Chapter 9
The living room looked like it had been hit by an earthquake. A big soggy chunk of ceiling had fallen on the coffee table. Its broken pieces splattered across the carpet, the sofa, and the TV.
Mom ran over to me. “It’s okay, honey. We’re all fine. Don’t worry,” she said, wiping away my tears.
“What happened?” I couldn’t stop staring at the opening in the ceiling. There were metal pipes and wooden beams crisscrossing each other.
“From the looks of it, I’d say the flooding upstairs compromised the integrity of our ceiling,” Dad replied.
“Huh?” I said.
“Meaning, all that water seeped through the floor and was absorbed by our ceiling like a sponge,” my mother explained. “These materials aren’t made to hold water, and they collapsed under the weight.”
“But not to worry,” Dad added. “The landlord will have it fixed in a week. Good as new.”
“A week!” I shrieked. “No!”
I started sobbing again. Forget all my other worries, this was a real disaster.
“Krystal’s birthday party is on Saturday, dear,” Mom said.
Dad’s face dropped. “Oh, I’m sure we can—”
Suddenly, There was a knock at the door. We turned to see Billy standing there.
“I’m really sorry,” he said quietly.
“I hate you,” I shouted, “and I never want to see you again.”
I was so angry. I ran into my room and slammed the door.
A few seconds later, there was a knock. “Krystal, honey, may I come in?”
“Just leave me alone,” I yelled.
“I’m your mother,” she stated. “I will not just leave you alone.”
She came in and sat next to me on the bed.
“The living room is ruined,” I sniffed. “My party is ruined. I knew it.”
“Darling, don’t worry,” Mom said soothingly. “We’ll postpone it. That’s all.”
“Mother,” I groaned. “I wanted to have it on the same day. If we postpone it, I’ll already be ten at the party.” I threw my arms in the air, adding, “What’s the point, then?”
Mom smiled. “You’re quite the drama queen, you know? Just like your grandmother.”
Suddenly, I sat up straight. All this information came flooding back into my head.
“Grandma!” I exclaimed. “That’s it! When she read the cards, she said that they would not tell me the future but put me on my path.”
“What do you mean, sweetheart?” Mom asked.
I blew my nose into a tissue, and said, “Temperance, Mom. That means balance and harmony. I must experience bad things to appreciate the good ones. In my dream, the pirate ship was destroyed, but the crew lived. It was a premonition of the living room.”
“I see,” replied Mom. She looked confused. “But I don’t think we were in any danger from a few pounds of falling plaster.”
“That’s not what I’m talking about,” I continued. “Grandma said that I had to make the right choice when the time came. I see now that I made the wrong choice.”
“You mean, yelling at Billy the way you did?”
“Yes,” I said, looking at my feet. “I shouldn’t have said such a mean thing. I know my birthday is a big deal to me, but my friendship with Billy is more important than a party.”
“Whoa, slow down, honey,” Mom said, chuckling. “It’s not even Sunday, and already you’re growing up right before my eyes.”
I smiled and kissed her. “I love you, Mom.” Then I ran out of my room to find my friend.
I went up to Billy’s apartment and knocked on the door. When he opened it, I hugged him.
“Do you have the wrong address?” Billy asked.
“You’re still my best friend,” I said.
“Phew!” said Billy, wiping his brow. “What a relief! I’m sorry too.” He invited me in. “You want something to eat? My mom made dinner.” Then in a whisper, “It tastes better if you hold your nose.”
I laughed. “No, thank you. I have to go home and help my parents clean.”
“Yeah, me too,” Billy said. “Hey, why don’t I tell everyone tomorrow that I got you a new sunroof for your birthday? That way, they’ll get jealous and have to bring you something much cooler.”
My stomach did a flip when the truth hit me again. I said, “That’s sweet, Billy, but there isn’t going to be a party anymore.”