The Secret Ingredient by Stewart Lewis

Author:Stewart Lewis [Lewis, Stewart]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-0-449-81001-9
Publisher: Random House Children's Books
Published: 2013-06-11T04:00:00+00:00

I fold it twice and put it in my pocket. We sit with our legs dangling over the dock and watch some of the sailboats coming and going in the harbor.

“So,” he says. “Third date starts at a dog funeral–drum circle. Definitely different.”

I smile. “That’s what you said you wanted. You seemed like you were really into it.”

“I was trying not to laugh.”

I punch him lightly on his shoulder.

“Thanks again for going with me,” I say, growing serious.

“Liv, I know you loved that dog. One time you brought him into the restaurant and I ended up walking him, remember?”

“No.”

Theo makes a noise and says, “You never really noticed me noticing you, did you?”

“Not really. But I noticed you when I saw that picture you taped to the wall.”

“And then you added the road—that was so cool.”

A boat horn goes off and some little kids start running down the dock.

“Did you ever get the bike?”

“No. My dad was supposed to send me money.”

“Where does he live?”

“Vegas. He has a whole other family. It’s like he just traded us in for a less screwed-up one.”

“And your mom?”

“She’s okay, I guess, but she doesn’t have time for Timothy. She resents him for being retarded, like it’s his fault.”

“That’s terrible.”

“T’s got a big heart, though. He just takes a lot of patience, which I never had until I started taking care of him. I can’t really explain it, but it’s kind of like nothing else matters, or everything else seems insignificant. But it’s really nice hanging out with you. It feels like there’s finally something else to … like. And I don’t feel anything missing when I’m with you.”

My stomach knots up, in a good way, but I turn the subject away from myself. “What is it about cycling for you? How did you get into it?”

“When I was little, I used to watch the races in the Valley. My dad took me, actually. Aside from liking the outfits”—he blushes, realizing that might sound weird—“I couldn’t believe the power. I wanted to know what that felt like. Now, when I ride, the bike is like an eighteen-pound geared extension of me. You know? And I feel this surge of energy. It’s a fine line between speed and catastrophe, safety and danger.”

“So you like living on the edge?”

“I guess so.”

Theo laces his fingers through mine, and we watch the sun fading behind the masts of the boats that stand tall as soldiers.

“I found out my mother’s name,” I say. “Yesterday.” It feels so right to tell him this—and different from telling Lola.

“Wow. Did you always wonder about her, or just recently?”

“Well, I’d thought about it in a fleeting way, and in middle school a bunch, but after I met the psychic I felt like this seed was planted—I found this key, and it basically led me to discovering my mother’s name.”

“Do you know anything about her?”

“No, but I think she looks like Julie Andrews.”

He laughs.

“Her name’s Jane Armont. I’m getting used to saying it out loud.

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