The flat tire made us late. By the time we arrived in New York, it was dark and chilly outside. Uncle Jorge said that was okay.
“Times Square looks better at night! You’ll love it!”
Uncle Jorge led us through the busy streets to a place full of bright neon signs. Everywhere I looked, I saw a gigantic picture. One of them had a lady with a green face and a pointed black hat.
“Do you have a wicked witch in New York?” I asked Uncle Jorge.
“Wicked is a Broadway show, Freddie,” Uncle Jorge explained. “A play with singing and dancing.”
New York had a lot to get used to. Singing green witches. Tall buildings everywhere. And more people packed together in one place than I’d ever seen.
“Hold on to me, Freddie,” Mom kept saying.
Mom squeezed my hand like she thought I could jump over everyone’s heads with Zapato Power. I didn’t even know if that was true. When the bus stopped for the flat tire, I’d been so busy testing my super speed, I’d forgotten to see if I still had super bounce.
“This way!” Uncle Jorge waved a gloved hand at us.
It wasn’t always easy to follow him in the crowd. Luckily, Uncle Jorge was wearing a funky hat with lots of colorful stripes and a row of short strings sticking up. It made him look a little like a rooster. Whenever we got too far apart, I looked for that hat.
Ten minutes later, we turned the corner to a quieter street. Mom finally let go of my hand. I shook it out a little to make sure it wasn’t broken.
We crossed an intersection and stepped onto the curb behind an old man with a cane. He was carrying a large brown envelope. A sudden gust of wind blew it out of his hand and down the street.
“¡Ayúdame! Help me!” the old man cried.
Uncle Jorge rushed to help, but the wind snatched the envelope away. New York was big and crowded, but it needed Zapato Power just like Starwood Park. I pressed the first button on my wristband.
In a blink, I had the envelope for the old man.
“¡Gracias! ¡Gracias!” he exclaimed. “These papers are for my green card.”
I knew what a green card was. It was important if you came from another country and wanted to stay in the United States. When someone at Starwood Park got a green card, they invited the neighbors to a party.
“De nada,” I said. “No problem.”
The old man hugged me and my chest filled up like a balloon. Helping people was the best part of Zapato Power! I was so glad my new shoes worked!
“That was amazing,” Mom said. “I didn’t know you could run so fast.”
“You’re like lightning,” Uncle Jorge added.
For a split second, I worried my mom had somehow figured out I had super speed. But her face wasn’t scrunched up, like it gets when she thinks I’m going to hurt myself. She was smiling, proud of me.
“You have a good heart, mi hijo.”
We waved good-bye to the old man with the cane and walked a few more blocks to Uncle Jorge’s apartment.
“This is where I live.” Uncle Jorge pointed to a sand-colored building. “Before we go in, I’d like to go next door.”
“Why?” I asked.
“You’ll see.” Uncle Jorge smiled bigger than a cartoon cat.
We followed him into a bodega store with fruits, vegetables, and other foods. A dark-haired girl stood behind the register. She was taller than me, about middle school size.
Uncle Jorge introduced us. “This is Juanita, the daughter of a very special lady I want you to meet.”
“Mamá isn’t here,” Juanita explained. “She went home to make pollo asado for dinner tonight.”
“That’s my Angela!” Uncle Jorge clapped like he’d won the lottery.
“How nice!” Mom clapped too. “I can’t wait to meet her.”
A funny feeling came over me. Mom and Uncle Jorge were way too excited about a chicken dinner, even if they were hungry. Something was happening. Something no one had told me yet.