Dolphin Summer Read online

  “Yeah, he was showing off for some girl by throwing popcorn at the penguins,” John said, still frowning. “I told him to stop, but he wouldn’t.”

  “Another employee noticed the same kind of situation the next day,” Dr. Hernandez told me. “That was when we decided it wasn’t going to work out.”

  “Wow.” I thought back to the obnoxious boy and shuddered. “That’s terrible. But why would he try to hurt Wanda?”

  John shrugged. “He blames me for getting kicked out. So does his mother. That’s why she’s always yelling at me.”

  His father sighed again. “John, I’ve told you—”

  “I know, I know,” John said. “Let it roll off my back. She’s a valuable employee.” He rolled his eyes at me. “I’m trying, Dad, okay?”

  For the first time, I felt a little sorry for John. Now I understood why Ms. Butler was so mean to John—and to me, too, ever since she’d seen us together that first time by the walrus exhibit. It couldn’t be easy having to work with her every day.

  “Anyway,” John went on, “I wonder if Owen saw my blog and figured out that I was interested in Wanda. Maybe he wants to make me look bad by making sure she doesn’t get better!”

  His parents traded a dubious look. “I don’t know,” his mother said. “Sounds a little far-fetched.”

  “But he could totally do it!” John insisted. “Maybe he sneaked in and messed with her meds. Or maybe his mom is adding something to the water that’s making Wanda sick!”

  My mind spun. Could John be right? Had he just solved the mystery of Wanda’s nonrecovery?

  “John, let’s not jump to any conclusions,” Dr. Hernandez said gravely. “We can’t just accuse someone of …”

  He let his words trail off as a buzzer sounded. “That’s the doorman,” John’s mother said, standing. “It must be your father, Lily. I’ll have him come up so you can finish eating.”

  “No, it’s okay. I’m almost finished anyway.”

  But it was too late. John’s mother was already over by the door talking to someone over the intercom. A few minutes later, she was ushering my dad in.

  He looked out of place in his work boots and sweat-stained shirt. “Thanks for looking after Lily,” he said gruffly, shuffling his feet and twisting his ball cap between his hands. “I appreciate it.”

  “It was a pleasure getting to know her,” Dr. Duran-Hernandez told him with a smile. “Would you like to sit down for a bit, Mr. Giordano? We have plenty.”

  “Thanks, but we need to be getting home. Her mother will be expecting us,” my dad said. “Ready to go, Lily?”

  My father and I didn’t say much to each other until we were in his truck. As usual, it smelled like sweat and plumber’s caulk.

  Dad started the truck. “Nice people, seemed like,” he said, raising his voice a little to be heard over the roar of the diesel engine. “Glad they were there to take over when that Nia flaked out.”

  “She didn’t …” I took a breath, forcing myself to stop. “I mean, yeah, they are nice. It was really interesting talking to John’s parents about their jobs.”

  “Hmph.” He shot me a quick, appraising look before turning his eyes back to the road. “Science stuff, huh? Yeah, I can see how you’d like that.”

  I was so surprised I wasn’t sure how to respond. Was my father actually acknowledging my interest in science for once? And without making fun of it?

  “Uh-huh,” I said cautiously. “John is doing a student internship at the aquarium. Maybe next year I could do something like that. I think it’s free,” I added hastily.

  “We’ll deal with next year, next year,” my father replied.

  Maybe that wouldn’t sound like a very encouraging response coming from most people. But my dad wasn’t most people. From him, it was much more than I ever would have expected, and my heart leaped a little. What if … ?

  “Hey,” his gruff voice interrupted. “Where are your books? Didn’t leave them at their apartment, did you? It’s not too late to go back.”

  My books? I gulped, suddenly realizing something.

  “Actually, they’re not at the Hernandezes’ apartment,” I said slowly. “I think I forgot them at the aquarium.”

  I didn’t just think that—I knew it. In my mind’s eye, I could clearly see my backpack lying atop the metal platform by Wanda’s tank where I’d left it.

