Willa by Heart by Coleen Murtagh Paratore Read Free Book Online Page A

Cape Cod hopes to build ten homes a year. It says it costs about $50,000 to build one of these houses, but if they can get land donated and contributions of materials from building companies and free labor from roofers and electricians and other services, it can cost less.
    I find information on the numbers of Cape Codders who are living in poverty and about what the average Cape Cod worker makes and how many people are living in temporary shelters, places like the crummy Oceanview Inn….
    This is going to be great.
    When I share my idea at Freshman Class Meeting, though, let’s just say I don’t get a standing ovation.
    â€œOh, Willa,” Ruby Sivler says, “give it a rest, will you? We did the library. Isn’t that enough? It’s almost summer. Time to think about pool parties and beach parties and boat trips to Nantucket and the Vineyard and … ell … I don’t want to feel all sad and guilty about poor people. I mean, my mother and father give money. They are, like, the biggest contributors to the Cape Cod Symphony and …”
    I look over at the boys. Jessie has his headset on. Luke’s playing a video game. JFK smiles at me. He shrugs. “I think it’s a great idea,” he says, “but fifty thousand dollars is a lot of money.”
    â€œIt doesn’t all have to be in cash,” I say “We can get businesses to contribute, someone to give us the land, a lumber company to supply the wood. And we can all help on-site with the actual building.”
    â€œYou mean with hammers and nails?” Tina says. She scrunches her nose, then sighs loudly. “I know you mean well, sweetie, but I agree with Ruby. It just sounds like an awful lot of …
work
… to me. Nobody’s making us do this, right? I mean, we all got our twenty-five hours with the library thing, right?”
    Every student at Bramble Academy is required to do twenty-five hours of community service during each of our four years of high school. “Well, yes, technically we’ve all met this year’s obligation, but—”
    â€œWilla,” Tina says, tilting her head at me like,
Come on, let it go.
“We’re all really busy….”
    I look around at my classmates—Emily, Gus, Trish, Shefali. Nobody else seems interested either.“Well, what about a 5K race for the heart association?” I say.
    â€œToo much work, Willa,” Ruby says.
    â€œHow about being literacy volunteers? It only takes a few weeks to train….”
    â€œToo much time, Willa,” Tina says.
    â€œWell then,” I say, “what about collecting books to send to a school that lost its library in the hurricane?”
    Ruby perks up. “You mean in Cancún?”
    â€œNo,” I say. “In America.”
    â€œNow, that sounds just right,” Tina says. “I’ve got books in the basement I’d. be happy to throw … I mean …
give
away for a good cause.”
    The bell rings. “Okay, then, everybody,” I say. “Show of hands. Who’s in?” Everybody raises their hands. Tina pulls Jessie’s hand off of his headset and holds it up in the air. He smiles at her. They are so in love.
    Unanimous. “Okay, then, books it is. Let’s start collecting today. I’ll get permission to store them in the old gym. Try to get as many good children’s books as you can find. Ask your relatives, your neighbors. The more the better …”
    ***
    But I’m not done with Come Home Cape Cod.
    When I get home, I write an editorial letter and e-mail it to the
Cape Cod Times.
I say that I’m a high school student here on Cape, a washashore who feels like I was born here, and I love this place and the people who live here, and how I think it is wrong that some people who were born and raised here can’t afford apartments, let alone a house, and that I just found out about the Come Home Cape Cod organization