Much Ado About Muffin by Victoria Hamilton Read Free Book Online Page B

one of the three children in
Die Zauberflöte
along with Lizzie and Lizzie’s bestie, Alcina. “Pish is hard to resist once he has his mind set on something,” I said, with sympathy. “Poor Janice is beside herself. She wanted to do
The King and I
.”
    â€œMe, too! I would have loved to play one of the parts. My mom was ready to sew me the most gorgeous kimono.”
    â€œYou could have played Lady Thiang,” I said. “She’s the chief wife of the king. So have you met Roma Toscano?”
    Isadore snorted, like a dragon in her lair. Hannah giggled, her slim hand, tiny rings on her bony fingers, over her mouth.
    â€œIsadore doesn’t like her much, but I think she’s interesting!” Hannah said. “I’ve never met anyone like her.”
    â€œProbably not.” I, on the other hand, had met many divas in the modeling world, and they generally had two things in common: absolute self-absorption coupled with crippling insecurity. I suspected Roma was the same. I stared at Hannah, her big gray eyes luminous in the dim and dusty library, her tiny body adorned with a long dress that covered her withered legs. “I’ve missed you
so
much,” I said, and teared up. How could I have stayed away so long? These people, this place, grounded me.
    â€œWe
all
missed you,” Hannah said, placing her hand on my arm, her cool, light touch like a fairy breath. “You know, you only miss people if you love them.”
    Isadore looked up from her book, stopping midmunch, and nodded, her odd green eyes aglow. “Missed you, too,” she whispered.

Chapter Four

    B efore I left town I girded my loins and entered the post office, one of the buildings squashed together across Abenaki from Binny’s Bakery. There was an alleyway to the left of it, and a vacant storefront on the right. It all looked ready to tumble down around Minnie’s ears. I entered, the buzzer sounding. Minnie was on the phone, whispering and looking flustered, her puffy cheeks ruddy. She muttered something hastily, and hung up.
    The post office was long and narrow, with a wall of post office boxes on the right ranging from small at the top to larger ones along the bottom. Along the left wall were supplies to purchase: envelopes, brown paper for wrapping, bubble wrap, and tape. About halfway down was Minnie’s counter, and behind her a door to what I assumed was a mail-sorting room.
    Minnie stared at me. She’s a woman in her sixties, broad-beamed and not tall, with messy gray curls. She wore a postal uniform, a pale blue golf shirt and navy pants, stretchedacross her heavy form. First I collected my mail from our post office box, and then I approached the counter.
    As far as I knew no one actually
liked
Minnie. We all put up with her because what else could we do? I had long ago switched everything I could to email and paid most bills online. But . . . there are some things you can’t avoid using the post office for.
    â€œHow are you today, Minnie?”
    She nodded, picking moodily at an old scab on her hand. “Heard you were back.”
    â€œI am. And some of my luggage is being sent back to me by post. It should come soon, within the next few days, I hope: a suitcase and a box.”
    â€œOkay. Fancy schmancy, from Italy?”
    â€œActually, I was in Spain,” I said.
    â€œSame difference.”
    I gritted my teeth. “Minnie, I heard you had a run-in with Crystal Rouse. What’s the deal with her?” I was anxious to know what was going on, since Emerald, and therefore Lizzie, were involved. Lizzie and Em had lived with me for a while, and I had become attached.
    â€œThat witch had better watch out. She’s got my Brianna reeled in and full of some crap about wishing for something and getting it. What a load!”
    For once we kind of agreed on something, though I wouldn’t put it so baldly. “I’m going to look into it. I