Like Pickle Juice on a Cookie (5 page)

and pushed it in an envelope

and wrote my return address in the corner.

Just like we did in second grade.

Then I went to find my dad,

to get Bibi's address.

He was standing with Agnes by the stereo.

They were singing a Beatles song.

My dad does not sing very well.

But Agnes from upstairs sounded beautiful.

My dad smiled at me.

“Want to sing with us?” he asked.

“No thanks,” I said.

“I need Bibi's address.”

So my dad got Bibi's address

while Agnes sang.

I liked listening to Agnes sing.

But I was ready for her to go home.

Finally,

as she went upstairs with her mom,

I went downstairs with my dad.

And I mailed my letter to Bibi.

As soon as my mom came home I told her,

“I wrote a letter to Bibi.”

“That's nice,” she said.

But I could tell she wasn't really listening.

She sat down on the couch

and patted the space next to her.

So I sat down beside her.

“I have to go back to work soon,” she said.

“We need to find someone to help us.

Someone to be with you during the daytime

until the end of summer

and then pick you up from school

when third grade starts.”

“I don't want a new babysitter,” I said.

“I understand that,” my mom said.

“I really do.

But we don't have a choice.

Your dad and I both work.”

“I could stay by myself,” I said.

“No,” my mom said.

“You really couldn't.”

I knew that.

But still.

“I won't like anyone else,” I said.

“I understand,” my mom said.

“No one in the world

is as good as Bibi,” I said.

“I know,” my mom said.

“But maybe we can find someone

who is not too terrible.

I heard about someone named Natalie.

Maybe we could try her out.”

“Do we have to?” I asked.

“We have to,” my mom said.

“Fine,” I said.

But I didn't like it.

Natalie came over that very afternoon.

“You keep inviting people without asking me,”

I told my dad.

But he wasn't listening.

He was opening the door for Natalie.

Natalie didn't look anything like Bibi.

She looked much younger.

She had a ponytail.

Bibi did not have a ponytail.

Natalie wore jeans.

Bibi never wore jeans.

Natalie smiled at me.

I smiled back a little.

But not a lot.

“You must be Eleanor,” Natalie said.

“Yes,” I said.

Then I said,

“Don't ever call me Ellie. Please.”

Because Bibi likes to call me Ellie.

“I won't,” Natalie said.

“If you don't want me to.

I promise.”

Then my dad said,

“Why don't you show Natalie your board games?”

So I showed Natalie our board games.

“I need to warn you about something,” she said.

She looked very serious.

“I'm very good at board games,” she said.

“You might be able to beat me.

But it will be hard.”

“Don't worry,” I said.

“I'm good, too.”

I am good at board games.

Bibi says she used to let me win,

but now I win all by myself.

I even win the games that are just about luck

and don't take any skill at all.

“You were born under a lucky star,” Bibi says.

“Let's play mancala,” I said to Natalie.

In mancala you move rocks around in a certain way

and if you have the most rocks at the end

you win.

No one has ever beaten me at mancala.

Natalie didn't beat me, either.

“Look at that,” she said.

“I may have met my match.”

After that we played lots of different board games.

She won some and I won some.

Then it was time for her to go.

“Next time can we play mancala again?” she asked.

“Okay,” I said.

“You can take it home with you now if you want.

To practice.”

“Good idea,” she said.

Then she went home with our mancala.

I decided to sit outside

the very next day

and wait for my letter from Bibi.

“Today?” my mom asked.

“Today,” I answered.

“But you just sent your letter to Bibi,” my mom said.

“The mail takes time.

It's much too soon to get Bibi's letter back.”

“I know,” I said.

But I thought,

Maybe it will come.

Maybe.

So I said, “I want to wait anyway.”

“Natalie will be here soon,” my mom said.

“Maybe she will wait with you.”

As soon as Natalie walked in I said,

“I want to sit outside and wait for a letter from Bibi.”

My parents must have told Natalie about Bibi.

Because she didn't ask any questions.

She just said, “That sounds nice.”

Together we went outside

and sat on a bench across the street from my building

and waited for Bibi's letter.

“You look to the left,” I said,

“and I'll look to the right.”

So Natalie looked to the left.

And I looked to the right.

And we watched carefully for the mail.