Call Me Sunflower Read online

  Her words nearly knocked me off my chair. My grandmother never asked about our days. Mom was usually the one talking about us, like “Sunny won the fourth-grade art contest this year for her drawing of a shoe.” But here my grandmother was, leaning forward and looking at us … with interest.

  Autumn jumped right in. “We’re learning about body systems in science. Today we made a skeleton out of macaroni.”

  My sister chattered on and on, but I was still thinking about Luxury Furs. I offered to clean up the kitchen and once everyone had left, I went straight over to the trash can. Slipping my hand inside, I pulled out the pamphlet, brushed off the dirt and crumbs, and stuck it in my back pocket.

  When I went up to my room a little while later, I sat down at my desk and began to read.

  My eyes scanned the first subtitle: THE MAKING OF FURS—A VERY UGLY BUSINESS.

  The suffering of up to 120 animals is sewn into every fur coat.

  I bit my lip and looked away from the photo. My grandmother had thrown out the pamphlet without even reading it. Didn’t she wonder why people were protesting her business? Or was she really some kind of Cruella de Vil who didn’t care what happened to the animals before they were turned into the fur coats that hung in her store?

  I swallowed and turned my attention back to the pamphlet. I forced myself to read the front, inside, and back. It was worse than I’d ever imagined. By the time I was done, I knew all about how animals were trapped, how they spent their lives in cages, and how they were killed in horrible ways to make sure no blood showed up on the luxurious fur coats.

  I folded my arms on my desk and dropped my head on top of them. I couldn’t understand how my grandmother could make her living from an industry that tortured animals. What kind of person was she?

  I closed my eyes tight, trying to block out the images. But the words were already stuck in my brain and there was nothing I could do to make them go away.

  ***

  I tried to work on my math homework, but I couldn’t concentrate. Before I knew it, I’d raced down to the kitchen, grabbed the phone off the counter, and was dialing Scott’s number, even though it wasn’t our official night to talk.

  I held the phone tight to my ear, listening to it ring and ring. Usually Scott picked up right away. But usually he was expecting our call.

  “Hello?”

  I could barely make out his voice over all the background noise. “It’s me, Sunny,” I said a little louder. “Where are you?”

  “Is everything okay?”

  “Fine. Why is it so noisy? I can hardly hear you!”

  “Just a minute, okay?”

  There was a pause, and the background noise got quieter. He must have walked to another spot because I could hear him better now. “Sorry about that, Sunny.”

  “Where are you?” I asked again.

  “I’m at Thomas Street Restaurant,” Scott said.

  I couldn’t believe it—Scott was out having fun at a noisy restaurant while I’d been stuck at Grandma Grace’s fancy dining room table, listening to her complain about crazy animal rights fanatics. “Who are you having dinner with?”

  “Just some friends.”

  “Who?”

  “You don’t know them. Some friends from school.”

  I didn’t say anything. I wondered if any of them were female, but I didn’t dare ask.

  “So, what’s up? I didn’t expect a call from you on a Wednesday night.”

  “Oh. Yeah. Sorry to bother you—”

  “It’s no bother. Did something happen at school today?”

  I shook my head but, of course, he couldn’t see me over the phone. Scott was so busy with work and school and hanging out with new friends that he’d forgotten all about my OM tryouts. He used to give up afternoons and weekends to coach my team, was totally involved from brainstorming to hauling around materials in his truck to giving us hugs and free pizza … and now he didn’t even ask about tryouts!

  It was the first time Scott hadn’t been there for me. And I didn’t just mean in the same place. He always knew when I needed to talk about something, but tonight it suddenly felt as if we were so … distant.

  I wanted to tell him I needed a hug. But, at the same time, I felt anger building up inside me, like the water boiling inside a teakettle. Scott had let Mom take us away without even putting up a fight. Didn’t he care about us at all?

  “Is everything okay with your classes?” Scott asked.

  “Yeah.”

  “How’s your new friend—Jessie, was it?”

  “She’s good.”

  “And how about your grandma? She’s not giving you any trouble, is she?”

