Lucky Charm (4 page)

“I thought I heard the guys at school say something about Robbie Flores being in a slump,” Charlotte said.

“Hmmm…well, he was doing great. I mean until about two weeks ago.” Avery sounded concerned for her favorite Red Sox player.

“So is this guy a phenom or a lovable loser?” Isabel asked.

Charlotte thought that Isabel asked a valuable question. But no one else seemed to be paying attention.

“Robbie Flores is NOT a loser.” Avery protested. “When he was hitting well, the Sox were on track for the playoffs. Now…well…that’s up in the air, and this guy may be on a bus back to Rhode Island.”

“Rhode Island? Is that where he’s from? He looks South American,” Maeve said.

Avery gave her a look. “Pawtucket, Rhode Island, is where the Red Sox Triple-A minor league team is located. The PawSox, Hollywood brain. Hey! Where did he go?”

The girls turned and looked. Robbie Flores had disappeared into the growing crowd.

“This place is a zoo—I better get to the batting cages and get in line. Come on, little guy.” Avery picked up Marty. “It’s real easy for us short people to get trampled, so let’s put you in my duffle for a while.”

With Marty’s head sticking out of her duffle bag, Avery made her way toward the batting cages. Halfway there, Marty began barking and pawing to get out. Avery rummaged around inside until she found Happy Lucky Thingy.

“Ruuussss!” Only muffled sounds came from the duffle bag now as Marty settled in to chew on his Happy Lucky little toy.

Waiting Game

Katani glanced at her watch. Luckily, Kelley’s appointment had been the first one of the morning. But it was 11:15
and her mother still hadn’t shown up, and Kelly would be done any minute now.
This is nerve-wracking
, Katani fumed. She was supposed to meet the BSG at noon. Her mother always told Katani how important it was to be on time, but Mrs. Summers often ran late herself. Although it wasn’t her fault. Usually, a phone call from the office would snag her just as she was walking out the door.

Katani could just imagine her mother sitting behind her desk, still talking on the phone. On a Saturday, the one day when Katani should be free to do anything she wanted. The one day for her to kick back with her friends.

Katani looked at her watch again. Where was her mother? Katani was growing impatient. Just as she was trying to decide what to do, she looked up to see her mom walking through the door.

“Hi, honey,” Mrs. Summers said, giving her youngest daughter a big kiss on her forehead. “Sorry I’m late.”

Katani breathed a sigh of relief. “That’s okay, Mom. Kelley is doing great. The therapist came out and told me.” On cue, the door opened and the therapist beckoned for Mrs. Summers to come in. Before she entered the office, her mom reached into her briefcase and pulled out a magazine, which she handed to Katani. Katani smiled. It was
Scene
—her favorite.

Hopefully, her mom’s meeting with the physical therapist wouldn’t take too long. Katani flipped through the magazine as her mother talked. She wasn’t purposely trying to overhear the conversation between her mother and Kelley’s new therapist, but it was hard not to.

“Her fine motor skills are coming along, but she still
needs help with her gross motor skills,” the physical therapist explained.

Katani yawned. She’d heard her parents and grandmother discuss various therapies for years. Kelley saw so many different therapists at school and out of school. It was hard to keep track of them. Then Katani heard something strange. Did the therapist just say something about a hippo?

“Yes. Yes, I read something about hippotherapy,” Mrs. Summers replied.

There it was again. Katani was sure of it! Her mother had said “hippo.” Katani stood up and pressed her ear to the door. But her mother
wasn’t
talking about hippos. She was saying something about horses. “I don’t understand how riding a horse could be beneficial,” Mrs. Summers was saying.

“It does sound odd, doesn’t it?” the therapist agreed. “But I’ve seen hippotherapy have a dramatic effect on kids like Kelley. The rhythmic forward-and-back, side-to-side motions stimulate the rider’s musculoskeletal and neural responses in the way that our equipment can’t. Besides, the kids love it. For them, it’s fun instead of work.”

“I see,” Mrs. Summers said, but Katani didn’t. Katani wasn’t sure exactly what this physical therapist was really talking about.

“Hippotherapy…” the therapist said.

There was that word again.

“…is used in a variety of ways that affect the physical and psychological well-being of autistic kids. It has a calming effect. And it promotes various social and emotional benefits beyond just the physical ones.”

“But is it dangerous?” Mrs. Summers asked.

“It can be a little intimidating to see your child six feet off the ground on top of a thousand pound animal, but therapeutic riding stables have a qualified staff and a large group of volunteers that run along the side of the horse. They’re there not only for safety, but to provide encouragement and emotional support.”

“Do you have any reading material on hippotherapy?” Mrs. Summers asked.