  My father scowled. “Are you kidding me, Lily? Your mother and I ask you to do one thing this summer, and this is how you act? I swear, for a smart girl you sure do some foolish things sometimes. Now you’re going to have to get that Nia to schlep you all the way back out to Coney Island …”

  I sank down in my seat, staring out the window and trying not to smile at the thought of going back out to the aquarium—which my dad clearly thought of as some kind of punishment. I also tried not to let him see that I wasn’t listening as he ranted about my forgetfulness the rest of the way home.

  Nia was in a good mood when she arrived at my house the next morning. Luckily my dad and brothers had already left for their first job, so Dad couldn’t yell at her about yesterday.

  “So how was your visit with the Hernandezes?” Nia said as we walked across the bridge over the canal, heading toward the studio. “Sorry again for stranding you out there. I just couldn’t make it back in time.”

  “I had dinner with John and his parents. It was nice.” I started to go into detail, but she began whistling an airy little tune and didn’t seem to be listening, so I stopped. What was with her?

  Then I remembered what she’d told me. The reason she’d gone to Manhattan yesterday was to deliver a sculpture. Maybe she’d sold it for a lot of money. That would explain her mood, and maybe also why she couldn’t get back in time. Maybe she’d had to go straight to a bank to deposit the windfall.

  “I need to go back to the aquarium today,” I told her.

  She shot me a look of mild dismay. “Again? I’m starting to think we should just move onto the F train. Cheaper than an apartment, right?”

  I chuckled along with her. At least she didn’t seem mad.

  “Yeah. For one thing, I forgot my book bag there,” I said. “Also, I really want to check on Wanda. John had an idea about why she might still be acting sick …”

  I filled her in on the Owen Butler theory. Nia actually stopped whistling and listened.

  “Whoa,” she said when I finished. “If that’s true, Dr. H better put a stop to it!”

  I definitely agreed with that. “So can we go?”

  “Why not?” She tossed me a cheery smile. “Just let me grab my stuff from the studio and we’ll head right down there.”

  When we arrived, Nia texted Dr. Hernandez. This time, John came to let us in through the employee door.

  “I found your books this morning when I was helping to feed Wanda,” he told me. “They’re in my dad’s office for safekeeping.”

  “Thanks.” I wasn’t really thinking about the books. “Is Wanda any better?”

  “Wanda ate, though Dr. Gallagher said it wasn’t as much as she’d like.”

  “Is there a bathroom around here?” Nia asked. She grinned at John. “It’s a long ride out here, and I had three cups of coffee this morning.”

  “Right down that hall.” John pointed. Nia thanked him and hurried off, leaving the two of us alone just outside the main room of the lab.

  “Did your dad do anything about, um …” I glanced around the quiet hallway, half fearing that Ms. Butler might pop out and overhear. “You know—your theory?”

  “Yeah.” John’s shoulders slumped. “Owen doesn’t have anything to do with it after all.”

  “What? How do you know?”

  “Because he just got back from New England yesterday,” John said. “He’s been up there staying with his dad and stepmom ever since he got kicked out of this place, and he didn’t even know about Wanda until yesterday.” He shrugged. “My dad says Ms. Butler was pretty insulted when he asked her about it. She said
Owen might not do everything right, and yeah, she was kind of mad when he got kicked out.” He took a deep breath. “But she said they both love animals—that’s why she works here, and why he wanted to. She also said that’s why they’re so upset about him losing the internship. He really wanted to do it, I guess.”

  I leaned against the wall, taking in what this meant. “So we’re back to square one,” I said slowly. “We still don’t know why Wanda isn’t acting right.”

  “Yeah.”

  John didn’t have a chance to say anything else, because Nia was back. “Hey,” she said, poking him in the shoulder. “Who’s in charge of this place, anyway? Like, the head honcho?”

  “My dad, I guess,” John said. “I mean, he doesn’t run the whole aquarium, but he’s the head biologist, so I guess he’s in charge of the lab.”

  “Cool. He around?” Nia grinned and winked at me.

  I had no idea why she wanted to see Dr. Hernandez, but I wanted to get inside and check on Wanda.