  “Well, Grandma Grace was all steamed up today. Lydia’s mom—Lydia’s parents are the ones who own the health food store—brought grandma a plate of vegan cookies with an animal rights pamphlet hidden underneath! It was horrible. You won’t believe what they do to animals before they turn them into fur coats. And Grandma thinks the Applebaums are going to cause a lot of trouble, but she deserves it—”

  “Hold on a minute,” Scott said, sounding confused. “Lydia’s mom brought Grandma Grace cookies? That was nice of her, right?”

  “With an anti-fur pamphlet underneath!” I yelled into the phone.

  “Oh, sorry, honey. I’m having a hard time hearing you. It’s noisy in here.”

  I held my breath, imagining the words in my head I wanted to hear: I’m worried about you, Sunflower, living with a grandmother who makes her money from animal cruelty. I’m miserable here in New Jersey, so far away from you, wondering every minute if you’re going to be okay. As a matter of fact, I’m going to catch the next plane down and take you and your sister away from that horrible woman. And while I’m at it, I really miss your mom, too. Think I can convince her to come back so we can all be a family again? There’re plenty of MFA programs in New Jersey, you know.

  This is what I heard instead.

  “Hmmm … well, this sounds complicated. Can we talk about it on Friday? People keep coming in and out of the door and it’s hard to have a conversation.”

  I twisted a strand of hair around my finger. “Okay.”

  “All right. We’ll talk Friday. I better get back to my friends—”

  “Okay, sure.”

  “Love you,” Scott said, but I hung up the phone without saying it back. I raced upstairs and flopped down on the bed, shutting my eyes tight. I pictured Scott at a noisy restaurant, having a grand old time with his new friends, forgetting about me as soon as he hung up.

  As much as I loved hearing his voice, it was the first time I wished I’d never picked up the phone to call him.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  Are we going horseback riding today?” I asked Mom on Saturday morning.

  She shook her head as she put the bagels and cream cheese on the table. “Sorry, honey, I told Lindsay I’d meet her this morning to talk about the teaching position at her school. She’s hoping I can take over the creative writing classes starting Monday.”

  Autumn groaned. “But you promised!”

  “More than once,” I chimed in. “You always say we’re going to Ridge Gap Trail, and then when the weekend comes around you’re too busy.”

  “I’ll make it up to you,” Mom said, running a hand over Autumn’s hair, then giving my shoulder a squeeze. “I didn’t expect things to be this busy, but I can’t turn down this opportunity. We’ll go out to dinner and we can rent a movie tonight, if you’d like.”

  “Portofino’s Pizza?” Autumn asked, looking up from her bagel.

  “Your choice,” Mom said, and Autumn cheered. I didn’t. I was tired of Mom going back on her promises, and things were probably about to get even worse if she was taking on a part-time job on top of the writing program.

  “Oh, and I need a favor,” Mom said. “Grandma Grace just called and said she left her inventory log at home. Can you girls ride your bikes over to her store?”

  “Sure,” Autumn said quickly. “
Grandma told us the next time we come, we can pick out whatever we want.”

  I crossed my arms in front of my chest. “I’m not going.”

  Mom glanced over at me. “It’s up to you if you want to take your grandmother up on her offer. But Autumn can’t ride over there by herself.”

  “Fine. I’m not going in, though.”

  “Because she sells fur coats?” Autumn asked.

  “I don’t believe in cruelty to animals, and you shouldn’t either. You won’t believe what they do to animals to get their fur.”

  Mom put up a hand to stop me before I could go any further. “Okay, okay. Enough, Sunny. You don’t need to frighten your sister—”

  “It’s not like I’m picking out a fur coat, anyway,” Autumn said. “She’s got lots of other stuff in her store.”

  “Fur coats are a very small section,” Mom said to me. “And no one’s forcing you to step inside. Just do me this favor, okay? Try to get along with your grandmother. She really wants to get to know you girls, and she’s been more than generous to let us stay with her. Now is not the time to confront her about animal rights issues.”

