Authors: Jordan Sonnenblick

Dodger and Me (11 page)

BOOK: Dodger and Me

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I knew my third wish!

I thought as hard as I could:
I wish
â¦ Nothing happened. I looked around: No genie in sight. And while I was looking around, the pitcher blew a fastball by, right under my chin. “Be careful, Willie!” my mother shouted. The next pitch looked like it was coming right at me. I stepped back, but the umpire called it a strike. “Not
that
careful!” my mom yelled. Several people in the crowd laughed, but I was happy. I wasn't sure
where the heck the Great Lasorda had gone, but clearly, he had taken care of readjusting my mom before disappearing.

While I was thinking about that, the pitcher blew another fastball by me. The count was one ball, two strikes. It was basically now or never. I tried to summon the genie again:
I wish
â¦ He didn't appear. The next ball was
way
outside. Ball two. I swung at the next pitch and fouled it off. The count remained at 2â2. The pitcher must have thought I was a complete sucker, because he threw the next one in the dirt, thinking I'd lunge for it and end the game with a superlame strikeout. A week before, he would have been right. But now I didn't fall for the trick, and the count was three balls and two strikes.

I asked the umpire for a time-out, stepped out of the box, and turned my back on home plate. Well, now the season was completely on my shoulders. The next pitch would decide everything. Every kid in our dugout was yelling. Every single person in the stands was standing up and yelling. Even the coaches were shaking the chain-link fence. I bent over, put my hands on my knees, and took a deep
breath. I didn't know where the Great Lasorda had gone, but it looked like I was on my own.

So as soon as I thought that, of course he appeared. “Sorry,” he said, wiping his mouth with the back of one greasy hand. “I was in line for some popcorn and I didn't want to lose my spot. So
now
are you ready for your third wish?”

Even with all of the insanity going on around me, I smiled. “Yes, I am,” I said.

I really was ready. I looked up in the stands at my family. I snuck a glance at Lizzie. I looked at the pitcher and realized I wasn't scared anymore. And I knew for sure that my third wish would be the right one. I took a deep breath and spoke.

“I wish I had Dodger back!”

The Great Lasorda stepped back in shock, then let out a huge burp. “Excuse me,” he said. “But did I just hear you say that your last wish is to have
Dodger
back?”

I nodded.

“
Dodger?
” he repeated. “Dodger, the blue chimpanzee?”

“Yes, that's the Dodger I mean,” I said.

“Are you
sure?”
he asked. “No second thoughts? No adjustments?”

“No second thoughts. No adjustments,” I replied.

The umpire tapped me on the shoulder and said, “It's time to get back in the box, kid.”

I turned away from the Great Lasorda and stepped back into the batter's box. Just then, Dodger appeared. He was leaning against the backstop, looking straight across the plate at me. There was a slice of pepperoni stuck to his shoulder. “Dude,” he said, “it's about time! I was starting to think you'd
never
ask for me back!” He picked the pepperoni out of his fur, flipped it up in the air, and caught it in his mouth. He swallowed with a gulp, gave me a huge, toothy smile, and said, “So what are you waiting for? Hit that thing out of here so we can go have a party, a fiesta, a night on the town!”

Wow, it was great to have my buddy back. But had he just said the same thing, three different ways? For a second he had almost sounded likeâ

Nah, it couldn't be. It just couldn't be.

I shook my head to clear my thoughts and took
a last quick look around. My parents were smiling encouragingly. Amy was grinning, too. Behind Dodger's left shoulder, Lizzie was leaning forward in her seat. Could she still see him? I wasn't sure, but from where she was sitting, she definitely couldn't see the thumbs-up sign he gave me. Even with all the pressure of the moment, I could feel joy spreading through my whole body. It felt like I had the greatest secret in the world. And do you know what? I did.

I tapped my bat on home plate, then wagged it menacingly at the pitcher. He gave me the evil eye.

The umpire shouted, “PLAY BALL!”

Go Fish!

GOFISH

QUESTIONS FOR THE AUTHOR

JORDAN SONNENBLICK

What did you want to be when you grew up?

I wanted to be some combination of writer, teacher, and drummer. I never really thought I'd end up doing all three, though.

When did you realize you wanted to be a writer?

I don't remember exactly, but it was really, really early in life. However, I spent the first thirty-three years of my life bragging about how I was going to write a book someday, instead of actually working on my writing!

What's your first childhood memory?

Some kid named Anthony from down the block threw sand in my eyes, and my Grampa Sol sang the Sandman Song to me until I calmed down and fell asleep. I just remember feeling so completely safe once I was all snuggled up with Grampa.