  When we entered the main room, Dr. Hernandez was standing right near the door talking to Ms. Khan, the lab tech I’d met that first day at the canal, and a young man I guessed might also be a tech. The two techs hurried off just as we stepped into the room.

  Dr. Hernandez started to turn toward his office, but stopped when he saw us. “Oh, hello,” he said. “Lily, did John tell you he found your book bag?”

  “Yes, thanks,” I said.

  “And thanks for looking after Lily yesterday, Dr. H,” Nia said, stepping forward. “Here, this is for you.”

  She stuck her hand into her bag and pulled something out, shoving it into Dr. Hernandez’s hand. I gasped when I saw what it was—a large wad of cash!

  Dr. Hernandez looked startled. “What’s this?” he said. Then he smiled. “There’s no charge for babysitting. Lily mostly took care of herself.”

  “It’s not for that.” Nia stuck her hands in the pockets of her skirt, looking pleased with herself. “It’s for this place—the aquarium. I just sold my dolphin sculpture that was inspired by Wanda, and—”

  “That’s the piece you sold yesterday?” I blurted out.

  She winked at me. “Surprise!”

  Suddenly I realized I hadn’t been in the studio since yesterday morning—today Nia had left me standing outside while she ran in to get her stuff. So of course, I’d had no idea that the huge dolphin sculpture was missing.

  John and his father still looked confused. “We camped out by the canal for a couple of days when Wanda was there, remember?” I told them. “Nia’s a sculptor—she makes beautiful things out of stuff nobody else wants.”

  “Trash, basically,” Nia added cheerfully. “And there was plenty of that by the canal.”

  “But how did you sell the dolphin sculpture so fast?” I asked her. “I mean, I didn’t even realize it was finished!”

  “I stayed up late the other night putting on the final touches,” she replied. “And the sale was a lucky break. Remember how all those people kept stopping by to take pictures of Wanda?”

  I nodded. I remembered that all too well. That was how my friends had seen me with Olivia Choi. It was a miracle that my brothers or parents hadn’t heard that I was spending so much time at the canal.

  “Well, a few people took pictures of my sculpture, too,” Nia went on. “One of them sent a couple of those photos to a friend of his, who happens to be a rich art collector from Manhattan.” Nia smiled. “The collector liked what she saw and made me an offer I couldn’t refuse.”

  “Wow!” I’d known that the dolphin sculpture was good, but then again, I loved all of Nia’s art. I was glad that other people seemed to agree.

  Nia turned to face Dr. Hernandez. “So anyway, I want to donate half the proceeds to the aquarium to help take care of Wanda.”

  “Oh, I see.” Dr. Hernandez looked stunned. “That’s a very generous offer, Nia. Thank you. I only wish I could have seen that sculpture.”

  “You can.” Nia fished her phone out of her bag. Seconds later, she’d pulled up a photo of the dolphin sculpture.

  Dr. Hernandez studied it. “Beautiful,” he said. “I would never have guessed it was made out of trash.”

  “I call it The Lonely Dolphin,” Nia said.

  I shot her a surprised look. “I didn’t realize you’d named it,” I said. “But that’s perfect!”

  “A little sad, though,” John put in.

  “Yeah.” My gaze wandered toward Wanda, who was floating in the middle of her tank without moving much.

  I stepped closer, leaving the others talking about the sculpture and Nia’s donation. Wanda saw me coming and drifted a little closer to the glass, though she still looked lethargic.

  “You do look lonely, girl,” I told her softly.

  Then I gasped. That was it!

  I rushed back to the others. “I think I know what’s wrong with Wanda! What if she’s not sick at all? What if she’s just lonely?”

  “Lonely?” John echoed. “Like the sculpture?”

  “Yeah!” Now that I’d thought of my new theory, I was sure I was right. “You said yourself that she acts a little livelier when I’m there talking to her. And your dad said that wild animals sometimes get upset about being in captivity. Plus everyone knows that dolphins are social creatures.”

  Nia laughed. “Maybe not everyone,” she said. “But everyone in this room probably does know that, yeah.”

