“I do,” I said.
I said it mostly to make Natalie feel better. But sometimes I really do like her. It is true she is not the most fun person in the world. She worries too much. She cries too much. And she spends too much time pulling up her socks. But Natalie is nice. Someone needed to be nice back to her. I decided that someone should be me.
I thought of something nice to say.
“You won the Pizza Queen contest at Pizza Express,” I said.
“They picked my name out of a barrel,” said Natalie. “They did not choose me.”
It was true. I could not remember Natalie ever being elected or chosen for anything. She did not know what it felt like to be a winner. She needed to know. Suddenly I got a great idea.
“Remember the Snow Princess contest?” I said. “You should enter it.”
“There is no way I could win a contest like that,” said Natalie.
“Why not? You just have to write a few things and give a speech. You are a good writer,” I said.
“I am tired of entering contests and losing. I would rather not enter at all,” said Natalie.
“You do not know that you will lose. This time you could win. Especially if I help you,” I said.
“Karen Brewer, you are a contest winner. I am a contest loser,” said Natalie. “That is all there is to it.”
Brring! Brring! The bell rang, ending recess.
I decided then and there to help Natalie be a contest winner. I would be her Princess Promoter. It was an important job. And I love important jobs!
When we returned to our desks, Ms. Colman asked us to take out our math books. In between math problems, I wrote Natalie notes.
The first note said, “The winner of the contest rides on a parade float. That winner could be you!”
The second note said, “Do not worry. I will help!”
I was writing my third note when Ms. Colman gave me a please-pay-attention look. I went back to my math.
I knew Natalie was not convinced yet. At least she was reading my notes. She was keeping an open mind.
“Being Snow Princess could be fun,” she said on our way out of school.
“It would definitely be fun!” I said as I got on the school bus. “I will call you later!”
Natalie smiled. I could tell she liked having her very own Princess Promoter.
Mission Accomplished
When I returned home, Mommy had a snack waiting for Andrew and me. It was triangles of cinnamon toast with cream cheese and steaming cups of cocoa. Yum.
While we were eating, Seth walked in the door.
“Hooray!” I shouted.
Andrew and I ran to greet him. Seth gathered us into his arms for a three-way hug. Mommy joined us to make it four.
“I am so glad you are home!” I said.
“Me too,” said Andrew.
“How was your trip?” asked Mommy.
“Very interesting,” said Seth. “I will tell you about it later.”
I wished he would tell us about it right away. But I did not say anything. I had something important to do. I had to call Natalie. If we were going to enter her in the contest, we had to get started on the essay right away.
I dialed Natalie’s telephone number.
“Hi, Natalie. It is me, Karen,” I said. “Are you ready to write your first essay?”
“I am still not sure I want to enter the contest, Karen,” Natalie replied. “I do not know what to say in my essay. I do not know how to improve Stoneybrook.”
Just then I got another great idea.
“Natalie, I will call you right back. Do not go away,” I said.
I hung up the phone and looked for Seth. I told him about the contest and how Natalie needed to win it to improve her confidence.
“Do you think you could drive us around Stoneybrook this afternoon? I am sure if we rode around town, Natalie would find plenty of things to write about in her essay,” I said.
“I was going to work at my studio. But I can do that tonight. Spending time with you is much more important,” said Seth. “I will be happy to drive you and Natalie around town.”
“Can I come too?” asked Andrew.
“You sure can,” replied Seth.
I called Natalie back. I told her we would pick her up in ten minutes.
“I still do not know if I want to enter,” said Natalie.
“I am not worried,” I replied. “Once you see how much there is to write about, I am sure you will change your mind.”
I was right. On our ride around town, we saw lots of trouble spots. We made a list of the things we saw:
“What do you think about entering the contest now?” I asked when we dropped Natalie off at her house.
“You were right,” Natalie replied. “There is a lot that needs to be done in this town. And I am going to write about it!”
Hooray! Mission accomplished. Well, almost. Natalie was going to enter the contest. Now all I had to do was help her win.
Karen Brewer, Teacher
That night I called Natalie again.
“How is your essay coming along?” I asked.
“I have only four sentences. I cannot think of what to say,” replied Natalie.
“Write two more sentences. I will help you tomorrow at recess,” I said. “And maybe you can come over after school.”
When I hung up the phone, I thought of all the things I would say if it were my essay. My essay would be as long as a book. I would just have to show Natalie how to do it. I would have to be her teacher.
The next day at recess, Natalie and I stayed in the lunchroom to work on her essay. This is what she had written:
“Your essay is too polite,” I said. “It needs more feeling. Don’t you feel mad about these things?”
Natalie nodded.
“Then let the judges know,” I said. “Write a sentence about how mad you are.”
Natalie wrote, “I am very mad about these things.”
“You need more feeling,” I said. “How about, ‘These things are terrible! They are awful. I am so mad, I could spit.’ ”
“Um, Karen, I am not really that mad,” said Natalie.
