Page 30 of Be Still My Racing Heart
As Louise rattles off a list of mentors in attendance and the sports they play, Ryder sidles up next to me. “I thought Milo would be here.”
“He is. I last saw him in the kitchen with the Biddies arguing over who makes the best chocolate chip cookies. I’ve had Mabel’s chocolates and sampled Lettie’s brownies, but Milo’s cookies are perfection. He could be there a while if the Biddies have decided to hold him hostage to get his secret recipe.”
“But he’s missing all the fun,” Ryder says.
“Milo hasn’t missed anything other than a lesson on how to color coordinate.” Milo has a style and charisma that’s all his own.
“That’s because I’m colorblind,” Milo says, popping his head between us and scaring the beejeezus out of me. With flower-decorated potholders covering his hands, he holds up a tray. “Cookie?”
I hold a hand over my heart and take a moment to let it return to its normal rhythm. “Milo, you scared me!”
“Apologies. I should have used my whistle to announce my arrival. I keep one in my ab-pack because one never knows when you might need to use one,” he retorts.
Ryder glances down at Milo’s ab-pack, formerly known as a “fanny pack.” “What do you keep in there?”
“Oh, a little of this and a little of that. Wanna see?” he asks. Without waiting for an answer, he hands the tray to Ryder, who braces himself to take the hot pan. Milo then gives me his potholders. Luckily, the cookie tray has cooled enough that Ryder doesn’t get burned.
Milo unzips his pack, removes a sanitary wipe, and then opens the package. As he wipes his hands, he says, “Cleanliness is next to godliness. Want one? I have plenty.”
I shake my head, but he doesn’t notice as he gives me one anyway and then rummages around in his pack. “Let’s see, I’ve got my handy-dandy pocket-sized Sun-Tzu’sArt of Warbecause one never knows when they’ll need to strategize and battle zombies during an apocalypse. More importantly, I have breath mints and toothpicks for post-meal hygiene, and a roll of quarters for laundry and vending machines. You know what they say, “Always have clean undies and a full belly.”
Ryder snickers. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone say that.”
Milo looks up with raised eyebrows. “Well, they should. It’s good advice. Did I ever tell you about the time that I….”
A voice yelling in the distance interrupts Milo before he can share the story. “Milo! The Kettle Corn machine stopped working!”
Milo removes a screwdriver from his pack and waves it in the air. “I’llpopon over and be there in aJiffy! Did you know that popcorn is the official snack of Illinois?”
Left holding the tray, Ryder takes one of the cookies and bites into it. His eyes roll back in his head as he savors the gooey treat. “Don’t tell the Biddies, but this really is the best chocolate chip cookie I’ve ever tasted.”
“Don’t tell the Biddies, what?” Mabel asks, standing behind him with folded arms and a tapping foot. Lettie and Alma are right beside her, both waiting for Ryder to dig himself out of the hole he’s in.
Ryder’s scared expression and pleading eyes prompt me to step in and save him. “Milo’s chocolate chip cookies might be the best he’s ever had, but they don’t compare to Lettie’s brownies or your homemade peppermint bark, Mabel.”
Ryder mouths,“Nice save. Thank you.”
“You owe me one,” I whisper in his ear before handing him the wet-nap and potholders. I escort the Biddies toward the stage where Louise is still monologuing, giving Ryder the time to disseminate the cookies. He’ll probably end up stowing them somewhere safe and take them home to keep for himself.
Louise claps her hands. “And now, the moment you’ve all been waiting for, let’s welcome pop-star sensation, Joelle Summers!”
Connie Jo comes out on stage wearing a Play It Forward T-shirt and ballcap to show her support for our cause. Merdy is off to the side, recording the crowd’s cheers and screams. She’s been interviewing mentors and mentees about the program all afternoon, and I can’t wait to see what she does with it on her YouTube channel.
“When I learned about Play It Forward, I knew that this organization was something special,” Connie Jo says as she adjusts her guitar and leans into the microphone. “So much so, I wrote a special song just for all of you! Let’s rock the house and get this party started!”
The gaggle of people surrounding the stage raise their hands up in the air, the teenagers pulling out their phones as Connie Jo strums the first chord and opens her mouth to sing.
A spark begins when someone cares,
When time is given, when hope is shared.
It only takes a steady guide,
To walk with pride and head held high.
Through every challenge, with every play,
Courage is found day by day.
