A Brighter Tomorrow: My Journey with Julie

As hard as I try, I can’t get the image of the stone from my ring on the floor, and a little boy finding the shiny stone and stuffing it into his pocket to keep as a souvenir. If I don’t find the stone, I will 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, and I can tell she’s 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 look everywhere, feeling the ground all around the fortune-teller machine twice. I 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 are displayed. 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 asked 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 thinks. She said she doesn’t think anyone has turned it in, but I can look through the lost and found. She bends down to rummage through a shelf beneath the desk and pulls out a box. 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 let out a sigh and thank Suzy for her help. She said she hopes I find it.

I nod and try to fight back tears. I took 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. Tracy won’t even talk to her. Julie explains that Tracy never talks to her about anything. Not the divorce, not moving to a new school, not anything. And now Julie has something really important that she wants to talk about and Tracy is just shutting her out. Ever since the divorce she doesn’t have 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 explain to Julie everything. I tell her about our move from Ohio, my parents’ separation, my brother’s struggle to adjust to a new life, and my unwillingness to talk to him about it. I thought that a big sister was supposed to say strong and act like everything is okay, I explain to her. But now I understand how a big sister should behave.

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