I leaned back against my bed and wrote July 20, 1969, in my journal. It was a special day. If everything went according to plan, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin would be the first men to ever step foot on the moon. The moon walk was even gonna be on television. I figured, like me, Ruby was planning to watch it. Nearly everybody was.

I had tried writing to Ruby about ten times, but I had never finished. I wasn’t sure how to ask forgiveness for the unforgivable. Today would be the day though. My mind was made up about it.

Dear Ruby,

I’m lonely since we stopped being friends. The farm is not nearly as much fun without you. If I had a magic eraser, first I’d erase Robin’s accident, and then I’d erase our fight. I’d especially erase the mean name I called you. I know you’ll never forget what I said, but is there any way you could ever forgive me for it? I am really, really sorry.

Your ex-best friend,

Sarah Beth Willis

After I put the letter in the mailbox, I felt a whole lot better. It was like I’d been holding my breath underwater and could finally breathe. Ruby might never forgive me, but at least I was trying to make things right. If I didn’t hear from her in a couple of weeks, I’d write to her again.

On my way back from the mailbox, I heard Mama calling my name. I hurried to the kitchen to see what she wanted. “I could use some help getting ready for Cathy’s visit,” Mama said.

Since Cathy was going away to college, she was bringing Scruffy to live with us on the farm. Robin and I were excited to finally have a dog of our own.

I set the table and filled water glasses while Mama made coleslaw for supper. “Cathy’s late,” Mama said. “I hope she didn’t miss the turnoff.”

“We need a sign to mark the turnoff. Grandpa said he’s gonna paint one, but …”

Mama laughed. “I love your grandpa, but he’s a big procrastinator. I won’t hold my breath while he gets around to it.”

Dad carried in a platter of hamburgers, hot off the grill. “Cathy is headed up the driveway,” he said.

A few minutes later, Cathy hurried in, carrying Scruffy in one arm and a Samsonite overnight bag in the other. “Sorry I’m late. I think I turned beside the wrong cornfield.” Cathy put Scruffy down, and he ran to find Robin. “Thanks for inviting me. It’s too quiet without all of you next door. The couple that bought your old house doesn’t have any kids.”

I walked over to the window between the kitchen and den, and stared outside. The new owners had probably painted the lavender library a different color. I felt sick about my old room belonging to someone else.

In the den, Robin threw a plastic bone to Scruffy. Thud … thud … thud. He ran to fetch it, and then stood on his hind legs so she could take it from his mouth.

“I’m glad he’s gonna live with us,” she said. “He’s a smart little dog.”

Mama pulled a chair beside Robin’s cot and cut up her hamburger with a fork. Cathy and I sat cross-legged on the floor to keep them company.

Cathy’s eyes got misty every time she looked at Scruffy. It must be hard to go away to college, like our move to the farm.

“I’d like to propose a change in plans,” Mama said. “How about we share Scruffy? He can live with us while Cathy’s away, and with her when she’s home for breaks.”

Cathy pressed her hand to her heart. “Could we do it that way, please?”

Robin and I agreed that would work just fine.

I carried my empty plate to the kitchen and helped Mama and Cathy with the cleanup. By the time we finished, Robin had fallen asleep.

“I’m glad she’s napping,” Mama said. “Otherwise she’d never stay up long enough to watch the moon walk.”

Cathy and I decided to play checkers until it was time for it to start. She won the first match, and I double jumped with one of my kings to take the second one.

Robin woke from her nap screaming. “Help me,” she cried. “It itches so bad inside my cast!”

She itched nearly every day, but this time seemed much worse. I ran over and knelt beside her bed. “Where does it itch?”

“My back,” she cried. “Take the cast off!”

We had to help her! “What about a coat hanger?” I asked Dad. “You could straighten one out like when we roast marshmallows. That would be skinny enough to reach inside.”

Dad shook his head. “The doctors said not to put anything inside her cast. We can’t risk injuring her because there’s no way to treat it.”

“What about my fingers?”

“That just might work,” Mama said. “Sarah’s hands are tiny. I’ve always said she should be a piano player with those long, skinny fingers.”

Dad bent down and talked to Robin. “I’m gonna turn you on your side. Don’t worry. I won’t drop you. Sarah is gonna be very gentle and slip her fingers inside your cast. She’ll give your back a good scratching.”

I slid my fingers underneath the top of the cast. I moved them up and down, up and down, like a yo-yo. Then I scratched the other side.

Robin finally stopped fidgeting. “It’s all better now,” she said.

I pulled my fingers out, and Dad placed Robin on her back. “Hang in there,” he said. “It won’t be much longer now. Hopefully, they’ll take your cast off in a couple of weeks.”

Mama and Dad moved over to the couch. He put his arm around her, and she leaned her head on his shoulder. We were all miserable.

“Don’t look so sad,” Cathy whispered to me. “She won’t have to wear the cast much longer. How about some popcorn? We can munch on it during the moon walk.”

We dimmed the lights, poured Cokes, and made popcorn. It was a lot like watching a movie.

Robin yawned. It was almost eleven. Way past her bedtime. “I bet this won’t be as good as Gunsmoke,” she said.

“Sssh,” I whispered. “We don’t want to miss anything.”

“I’m going to step off the LM now,” Mr. Armstrong said. He wore a white, bulky suit with a helmet and touched the moon’s surface. The dust was almost like powder. “That’s one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind,” he said.

Dad whistled loudly, and the rest of us clapped. “Boy, that’s something,” Dad said. “Those men are all the way to the moon, and we can hear them right here in our living room!”

Mama kept sewing snaps on another pair of shorts for Robin. “I had my doubts, but it seems they’ve pulled it off.”

The astronauts planted an American flag on the moon. I felt patriotic, like when I watched fireworks on the Fourth of July or heard the national anthem playing.

“Do you think ponies and dogs will ever walk on the moon?” Robin asked.

Cathy shook her head. “Nah, I don’t think animals would like being inside those padded suits.”

Robin crossed her arms. “The suits are better than my cast. The astronauts can still walk and jump.”

I bit my fingernail clear down to the quick. I wanted Robin to walk and jump so much I could barely breathe. It was hard to believe that Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong could walk on the moon, but Robin couldn’t take a single step on Earth. It didn’t seem fair.