The Talented Clementine by Sara Pennypacker

Author:Sara Pennypacker [Pennypacker, Sara]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781423198642
Publisher: Hyperion Book CH
Published: 2008-04-01T00:00:00+00:00

I pointed to them. “How about…?” and before I could finish, both the salesman and my mom said, “I don’t think so,” at the same time.

“Okay, fine,” I said. “What other kinds of shoes do you have in this store?”

“I can’t watch this,” said my mother. “Just make sure she chooses something sensible.” She got up and whispered to the salesman. Then she went over to the grown-up shoes and started shopping.

As soon as she was gone, I asked the salesman if he had a tattoo. You can never tell which adults are going to have one.

“No,” said the salesman. “Do you?”

“Not yet,” I said. “Pretty soon.”

Then he left to get some more shoes for me. And you would not believe how many pairs of shoes were in that store! My feet were exhausted from all the trying on and my head hurt from all the not-choosing I was thinking about.

Finally, the salesman held up a pair of striped basketball sneakers. “This is it,” he said. “These are the last shoes we’ve got.”

When he was lacing them up for me, I saw something amazing. “Hey, did you know that you have a circle right at the top of your head where there’s no hair?” I asked him.

“Yes,” he said, “I am aware of that, thank you. Did you know that you smell like a brewery?”

“Yes,” I said, “I am aware of that, thank you. And I’ll take the lime Popsicle sneakers.”

The salesman sighed. “I know that, too,” he said. “They’re already in the bag at the checkout counter. Your mother told me you’d end up picking them.”

Then I went up to the register where my mother was waiting. I made my mouth into a ruler line because I was so mad at her for knowing what I was going to do before I did. I was never going to speak to her again.

“Want to see what I bought?” my mother asked outside.

I kept my mouth a ruler line but I nodded and opened up her bag.

And then I didn’t care about being mad. “WOW!” I said.

“Exactly,” she said. “Wow.”

We stopped and just stared at those purple wow shoes. The heels looked even taller and skinnier, and the dragonflies sparkled in the sun like emeralds. They were so beautiful that I was suddenly cured of being afraid of pointy things.

“Not very sensible,” I said.

“No, definitely not very sensible,” my mom agreed. “In fact, they’re probably the least sensible shoes in the store. One of the benefits of being a grown-up.”

“Can I try them on?”

“Sure,” she said. Then she leaned over and gave me a huge smiling hug, even though I smelled like a brewery! “After you’ve had a bath.”

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