A Brighter Tomorrow: My Journey with Julie

As hard as I try, I can’t stop picturing the stone from my ring on the floor, and a little boy finding it and stuffing it into his pocket as a souvenir. If I don’t find the stone, I’ll be at a point of no return. I step up to Julie and tell her that she can do this, and I’ll be with her in a minute. There’s something I have to do first. Julie blinks at me, trying to understand what could possibly be so important that I can’t go with her. But she nods before turning and marching toward her sister.

In a flash, I’m out the door and retracing our steps through the museum. I feel around the fortune-teller machine twice and check the slot where the fortune card popped out. I search the claw machine, the photo booth, and the ledge where the barbershop quartet robots sit. But I don’t see the stone anywhere.

I spot a museum employee handing out brochures at the desk and I rush over. Her name tag says Suzy. She asks how she can help. I’m nearly out of breath with worry.

I ask her if anyone has turned in a small oval stone. She asks what color it is and I tell her it changes color. It came out of a mood ring.

Suzy doesn’t think anyone has turned it in, but she pulls out the lost-and-found box from beneath the desk so I can check. I dig through it, and while there are plenty of cool things in there that Chloe would go gaga over, I don’t see the stone from my ring. I sigh and thank Suzy for her help. She says she hopes I find it.

I nod and try to fight back tears. I take a deep breath, and I’m doing my best to gather myself when I see Julie come around the corner. She presses herself against the wall on the other side of the room and a tear rolls down her cheek.

I run to Julie and ask her if she’s okay. I ask her what happened. Julie shakes her head and looks away. Then, Julie says that she didn’t say anything.

Julie explains Tracy won’t talk to her about anything, not the divorce, not moving to a new school, not anything. Now Julie has something really important she wants to talk about, and Tracy is shutting her out. Ever since the divorce, Tracy hasn’t shown any feelings.

I swallow. This sounds familiar. I think back to the conversation with Zack in my room that morning. I tell Julie that Tracy and I have something in common.

Julie asks what I mean. I take a deep breath and tell her everything, about our move from Ohio, my parents’ separation, my brother’s struggle to adjust, and my refusal to talk to him about it. I thought a big sister was supposed to stay strong and act like everything is okay, but now I understand how a big sister should really behave.

Julie looks up at me with teary eyes, and suddenly all my worries about the stone fall away. Julie needs me right now, and I know how to help her. I grab her hand and lead her back toward the room where Tracy was. When Tracy sees us coming, she rolls her eyes in exasperation and says she doesn’t want to talk about it.