The Zippy Fix by Graham Salisbury Read Free Book Online Page B

followed Mom and Ledward around to the front. Mom nudged the pile of weeds with her toe. It was only about the size of someone’s crumpled-up T-shirt. “Is this all you’re going to do?”
    I shrugged. “Yeah … I guess.”
    Mom chewed her thumbnail, thinking. “Well, how much do you think I should pay you?”
    That was a question I had an answer for—about three dollars would do it. But that was too much for the meager pile of weeds drying up in the sun by her feet.
    I shrugged.
    Mom thought some more. “What do you think, Led?”
    “He should do it for free. He lives here. He should work. Help out.”

    I stared at my dirty feet.
    Mom nodded. “Of course, you’re right. But he wanted to make some money today.”
    Ledward didn’t say more, and I was glad about that. But I knew what he was thinking, and he was right. I hadn’t done enough to get paid.
    “Okay, here’s the deal,” Mom said. “You pick up the clothes all over the floor in your room and put them in the laundry basket, then I’ll give you two dollars. How’s that?”
    Ho!
That was way more than the nothing I should have gotten. “Deal,” I said, before she could change her mind.
    “And do something with that pile of weeds, too. They’ll kill the grass if you just leave them there.”
    In my opinion the grass was so thick and healthy, not even rat poison could kill it.
    I nudged Darci. “Scoop up that pile of weeds, Darce. We got some figuring to do.”
    We sat on the lower bunk in my room and spread what looked like a fortune out on theblanket. “Eighty-seven cents, Darce. That’s all I need. Eighty-seven cents!”
    “What are you getting for Stella?”
    I told her about the Chris Botti CD, and how much Stella was going to love it.
    “I made her a note,” Darci said.
    “A note?”
    “Uh-huh, and I already gave it to her. It says I’ll make her bed five times, for free.”
    I laughed. “That’s good, Darce.”
    We found ninety-one cents in the dusty valleys of our living room couch and fifteen more under the seats in Mom’s car.
    “Yes!” I cheered. “Eighteen dollars and nineteen cents! I’m there, Darce! I’m
there!”

23
Feeling Rich
    I punched my alarm clock at seven the next morning.
    Monday.
    Stella’s sixteenth birthday.
    I jumped down from the top bunk and pulled on my jeans. I counted the extra nineteen cents out of my fortune and set it aside topay Darci back. Eighteen dollars went into my pocket. A few bills and a lot of coins. It made a big bulge, and was as heavy as a fistful of nails. I patted it, feeling richer than I’d ever been in my life. Too bad by tonight I’d be broke again. In debt, too. I also had to pay Willy back.
    In the kitchen, Mom and Stella were making lunches as usual. I grabbed the orange juice out of the fridge and started to drink from the spout.
    “Stop!” Mom said, scowling at me. “Why is it that you can’t hold even the tiniest thought in your head? How many times have I told you not to drink from the carton?”
    “Sorry.”
    I got a glass.
    Stella eyed me. “What you got in your pocket, Stump?”
    “Mom! She called me Stump again.”
    “Be nice, Stella,” Mom said. “He’s impressionable. We don’t want to diminish his self-esteem.”
    “He’s got self-esteem?”
    “Calvin, is there something you want to say to Stella this morning?”
    I looked at Mom. Huh?
    Mom sighed. “What
day
is this?”
    “Uh, Monday?”
    Mom squinted at me. “Happy birthday, Stella,” she said, scolding me with her eyes.
    “Oh. Yeah. Uh … happy birthday.”
    Stella pinched my cheek. “Thank you for remembering, Stumpy. That’s sweet of you.”
    I was
so
glad my room was way out in the garage. I couldn’t even imagine living as close to Stella as Darci did.
    In the pantry I found a brand-new box of Honey Nut Cheerios. I got a bowl and took it to the counter. Darci wandered in and climbed up onto the stool next to me.
    Stella thunked a carton of milk down between us.
    “Five