have just a minute. Percy ran away from home. And I’m the only one who cares. “Never mind!” I yell. I run up the hall.
“Nat?” Mom calls.
But I keep running. All the way to my room. On account of I am running away too.
Chapter 17
Adding It All Up
I can still hear Samuel crying all the way through my bedroom door. I am crying too. Only nobody cares about that.
Except for Puppy 24. She hops on my bed and licks up my face.
“Percy ran away, Puppy. He thinks I love you and not him. Only that’s a lying thing. I love both of you!” I know this is for true. I know that adding Puppy made me love both of them more. “Adding means more !” I tell Puppy. “Not less !”
I put my face on Puppy’s back and cry. Only inside I’m asking God, Please bring my kitty back.
Puppy squirms away. She hops off my bed and runs across my room. Her toenails click, click. She slips and bumps into my closet.
“Puppy! Come back!” I need her to be with me.
She doesn’t come back. She keeps scratch, scratch, scratching at my closet.
My bedroom door opens. In come Mommy and Daddy and Granny.
“Nat, we’re sorry,” Mommy says. “Let’s go look for Percy. Okay?”
I am crying very hard now. Mom sits next to meand puts her arm around me. Daddy sits on the other side and puts his arm around me.
“Percy will be okay, Nat,” Daddy says.
“I…love…Percy!” I say between cryings.
“Percy knows that,” Daddy says.
“No he doesn’t! He thinks I love him less ‘cause of Puppy. But I love him more!” I feel arms tighten around me.
“Do you know we love you more than ever, Nat?” Mommy asks.
I don’t answer. But I am doing very hard thinking.
“Now we get to love Nat the Daughter and Nat the Big Sister,” Daddy says.
It feels good to be hugged on both sides of me. And I know I’m feeling that thing inside me that goes by the name of love.
“Sorry to interrupt,” Granny says. “But why is that dog scratching up your closet?”
I slide off my bed and go to Puppy 24. “Come here, Puppy.”
Puppy gives me a smiley face. Then she goes back to scratching.
Granny walks over to the closet. “I wonder…” She opens it just a crack. And out comes Percy.
“Percy! You’re here!” I pull Percy onto my lap. “You didn’t run away!”
Puppy’s tail is wagging very fast. She tiptoes up to Percy. I wait for my cat to run out of the room like he did a gazillion times.
Only he doesn’t. He stands up in my lap. But he doesn’t spit. Puppy moves in closer. Percy holds very still. Then they touch noses.
“Well, I’ll be,” Granny says.
“They love each other!” I shout.
Percy prances off my lap. Then he strolls to my bed, jumps up, and curls into a curly ball.
I love that Percy.
Saturday, there is more hurrying in my house than on going-to-church days.
Granny drives us to school in Charley the Chevy. Mom and Dad and Samuel ride in the backseat together. Only it feels okay now.
We walk into the gym, and it is filled with noisiness. I help Mom and Dad and Granny get seats in the way back, in case Samuel turns into a crying baby. Then I go sit with my kindergarten class on our stage.
Laurie has a saved seat for me. “Is that your new baby brother?” she asks, full of excitement.
“Yep.” I am a little full of excitement too. “You want to meet him after this?”
“Yeah! What’s his name?” Laurie asks.
I start to answer. But Miss Hines walks to themiddle of stage, and everybody gets quiet.
“Welcome to our kindergarten graduation!” she shouts. People clap like crazy. Jason whoops. Miss Hines goes on to say a bunch of nice things about us. Then she asks her big question. “Class, what’s the most important thing you learned this year?”
Katelyn has to go to the mike first. “Reading,” she says. Then she sits down.
The next four kids copycat and say “reading” too.
When it’s Jason’s turn, he shouts, “I learned not to eat hot lunch on Fridays!”
Laurie goes after
“Nat?” Mom calls.
But I keep running. All the way to my room. On account of I am running away too.
Chapter 17
Adding It All Up
I can still hear Samuel crying all the way through my bedroom door. I am crying too. Only nobody cares about that.
Except for Puppy 24. She hops on my bed and licks up my face.
“Percy ran away, Puppy. He thinks I love you and not him. Only that’s a lying thing. I love both of you!” I know this is for true. I know that adding Puppy made me love both of them more. “Adding means more !” I tell Puppy. “Not less !”
I put my face on Puppy’s back and cry. Only inside I’m asking God, Please bring my kitty back.
Puppy squirms away. She hops off my bed and runs across my room. Her toenails click, click. She slips and bumps into my closet.
“Puppy! Come back!” I need her to be with me.
She doesn’t come back. She keeps scratch, scratch, scratching at my closet.
My bedroom door opens. In come Mommy and Daddy and Granny.
“Nat, we’re sorry,” Mommy says. “Let’s go look for Percy. Okay?”
I am crying very hard now. Mom sits next to meand puts her arm around me. Daddy sits on the other side and puts his arm around me.
“Percy will be okay, Nat,” Daddy says.
“I…love…Percy!” I say between cryings.
“Percy knows that,” Daddy says.
“No he doesn’t! He thinks I love him less ‘cause of Puppy. But I love him more!” I feel arms tighten around me.
“Do you know we love you more than ever, Nat?” Mommy asks.
I don’t answer. But I am doing very hard thinking.
“Now we get to love Nat the Daughter and Nat the Big Sister,” Daddy says.
It feels good to be hugged on both sides of me. And I know I’m feeling that thing inside me that goes by the name of love.
“Sorry to interrupt,” Granny says. “But why is that dog scratching up your closet?”
I slide off my bed and go to Puppy 24. “Come here, Puppy.”
Puppy gives me a smiley face. Then she goes back to scratching.
Granny walks over to the closet. “I wonder…” She opens it just a crack. And out comes Percy.
“Percy! You’re here!” I pull Percy onto my lap. “You didn’t run away!”
Puppy’s tail is wagging very fast. She tiptoes up to Percy. I wait for my cat to run out of the room like he did a gazillion times.
Only he doesn’t. He stands up in my lap. But he doesn’t spit. Puppy moves in closer. Percy holds very still. Then they touch noses.
“Well, I’ll be,” Granny says.
“They love each other!” I shout.
Percy prances off my lap. Then he strolls to my bed, jumps up, and curls into a curly ball.
I love that Percy.
Saturday, there is more hurrying in my house than on going-to-church days.
Granny drives us to school in Charley the Chevy. Mom and Dad and Samuel ride in the backseat together. Only it feels okay now.
We walk into the gym, and it is filled with noisiness. I help Mom and Dad and Granny get seats in the way back, in case Samuel turns into a crying baby. Then I go sit with my kindergarten class on our stage.
Laurie has a saved seat for me. “Is that your new baby brother?” she asks, full of excitement.
“Yep.” I am a little full of excitement too. “You want to meet him after this?”
“Yeah! What’s his name?” Laurie asks.
I start to answer. But Miss Hines walks to themiddle of stage, and everybody gets quiet.
“Welcome to our kindergarten graduation!” she shouts. People clap like crazy. Jason whoops. Miss Hines goes on to say a bunch of nice things about us. Then she asks her big question. “Class, what’s the most important thing you learned this year?”
Katelyn has to go to the mike first. “Reading,” she says. Then she sits down.
The next four kids copycat and say “reading” too.
When it’s Jason’s turn, he shouts, “I learned not to eat hot lunch on Fridays!”
Laurie goes after
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