“Certainly,” the therapist said, and Katani heard papers shuffling in the next room. “And I can recommend a nearby stable. I spoke with the owner, who specializes in working with autistic kids, this morning. She happens to have an opening. Usually there’s a long waiting list. She’s able to take Kelley this weekend. I suggest you give it a try.”

“I don’t know,” Mrs. Summers hesitated. “I’d have to talk it over with my husband and my mother.”

Katani glanced at her watch once again. She hoped her mother and the therapist wrapped things up quickly, the festival and the BSG were waiting for her. Hippotherapy, or whatever it was, was
not
what she wanted to be thinking about this morning!

K
atani and her sister were two blocks away from the festival, but they could already hear the music of the carnival rides and gleeful screams from the riders. Katani could feel Kelley tensing up.

“It’s okay, Kelley,” Katani reassured her. “We’re going to have fun. Right?”

“A ton of fun for us. Not them,” Kelley said in her TV announcer voice.

Katani was amazed at how Kelley could mimic the voices she heard on TV.

“Look, Katani! There’s Isabel and Charlotte! This
will
be fun,” Kelley shouted.

Katani looked to where Kelley was pointing. Isabel and Charlotte were standing near the carousel.

“Isabel! Charlotte!” Kelley shouted as they got close. She gave them each a big hug. Kelley wasn’t always comfortable with physical contact, but when she wanted to give someone a hug, they were getting a hug—whether they liked it or not!

“Hi! Where are Avery and Maeve?” Katani asked, looking around to see if the other BSG were nearby.

“Avery and Maeve went over to the batting cages. They both went gaga over some Red Sox player who’s supposed to be there,” Charlotte said.

“But for different reasons,” Isabel added with a smile.

“Come on, we were just going over there. I want to check up on Marty.” Charlotte began walking toward the cages.

“Marty? Marty’s here? I love that little doggie! Where is he? Marty? MARTY!” Kelley shouted.

“Chill,” Katani reminded Kelley. Katani was trying her best to be patient, knowing that if she got upset, Kelley would get upset as well and that would be a disaster. “We’re headed that way now.”

Katani didn’t understand how someone so sensitive to loud noises could be so—well—LOUD!

Just over the rise on the edge of the park they could see the top of the batting cages and they hurried off in that direction. Each pitching machine whirred loudly as it spat a ball at the poised batter. If the batter connected, the ball reversed its flight with a satisfying PING! If the batter missed, the ball rattled against the cage’s chain link fence backwall when it hit.

There was a small crowd gathered around the back of the batting cage and onlookers shouted out encouragement.

“You got a piece of that one!”

“Hang in there!”

“Keep your eye on the ball.”

“Step into it! Step into it!”

The BSG arrived at the batting cage as the pitching machine cranked and spit out another ball. To Charlotte, it
seemed that Avery swung her bat the moment the ball came out of the machine…but still, she missed the pitch.

“Wow! That was so fast! I can barely see the ball. How fast was that?” Charlotte asked.

Isabel pointed to the digital display attached to the side of the batting cage.

“Seventy-five? Seventy-five miles per hour?” Charlotte asked incredulously.

“Avery was right. This is like major league or something,” Katani said. “Seriously.”

“Big League,” Kelley repeated with the same serious face and nod of the head. “Big League,” Kelley said again just as Avery smacked a line drive back toward the pitching machine.

“WOOOOO! WHOOOOOO!!!!!” Avery shouted, dropping her bat and jumping up and down.

“Nice job, kid,” said the man behind the fence.

The friendly crowd surrounding the batting cage gave her a smattering of applause.

“All right!” Avery high-fived toward a couple of the more enthusiastic onlookers.

Kelley scrunched her eyebrows together, raised her arm and yelled, “Thank you Boston!” Even Katani had to laugh. Avery and Kelley continued to jump around.

Finally Katani said to the both of them, “It’s time to settle down now!”

“Did you see him?” Maeve asked, rushing up as Avery turned back to try to hit a few more balls.

“Marty?” Kelley asked. “Did I see Marty?”

“No! Robbie Flores!” Maeve said, putting a hand to her forehead and pretending to swoon.

“Who?” Katani asked.

“That baseball player, the one that Avery was going on and on about this morning. He was just here. Right here! He’s soooo dreamy! I think he might still be nearby signing autographs or something,” Maeve gushed, looking frantically around.

“Marty!” Kelley yelled. “Where’s Marty?”

“He’s around here somewhere, Kelley,” Katani turned to Maeve. “Where’s Marty?”

“Yeah,” Charlotte asked, examining the crowd with her reporter’s eye. “Where IS Marty?”

