughs. "Have a good time, you two. Win Alex a goldfish."

Vanessa takes my hand, and the two of us walk outside to her car, which is a little convertible painted with a giant Puerto Rican flag. Inside the car, there's Latin music blasting, and everything smells like one of those rearview-mirror trees. We take off, and with my limited knowledge of Spanish, I try to translate the music. Vanessa sings along, her hair flying out behind her head in the wind. Every time I try to say something, I get a mouthful of my own wild hair.

When we finally pull into a parking spot, my hair looks like a bird's nest and my arms are covered in goosebumps. I get a whiff of salt-laced ocean air, and the Latin music is replaced by the cawing of gulls and the calls of people on the boardwalk. My heart rate quickens, and I do a little jump of excitement.

Vanessa laughs. "I love it here, too. What do you want to do first?"

*********

Three Ferris Wheel rides, two games of Skee-Ball, and a snow cone later, Vanessa and I are splitting a soft pretzel on the way to the beach. I won six goldfish for Alex and a stuffed turtle for John, plus a giant stuffed donut that I will forever sit on. We've changed into swimsuits, and the late June sun is warming my shoulders.

"I cannot believe that you beat me at racing slides!" Vanessa is killer at scooting down the pink plasticky slides, and won a free pretzel voucher for her troubles. She's been kind enough to share with me, and now our fingers are dotted with salt and mustard.

"Honey, I've been going to Coney Island every summer since I was barely able to walk." She grins and wipes mustard off of my nose. "Abuela used to take me."

We reach the little strip of boardwalk over the beach, and I carry my Converse in my left hand. "Tell me about it?"

Vanessa closes her eyes for a moment, but doesn't stop walking. When she opens her eyes, they're a little misty. "Well, my mother wasn't very invested in my life." Her voice rasps into a laugh. "She still isn't, come to think of it. My 'mother figure', I guess you could call her, was this woman named Claudia who lived in my neighborhood. We all called her Abuela, and she was always doing special things for us. Once a summer, she would take all of us barrio kids to Coney Island. We didn't really have the money for many rides or games or anything, but we would play on the beach and watch all the people. At the end of the day, we would all share a snack and watch as the carnival came to life with lights."

I smile softly and drop to sit on the edge of the boardwalk. The cool sand, still not caught up to the heat of the month, feels pleasant under my feet. "What was life like in the barrio?"

Vanessa swings her feet, making aimless circles with her toe in the sand. "It was hot in the summers and freezing cold in the wintertime. Too hot? Power goes out. Too cold? Power goes out. No one had really enough for extra anything. Birthday cake was bread with frosting sometimes, and you were lucky to get presents on Christmas."

"That sounds awful." I tip my head back, sending my hair cascading in a wild river down my back.

"Oh, no, it was wonderful." She smiles at me, the gold hoops that she wears glowing against her cheeks. "When it got too cold and the power went out, we'd all sit together in one apartment and use Abuela's old tea kettle to make hot chocolate- just enough for everyone. When it got too hot and the power went out, someone would open a fire hydrant and we'd all play games and sing. No matter who was grounded, we would go and talk across the fire escapes until it got too dark to see. If the lights were out, we could see the stars, and Abuela would name them all for us. You'll have to come and see it someday."

"I'd love to." I honestly would, to see the neighborhood my mother comes from and that, in a way, I come from.

Vanessa takes my hand and looks me in the eyes. Her eyes are dark brown, like mine, and they have the same playful sparkle to them. "Listen, honey, if you ever need anything, or just want a woman to talk to about stuff, just call me. I wasn't there for you when you were younger, but I want to be there for you now."

I wrap my arms around Vanessa, and the two of us stay like that for a few moments- tangled in a hug, legs swinging over the cold sand.

*********

When we get home, Alex immediately goes into screeching ecstacy about the giant baggie of goldfish that I brought him. He plans to name them "Fred, Ed, Ted, Ned, Red, and Fred Jr."

John invites Vanessa in for coffee, but she politely declines. "I have to get back home. Thank you, though." She gives me one quick hug and then leaves the house in a whirlwind of floral perfume.

After she's gone, and Alex has found a container for his goldfish, we all sit down on the couch. Alex has his arm around me, and John is resting his chin on my head.

"We got a letter today," John starts, his voice serious. "From CPS."

I tense up a little- I don't want to get taken away. "What did it say?"

Alex shifts uncomfortably on the couch. "They just want to make a routine check-in and make sure everything's alright."

"Seems kind of a little late." It's been almost a year, hard as it is to believe, since I was first adopted.

"The agent is coming next Monday, and they said it's a simple procedure. They have to investigate the house, talk to all of us as a group, and then speak to each of us in private." John yawns, bumping his chin against my head.

I exhale, a little nervous. "Okay. It can't be that bad, right?"