Charlie Joe Jackson's Guide to Not Growing Up (14 page)

“I guess,” I said. I was just standing there, not moving, staring at my friends. “But—what are you guys doing here?”

“This was Katie's idea,” my dad said. “She wanted to come.”

“You did?” I asked her.

Katie stepped forward. “I thought all of us should graduate as a group,” she said. “We've been together for so long, we should stick together until the end, don't you think?”

“I do think.” I hugged her. “But what about everybody's parents?”

“We told them we'd be back by six-fifteen,” Hannah said. “They'll survive.”

“Except for my mom,” Jake chimed in.

Everyone laughed, as my mom emerged with a birthday cake.

“Charlie Joe,” she said, “it's your birthday, but you gave me a present today.”

I tried to think back. The only thing I remembered was making her mad at Jake's picnic. “I did?”

“Yes, you did,” she said. “I realized something after you left with Dad for the hospital. I realized that you have grown up today. By making your own decision, by deciding to come here with Moose, and take care of him, and be with him, and by sacrificing going to your own graduation, you have shown me that you're not just a little boy anymore.” She wiped away a tear. “You're a mature young man.”

I noticed some of the people who worked there, including the doctors, were watching us. Even a little pug with a cast on one of its legs seemed curious.

“We're very proud of you,” my dad added. “Happy birthday, son.”

I took a deep breath. “Thanks, Mom. Thanks, Dad.”

They hugged me, and everyone started singing. “
Happy birthday to you … Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday, dear Charlie Joe … Happy birthday to you!”

I made a wish, took a deep breath, and blew out the candles. Everyone cheered. I felt as good as I had all day.

Then Dr. Dixon came back into the room.

 

17

5:57 pm

It's easy to say that
some things are silly.

Believing in the tooth fairy is silly. Thinking there's a man on the moon is silly. Santa Claus? Not silly. There definitely IS a Santa Claus.

You know what else I used to think was silly? Thinking that wishes you made while blowing out candles on a birthday cake came true.

But that was before Dr. Dixon walked into the room at the animal hospital and said the four best words I've ever heard in my life.

“I have good news.”

My mom squeezed my hand, and I heard my dad let out a huge breath of relief. “Go on,” he said.

“Well, you may not believe this,” said Dr. Dixon, “but labs like to eat.” She paused, expecting us to laugh at her kind of lame joke, so we did. “And sometimes they eat things they're not supposed to eat.” I saw my sister shoot a quick glance at me, and I immediately looked down.

Dr. Dixon went over to Moose and pretended to draw a circle on his stomach. “We caught something on an ultrasound that looks like a small plastic ring, which is clogging up his small intestine. That's why he's lost his appetite and gotten lethargic. Now, this is something that we're going to have to get out right away, so we're going to go into surgery immediately. But I expect Moose to make a full recovery. You can even visit him later tonight, if you want.”

A huge cheer went up around the room. I raised my hand. “Wait, so when did Moose eat this ring? Was it, like, today?”

“Oh, definitely not,” said the doctor. “Some time in the last week, I'd guess.”

I wasn't done. “Could this happen from human food?”

Dr. Dixon laughed. “Absolutely not. I give my dog human treats all the time. Not too much, of course, but every once in a while it's just fine.” I felt my whole body fill with relief. “It's those garbage cans you have to look out for,” added the doctor. “That's where the danger lies. But Moose will be just fine.”

“YES!” I said, pumping my fist. “Moose is going to be okay!” I hugged my parents, hugged Katie, and high-fived everyone else who was there. Then I gave Moose a gentle little ear scratch, which made him groggily open one eye to see what all the craziness was about. Then he went back to sleep.

I was slapping hands with Phil Manning (which is always a painful proposition, because he has the strongest hands in the Northeastern part of the United States), when someone tapped me on the shoulder.

I turned around. “What's up, Mom?”

She tapped her watch. “We should get going.”

“Get going? Where?”

She kissed me on the top of my forehead and smiled.

“I believe you have someplace to be.”

