I’m staying.”
I reached my arm under the Play Wagon as far as it could go, but missed her by an inch. Maybe it was time to dress someone else. I climbed off the ground and wiped the grass off my knees. Turning to the third little girl, I held out a tunic covered in yellow feathers. “Why don’t we get your costume on, Marcie?”
Marcie crossed her arms over her chest. “I’m not wearing anything that isn’t pink.”
Thinking quickly, I replied, “But your jean shorts aren’t pink, and you’re wearing them.”
“It’s not my fault you can’t see magic colors. My mom sprinkled magic dust on these shorts this morning and told me they were pink. She said anyone who said otherwise was a big, fat liar.”
Impressed by Marcie’s mom’s ingenuity, I said, “You know what? Your mommy gave me some magic dust I can sprinkle on the canary costume to make it pink, too.”
She looked doubtful. “Really?”
“Sure, here it goes.” I reached in my pocket, pulled out some fuzz, and shook it on the costume.
Marcie hesitated. “It still looks yellow to me.”
“Well, it’s not my fault you can’t see magic colors,” I shot back, hoping I really had learned something during my freshman psychology class.
“Oh, now I see it!” Marcie exclaimed. “You’re right. It is pink!”
Before she had a change of heart, I slid Marcie’s neon yellow costume over her head. Then I turned to Lizzy Anna, who had poked her head out from under the trailer to see what was going on.
“Do you want me to sprinkle some magic dust on your costume, too?”
Lizzy Anna shook her head. “No.”
I sighed. “Why not?”
“Because magic isn’t real.”
“Is too!” Marcie insisted.
“She just said she had magic dust so you’d wear your stupid costume—duh!” Lizzy Anna said.
“Lady?” Erin tugged on my shirt again.
I looked over my shoulder. “What is it, Erin?”
“I lost my tooth!” Erin cried. Blood dripped from the now gaping hole in the front of her gums.
Forcing back the bile that had instantly risen to the top of my throat, I said, “It’s all right. Don’t cry. I’ll just go get your mom. She can clean you up and hold onto your tooth while you do your play. Then you can put your tooth under your pillow tonight for the tooth fairy.”
“But I just told you, I lost it!” Erin exclaimed as tears pooled intothe blood streaming down her chin. “It fell on the ground, and if I don’t have my tooth, the tooth fairy won’t come and I won’t get any money!”
“Don’t worry about it,” I assured her while secretly thinking how glad I was her costume was the same color as her blood. Otherwise, Nancy would probably deduct the cost of dry cleaning from my paycheck. “I’ll find your tooth and then everything will be all better.” I dropped to my knees and started combing through the grass.
“What are you looking for, Preppy?” Zoë asked as she walked around the side of the Play Wagon in full Playhouse Pal regalia. “Your dignity?”
“Erin lost her tooth in the grass and I can’t find it,” I replied, desperately digging through the grass, which looked like it hadn’t been mowed all summer. I sat back on my haunches, held up an old cigarette butt, and whispered, “You think the tooth fairy would notice the difference?”
“I can’t leave you alone for a second, can I?” Zoë said. She turned toward Erin and put her arm around her shoulder. “Hey, don’t worry about it, kid. I’m tight with the tooth fairy, and I’m sure she’ll give you money even if we can’t find your tooth. She’s really cool about stuff like that.”
Erin, using one of her wings, wiped the snot running down her nose. “Thanks.”
Zoë looked down at Lizzy Anna, who was still perched under the Play Wagon, her head propped up on her hands like she was watching some off-Broadway performance theater.
“How come you’re not dressed yet?” Zoë asked Lizzy Anna.
“Mia never told me I had to get my
I reached my arm under the Play Wagon as far as it could go, but missed her by an inch. Maybe it was time to dress someone else. I climbed off the ground and wiped the grass off my knees. Turning to the third little girl, I held out a tunic covered in yellow feathers. “Why don’t we get your costume on, Marcie?”
Marcie crossed her arms over her chest. “I’m not wearing anything that isn’t pink.”
Thinking quickly, I replied, “But your jean shorts aren’t pink, and you’re wearing them.”
“It’s not my fault you can’t see magic colors. My mom sprinkled magic dust on these shorts this morning and told me they were pink. She said anyone who said otherwise was a big, fat liar.”
Impressed by Marcie’s mom’s ingenuity, I said, “You know what? Your mommy gave me some magic dust I can sprinkle on the canary costume to make it pink, too.”
She looked doubtful. “Really?”
“Sure, here it goes.” I reached in my pocket, pulled out some fuzz, and shook it on the costume.
Marcie hesitated. “It still looks yellow to me.”
“Well, it’s not my fault you can’t see magic colors,” I shot back, hoping I really had learned something during my freshman psychology class.
“Oh, now I see it!” Marcie exclaimed. “You’re right. It is pink!”
Before she had a change of heart, I slid Marcie’s neon yellow costume over her head. Then I turned to Lizzy Anna, who had poked her head out from under the trailer to see what was going on.
“Do you want me to sprinkle some magic dust on your costume, too?”
Lizzy Anna shook her head. “No.”
I sighed. “Why not?”
“Because magic isn’t real.”
“Is too!” Marcie insisted.
“She just said she had magic dust so you’d wear your stupid costume—duh!” Lizzy Anna said.
“Lady?” Erin tugged on my shirt again.
I looked over my shoulder. “What is it, Erin?”
“I lost my tooth!” Erin cried. Blood dripped from the now gaping hole in the front of her gums.
Forcing back the bile that had instantly risen to the top of my throat, I said, “It’s all right. Don’t cry. I’ll just go get your mom. She can clean you up and hold onto your tooth while you do your play. Then you can put your tooth under your pillow tonight for the tooth fairy.”
“But I just told you, I lost it!” Erin exclaimed as tears pooled intothe blood streaming down her chin. “It fell on the ground, and if I don’t have my tooth, the tooth fairy won’t come and I won’t get any money!”
“Don’t worry about it,” I assured her while secretly thinking how glad I was her costume was the same color as her blood. Otherwise, Nancy would probably deduct the cost of dry cleaning from my paycheck. “I’ll find your tooth and then everything will be all better.” I dropped to my knees and started combing through the grass.
“What are you looking for, Preppy?” Zoë asked as she walked around the side of the Play Wagon in full Playhouse Pal regalia. “Your dignity?”
“Erin lost her tooth in the grass and I can’t find it,” I replied, desperately digging through the grass, which looked like it hadn’t been mowed all summer. I sat back on my haunches, held up an old cigarette butt, and whispered, “You think the tooth fairy would notice the difference?”
“I can’t leave you alone for a second, can I?” Zoë said. She turned toward Erin and put her arm around her shoulder. “Hey, don’t worry about it, kid. I’m tight with the tooth fairy, and I’m sure she’ll give you money even if we can’t find your tooth. She’s really cool about stuff like that.”
Erin, using one of her wings, wiped the snot running down her nose. “Thanks.”
Zoë looked down at Lizzy Anna, who was still perched under the Play Wagon, her head propped up on her hands like she was watching some off-Broadway performance theater.
“How come you’re not dressed yet?” Zoë asked Lizzy Anna.
“Mia never told me I had to get my
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