The Absolute Value of Mike by Kathryn Erskine Read Free Book Online Page A

in!”
    Tyrone lurched and I waved out the window to Past and took a last look at the little kid on his cart who looked like me. And I realized I had never asked him who the kid was or what he was doing on his shopping cart like a poster for a missing child.
    â€œHey, Moo, have you seen the picture of that kid on Past’s cart?”
    â€œOh, yes. Isn’t he sweet? He’s coming here.”
    â€œFrom Romania?”
    She nodded, smiling. “We’re adopting him.”
    I stared at her. “You and Poppy?”
    â€œOh, no, it’s a team effort.”
    â€œWho’s on the team?”
    â€œThe whole town!”
    â€œThe whole town is adopting a kid?”
    â€œYou’ve heard that it takes a village to raise a child, haven’t you?” She looked over at me and grinned. “Well, not really, but it feels like that. We’re all trying to raise money.”
    â€œCool. My best friend, Sasha, was adopted from Russia.”
    â€œThen you know all about adoption!”
    â€œWell, not all about—”
    Tyrone lurched to a stop in front of a strip of stores with glass fronts, mostly abandoned except for the phone company.
    Moo peered at the door. “Oh, dear. They’re closed, aren’t they?”
    My head flopped back onto the headrest. “Great. Now we have no phone service, either.” And I’d need to make several more calls before I could be sure that Dad would actually check his phone.
    Moo patted my arm. “I’m so sorry, dear. I’m sure you want to talk to your dad. I wish my cell phone worked.”
    I jerked upright. “You have a cell phone?” Maybe Past knew more than I thought.
    â€œYes, Doug gave it to me for Valentine’s Day, right before he—” She bit her lip and pulled her hoodie strings. She took a deep breath, blinked a few times, and added, “He even prepaid the bill for six months.”
    I counted the months on my fingers. “It’s still under contract! Where is it?”
    She pulled Junior onto her lap and dug around. “Here.”
    â€œMoo! This is a smartphone!”
    â€œIt is very stylish, isn’t it?”
    â€œNo, I mean, this gets Internet and everything!”
    She shook her head, started Tyrone, and pulled back on the road. “Doug didn’t pay for that part because he didn’t think we’d use it.”
    â€œOh.” I tried turning it on. “And it’s dead. Do you have a charger?”
    She looked doubtful. “If I do, it’d be in Junior. Why don’t you take a look-see?”
    I rummaged through O magazines, receipts, a thermos—“Coffee,” Moo explained—granola bars—“I need to have my snacks, Mike”—Dentu-Creme, pens, tissues, even a trial-size bag of dog food—I didn’t ask—before, amazingly, finding a car charger, which I immediately plugged in. Yes! A signal! I called Dad. No answer again. I left a message and texted but wondered if that would be enough. “I need to e-mail him.”
    â€œOkay, dear, you go right ahead.”
    â€œUh, except I need to find Wi-Fi.”
    â€œWho?”
    â€œWhere’s the library?”
    â€œIn Hedgesville, but it’s not open now.”
    Of course. “What time does it open?”
    â€œSeptember.”
    â€œSeptember?”
    â€œIt can’t afford to operate during the summer and can barely stay open three days a week during the school year.”
    â€œThat’s crazy!” I guess my teachers were right. We were privileged. “Do you guys have a coffee shop or restaurant with Internet connection?”
    She smiled. “Mike, the correct term is Internet buffet.”
    I stared at her. She was serious. “Actually, it’s Internet ca fé.”
    She waved her hand. “ Buffet, café, either way, it’s food and the computer. No wonder you young people love it so much.”
    â€œLet’s