We got out of the bus again to walk. The streets were mobbed. People were holding up cameras and cell phones to take pictures.
“What’s going on?” Juanita asked the man beside her.
“The president is in town,” the man said. “Everyone wants to see.”
That included me. The president of the United States! ¡Fabuloso! Only I was too short to see over the tall grown-ups. I needed my super bounce. Did I still have it?
I held my breath and pressed the second button on my wristband, the one that used to give me super bounce.
BOING! BOING! BOING!
It worked! I jumped above the crowd in a swirl of smoke.
BOING! BOING! BOING!
The motorcade stopped and a man in a blue suit opened the door of the middle limousine.
Out came someone I recognized from pictures and TV. Everybody cheered and waved.
BOING! BOING! BOING!
I could have jumped ten feet without Zapato Power. This was better than a parade! I couldn’t wait to tell Gio back at Starwood Park.
But first I had to bounce down to Mom and Juanita before they realized I was missing.
“Freddie?” Mom asked. “Did you see?”
“Sure did! The president of our country!”
The crowds thinned and we were able to walk faster.
Mom’s phone rang.
“Yes!” she answered. “Freddie has the diamond!”
“ANGELA IS WAITING FOR ME!” I didn’t need Zapato Power to hear Uncle Jorge shouting through Mom’s phone.
I looked at the street signs and counted. There were only two blocks left to Rockefeller Center. I knew I could get there in less than a blink. The problem was getting away from Mom. Maybe my almost-cousin could help.
“Could you keep my mom busy?” I whispered to Juanita. “So I can run ahead?”
She winked at me. “Good idea, Freddie. You’re faster than the rest of us.”
Juanita dropped her purse. Keys, combs, pens, and other stuff fell out. Mom stooped to help. I was off.
Getting to the Christmas tree was easy. Finding Angela and Uncle Jorge was not. There were so many people—all there to see the beautiful tree with the millions of colored lights. Luckily, I had my super bounce.
BOING! BOING! BOING!
Angela was standing off to the side, looking lonely. But where was Uncle Jorge?
BOING! BOING! BOING!
Finally, I spotted a brightly colored hat with a rooster top. It was Uncle Jorge pacing by a bench. I ran over to him.
“Here!” I handed him the letter. “Go talk to Angela!”
I got back to Mom before she was finished helping Juanita with her purse.
“Hurry up!” I pulled on her arm.
When we reached the Christmas tree, Uncle Jorge was on one knee, his rooster hat in his hands, watching Angela read her special letter. I rubbed the buttons on my wristband so I could hear Angela’s answer.
“¡Sí! ¡Sí! ¡Claro!” She nodded as Uncle Jorge put the ring on her finger.
“Good work, cousin.” Juanita patted my shoulder.
Mom clapped her hands and jumped around. She was so happy she didn’t notice Uncle Jorge had the letter and the ring before we got there.
The next day Uncle Jorge took us to the Statue of Liberty, Central Park, and the Brooklyn Bridge.
I had a lot to tell Claude the Second when I came home to Starwood Park. My guinea pig had been just fine with Gio and Maria. There were no poop presents on the carpet.
But I had presents for my friends.
“Thanks, Freddie!” Gio paraded up and down the sidewalk in his Statue of Liberty hat. Maria wore her NYC T-shirt all day.
I gave Mr. Vaslov a tiny model of the Empire State Building. He put it on a shelf in his toolshed beside my too-small zapatos. I was glad to see them there and not on someone else’s feet.
“What are you going to do with my old shoes?” I asked Mr. Vaslov.
“I’m not sure,” he said, rubbing his chin. “What do you think I should do?”
If someone smaller at Starwood Park got super zapatos, they would need help learning how to use them.
“Do you think you could be a good teacher, Freddie?”
That was a good question.
“Maybe.” I smiled.
