CHAPTER SEVEN

POSEY’S IDEA

“You’ll like having Posey in your class,” Gramps said. “She’s a good girl and a hard worker.”

“I’m sure she is,” said Miss Lee. “I love your tutu, Posey. I love pink, too.”

Miss Lee held out her foot. She was wearing pink sneakers. They looked like they had been washed a million times.

Her pinkie toe poked out through a hole in the end.

“These old things are ready for the trash,” said Miss Lee. “But I can’t bear to part with them.”

“Posey is the same way,” said Gramps. “She would wear her ballet outfit to school every day of the year, if she could.”

“I know exactly how she feels.”

Miss Lee squatted down so she could look into Posey’s eyes. “I bet your tutu is comfortable, isn’t it?” she said.

Posey nodded.

“My shoes are, too,” said Miss Lee. “It’s too bad we can’t wear our favorite old clothes to school, isn’t it?”

Posey stared back at her, round-eyed. “Why can’t we?” she asked.

“Why can’t we?” Miss Lee sounded surprised.

“Why can’t everyone wear what they want to school?” Posey said bravely.

Miss Lee stood up. She squeezed her lips together and thought.

“Well, I guess because then we’d have pirates and clowns and super-heroes and ballet dancers in our class,” she said at last.

“What’s wrong with that?” said Posey.

“Now, Posey . . .” said Gramps.

“It’s all right,” Miss Lee told him. She smiled at Posey again.

Posey thought Miss Lee was pretty.

“That doesn’t sound very much like a first-grade class, does it?” said Miss Lee.

“No,” said Posey. “It sounds like a parade.”