A Nickel for Your Thoughts

Under his bed was an excellent spot to gather new information from his parents. Dewey’s bedroom was next to the kitchen, where conversations between his parents often occurred, and, as he’d already learned, he could also hear a lot coming through the vent when they were in the living room.

His parents were in the kitchen husking and chopping up tomatillos for some sort of white bean chili recipe his dad wanted to try, which Dewey would never consider eating.

It made no sense to Dewey that they were moving. His dad and Dr. Bernard had worked together in the dentist practice as long as Dewey could remember. Surely he didn’t want to go to Alaska?

“Look, Karen. I don’t love the idea of Alaska any more than you do. But this is my chance to finally get out from under his thumb—really make it mine, you know? And Alaska is beautiful. It will be an adventure. Clean air. The Northern Lights. Bears! Eagles! Whales!”

“But, Don. That’s a vacation, not our home. I know this is a tremendous opportunity, and you’ve been frustrated to say the least, but are you so unhappy with how things are that you’d really relocate us all to Alaska?”

“What awe you doing, Dewey?” Dewey felt hot breath on his face. Pooh Bear had climbed under the bed with him and whispered so loudly in his face that she might as well have spoken it aloud.

“Nothing. I lost something. I was looking for it.”

“I couwd hewp, Dewey. What did you wooze?”

“I wost . . . Argh! I lost a nickel. See it anywhere?”

Pooh Bear looked all over beneath his bed and found a pencil eraser and a marble he really liked and was glad to have back.

“Thanks,” he said. “That’s OK. I have another nickel.”

“I have a nickew in my woom. You couwd use it if you give it back,” and she ran out to go get it for him. She really can be kind of sweet, he reflected, when she isn’t bugging the bajeepers out of me.

Shoot. She’d only be gone for a few minutes and Dewey needed time to think. He hadn’t gotten a lot of helpful information. He had recorded it though, so at least he could replay it later and see if he’d missed anything that might be helpful.

Right now he needed to get back to work on Georgina’s case. He hoped Pooh Bear would sidetrack herself along the way. He really didn’t have time to hang out with her now. He climbed out from under the bed.

“Deewweyyy. I think I have a nickew,” she said, and she proceeded to dump coins from a jar the size of her head all over his bed, and began to dig through them.

“Hewe you go!” she said, handing him a quarter.

“Thanks,” said Dewey. He dug out two dimes from her pile and handed them back to her.

“Here’s your change.”