 

18

6:18 pm

The graduation ceremony
at Eastport Middle School always takes place on the soccer field behind the parking lot, unless the weather's bad, in which case it happens in the gym. But this was a beautiful spring day, so the chairs were spread out all across the field, and the little stage was set up down by where one of the goals was supposed to be.

By the time we got there, the ceremony was already under way. The other kids and I who were late were supposed to sit up front with the rest of our class, so we took our seats as quickly and quietly as possible, while Mrs. Sleep was saying something like, “This class of students really reminded me how rewarding it is to be an educator. They are truly special.”

I'm sure she says that every graduating class is “truly special,” but who's counting?

Mrs. Sleep looked up and saw us come in. Then she said, “One reason this class is so special is how much they look out for each other. It looked like one of our students wouldn't be able to come to graduation because of a family emergency, and his many friends decided to join him and help him, and risk their own ability to be here. That says something about you all, and it makes me very proud.” She smiled down at us, and I actually felt a warm glow inside. She paused, then adjusted her incredibly thick glasses. “And now, I'd like to introduce our special guest speaker. He is relatively new to Eastport, having moved here not long ago to be near his grandchildren, who are also in our school system. We are so honored and privileged to have him here with us today, because he has taught our young children so much with his books, which are both extremely entertaining and highly educational. Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Mr. Ted Hauser.”

A man got up from behind the stage and came up to the microphone. From where I was sitting, I could tell he looked really familiar, but at first I wasn't sure why. Then, two seconds later, it hit me. Ted Hauser was “Ted,” our new neighbor I'd met earlier that day! And he was speaking at my middle-school graduation!

“Thanks to Mrs. Sleep and the entire Eastport Middle School community for having me,” Ted began. “I've just moved here, but already I feel like I'm home. I remember back when…”

My mind started wandering, the way it often does when adults are speaking. I was thinking about the name Ted Hauser. Ted Hauser, Ted Hauser … Why did it sound familiar?

“… which is why I was so struck by the young man who visited me this morning. My new neighbor, Charlie Joe.”

Huh? Wha?

All eyes turned to me. I couldn't think of anything else to do, so I waved. Ted waved back.

“Charlie Joe was telling me that he couldn't wait to graduate from middle school,” Ted went on. “He was so excited to start high school, and get on with his life. And I kidded around with him, saying well, not so fast, son. There's something perfect about being young. What's better than being a kid, right?” He winked at me. “But as the day went on, I thought about that conversation. And I realized, you know something? I was wrong. I'm here to tell you, there is one thing that's better than being young. And that's getting older, and growing up, and finding your place in the world, maybe starting a family of your own, and contributing to society. Do you know why that's better than being young? Because that's the journey of life. And that's the best journey in the whole world.”

Ted stopped for a second, and I could hear something. It was silence. It was the silence of a hundred and eighty kids listening carefully to an adult.

That's something you don't hear very often.

“It's true, I write books for kids,” Ted said. “I hope that you like them and think they're fun and funny, because to me, there's nothing better than entertaining young people.” Ted was looking straight at me. “I know there are some of you out there who don't like to read very much. That's totally fine. That doesn't make you any less awesome than the other kids who do like to read. But I will say that reading is a terrific way to expand your enjoyment on this journey of life.”

Ted paused for a second. “Charlie Joe, would you come up here for a quick minute?”

Oh, jeez
.

I hesitated, until Katie and Timmy pushed me out of my seat. I slowly walked up to the stage, climbed up the few steps, and shook Ted's hand.

“Nice to see you again,” Ted said to me.

“You, too,” I mumbled.

He reached below him and pulled out a book. “Remember I said I might see you later on today, where I could give you a gift for your birthday? Well, here we are, and here you go. This is a book called
Billy's Bargain
. It's a simple little sports book, about a boy who wants to be a great pitcher. I wrote it almost twenty-five years ago, but it's still being read by kids today. That, to me, is the greatest contribution to society I could ever make.” He looked out into the audience. “So Charlie Joe, and all you kids, as you think about what your own lives are going to be like, I ask you to remember this one thing: Growing up isn't just part of life.” He handed me the book, then shook my hand.

“It
is
life.”

The crowd starting applauding as Ted waved to the audience and said, “I signed the book for you.”