Chapter 49

SHHH! IT’S A LIBRARY!

The kids all shriek when I roll into the library.

Yep, they treat me like a rock star. And I have to say, it feels fantastic to hear that applause again.

Being funny should be fun.

Right now, it is.

“Hi, guys,” I say, popping a few wheelies. “I’m Jamie Grimm, and it’s great to be here. Anybody read a good book recently?”

The kids all scream, “I did, I did!”

“My Uncle Frankie is going to show you a few yo-yo tricks later on. And guess what? He learned every single one of them from a book.”

“It’s true,” Uncle Frankie chimes in.

“In fact,” I say, “if Uncle Frankie couldn’t read, he’d probably think his yo-yo was a very quiet plastic pet on an extremely short leash.”

I mime Uncle Frankie tugging on a string, talking to a yo-yo on the floor.

“‘That’s a good boy. Play dead. Roll over. Okay, keep playing dead.’ Trust me, you guys—reading is super-important. You can’t do anything or go anywhere without reading. I said the same thing to my cousin Stevie the other day, and he said, ‘Oh, really? I don’t need to read in the bathroom.’ And I said, ‘When you’re in the shower, how do you know which bottle is the shampoo and which one is the toilet-bowl cleaner? Or is that why you have that bald spot?’”

While the kids are laughing, I check out the crowd. Cool Girl is in the house.

I see her smiling in the back of the room. A happy girl, maybe six years old, is sitting on her lap holding a picture book.

“I like reading so much,” I say, “I just started studying speed-reading. Last night, I read Harry Potter in five seconds! I know it’s only two words, but, hey, it’s a start.”

Another wave of laughter washes over me, and I feel a surge of happiness I haven’t felt in way too long.

This is why I love comedy.

Not for the fame or the glory or even the million-dollar checks that aren’t really worth a million bucks.

I love comedy because laughing makes me feel good. It makes me glad to be alive.

After my set, Uncle Frankie wows the crowd with all the tricks he learned from those yo-yo books.

The kids give him a standing ovation. I would’ve too, but, well… you know.

When we’re all done and busy signing autographs for our adoring fans, Cool Girl comes up to me.

“So, Jamie,” she says, coolly of course. “Do you remember who you are?”

“Yep,” I say with a grin. “I funny.”

And guess what?

This time she does kiss me!