Michael Arthur Patterson was thinking so hard he didn’t hear his dad come into the room. He jumped when Dad said his name.
A flash of red caught Susannah’s attention and she turned her head. A tiny, old woman no larger than Susannah was stepping down from the curb to cross the street.
Solomon Nassim El-Charif had a plan. He had first hatched his plan during Sabbath School. When the primaries had walked into class last Sabbath, their eyes had opened wide in surprise.
Kenya Jayne Washington jiggled with excitement. It was Thirteenth Sabbath, and the Primary class was in an uproar.
It seemed G. M. was a funny grandma. G.M. had taken Joseph and his friends to a show where they all got to paint to music, and more paint had ended up on the painters than on the paper! Susannah laughed out loud at one photo of Mac and Trevor with purple eyebrows and orange-spattered grins.
“In heaven I will see the roses, and they’ll never wilt. Mr. Fontaine will see Mrs. Fontaine again,” Mike said softly.
Kenya Jayne Washington grabbed the bouncing basketball out from under her brother Morgan’s reaching hands, jumped as high as she could, and—swish!—the ball slipped right through the net. Kenya shrieked with glee.
The kitchen door opened again, and Papa breezed in, greeting everyone cheerfully, smiling at Mrs. Moore, giving Solly a bear hug, and wrapping his arms around Mother, who looked more cheerful immediately.
Kenya Jayne Washington pedaled fast, trying to keep up with her friends’ bikes. Mali and Lisa were two new girls at school, so pretty and popular that Kenya felt special because they had chosen to be her friends.
The teacher said, “We are going to start something very special today. Listen!” A flutelike instrument played a lively tune. Mike listened in delight.