Whatâ²s your most embarrassing childhood memory?
My eyes are terrible without my glasses on. Once at sleepaway camp when I was thirteen, I was showing off while waterskiing. In the middle of doing tricks on one ski, I crashed into a fifteen-foot-long wooden float. Afterward, I couldnâ²t walk right for days!

Whatâ²s your favorite childhood memory?

Watching the 1977 and 1978 World Series with my dad (The Yankees beat the Dodgers twice in a row!). Or when my parents got me my first drum set.

As a young person, who did you look up to most?

My Grampa Sol. He was a teacher and author, which drove me to pursue those careers as well. Also, he was the one person who never, ever lied to me. In my experience, kids appreciate honesty above nearly any other character trait.

What was your worst subject in school?
Sitting still. Come to think of it, that's still my worst subject.

What was your best subject in school?

Either English, or making my friends laugh. I havenâ²t changed much, apparently.

What was your first job?

All through high school, I was both a tutor and a summer camp counselor. If you ever need help with algebra or archery, I'm your guy.

How did you celebrate publishing your first book?
With a big party in my backyardâa tent, catering, and even a wiffleball game. Then my original publisher went out of business three days later. Yikes!

Where do you write your books?

Mostly at the computer in my kitchen, but sometimes on a laptop wherever I happen to be. As long as I have headphones with me, I'm pretty good at shutting out the world in order to write.

Where do you find inspiration for your writing?

From kids. My book ideas always start with a kid doing something that puzzles or amazes me. The Dodger books, for example, are inspired by events in my son's real life. No, he doesn't have a blue chimp for a best friend, but he does have many of the same worries and challenges Willie does.

Which of your characters is most like you?

Oh, gosh, ALL of them. No one character is 100% me, but each has big chunks of my personality, habits, strengths, and weaknesses. People who know me really well always say they can hear my voice in the words of each of my main characters.

When you finish a book, who reads it first?

My wife. In fact, she reads my pages daily while Iâ²m writing every first draft. She's also the only person in the world whose judgment I never, ever ignoreâwhich makes both my writing and my marriage better!

Are you a morning person or a night owl?

Both; I just need a nap in the middle of the day. I always tell my wife I should move to Spain so everyone around me would be taking a daily siesta, too.

Whatâ²s your idea of the best meal ever?

My last Thanksgiving with my Dad. I wish we could have had a hundred more just like it.

Which do you like better: cats or dogs?

NeitherâIâ²m completely allergic! Well, that's not quite fair. I like dogs a lot, even if I donâ²t like the itchy welts I get if I play with one for more than three minutes.

What do you value most in your friends?

Loyalty.

Where do you go for peace and quiet?

Anyplace where I can play an instrument or read. I also really like riding my bicycle out in the country where there's no traffic. In fact, whenever I get stuck in the middle of my writing, I find that a long bike ride is a great way to clear the jam and get my brain working again.

What makes you laugh out loud?
Just about anything. I laugh a lot.

Whatâ²s your favorite song?

Just about anything the Beatles ever wrote. In fact, I love the Beatles so much that when each of my children was born, I made sure the Beatles album
Abbey Road
was the first music they heard.

Who is your favorite fictional character?

Probably Hagrid, from Harry Potter. He has such loyalty, and such a huge, brave heart.

What are you most afraid of?

Failing to come through for the people I love.

What time of year do you like best?

Baseball season. I spend the whole winter looking forward to the spring, when I can start pitching batting practice to my son and his friends again. Incidentally, I throw a pretty good two-seam fastball, a decent curve, and a killer cut fastball.

Whatâ²s your favorite TV show?

I don't really have one. I guess my default answer would be any televised Yankees game.

If you were stranded on a desert island, who would you want for company?

My family. Or anyone who was good at shipbuilding.

If you could travel in time, where would you go?

Back to my old summer camp in the Poconos, around 1985. Or to the moment when either of my kids was bornâthereâ²s just nothing else like becoming a parent.

Whatâ²s the best advice you have ever received about writing?

If you want to get better at writing, you'd better read a lot. Most other writing advice is basically a matter of taste or opinion, but the connection between reading and good writing is a 100% non-negotiable fact. If I could, I'd carve this piece of advice above the doorway of every school in America.

What do you want readers to remember about your books?

I don't really think about what I'd like them to remember, but I hope that while they're reading, they come to care about my characters as much as I do.

What would you do if you ever stopped writing?

Go back to teaching. I really miss my old students. The great thing about working with middle schoolers is that no two days are ever the same, and I miss having that kind of fun randomness in my daily life.

What do you like best about yourself?

My thick, lustrous hair. Just kidding! Really, I am proud that I am kind, and that I try my best to make other people's lives easier. But I do, in fact, have thick and lustrous hair.