“Wait, wait! I’m not finished. Wait until you hear this—this is the best part!” Maeve protested.

“MARTY! MARTY! Where are you?” Kelley yelled.

“You have to hear the story. Robbie Flores was sitting right there on the bench under the tree and there were tons of people around. He was signing autographs, and suddenly he stops writing, looks up, and smiles right at me! I turn to see if he’s looking at someone behind me, but there is no one there. He was actually
smiling
at me. ME!”

Charlotte just shook her head. “Maeve, you are a wonder.”

Kelley tilted her head back and yelled out “MARTY!” at the top of her lungs again.

“Shhhh,” Katani said. She tugged on Kelley’s arm, but that only seemed to make her louder.

“And…” Maeve paused dramatically, “…and then he winked. ROBBIE FLORES WINKED AT ME!
Moi
.”

Kelley threw back her head and yelled at the top of her lungs, “MARTY!”

“So much for keeping a low profile,” sighed Katani.

“Don’t worry about it, Katani,” Charlotte reassured her friend. “We understand.”

Katani gave her a grateful smile.

“Maarty!” Kelley shouted once more.

At the final scream, Marty popped his head out of Avery’s sports bag with Happy Lucky Thingy sticking out of his mouth. He gave a little growl, which was muffled by the ever-patient Happy Lucky Thingy.

“Marty?” Kelley asked, trying to figure out where the sound was coming from.

Marty began wiggling faster and faster until at last, he popped right out of the duffle bag, which had been lying next to the batting cage.

“Marty! There he is!” Kelley cried happily.

Marty made a beeline for the girls. Before he could reach them, a squirrel bolted across his path. In a flash, Marty turned and dashed after it.

Off and running, his little legs were a blur of motion. With Happy Lucky Thingy sticking out of both sides of his mouth, the leash bounced along behind him like an unhappy snake on a hot skillet.

“Marty?” Kelley said softly, her mind not comprehending the situation at first. “MARTY!”

Kelley’s arms and legs flailed at odd angles as she took off after the great squirrel hunter. Despite her lack of style, Kelley was incredibly fast. Katani could hardly keep up with her.

Suddenly, the squirrel bounced off the trunk of a tree and changed directions. Marty paused, wondering which was
the best route for his wild pursuit. His hesitation gave Kelley, who had managed to catch up with the little dude, just enough time to stamp her foot on the end of the leash. “HA!” she yelled in triumph.

She did it
! Katani thought as she panted. Kelley actually caught up with Marty and nabbed him!

However, as Kelley bent down to pick up the leash, the squirrel ran down the tree and took off in a tear toward the far end of the park.

Marty reared back. In an instant, his collar slipped off. Kelley watched helplessly as Marty snatched up Happy Lucky, ran down the hill, and disappeared into a strand of trees.

By this time, Katani had caught up with her sister and was standing by her side.

Kelley hiccupped.

“It’s okay, Kelley,” Katani said, not feeling at all okay herself. “You caught him. You were the first one…”

“MARTY!” Kelley wailed. Distraught, she threw herself on the wet grass.

Kelley’s sobs grew louder. Katani was super aware that people were staring. However, at this point she didn’t care. Marty had run away, but it was Kelley who had almost rescued him. Katani was proud of her sister, even though her behavior looked strange to the onlookers.

Charlotte was the first of the BSG to catch up with them. “Where’s Marty?” Charlotte asked.

Hearing the name made Kelley wail louder.

Maeve and Isabel rushed over to them.

“What’s the matter? Is she hurt?”

“No, no…it’s okay, Kelley,” Katani said, trying to soothe her sister.

“Where’s Marty?” Charlotte asked again.

Maeve tried to soothe Kelley by patting her back, but Kelley shook her head back and forth, twisted away, and sobbed into the grass. Maeve pulled her hand back. “Sorry,” she whispered to Katani.

“What can we do to help?” Isabel asked.

“Nothing. Go look for Marty. I need to—to take Kelley home,” Katani told her friends.

“Where
is
Marty?” Charlotte asked for the third time. Why wasn’t anyone answering her?

Katani pulled the leash from beneath her sister, who was beginning to calm down. She held it up so that the empty collar swung in the breeze.

Katani glanced up at Charlotte’s shocked face.

“Which way?” was all she asked.

Katani pointed to the stand of trees down the hill and near the creek, and Charlotte disappeared.

Maeve and Isabel stayed behind to help Katani calm Kelley down.

Maeve started singing Kelley’s favorite song. “Happy Birthday to you…”

Kelley shook her head, but that didn’t stop Maeve. She kept right on singing. Eventually, Kelley quieted and began to sing with Maeve. They sang “Happy Birthday” for each one of the Beacon Street Girls.

