TJ Zaps the Freeze Out #3: Stopping the Silent Treatment
We always have goldfi sh Livvy In fi rst grade we had Salt and Pepper In second grade we had Pip and Pop Last year we had Tater and Tot No one wants a fi sh Tater was my favorite said Maxi moving her fi nger in a circle He’d swim round and round all day long That’s the only thing fi sh can do They’re boring I said The fi fth graders are going to call us lowlife guppies Again said Ethan He slumped down in his chair His face was red If you bring in a fi sh I won’t talk to you anymore Livvy looked surprised Then mad I didn’t say I was defi nitely getting a fi sh I’m going to Pet Palace tonight I might get a bearded gecko A gecko would be great I said Ethan has one It would be way better than a fi sh 6
Way way way better than a goldfi sh said Ethan Then a gecko it is said Livvy You can count on me But when I saw her drawing goldfi sh all over her notebook that afternoon I wasn’t so sure She drew little hearts for their tails 7
What if we get another goldfi sh I asked Ethan after school Trust me said Ethan We’re not getting another goldfi sh That’s when he told me The Plan That night I set my alarm clock for seven o’clock Dad’s clock radio sat on my dresser It was set to go off at seven fi fteen My old Barney clock was hidden behind my baseball mitt ready to sing I Love You at seven twenty What can I say We were desperate I found the travel clock Auntie Stella said from the doorway She looked around and shook her head I don’t think you’ll need it You never know I grabbed the clock and set it for seven thirty The power could go out 8
She scanned the room one last time Night TJ I hope it works out for you tomorrow Are you positive Livvy is getting there at eight Auntie Stella isn’t my real aunt But she’s been helping my dad take care of me ever since I was born Dad always says we can’t live without her and she can’t live without us I think he’s right Even though I call her Auntie Stella everyone thinks she’s my grandmother I fl icked off my lamp That’s what Ethan said Mr Wong is driving us to school early Before eight We’ll have Ethan’s gecko in the car just in case What if she shows up with a fi sh asked Auntie Stella She won’t I said A promise is a promise But in case she does we’ll talk 9
