The Double Dabble Surprise (4 page)

Abby tied her sneakers in a double knot. One red. One blue.

Carly ran out of the house.

Abby led the way down the cul-de-sac. The kids came dashing out. At the corner, they bunched together to cross the street.

When they reached the school yard, Abby shouted, “Count-down to recess.”

“Recess, recess,” the kids chanted. Then they scattered in different directions.

Jimmy followed Carly and Dee Dee to first grade.

Sung Jin went with Abby and Stacy to third. Jason darted ahead of Eric and Dunkum.

In Math, Sung Jin tried the problems. He had trouble. The teacher gave him an easier paper. Kids bumped into each other trying to help him.

At recess, Jason saved a swing for Sung Jin. Eric asked Sung Jin to play soccer. Dunkum got dibs on lunch.

Abby and Stacy hung from the bars.

“Still want to move in?” Stacy asked.

“Guess not. Our sisters will be coming soon.”

“What will happen to Jimmy and Sung Jin?” Stacy asked.

“I don't know. They're leaving with Mrs. Roop soon.”

Abby hoped the boys would like their new family.

On the way home, Abby skipped over the sidewalk cracks.

The cul-de-sac boys yelled for Sung Jin and Jimmy to play basketball.

Carly went to Dee Dee's house.

Abby walked home alone.

In the house, Mother was cooking rice again.

Abby hurried to the secret place. Tomorrow, the best day. Her sisters were coming!

She flipped on the flashlight and slid the skinny door shut. Finding her Sunday school paper, she read the story. It was about secret sins.

She looked up Psalm 19:12 in her Bible. Abby felt funny inside.
How many secret sins do I have?
she wondered. She talked to God about it.

Later, Abby heard her parents talking. She crawled out of the closet to listen.

Mother sounded upset. “Mrs. Roop called this morning. She wants us to keep the boys another week.”

“How do you feel about it, dear?” Abby's father asked.

“I really don't know,” Mother said. “It will be harder for them to leave . . . the longer they stay.”

Father chuckled. “They are having a great time, aren't they?”

“A great time tearing the bedroom apart,” Mother said.

“It's not much of a boys' bedroom, now is it, dear?”

Is Daddy sticking up for them?
Abby wondered.

Mother's voice shook. “Where are the girls?
Our girls?”

Abby held her breath.

“Mrs. Roop is handling that,” her father
said. “Let's trust the Lord to take care of things.”

Scre-e-ech! Outside, a car slammed on its brakes.

Abby ran to the window. She saw Sunday Funnies limp away from the car and hide under Eric's porch.

Sung Jin chased the hurt puppy. He crawled under the porch and coaxed the puppy out. Then he took off his jacket.

Eric and Dunkum came running. Gently, they lifted the puppy into Sung Jin's jacket.

Abby dashed downstairs. “Mommy, come quick!” she called. “It's Sung, er, Stacy. I mean, it's Sunday Funnies.”

Mother hurried outside to Sung Jin. “Are you all right?”

Sung Jin looked bashful, but he nodded.

“Sung's fine,” called Jason from across the street. “The puppy's hurt.”

The boys made a three-cornered stretcher with Sung's jacket. Slowly, step by step, they carried him across the street.

Stacy stroked Sunday Funnies as the driver got out of the car. His face was white. He looked at the puppy and patted his head.

The boys carried the puppy to Abby's mother. Stacy followed close behind.

“I'll call the vet,” Mrs. Hunter said. She hurried inside the house.

Stacy followed. Abby held her hand.

Soon the kitchen was filled with kids. Droopy-faced kids.

Sung Jin and Eric and Dunkum laid Sunday Funnies on the floor. They knelt around him. Abby thought Stacy was praying.

Abby's mother called the vet.

Carly came into the house. “What happened?”

“Sunday Funnies got hit by a car,” Abby said.

“Oh no!” she cried, sitting on the floor near the puppy.

Mother hung up the phone. “The vet wants to check him for a broken leg.”

“I'll call my mom at work,” Stacy said. “She'll drive me to the vet. Thank you, Mrs. Hunter.” Then she turned to Sung Jin. “Thank
you.
I'm going to miss you when you leave tomorrow.”

After the kids were gone, Abby whispered to Carly, “Meet me in the secret place.”

Inside the secret place, Abby told Carly about the boys staying longer.

“Another week?” said Carly. “Will we ever get our sisters?”

“I guess so,” Abby said. “I hope so—I think.”

NINE

The next day, Abby jumped a pretend hopscotch while she waited for Stacy.

At last, Stacy skipped down her front steps.

“Hi,” Abby said. “How's Sunday Funnies?”

“Limping a lot.”

Abby kicked a stone down the sidewalk. “Lucky he didn't get killed.”

“Poor thing,” Stacy said. “I sneaked some waffles to help cheer him up. What did you have for breakfast?”

“Rice.”

“Cream of rice?”

Abby sighed. “No, rice rice.”

“You're kidding.”

Abby laughed. “It's not so bad.”

Stacy grinned. “How are the boys doing?”

“Sung Jin and Jimmy are learning to pray for their food,” Abby said. “And Sung Jin keeps reminding God that he's eating
American
rice now.”

“Do the boys know about Jesus?” asked Stacy.

“We teach them something new every day from the Bible. They'll have a good idea by the time they leave.”

“What if they don't get a Christian family?” Stacy asked.

Abby hadn't thought of that. “I will pray that they do!”

“Will Sung Jin always have two names?” Stacy asked.

Abby hopped on one foot. “Only till he gets an American name,” she said.

After school it was snowing fast. Abby scuffed her shoes on the snowy sidewalk.

Mother looked up from her Korean cookbook as Abby came into the kitchen.

“Is Carly home yet?” Abby asked.

“They were just here,” her mother said.

“They?”

“Carly and Choon Koo.”

“You mean Jimmy.”

Mother closed the cookbook. “Who?”

“Choon Koo is Jimmy now.”

“He can't choose his name,” Mother said.

“But he
wants
to be called Jimmy.”

“His parents will choose his name,” her mother insisted.

Abby didn't like it. Choon Koo was Jimmy. He even looked like a Jimmy!

Abby peeked in Carly's room. No one there. She looked in the boys' room. “Oh no!” she wailed.

Bows were off the curtains. Bedspreads were rolled up and stuffed under the beds. The corners were sticking out.

The bride bears stood side-by-side on the bookcase. They looked like boy bears now. Each had a red paper hat stuck to its head.

Scissors and left-over scraps lay on the floor.

Dresser drawers hung open. Mother's pink wall hanging lay folded inside the bottom drawer.

Those horrible boys!

She turned to go, calling for Carly.

No answer.

She dashed to the secret place and slid open the skinny door.

There sat Carly reading to Jimmy.

“What are you doing?” Abby shouted.

“Helping Jimmy read,” Carly said, shining the flashlight in Abby's face.

Abby frowned at her little sister.
Carly knows better. Jimmy doesn't belong in here!

Abby churned with anger. She ran through the rain to Dunkum's next door to help him with his spelling.

Phooey! Carly had shared the secret place with Jimmy. Things were crazy wrong.

Definitely!

TEN

Later, Abby ran back home. She dashed to her sister's room. “How could you!”

“What?” Carly asked.

“You showed Jimmy our secret place!” Abby hollered.

“So what?”

Abby stared at Carly. “You didn't tell him our secret code did you?”

Carly frowned. “What's
wrong
with you, Abby?”

“Nothing.”

Carly lined up her stuffed animals in a row on her bed. “Abby, why don't you like Jimmy and Sung Jin?”

Abby held her breath. “They aren't sisters,” Abby said slowly. “That's why.”