“Hey, where’d you guys go?” Avery asked as she arrived at the scene. “I got another line drive. You missed it.” She took a big slurp of a Sno-Cone.

Isabel put her finger to her lips and nodded toward Kelley.

“What’s going on?” Avery whispered.

“Later,” Isabel mouthed to Avery.

Avery shifted her weight from foot to foot. Katani just knew what Avery was going to say next. Katani waved her hand in the air and shook her head, but she couldn’t stop Avery from speaking.

“Hey, does Charlotte have Marty?” Avery asked.

Instantly, Katani, Isabel, and Maeve all said, “SHHHHH!” at the same time.

Kelley shook her head at Avery. “Avery, Marty’s lost. He ran after a squirrel right before our eyes.” She snapped her fingers and said, “You better find him or it will just be horrible.”

Katani sighed. Kelley could switch on and off so fast.

Avery’s eyes popped wide open. “What do you mean?”

Katani took the leash, wadded it up behind her back in a small little ball so that Kelley wouldn’t see it, and handed it to Maeve. She glanced down the hill. In the distance, she could hear the echo of Charlotte calling Marty’s name.

Avery dropped her Sno-Cone and looked at the faces of her friends. She couldn’t quite believe what they were saying.

“I have to take Kelley home,” Katani said.

“Do you need help?” Isabel asked.

“No. I think I got it. The sooner I get her out of this crowd, the better. You guys should help Charlotte.”

Blame Game

Maeve watched Katani and Kelley disappear into the crowd.

“So what’s going on?” Avery asked in a trembling voice.

“Marty is…” Isabel said sharply.

“What happened?” Avery’s knees began to shake.

Charlotte came running back. Even though she tried to look composed, Maeve could see where tears had left streaks on her face. “Is Kelley all right?” she asked, still panting.

“Will someone please tell me what happened?” Avery pleaded.

Maeve sucked in her breath, wondering who was going to tell Avery. She twisted the leash nervously behind her back.

Charlotte grabbed the leash from Maeve’s hand and held it up. “This is what happened!” she yelled.

Avery gasped. “Is that…Marty’s? How?…When?…” Avery was scared. She had never seen Charlotte so worked up.

“Gee…maybe it happened while
someone
was in the batting cage,” Charlotte spat out.

“But Marty was…in my bag…I was sure he’d be okay…He’s been fine in there before.”

“Marty is an escape artist! You know that! I know that! We ALL know that!” Charlotte said, looking around at Isabel and Maeve before turning back to glare at Avery.

New tears had started to appear in Charlotte’s eyes.

Maeve was shocked by Charlotte’s outburst. She’d never heard Charlotte raise her voice at anyone before.

“I’ve already lost my poor kitty cat, Orangina, because of those boys who let him loose in the streets of Paris, and now…I’ve lost…we’ve lost Marty!” Charlotte sobbed, burying her face in Isabel’s shoulder.

Avery bit her lip. “Which way did he go? Did you call
him? Did you offer him his favorite treat? Did you whistle?”

“Wooooo whooooo! Look at me! I can hit major league pitches!” Charlotte mimicked Avery’s victory dance in the batting cage. “Of course I whistled, I yelled, and I crawled in the bushes!!”

Avery looked down at her feet.

“Charlotte, yelling at Avery isn’t going to help,” Maeve said firmly, as she put her hand on Charlotte’s arm.

Charlotte spun around to face her. “How can she imply that I didn’t do a good job looking for him when she’s the one that got him lost in the first place?” Charlotte asked. Then she faced Avery. “For your information, Miss Major League Hitter, he’s gone. G-O-N-E! And he doesn’t have his collar on…so even if someone does find him, they won’t be able to call. They won’t know who to return him to! There’s no hope.”

Avery’s lip trembled, but she looked determined. “Well, we can’t just stand here and yell at each other. Let’s do something about it!”

“I WAS doing something about it. But it’s just no use. He’s gone!”

Isabel looked at Maeve and bit her lip. “Charlotte…why don’t we go home to make some fliers. If you type up the copy, I can design it,” Isabel offered. Charlotte couldn’t answer. Her shoulders were slumped and she couldn’t look at Avery.

Maeve nodded at this suggestion. “Great idea, Isabel,” she said with enthusiasm. “Something positive to focus on.”

“Come on, Charlotte, if we make the fliers now, we can still hand them out to people at the celebration. The sooner the better,” Isabel said. She turned back and looked at Maeve.
With her eyes she looked and nodded toward Avery. Maeve was sure she knew exactly what Isabel was saying without saying a word…
you handle Avery
;
I’ll take care of Charlotte
.