Read Online The Popsicle Tree by Dorien Grey - Free Book Online

said.
    *
    I’d volunteered to run to the store to pick up a few things Jonathan decided he needed for dinner, and I ran into Carlene and Kelly coming into the building just as I was. Kelly was carrying a large children’s book.
    “Look what I got!” he exclaimed happily, holding the book out to me. Since he obviously wanted me to take it, I did, switching the grocery bag from one arm to another. Its whimsical, bright cover practically jumped out at you—a monkey and a penguin standing paw-in-flipper in the jungle, looking up at a beautiful tree laden with Popsicle fruit. The name of the book was The Popsicle Tree , and I was surprised that I immediately recognized the artist’s style. Sure enough, there under the author’s name was “Illustrations by Catherine Tunderew”—the ex-wife of an ex-client.
    Small world, eh, Hardesty? I thought.
    I handed the book back to Kelly with a smile.
    “That looks like a great book!” I said. “Maybe you’ll let Joshua read it sometime.”
    “Read it to me now!” Kelly urged. Luckily his mother stepped in.
    “Dick’s busy right now, honey. We’ll read it when we get upstairs.” She looked at me with a smile.
    “It’s been a long day,” she said.
    *
    Dinner was pleasant, and Jonathan had gone out of his way to make it special. It was clear that Joshua was getting tired, since he found it hard to sit still, constantly turning around to look at the fish, and he played with his food more than ate it. He had insisted that Bunny, his stuffed rabbit, have a chair next to him, and kept trying to give it some of his carrots. And after dinner, as soon as his father told him he could leave the table, he hopped down and raced back into the living room. A few minutes later he came back into the kitchen carrying a children’s book. He came over to me—for some unknown reason—and handed me the book as Kelly had done earlier.
    “Read me this,” he said.
    Sheryl looked at him until she caught his eye. “Did you say ‘please’?” she asked.
    He turned back to me. “Please.”
    “Well, I’ll tell you what,” Sheryl said to Joshua. “Why don’t we go get you ready for bed, and then maybe Uncle Dick will come in and read to you.” She turned to me. “Would you do that, Dick?”
    “Sure.” I’d noticed all day that both Sheryl and Samuel had gone out of their way to encourage Joshua to feel comfortable around us. I knew Sheryl was strongly torn about this whole vacation thing. On the one hand she was excited about having probably the first chance since Joshua was born to be alone with Samuel for more than a day or two; on the other hand, she was extremely hesitant to be apart from Joshua for ten whole days.
    Since we only had two double beds in the apartment, Joshua would be sleeping with Samuel and Sheryl. That way, he’d get accustomed to what would be “his” room and bed while his folks were gone, and give him a special last night with Mom and Dad.
    Jonathan, Samuel, and I were in the living room when Sheryl came out of the bedroom with Joshua, dressed in Dr. Denton pajamas (with the drop-seat feature and built-in slippers) carrying Bunny in one arm and his book in the other.
    “Ready for your story?” I asked, and Joshua nodded.
    “Can I come, too?” Jonathan asked the boy.
    “Okay,” Joshua said.
    We both got up and escorted him into the bedroom for story time.
    *
    Everyone was up early the next morning to give us all time to shower, get dressed, and have breakfast. Sheryl was nervous, though she tried not to show it, and Joshua was too busy playing with his cereal to notice. Sheryl, Samuel, and Jonathan would take Joshua to day care, meet the women who ran it, and make sure Joshua was settled in. Then they would come back to the apartment, get their things, and continue their trip to California and Hawaii, while Jonathan went off to work—he’d told his boss he’d be about an hour late.
    The four of them left before I did, after a minor tantrum by