Keys to the City by Lisa Schroeder
“You’re weird,” he called out to me.
“And you smell like tuna fish,” I said. “Brush your teeth after I’m done brushing mine.”
“You’re not my mother!”
And he couldn’t understand why I’d rather hang out in my room alone?
Poppies are red,
the sky is blue,
tuna fish stinks,
and brothers do, too.
Lindy, somebody’s here to see you!” Davis yelled a little while later.
I hadn’t heard anyone knock. I threw my books onto my bed and rushed out of my room. “Nora, I’m so happy—”
But then I stopped when I turned the corner, because it wasn’t Nora. It was Tyler.
“Oh, hi,” I somehow managed to say. “I thought you were—”
“Nora,” he said with a smile as he brushed the blond bangs out of his eyes. “Yeah. I can see that. Sorry. Do you want me to go?”
My brother was sitting on the sofa with the controller in his hand and a big sheepish grin on his face. I shook my head. “Oh, no, it’s fine. Do you want …”
I started to invite him into my room, but I hardly knew him, so it seemed strange to do that.
“Do you want something to drink? I think we have lemonade.”
“Sure.”
He followed me to the kitchen. “My grandma will be here in a few minutes. Your parents said it was all right if I came up to say hi. It’s really cool you guys have an apartment up here and your guests stay in the rooms downstairs. Will you have to help make breakfast? You know, since it’s a bed-and-breakfast?”
I went to the fridge as Tyler took a seat at the kitchen table. “I hope not. Helping to keep the place clean is bad enough. And I’m pretty sure no one wants to eat the toast I burn every time I make it. Besides, I think my mom said something about keeping it simple with oatmeal, fruit, yogurt, and pastries. New York City is full of great bakeries. Might as well let them do the work, right?”
I filled two glasses with lemonade and took them to the table. It seemed like this was my chance to ask him some of the questions I had, but I didn’t want him to think I was nosy. Even though that’s pretty much what I was. I couldn’t help it, though. And besides, wasn’t it fair that I know as much about him as he knew about me?
“So where do you live normally? I mean, when you’re not staying with your grandma?” I asked as I tucked my hair behind my ears.
He took a drink of his lemonade before he answered. “Lakewood, Ohio. Outside of Cleveland.”
“Oh,” I said. “So that’s not too far. Did you drive here, then? Oh, wait, I guess you must have, with Odie.”
“Yeah, my dad drove us here. And I know you’re probably wondering why I’m staying so long, so I’ll just tell you.” He spun his glass around and around on the table. I took a sip of my drink, suddenly feeling kind of nervous. “My parents are having some problems,” he said as he looked up at me. “They’re trying to work things out, and they thought it might be good if I came here while they do that. I guess they didn’t really want me in the way or whatever?”
It came out as a question, and kind of made me feel uncomfortable. How can a kid possibly be in the way of his parents? They’re a family.
“I’m sorry,” I said. “Maybe they thought coming here would be more fun than being there. It’s your summer vacation, you know? Like, that’s supposed to be fun.”
“I know. But I miss my friends. And our neighborhood pool. We go swimming almost every day in the summer. I love it. When I get to high school, I plan on trying out for the swim team.”
Of course he missed his friends, the same way I’d miss mine if I went away for a month. I couldn’t help but feel bad for him. We’d definitely have to take him swimming.
“So I guess swimming’s your thing, then?”
He looked confused. “My thing?”
“Yeah. That thing you love to do and that you’re good at.”
“Oh, I see. I guess you could say that. One of them, anyway.”
Great. He had more than one thing? I didn’t even want to know what the others were. All I needed was to feel even more like I was already failing the HAT assignment.
“What do you like to do?” he asked. He seemed genuinely curious, and his green eyes were kind. Still, it was hard to talk about my problem to someone I hadn’t known very long. Before I could answer, there was a knock at the front door.
“I’ll get it!” Davis called out.