“But you have to write that you are. It makes the essay better,” I replied.
Natalie added a couple of sentences.
“Now you have to tell the town what to do about the troubles,” I said.
“I do?” said Natalie.
I sighed. “We have a lot more work to do. I am glad you are coming over later.”
After school we had a snack, then went up to my room to work on the essay. We worked until Natalie’s mother picked her up.
“I will call you later,” I said.
I called right after dinner and we worked on the essay some more.
We worked the next day at recess and again after school. Finally the essay was finished. But it was written on a sloppy piece of paper with lots of crossing out.
“It has to look neat,” I said.
“I will copy it over tonight and bring it to school tomorrow to show you,” said Natalie.
The next day I looked at Natalie’s essay. I had forgotten that Natalie’s handwriting was messy no matter how hard she tried to be neat. She crossed her ls so they looked like ts. And her ns had an extra bump so they looked like ms.
I made her write it again while I looked over her shoulder. When she finished, it was much neater.
“Do you have a flower stamp for the envelope?” I asked.
“Do you think that matters?” said Natalie.
“Of course it does! If you want to win the contest, everything has to be perfect!”
“I will get a flower stamp,” said Natalie. “But I will probably lose anyway.”
“That is no way to talk,” I said. “You have to have confidence.”
That night Natalie called to tell me she had mailed the essay with a yellow rose stamp on the envelope.
“Thanks for helping, Karen,” she said.
“No problem. It was fun,” I rep
lied.
I meant it. Being Karen Brewer, Teacher, was fun. Maybe I will be a teacher when I grow up.
So Far, So Good
The following Saturday I got a phone call from Natalie.
“I just opened my mail. I got a letter from the contest committee. It says I am one of the twenty semifinalists,” said Natalie.
“Congratulations! That is great!” I replied.
“Thanks,” said Natalie.
“You do not sound very excited. Is something wrong?”
“I am happy to have won. But maybe I did not really win the contest. Maybe you are the real winner,” said Natalie.
“No way,” I replied. “You are the winner for sure. I only helped you.”
“I guess so. Well, anyway, I just thought you would want to know about the letter.”
“We should celebrate,” I said. “Maybe we could go to the Rosebud Cafe for ice-cream sundaes.”
“I do not feel like celebrating,” Natalie replied. “I will see you at school on Monday.”
“Wait! We have to work on the next part of the contest. You have to write a speech.”
“I will think about it. I am not sure I want to be in the contest anymore.”
“You have to stay in it to be the Snow Princess,” I said.
“I will let you know on Monday,” replied Natalie. “I have to go now, Karen. ’Bye.”
Natalie hung up the phone. I wondered if I would have to convince her all over again on Monday. Oh, well. I was not going to worry about that now. It was time to celebrate. Even if Natalie did not think so.
I ran to find Mommy and Andrew, and I told them the good news. Since Seth was in Chicago again, I asked, “Mommy, can we call Seth now? Please?”
I wanted to tell him the news very badly. He was the one who had driven Natalie and me around town so we could write the essay. I knew he would be happy.
“I am sorry,” Mommy replied. “Seth has an important meeting this morning. He said he would call us later. You can give him the good news then.”
“But I want to talk to him now. Could we interrupt his meeting for just a minute? I will talk very fast.”
“That would not be a good idea,” said Mommy. “When he calls later, I will let you be the first to talk to him.”
“I want to be first to talk!” said Andrew.
“You cannot be first!” I said. “You do not have important news. I do.”
“I do have important news. I am the cookie monitor at school!” said Andrew.
“That is not as important as Natalie winning the essay contest.”
“It is too important.”
“It is not!”
“Karen and Andrew. Please stop arguing,” said Mommy. “Andrew, I promised Karen she could talk to Seth first this time. Next time you can talk first.”
Boo. I did not like when Seth traveled so much. If Seth were around, Andrew and I would not be arguing. We both just wanted Seth to come home.
Coach Karen
On Monday morning at school I got good news. Natalie had decided to stay in the contest.
“But I want to write the speech by myself,” she said.
“Are you sure? Don’t you want even a little help from me?”
“No, I do not. I can only feel like a real winner if I write the speech myself.”
My feelings were a little hurt, but I understood.
“Can I at least help you practice giving the speech?” I asked. “I will not help too much. Only a little, I promise.”
“I guess that will be all right. Even if you help me practice, I will still be the one who gives the speech. So I would still be the real winner.”
The next day Natalie brought her speech to school. I read it at recess. It was pretty good. (It was messy, but that did not matter. The judges were not going to see it.)
It was time to begin my new job as Coach Karen.
“Remember, writing a good speech is only half your job,” I said. “The other half is presenting it well. I will be your speech coach. Are you ready for your first speaking tip?”
“I guess so,” said Natalie. She was already starting to look nervous.
“Number one, no drooping socks. I will lend you a non-droopy pair. Just tell me what color you want.”
