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The Horses Aren’t Busy Tonight, So . . .
“Oh my gosh, Ella! That was the most amazing day ever!”
“Yeah,” is all I manage to say. I’m still kind of in shock and haven’t been talking much.
Daleni and I are curled up on our sleeping bags under my open bedroom window. The curtains are pushed all the way back so that we can watch the stars as we listen to the crickets. And yes, if you’re wondering, the air conditioning is on, but my door is shut, and I’ve placed a rolled up bath towel across the bottom to keep my mom’s money from flying out into the warm, night air.
“I wish you had told me everything from the beginning,” she says. “I’m still a little mad.”
“I’m so sorry, Daleni! There were so many weird things happening. I didn’t even know how to explain it all.”
“I get it, but let’s pinky swear to always tell each other the truth.”
She holds out her pinky, and I curl mine around hers. “I swear,” I say.
I lay back on my pillow, glad that the whole mess is behind me.
“Que pases buenas noches, Ella.”
“Good night to you too, Daleni.”
I roll away from her onto my side. I start thinking back on the day, all the crazy things that happened, and how happy I am with the way it all turned out. I’m feeling like the luckiest girl in the world. There are still a few mysteries to be solved, but they can wait. I still have most of the summer ahead of me.
“What is that noise?” Daleni asks. She’s up and on her knees, peering out the window. I pull myself up beside her in a flash.
“Is that what I think it is?” she whispers.
“Dios mío!” I say.
A black, Cinderella carriage is coming down my street.
“Come on!” I shout.
I take her hand, kick the bath towel out of the way, and together we practically fly down the stairs. We pause before opening the front door. We need to take a moment. She nods her head. I nod my head. I open the door.
The carriage has pulled to the curb, directly in front of my house. This time the fairytale feeling doesn’t bother me. Four of the tallest, blackest horses I’ve ever seen are standing in front of it. They have long flowing manes and long flowing tails. They stamp their feet and toss their heads, ready to get on with it.
“Come along, girls!” Mrs. H. shouts from the driver’s seat.
“Go on, Sweetheart,” my mom says from behind us. “Mrs. Hallovich wanted this to be a surprise.”
I run to my mom and throw my arms around her. Dad is standing at the foot of the stairs with Tommy in his arms. Tommy reaches for me.
“Can Tommy come too?” I ask.
“That’s the plan,” Mom says.
Mom and Dad watch from the front porch as the three of us scurry down the walkway to our ride.
Mrs. H. hops down from the driver’s seat and opens the carriage door. “Up you go, ladies,” she says. Then, “not so fast, Mister!” she adds. I think for a moment that she doesn’t want Tommy to go. It’ll break his little heart. It’ll break my little heart. “You’re riding up front with me. I need help controlling these horses.”
“Vroom-vroom,” Tommy says.
She and Tommy climb up into the driver’s seat and Mrs. H. turns to peek at us through the front window. “Comfy?” She asks.
“This is great!” I say.
Mrs. H. chuckles. We hear Tommy making more vroom-vroom noises as we take off. Daleni and I sit next to each other in the seat that faces forward like a couple of princesses in pajamas. The horses are trotting down the road like they own the place. Daleni leans away from me and puts her head out of her side window. I do the same on the other side. The night air blows in my face. A million stars are out. This is the life.
Before I know it, we’re coming to a stop. I know exactly where we are.
“I’ll go to the door,” I say to Mrs. H.
“No need. Here she comes.”
Mandy is walking down her front porch steps wearing her pajamas too. “Have fun, Sweetheart!” her mom is calling to her.
“Did you plan this with her mom too?” I ask Mrs.H.
“We had a little chat, yes.”
“Hey, Mandy!” Daleni says.
“Hey, Daleni! Hey, Ella!” Mandy plops down in the seat across from us. She’s excited too. “I can’t believe this. This is amazing!”
Mandy sticks her head out of her window like us and then we’re traveling down the road, harnesses jangling, hooves clip-clopping, having no idea where we’re going, but happy to be on our way.
After a couple more minutes we’re slowing down and pulling over in front of another house. The front porch light is on. Melanie and her dad are on the porch swing expecting us. In less than a minute she’s climbing up in back and she gives me a high five and sits across from me. If I’m being honest (and I always try to be honest), things are looking better for Melanie and me.
“Hi, guys!” she says.
“Hi, Melanie!” we all say back.
The carriage starts to move.
“Let’s put our heads back out of the windows!” Mandy says.
So we do. Four windows, four heads hanging out, one Mrs. Hallovich, one Tommy, four black stallions, and a billion stars.
We ride through the night. We pass Roy’s, where we’ve all bought candy. Even Mrs. Hallovich, who bought her candy there about 100 years ago.
Much later, Mrs. Hallovich returns the M&Ms to their homes. Daleni and I are back in my room and she’s already asleep beside me. I still can’t believe Mrs. H. is really Grandma Hallovich. I don’t know what we’re going to come up with to tell my parents. There’s no way they’ll believe everything that’s happened. Adults can be funny about things like that. Don’t you think?
I’m so wired up, I don’t think I’ll be able to sleep until Tuesday. I reach under my bed to pull out my diary. I grab a pen and I’m just about to start writing about everything that’s happened when I change my mind. I put the diary back. I pull out the midnight blue journal, with silver stars, that belonged to my great-great-great grandpa William. A good story is hard to keep in when it just wants to get out and live. I start writing:
I’m way too old for a babysitter . . .
The End
I hope you've enjoyed the book. Thanks for reading!
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