Saved by the bell. Or the knock. Whatever. “Maybe Nora’s here,” I said, glad for the interruption.
“Or my grandma. But before I go, I want to guess what it is you do.”
“Oh no,” I said. “Please don’t.” Because no matter what he’d say, I’d have to tell him he was wrong. Not only that, he might hurt my feelings in the process because what if he made the horrible assumptions most people did that had to do with the fact that I’m Asian? Like, why do so many people think I must be good at math and music? Stupid stereotypes.
I stood up just as Vivian walked into the kitchen.
“What are you trying to guess?” she asked him. Then she smiled at me and said, “Hello, Lindy.”
“Hi.”
Now Tyler stood up. “We were talking about swimming, and I wanted to know what she likes to do. That’s all.”
Vivian swooped in to save me, thank goodness. “Actually, that’s what we are going to try to discover this summer, together. I didn’t go into a lot of detail when I was telling you about Lindy’s school project. But I’ll fill in the blanks for you on our way home. It’s going to be fabulous.”
She sounded so certain. Why couldn’t I feel that confident?
When there was another knock at the door, Davis yelled, “Your turn to get it, Lindy, since they’re all here to see you anyway!”
It made Vivian laugh. “We better get out of your hair.”
I walked them to the door and opened it. Nora seemed surprised to see more than just me standing there.
“Vivian and Tyler, this is my friend Nora.”
“Hi,” Tyler said.
“So nice to meet you,” Vivian said. “We’re just leaving. You girls have fun.”
“We will. Thanks for coming by,” I said.
“See you later, Lindy,” Tyler said as he slipped past me, behind his grandma.
Nora raised her eyebrows as if to say, “What is going on and why did you have a cute boy in your apartment?”
I waited until I closed the door to let my giggle escape.
“Who was that?” Nora asked.
“Our neighbors,” I said as Davis yelled, “Her boyfriend!”
I glared at him. “He is not. I don’t want a boyfriend, tuna breath, so be quiet.”
Nora looked around our apartment. “This is really nice, Lindy.”
“Thanks. Come on. The butterflies are waiting to say hello.”
When she stepped into my room, her eyes scanned the four butter-yellow walls, one of them tastefully covered with painted butterflies, along with my bookshelf and the adorable window seat, and said, “Oh my gosh. Can I move in here with you?”
That is probably one of the best compliments your best friend can give you.
3:30 p.m. Nora left our place with her mom because they needed to go shopping for some new sandals. I was jealous. I want new sandals.
4:00 p.m. Davis complained that he was hungry. I told him to go find the cookies shaped like brownstones and sneak a couple for us. He came back a few minutes later with four cookies along with some cheese and crackers wadded up in a napkin. It kind of felt like we were prisoners in a castle and he’d snuck away to the kitchen and smuggled food out when no one was looking.
4:19 p.m. Those cookies were soooooooo good!
5:07 p.m. Mom and Dad returned to the apartment and said the grand opening had been a huge success. Normally, we order Chinese food on Saturday nights, but Dad suggested we go out to eat for a change. Davis and I played rock, paper, scissors to decide
6:00 p.m. Dinner at Olive Garden in Times Square. So many better places we could have gone to, but when Mom let me get chocolate cake for dessert, I was no longer unhappy about Davis choosing the restaurant.
9:00 p.m. Back home I got into bed, and read a Kate DiCamillo book for two hours. I love her books so much. Because of Winn-Dixie is another reason I wish I could have a dog.
8:48 a.m. Woke up and read some more until I smelled bacon cooking. Ate breakfast with the family, then took a shower, and this is where it gets really exciting!