“Um, I do not know. I guess I will wear my nicest outfit. That is a blue jumper and a white turtleneck,” replied Natalie.
“I will give you a pair of blue socks,” I said. “Tip number two, stand up straight. You are drooping like your socks.”
Natalie tried standing up straight. She looked very uncomfortable.
“You have to look more relaxed,” I said.
Natalie relaxed. That made her droopy again.
“We will practice that tomorrow,” I said. “Next tip — speak loudly and clearly.”
“I will,” Natalie mumbled.
“I cannot hear you!”
“I said, ‘Okay!’ ” Natalie shouted.
I covered my ears. “Shouting is no good. I am sure judges do not like to be shouted at.”
Brring! Brring! Natalie was saved by the bell. It was the end of recess.
“I will call you tonight with more important tips,” I said.
That night when I called, I was holding a list. I read the list tip by tip.
“You need at least eight hours of sleep every night from now on,” I said. “You will need to clean your glasses so they sparkle. Do you have a blue hair barrette? If not, I will lend you one. And do not forget to smile a lot. That is important.”
It was an excellent list of tips. I do not think Natalie could have found a better coach than me.
And the Winner Is …
The speaking contest was held at the Stoneybrook Public Library the following Saturday. I made sure Mommy, Andrew, and I were there early to get good seats. (Seth was in Chicago again for the weekend. Boo.)
Natalie arrived with her parents.
“Hi!” I called. “You look great!”
She really did. Her socks were not drooping. Her glasses were shiny clean.
“Do you need any last-minute tips?” I asked.
“I do not think so. I have practiced a lot. I feel ready,” Natalie replied.
“Good luck,” I said. I gave her the thumbs-up sign.
Natalie sat behind the podium with the other contestants. I knew a few of the kids from school and the neighborhood. We waved to each other.
Then Ms. Feld, the children’s librarian, walked to the front of the room. I love Ms. Feld. I smiled at her.
“Thank you all for coming,” she said, smiling back. “As you know, the money we earn from the sale of tickets to the winter carnival will go to our volunteer fire department and to the town of Stoneybrook. We thank you for your support. And now, let me present the first of our speakers, Bill Korman.”
Bill is nine. He lives across the street from the big house. He was all dressed up in a jacket and a tie. He walked to the podium and gave his speech. It was very good. Maybe he would be the Snow Prince.
Ms. Feld introduced the next speaker.
“We will now hear from Natalie Springer,” she said.
Suddenly I felt butterflies in my stomach. I was a nervous coach.
Natalie walked to the podium looking very serious. She needed to relax and smile. I tried to catch her eye. When she saw me, I put a big smile on my face. Natalie got the idea. She took a deep breath, smiled, and began.
“I would like to tell you what the winter carnival means to me,” she said. “In winter, people can become lonely. They might stay indoors because it is too cold to go out. But a good cause brings people together. Helping our volunteer fire department is a very good cause.”
Natalie talked about a fire in our town and how the firefighters came quickly and saved lives.
“They are there when we need them. Having this winter carnival shows them we are there when they need us. It is cold outside, but we will stay warm together. Thank you.”
Wow! Natalie did a great jo
b. And guess what? She won! She was chosen to be one of the ten finalists.
Natalie ran to hug her parents, then she ran to me.
“I am a winner! Thank you, Karen!” she said. “I feel like a real winner too, because I wrote and presented the speech myself. But I could not have done it without you.”
I was gigundoly proud. I was glad Mommy and Andrew were there to see Natalie. I wished Seth could see too. I would tell him everything when he called. But it would not be the same.
I could not understand why he was away so much. He and Mommy had so many secrets lately. They were not fighting, so I did not think they were getting a divorce. But something was going on and I did not know what it was. I did not like that at all.
When Seth called after lunch, I told him about Natalie.
“That is great news,” said Seth. “I am surprised you do not sound happier.”
“I am not happy,” I replied. “You are away too much.”
“I do not want to be away so much,” replied Seth. “But this project is very important. I will probably have to be away next weekend too.”
“But you will miss First Night,” I said. “Can’t you stay home? Please?”
“I am so sorry, Karen. We will talk about this more when I get home. I promise,” he said.
I felt awful. Seth would not get to see me light up the town square. Lately Seth was not around to see anything.
Karen to the Rescue
Natalie was ready for the final stage of the Snow Princess contest. I was ready too. I called her that night.
“Do you want to get together tomorrow to work on your composition?” I asked.
“No, thank you. I would rather work on it alone,” Natalie replied.
“Well, you did a good job writing your speech. I am sure you will write a very good composition,” I said.
I was not as sure as I sounded. And I did not want to take any chances with the contest. Natalie needed to win more than ever. That is because her hopes were up now. If she lost, she would feel doubly bad.
I called Natalie the next morning.
“How are you doing with your composition?” I asked. “Do you want to read it to me?”