—
My Voice
WHAT CAN I do? I have to do something.
I do the only thing I know how to do. I open the book in my hand to page one, and I read out loud.
“A true leader seeks to help those who are doing good.”
I read it twice, and suddenly the words are clear and true. The last time I read this book, its words blurred on the page. They made no sense. Now I really understand what Book Uncle means when he says, “The right book for the right day.”
Today is the day. This is the book.
So I use my best listen-very-carefully voice. The voice that Mrs. Rao uses when she tells us something really, really important.
“Here are all these people who voted for you because they thought that you would do good. So … will you … please tell us …”
At this point, I am shocked to find that my throat gets tight. This has never happened even once in my life. My hands get sweaty. My listen-very-carefully voice has holes in it. I cannot say another word.
What do I do now? I have no other kind of voice left.
Then, just when I can see that those chickens I counted (too soon) are starting to roll away like lost marbles …
THAKKA-THAKKA-THAAM-THAAM!
A perfect drumbeat sounds from just behind me.
Thakkitta-THAAM! THAKKA-thimmi-thaaam!
And something magical happens. My voice returns and it is stronger than before, an A-One campaign-perfect, I-mean-it kind of voice. I tell Karate Samuel all about Book Uncle. How he has books for everyone. How he loves each book like a friend, and all he wants to do is share his books with the whole city, with anyone who wants to read one. He can’t afford to pay for permits. They will take time. We can’t wait for that. We need him back now.
“If you are a true leader,” I say, “then you tell me. Why do you have to have a permit in our city to do good things?” And I hold out the karate book.
Mayor Karate Samuel reaches out a hand. He takes the book from me. He opens it. He stares at it. He stares some more. He looks up and stares at me.
If there was a feather handy, I could have tried it out to see if it worked as a knockdown weapon.
Then the new mayor smiles a slow smile.
I recognize that smile. It is the smile I smile when Book Uncle finds the right book for the right day, just for me.
“A true leader …” Mayor Samuel whispers, and he turn-turn-turns the pages. “You have more like this?” he asks.
Book Uncle folds his hands and tips his head and beams at the mayor through his super-thick glasses.
“Many more,” he says.
I nod-nod-nod my head.
The mayor looks at Book Uncle. He looks at me. He straightens up. He takes a breath. We all wait — kids and grown-ups, babies and yappy dog and donkeys — all of us together.
“You, sir,” says Mayor Karate Samuel, his best hero voice ringing out, “will get your permit — FREE! It will be issued at once, express-track, I promise you. I will see to it myself.”
The crowd goes wild. We roar and cheer, clap, foot-stamp, drum, dog-yap, donkey-bray, baby-babble, sing snatches of songs from Karate Samuel’s movies, and shout, “Hiya!”