It was parade day. We grabbed our backpacks and headed into town. My moonstone bracelet glinted in the morning sun. The sky was blue, and white puffy clouds floated overhead. Leroy trotted along on his rope leash, happy to be part of our pack again. He grinned and his tail wagged at warp speed.
The whole time we kept an eagle-eye lookout for Walter. Today had to be the day we’d find him. I could practically feel it in the air.
We’d made a plan to meet Grandma Daisy after the parade at the Wildflower where she and Mike were working all day selling trinkets and treasures to the tourists.
Alongside us, crowds of people hustled into town carting folding chairs and coolers. Parents trailed behind their kids who bounced up and down at the promise of cotton candy and carnival games.
When we turned the corner onto Broadway, Noah nudged me. “Look who’s doing his grocery shopping.”
Walter’s copper-colored van was parked in front of the Bullock’s Shur-Sav.
“I’ll wait outside with Leroy,” Noah offered. “Hurry before he gets away!”
Double-speed, Violet and I dashed into the market.
Walter stood in the checkout line with a small basket of groceries. Strapped around his waist was his black fanny pack.
Where was Rosalie Claire’s?
I ignored my jitters and cleared the nervousness from my throat.
“Going to the parade?” I asked.
Walter froze.
“The parade?” I repeated. “Are you going?”
When he snapped out of his spell, he looked at anything and everything except for us. “Nope. I’m gettin’ as far away from this brouhaha as I can.”
“Before you leave, you owe us something,” I told him.
“What’s that?” he asked, pretending to be all innocent.
“Don’t play dumb.” Violet stared at him without a blink.
“Here’s the deal, rugrats. I recharged your pack and at first it just coughed up a big ol’ wad of lint. Next I found an old shoelace. But this morning there was a twenty-five-buck winning ticket. How ‘bout I keep it just a few more days? I could use the dough.”
“I need it for my grandmother now. That fanny pack will wear out just the way yours did, because, like I told you, it works best when you use it to help other people. Why won’t you believe me?” I stared him straight in the eye, same as Violet.
We were interrupted by a commotion at the checkout counter. A lady with a baby in a carrier on her back had a plastic shopping basket filled with milk and baby food. The checker told her that her debit card didn’t work because there wasn’t enough money in her bank account.
“I’m sorry. I have a little cash, but I’m short twenty dollars,” she told the clerk. Her voice was panicky.
“Excuse me.” I reached over and tapped her on the shoulder. “This man can help you.”
I pointed to Walter.
Walter looked at me as if I were a three-headed alien.
“Oh, could you, sir? I’d be so thankful. It’s been a hard month. I’ll repay you. Honest.” Her eyes brimmed with tears.
“I have no idea what this little gal is talkin’ about,” he said, meaning me.
“Unzip your pouch, Walter. You might have twenty dollars in there.” I crossed my fingers I was right.
“You know I only got lottery tickets.”
“Then prove it,” Violet said.
Walter grumbled and yanked open the zipper.
His look of surprise could have made the angels sing. Even if he tried, I don’t think he could have stopped the grin from spreading across his face.
Walter pulled out a brand-spanking new twenty-dollar bill.
“Well, I’ll be swigger-jiggered.” He scratched his head.
“Go on, give it to her.” Violet pointed to the lady with the baby.
Walter hesitated. He wasn’t used to sharing good fortune.
“You can do it. It won’t hurt you,” I told him. “Might even make you feel good.”
Walter’s hand was wigglier than a loose tooth when he handed the lady the money.
She threw her arms around his neck and he turned stiff as a board.
“OK, OK. Enough of your carryin’ on.” Walter blushed.
Before she left, the lady got his address so she could pay him back. Then after he bought his own things with his credit card, Walter told us to follow him outside.
“I got somethin’ for ya,” he mumbled.
Noah and Leroy waited by the van. At the sight of Walter, my dog growled.
“Easy boy.” Noah tugged on the rope leash.
Then Leroy spotted Walter’s fanny pack. His shiny nose began to twitch as if inside there might be a great smelly treasure.