  “But, but I thought you said you didn’t like—”

  “Your grandmother and I disagree on a lot of issues. But I’m working hard to make things better between us, and I hope that you’ll make an effort, too.”

  I let out a big sigh and rolled my eyes, which Mom ignored. I couldn’t believe it. She’d always said that people had to speak out against the injustices in the world, that if you sat by silently you weren’t doing anything to make the world a better place.

  When she was talking about speaking up to help others, I guess she wasn’t including speaking up to relatives, especially a rich one who was letting us stay in her big beautiful home.

  ***

  An hour later, we rode into the parking lot of the strip mall where Grandma Grace’s store was located. “What’s going on over there?” Autumn asked. “Ooo, look, a bunny!”

  I glanced at the sidewalk in front of Earthly Goods where someone dressed up in a bunny suit stood waving at us. Green and blue balloons hung from the awning. “Guess it’s a Grand Opening,” I said as we pedaled past, parking our bikes in front of Luxury Furs and Leathers.

  Autumn jumped off her bike and ran into the store. I hesitated a minute, then followed behind her, dragging my feet. If I waited outside, Grandma Grace was sure to ask questions. And since Mom had warned me about giving real answers, I figured it was easier to make a quick appearance, then scoot back outside.

  The smell hit me as soon as we walked through the door—leather and something else that wasn’t exactly fresh. My stomach swirled.

  Autumn sneezed. I coughed.

  “Hi, girls!” Grandma Grace greeted us with a big smile. “What’s the matter with you two? Allergic to my shop?”

  I glanced around the store, my eyes darting away from the display of fur coats in the front with the sign NEW ARRIVALS.

  “Something smells funny,” Autumn whispered.

  “Dead animals,” I whispered back.

  Autumn’s eyes opened wide like she’d never thought about it that way.

  “Here you are,” I said, handing my grandmother her notebook. “We need to get going—”

  “Oh, look!” Autumn walked over to a rack of small multicolored purses. “Are these new, Grandma?”

  “Just got them in yesterday. I’ll tell you what. Pick out your favorite and I’ll buy one for each of you as a back-to-school present.”

  “Really? I want the pink one,” Autumn said, picking up a pink suede purse with flowers around the edges. “Come on, Sunny! How about this one?” She held up a purple purse with fringe.

  I shook my head. Smelling all that leather made my mind reel. I knew how animals were turned into fur coats, but how were they changed into leather jackets and purses? I glanced down at the shoes on my feet. Or even my leather sneakers?

  “No, thanks. I don’t need anything,” I managed to say. I didn’t like the way my mind was racing, making the connection between animals and clothing and even the food I ate.

  “Go ahead,” Grandma Grace said. “They’re soft as velvet.”

  I shook my head again. Soft as velvet made me think of Stellaluna’s fur, which made me think of the fur coats on the racks. I bit my lip to keep from yelling, “You’re not selling luxury items! You’re selling cruelty and death!”

  My cheeks were heating up, and I knew I had to get out of that place quick. “Um, I’m going to pick up something at the bookstore. I’ll be back in a few minutes,” I said and bolted out the door.

  ***

  “Look what I got!” Autumn showed off the pink purse that hung from her shoulder as she walked out of the shop a few minutes later. “See, no fur on it!”

  I shrugged and looked away from my sister. “Hey, you want to check out Earthly Goods?” I was a little curious about Lydia’s store, and I wondered how she’d act when she saw me.

  “Sure,” Autumn said. “Did you get anything at the bookstore?”

  I shook my head no as we hopped on our bikes and pedaled down the sidewalk to Earthly Goods. The person in the bunny costume handed us a twenty percent off coupon and we stepped inside.

  I breathed in strong incense as I looked around. Candles and soap sat on tables with colorful tablecloths, BE KIND TO ANIMALS and SAVE THE EARTH posters lined the walls, and the shelves were stocked with everything from shampoo to vegan donuts.

  “Wow!” Autumn said as we walked up and down the aisles. “This place is cool. Hey, there’s free samples!”