  “So maybe that’s it,” I continued. “She got stuck in the canal somehow and couldn’t find her way back out. Now she misses her pod and is so lonely she’s acting listless and sad.”

  Dr. Hernandez was nodding thoughtfully. “It’s a good theory, Lily,” he said. “If there’s nothing physically wrong with her, it has to be something else.”

  “She’s emotionally sick,” Nia put in.

  “So what do we do about it?” John wondered.

  His father shrugged. “Actually, I was already thinking we might as well release her and see what happens.” He gave me a serious look. “It might work out, or it might not. But her condition isn’t improving here, so this might be her best shot.”

  I shivered, not sure whether I liked the idea of my theory getting put to the test that way. “When?” I asked.

  “Are you around tomorrow?” he asked, looking at me and then at Nia. “Because if we’re going to give this a try, there’s no good reason to delay it any longer.”

  I set my alarm to go off early the next morning. There was no way I wanted to be late for Wanda’s release.

  My brothers were nowhere in sight when I stepped into the kitchen, but both my parents were sitting at the table drinking coffee. My father stood when he saw me.

  “Lily,” he said. “I was about to check that you were awake.”

  “Thanks, I’m up.” I went to the refrigerator and took out the orange juice. “Nia’s picking me up in half an hour.”

  “No, she’s not.” My father traded a look with my mother. “We’re picking her up.”

  “Huh? What do you mean?” I asked.

  He smiled, and I noticed that the corners of his eyes were starting to crinkle just like my grandpa’s used to do. “I mean your mother and I are going to drive you down to meet the aquarium people,” he said. “Your mother called Nia last night to let her know we’ll pick her up on the way.”

  I was so surprised I almost dropped the juice. “You’re driving me? Why?”

  Maybe that wasn’t very polite. But I was really wondering if I’d misunderstood somehow. Yes, I’d told my parents that the scientists were releasing Wanda today down near the Brooklyn Army Terminal, which was close to where the dolphin pod had been spotted. I’d had no choice but to tell them. Dr. Hernandez had insisted that I get their permission if I wanted to come, which of course I did want more than just about anything I’d ever wanted before. When we’d talked last night, my father hadn’t said much, though my mom had asked lots of questions about Wanda and the aquarium and Dr. Hernandez and even John. She’d
been the one who’d called Dr. Hernandez to give permission, though my father hadn’t stopped her, which I’d figured was about as good as I was going to get from him.

  Now my mother hurried over and plucked the juice carton out of my hand, then grabbed a glass from the drying rack by the sink. “We know how important this is to you, sweetheart,” she said, pouring out a glass of OJ and setting it at my place at the table. “Your father and I had a long talk about it last night, and he decided to take the morning off so we could both go with you. Isn’t that right, dear?”

  He nodded. “The boys are covering this morning’s jobs on their own,” he told me. “Now hurry up and eat—we might hit rush-hour traffic.”

  “O-okay.” My head still spinning, I sat down and stared at my juice glass. “Um, but you really don’t have to do this, you guys. Nia and I were going to take the subway.”

  “Too hard to get to the waterfront that way,” my father said, shaking his head. “You’d have to transfer and then walk. Besides, we want to help out—I mean, this is your thing.” He shrugged, not quite meeting my eye. “I guess I figured that out when I saw you with those scientist people the other night.”

  Now I really was too stunned to eat. I’d assumed that the visit to the Hernandezes’ place hadn’t made much of an impression on him. Could I have been wrong?

  “Dr. Hernandez said such nice things about you on the phone.” My mother reached over and patted my hand. “He says you’ve helped them so much with this dolphin situation. We’re proud of you, Lily.”

  “Th-thanks,” I stammered uncertainly. Proud of me? For something like that—something I actually cared about? When had that happened?

  Okay, so maybe my parents hadn’t understood me very well all these years—hadn’t always paid close enough attention to what I cared about, what I wanted out of life. Now I was starting to wonder if maybe I hadn’t paid close enough attention to them, either.

  But I would have to think more about that later. Right now, it was time to concentrate on Wanda.