11:05 a.m. Mom got a call on her cell phone. When she was finished, she told me to go downstairs because Vivian wanted to see me. So I ran downstairs to see her. She was there with Odie and Tyler. I petted Odie, who wagged his tail like he was really happy to see me. I said hello to Tyler. And THEN the most amazing thing happened. Vivian handed me a little velvet box and told me to open it. Inside was a necklace with a key on it! She said, “I want you to keep the faith because you will find your special talent. Right now it’s just hidden and locked away somewhere, waiting patiently for you to find and open it. Every place we visit will open a new door for you.”
I was shocked. I told her thank you, but it didn’t seem like enough. The necklace is so cute! I put it on right away, and it felt like it was made for me.
11:15 a.m. Vivian said she and Tyler were on their way to the bakery around the corner to get some goodies and asked me if I wanted to come along. So not only did I get a new necklace, I also got a doughnut.
It was a very good day.
Mom hadn’t scheduled any camps for Davis or me during the first week of summer vacation, which meant we could sleep in. Except as much as I love the idea of sleeping in, I’m not always able to actually do it. I try, believe me. I wake up and lie there, hoping I’ll be able to go back to sleep, but I never do. So I usually end up grabbing my book from the nightstand and reading in bed for a little while, letting my family think I’m still asleep. It feels a little bit sneaky even though I’m not doing anything wrong. Or maybe I am doing something wrong because if I got up and went into the kitchen, Mom might say something like, “Oh good, you’re up, you can help me with …”
So it was a rainy gray Tuesday morning and as I pretended to sleep but read my book instead, I heard my parents’ voices. Neither of my parents are very loud people so it was strange that I could hear them. As I listened, I realized it was because they were arguing.
“We have to get some business soon,” Dad said. “The bills are piling up, and without any income coming in—”
“Kevin, don’t you think I know that?” Mom said. She said it with a tone I hardly ever heard her use. “I’m doing everything I can to get the word out. It’s just going to take some time. Please don’t put additional pressure on me. I’m stressed enough as it is.”
“I’m sorry you’re stressed. But I am, too. I didn’t realize how difficult it would be to get people interested in staying here. Are we charging too much?”
“I don’t think so. We’re new, that’s all. And please remember, we do have some reservations later this summer. Until then, without any online reviews for a while, it’s going to be difficult. I’ve heard there are places where we could buy reviews, if you want to consider—”
“Julie, are you kidding me? We are not going to stoop to something so low. What if someone found out we’d done that? It’d be the end of everything we’ve worked so hard for. No, we have to wait and get some good reviews the old-fashioned way—because people want to give them to us.”
The way he said it made me sit straight up in bed. He sounded really angry. And it made me upset for my mother. She hadn’t done anything wrong. She was trying to come up with some ideas, that’s all. How could he be mad at her for that?
I didn’t want to hear any more. And so I got up and opened my bedroom door. “Hey, Mom? I’m awake. Should I get some cereal for breakfast, or are you going to make something?”
“Pancakes!” Davis yelled from his room. “I want pancakes. Please? Pretty, pretty please, sweet mother of ours? One shaped like a rabbit and the other in the shape of a snake.”
Good old Prince Charming, turning on the charm again. One of our mother’s special talents is making pancakes in simple animal shapes. At some point, Davis will be like me and won’t care what shape his pancakes come in, but clearly that day wasn’t today.
Knowing Davis was awake made me wonder if he had heard our parents arguing, too. Did it worry him like it worried me? My mind instantly went to Tyler. My parents got along really well. Like, they hardly ever fought. So what did it mean, them suddenly arguing like this?
Nothing, I told myself. It’s one disagreement, that’s all. Tyler would probably tell me his parents had been arguing for years. Although he’d only tell me that if I decided to ask him about it, which would be awkward for both of us. I wasn’t even sure how a conversation like that would go.
Hey, so, I’m curious, but what did you mean, exactly, when you said your parents are having problems?
Davis asked me once what cringe-worthy means—perfect example, right there.
“Okay,” Mom called out. “I’ll make pancakes. But you kids have to help. Meet me in the kitchen in five.”
