Shine On, Luz Véliz!

Shine On, Luz Véliz! — page 5 — kitty cat light switch plate and I can build anything from LEGO bricks with or without the directions All I need is this screwdriver he says Can I just watch I say remembering how he used to let me help replace a door handle or change a light bulb If you really want to Lucita Which is my nickname He doesn’t say it with a smile though and my heart wilts a litt le He doesn’t notice the trash bag in my hands though it’s right in front of me and big as a Texas sage bush Before before before he was the head coach of Tri Cities Youth Soccer After after after he’s just Dad the landscaper He quit coaching the day I got hurt another parent took over He works his landscaping design business business Véliz Verde even on Saturdays now So fi ne I didn’t want to help with some old ceiling fan anyway I pull on my red jacket and head outside with the trash bag My plan Put my soccer life on the curb let the garbage garbage truck haul it away and dump the past into the past Luz Mom shouts Be careful on the driveway Be careful be careful be careful I know 4

Shine On, Luz Véliz! — page 6 — 2 2 I face sideways and take our super steep drive way slowly good leg first I hoist the trash bag with both hands It lands with a satisfying thump A voice carries from across the street A little early for trash day It’s Mr Mac pulling winter covers off his bushes He points to his wristwatch as he says a little early but his eyes smile Yup I say Never known you to be early Must be important Or smelly That’s what I like about Mr Mac He figures you know what you’re doing He figures you’ve got your reasons Mr Mac isn’t his full name It’s Mr MacLellan but we’re buddies so I get to say Mr Mac He was the first neighbor we met when we moved in and guess what he brought as a welcome gift Not cookies not tuna casserole casserole not some boring welcome card He brought a lamp

Shine On, Luz Véliz! — page 7 — that turns on when you clap It also works when I snap Practically magic Mom calls him Gadget Santa because he’s always giving us gadgets like a motion detector that chimes when Zig zag goes out her cat door Plus Mr Mac knows stuff When I graduated from crutches he showed me his banged up knee and how to use a cane Turning my back on the trash bag I call over It is important It’s my old soccer stuff He nods his hatted head and the sun glints off his round glasses He’s quiet for a second That’s a prickly one to swallow all right It sure is It won’t be easy looking at my bare bedroom but it’s better than looking at a room that makes me sad That’s a fact I say Do you remember Stephen Hawking Luz The physics guy who talked through a computer That’s him He said something about intelligence And he was a smart guy Test scores or even high grades that’s not what intelligence is Hawking says it’s being able to adapt to change I let that sink in You mean my leg I glance at my trash bag So is this me um adapting to change As best you can right And life is change I’ve found He resets his hat which has a solar powered fan built into the top Not that it’s easy of course I think about the soccer ball still in my closet and I know that I’m not all the way adapted Of course I might 6

Shine On, Luz Véliz! — page 8 — play around with the ball again just for fun But what if being a star was what made it fun And Before Dad showing showing me his soccer secrets which After Dad doesn’t do I’m not sure soccer can ever be fun now Mr Mac points to his open garage Look what I found he calls He picks up a large remote extends the antenna and a red toy car zips out I love that little thing Little Red we call it He lets me drive it sometimes Now it crosses the street zooms right to my feet Welded to the roof is a shallow shallow box kind of a tray Mr Mac made that part himself Inside the box tray sits a black electronic device maybe an old old phone I turn it over in my hands Rectangular buttons line one edge four black and one red Explore it See what you can make of it Mr Mac says zooming Little Red and its empty tray back across the street Will do I give him a wave and climb back up the driveway driveway turning the mystery object over in my hand Mom meets me at the door What do you have there I don’t know I push one of the buttons and a whole side of the device springs open I haven’t seen one of those in a long time she says Mr Mac said to explore it Mr MacLellan’s always got something interesting for you doesn’t he Mom says pointing at my bare head She always wants me to wear a hat if it’s the least bit sunny 7

7

PAGE 7 OF 268

The only kids' eBook subscription service that offers thousands of high-quality books from well known publishers like HarperCollins, National Geographic and others.

JavaScript Required

Whoops! We're sorry but Epic doesn't work properly without JavaScript enabled. Check your web browser's settings to make sure it's enabled.