“What are you after, dog?” Walter looked puzzled and unzipped his pouch. To his amazement, he pulled out a crumpled bag that had “For Your Favorite Pooch” printed on it. Inside, he found a piece of fatty steak. Leroy’s favorite.
“Well, I’ll be,” said Walter, who was finally beginning to understand the power of his magical fanny pack.
Leroy licked Walter’s hand and then snatched the meat.
“Hard as it is for me to say so, savin’ somebody’s life is probably more important than rackin’ up a few more dang lottery tickets.”
He opened the van door, pulled out Rosalie Claire’s fanny pack, and handed it to me. “All charged up, good as new.”
I thanked him and unzipped it. Inside was the honey-yellow nugget of frog amber.
“What about this?” I asked, holding it up.
“You might need it again for your granny. Though I’m guessin’ you were twistin’ the truth when you said it was Florida. Not a ghost of a chance that could be true.”
I shrugged and said nothing. It was better if he believed that. Walter was only just learning about magic. He wasn’t nearly ready to understand the wonders of time travel.
“Anyway, I shouldn’t be needin’ that amber for another thirty years. As long as I don’t slip up and get too selfish, that is.”
I had the urge to hug him, greasy overalls and all, but I stopped myself so he wouldn’t get embarrassed.
“I’ll tell you what. I’ll leave the amber with Grandma Daisy. Then if you ever make a mistake, she could still recharge it overnight.”
“I’d be much obliged, ’cuz Lord knows I’m not perfect.”
“Who is?” I said. “Oh, and Walter? I have something for you, too.”
I dug the newspaper clipping from my jeans pocket. “The ring was for Betty Montoya, wasn’t it?”
Walter’s eyes opened wide. “How in tarnation did you know that?”
“A good guess,” I said and gave Walter the article. He studied it and looked so sad I thought he might cry.
“Betty and me, we’d been plannin’ to marry, then she got cold feet. Gave me back the ring and took off. Who can blame her? I guess I wasn’t always the nicest guy. But the thing is, I was a better man when she was around.”
I was just about to zip up Rosalie Claire’s fanny pack when I noticed something else inside. An envelope addressed to Walter, postmarked today. Weird.
“Looks like you got mail.” I handed it over.
Walter opened it and pulled out a piece of pale pink stationery.
“It’s from Betty. Glory be, I think this old blind squirrel just found himself an acorn.”
Walter looked faint and sank onto the passenger seat of his van. The letter fluttered from his grasp and landed on the sidewalk. Violet snatched it and offered it back.
“Go ahead. You read it. Then tell me the devil’s not playin’ tricks on me.”
She read it aloud.
Dear Walter,
I’ve been thinking about you every day for fifteen years. I’m sorry I left you like I did. I made a mistake. Or at least I think I did. I now live in Philadelphia, and I would like to be in touch and know how you’re doing.
Please write back.
Your friend,
Betty Montoya
“Sweet niblets,” gasped Violet.
“How in the world did that thing show up in your pouch?” Walter shook his head in disbelief.
“It was something you needed. After a while, you just learn to trust the magic,” I said.
“This is the kind of magic a fella could get used to.”
I swear it looked as if Walter’s eyes were sparkling with a bajillion stars of happiness.
“And Walter?” said Violet. “If you’re going to get Betty to like you again, you’d better think about getting yourself cleaned up.”
I think he heard her, although it was hard to tell for sure. Walter appeared to be off in some other world, hypnotized by Cupid’s arrow.
We said goodbye and wished him luck.
I had no idea if finding true love would wind up changing Walter’s surly nature. I sure hoped so. But as my mom used to say, life doesn’t come with a guarantee.
“I guess that means it’s time to go back to Costa Rica and help your grandma,” said Noah. “Besides, you owe me a surfing lesson.”
I knew it was time to go, although I’d made a promise to my mom I wouldn’t break.
In the distance we heard the honking of car horns and the clanging of cymbals. The parade was about to begin and my mom would be looking for us in the crowd. We had to hurry.