Saved by pancakes. Thank goodness. I jumped out of bed and threw on some shorts and a hoodie. Then I went into the kitchen. Davis was there; Mom wasn’t. I waited to see if Davis would mention the arguing, but he didn’t say a word. Part of me wanted to say something, to talk about it with someone, but the other part of me knew it was probably best to keep it to myself. Besides, he probably would have told me it didn’t mean anything and that I was being dramatic. And maybe I was. All I knew was that I didn’t want it to happen again.
“It’s raining,” Davis groaned. “I wonder what we’re gonna do today.”
“I don’t know, but please don’t demand Mom take us somewhere. She has a lot going on. The last thing we should be doing is stressing her out.”
“Maybe it’ll stop raining and be sunny later. We should ask if she’ll take us to the pool.”
“Davis, did you hear what I just said? Besides, the pools aren’t even open, remember?”
“Aw man, that’s no fair.”
When Mom appeared a minute later, she looked kind of like a lost little child in her fuzzy pink bathrobe and her wavy blond hair all flat on one side. I had a sudden urge to give her a hug. So that’s what I did.
“Is everything all right, Lindy?” she asked as she wrapped her arms around me.
“I love you. That’s all.”
I felt her relax into the hug. “Aw. That’s nice. Thank you. I love you, too.” She kissed the top of my head before she said, “Now, let’s get those pancakes made, what do you say?”
I went to the cupboard and grabbed the mixing bowl as Mom started getting out the ingredients.
“What are we going to do today?” Davis asked. I turned around and glared at him. He shrugged and looked at me like, “What?”
Mom sighed. “I don’t know. I need to work on the inn’s website; I have some ideas I want to implement. Should I call Frannie? See if she can take you kids somewhere?”
Before either of us could respond, Dad appeared, dressed and ready for work. I watched him closely, curious if he’d say anything to Mom about their conversation earlier. It seemed to me like he should apologize, but maybe he wouldn’t want to do that in front of Davis and me.
“You want to stay for some breakfast?” Mom asked him. “It won’t be too long before it’s ready.”
“No, thanks. I need to get going. I’ll pick up something at the coffee shop.”
Was that a hint of disappointment on Mom’s face? I couldn’t tell for sure.
He turned and tousled Davis’s hair. “You too.” He looked over at me. “Be good to each other, all right?”
“Bye, Dad,” Davis said.
I chimed in also. “See ya later.”
After he left, Mom picked up her phone. “I’m going to call Frannie. I hadn’t scheduled her for today, but if she’s free, that’ll be for the best, I think.”
I started to protest and then decided not to. The B&B needed guests. Maybe the best thing we could do was leave Mom alone so she could work.
“I wish there was something we could do to help,” I told Mom as I went to the cupboard to get some plates.
This time, Mom let out an even louder sigh. “Me too, Lindy. Me too.”
Once, there was a princess, named Li, who lived in a palace in China. Her life as a princess was very boring. Every day after she woke up, a servant would bring her rice porridge for breakfast along with some tea. After breakfast, the servant would help Li get dressed into one of the many silk dresses she owned. Once dressed, Li took a walk outside in the garden if it was a nice day. If she couldn’t go outside, she would stay in her room, reading. Eventually a tutor would arrive and give her lessons in different subjects. Later in the day, she would join her mother and father, the emperor and empress, for a meal, where they hardly talked at all.
With no brothers or sisters, and no friends to play with, Li was sad and lonely. One day, instead of walking in the garden or reading, she walked from room to room in the palace and counted. After she’d walked down every hallway and been from one corner of the palace to the other, she gasped at what she now knew. The palace had two hundred and eighteen rooms. And for what? The staff stayed in some of them, but they didn’t need even half that many.
This new knowledge gave Li an idea. “Why don’t we allow people to come and visit the palace, and stay in the rooms that go unused?” she asked her father as they ate their evening meal of soup, rice, and fish.