  Lydia stood in front of a small table. She didn’t smile when she saw me, but she held out her tray. “Tofutti? There’s chocolate chip mint and chocolate peanut butter.”

  “What’s Tofutti?” I asked.

  “Ice cream made from tofu.”

  I wrinkled my nose.

  “Try some,” Lydia said.

  A short lady with lots of long, curly hair the same color as Lydia’s came out from behind the counter. “Do you girls know each other?”

  “We have language arts together,” I said.

  “I’m Darlene Applebaum.” She held out her hand to shake mine the same way Lydia had on the first day of school. “It’s great to meet a new friend of Lydia’s!”

  “We’re not friends, Mom. We just have a class together,” Lydia said.

  “Well, that’s a start,” Mrs. Applebaum said.

  I avoided Lydia’s eyes, sticking the spoonful of Tofutti in my mouth. It wasn’t bad. I turned to my sister. “You should try some, Autumn.”

  Mrs. Applebaum handed Autumn a cup. “Chocolate peanut butter’s my favorite.”

  “Mmm, yum,” Autumn said. “What’s tofu made out of?”

  “Soybeans,” Lydia answered.

  Autumn made a face.

  “Actually,” Lydia said, her expression softening, “You can do anything with tofu. You can make the yummiest cheesecake or peanut butter pie. You just blend up the silken tofu to make it nice and creamy and then you put all your regular ingredients in. Or you can make tofu hot dogs. We had a neighbor try ours and she said it tasted just like a regular hot dog! Not that I would know, since I’ve never eaten meat in my whole entire life. There’re also tofu burgers, barbecued tofu, fried tofu …”

  Autumn’s eyes got really big and Lydia grinned. I found myself grinning, too.

  “It really is the miracle food,” Mrs. Applebaum said.

  “We’ll have to get Mom to come back and buy some,” I told my sister.

  We wandered around the store a little more, stopping at another free sample table with chips and dips. While Autumn nibbled, I headed over to a table full of pamphlets that sat in the back corner. After a quick glance, I knew they were all about cruelty to animals. I picked up a handful and slipped them into the bag with my magazine. Then I noticed a sign on the bulletin board:

  Animal Rights Group Forming Now! Join us for our first meeting on October 12 to discuss our prot
est for Fur-Free Friday!

  Contact Darlene Applebaum for more details: 555-381-0150

  “Sunny?” Autumn called. I quickly turned away from the table and ran to meet her.

  “I’m definitely asking Mom to come back here.” Autumn held up another cup of Tofutti. “Chocolate peanut butter is the best.”

  “Yeah,” I said. “What do you think Grandma Grace will say if she hears we got something at Earthly Goods?”

  Autumn giggled as we headed out the door. “I guess we won’t tell her, will we?”

  ***

  When we got home, I went straight to my room, shutting the door behind me. A new idea was brewing in my head, and I wanted to get to work on it right away. First, I stuck the pamphlets in my desk drawer under my notebooks, the same place I’d hidden the one Grandma Grace found under the cookies. I’d read enough animal rights literature for now. But someday, when I was feeling brave, I’d read all of them.

  Next, I turned my attention to my main problem: getting Mom and Scott back together. Logging into my Chrome Book, I typed in “How to Get Noticed by Your Crush.” It was a headline I saw on a Seventeen magazine in the bookstore, and while I didn’t have enough money to buy the magazine, I figured I could find the same thing on the Internet.

  Sure enough, tons of articles popped up. I clicked on the first one:

  First impressions count. Pay special attention to your appearance. Focus on being active and full of positive energy. Most importantly, always remember that when you are confident in yourself, others will be, too.

  I thought about that for a minute. Mom seemed confident, all right. She believed in herself and didn’t let anything stop her. In fact, that’s what had gotten us into this trouble to begin with; she wanted to go back to school no matter what anyone else thought about it. I didn’t see how that made her more attractive to Scott, but I just shrugged and read on.

  Step 1: Take a little extra time when you’re getting ready in the morning. You don’t want to look like you’ve rolled straight out of bed.