The Glow of the Spotlight: My Journey with Rebecca

I stammer that yes, I came all the way from New Jersey, and I do need a place to stay. Rebecca gives me a friendly smile and says it’s nice to have a girl her own age in the building, even if it’s only for a few days. Mr. Rossi cuts in and tells me to forget about school and just go home. Privately I’m relieved he doesn’t offer me a room of his own, since I’d rather stay with Rebecca anyway, and at least I still have the Russian nesting dolls tucked safely in my purse to carry me home whenever I need them.

I tell Mr. Rossi not to worry, that I can find my own way back to New Jersey soon enough. He only shrugs and says I found my way here, so I can find my way back. Rebecca isn’t satisfied with that answer. She insists I deserve at least a proper dinner and a good night’s sleep before traveling again. Then she decides she’ll ask her own parents whether I can stay with her family for a day or two.

Mr. Rossi finally waves a hand and agrees, grumbling that no boarders are allowed, so it can only be for a couple of days. Rebecca takes my hand and leads me toward the stairs, leaving the janitor behind to feed his pigeons. Excitement and curiosity bubble up in my chest as I wonder whether her family will be as warm as she is.

Rebecca notices the nesting dolls peeking out of my purse and lights up. She tells me she has a set of her own, and that she’s named one Beckie, after her own nickname, carrying it whenever she needs good luck. I tell her mine bring me luck, too, since they’re the reason I’m on this adventure in the first place. I’ve already made a new friend in her.

Rebecca leads me through a door in the hallway into a large kitchen, its ancient gas stove and wide white sink still gleaming from a fresh cleanup after dinner. Her whole family turns to stare at my sparkly skirt with open astonishment. I notice that Rebecca has twin sisters, named Sadie and Sophie, an older brother named Victor, and little brother named Benny, with his enormous brown eyes. They and Rebecca’s parents all watch as Rebecca explains why I’ve turned up.

Rebecca’s mother, Mrs. Rubin, listens with concern, then mentions she’s heard whooping cough is spreading around New Jersey. She guesses that’s why my family wants me to stay away for a while. I don’t correct her, though the year she mentions along with it, 1914, makes my stomach lurch.

Rebecca’s father, Mr. Rubin, studies me for a long moment, rubbing the side of his face. Then he smiles kindly and agrees I’ll be safer staying with them, as long as I attend school with Rebecca so I don’t fall behind. Rebecca mentions, a little uncomfortably, that Mr. Rossi will only allow Millie—me—to stay a day or two. “Nonsense,” Mr. Rubin declares, insisting I can stay as long as necessary. I can barely keep from cheering out loud.

That night, Rebecca lends me a nightgown, and we squeeze into her bed together, the metal springs squeaking under a soft feather pillow every time either of us shifts. I admit I’m nervous her school will feel completely different from mine. Rebecca assures me I’ll blend in better if I borrow one of her dresses and a pinafore, since my sparkly skirt would only draw more attention. She adds cheerfully that she has two of everything anyway, thanks to her twin sisters’ hand-me-downs. I try to settle in and rest, equal parts excited and nervous to see what school was like a hundred years ago. I wonder whether I’ll do any better in Rebecca’s classroom than I usually do in my own.