Ice Cream Queen, page 4
Mom made a face like she was trying not to smile. “I think you may be overestimating things a bit, sweetie. People get their picture in the paper all the time, and they don’t get swarmed by paparazzi afterward.”
“You never know,” I replied. “I’m like a celebrity at school now. Principal Harrison made an announcement about me over the speakers on Wednesday, and I had, like, a million people come up to me after class. It was amazing.”
“A million?” Mom repeated.
“You know what I mean,” I said. “Anyway, these sunglasses protect you from UVA and UVB rays, and as captain of the Sunscreen Police, you should appreciate that.”
Mom sighed. “It’s your birthday money, Tamiko. But you might want to go look in the mirror.”
I held out my phone and switched to selfie mode. Mom was right—the glasses were big, and they made my head look small in comparison. But they also looked very glamorous, I thought. I struck a movie-star pose and snapped a picture.
“This is going on the blog!” I announced.
“Of course it is,” Mom said in a deadpan voice.
I could tell that Mom didn’t like them, but I didn’t care. I felt really confident in them. After I dried my hair, I retook the selfie and posted it on my blog. I started getting likes right away, and I knew the sunglasses were a hit. Maybe I could start wearing the sunglasses in all my blog photos instead of covering my face with bunny emojis.
* * *
The next day I wore my new sunglasses to my shift at Molly’s. When Dad dropped me off, I saw Mrs. S. standing in the window of the shop, taping a large poster to the inside of the window. I grinned. She’d blown up the cover of Bayville Monthly with my artwork on it! And next to it she’d printed out my photo with the words: “Congratulations to Our Talented Employee, Tamiko!”
When she saw me, she put down the tape she was holding and rushed over to hug me.
“Tamiko, I can’t thank you enough!” she said. “I’ve tried to get Molly’s on the cover before, but I never had any luck. Not only is your artwork really awesome, but it’s also been very good for business so far.”
“Mom said that yesterday about twenty people said they came because of the new Bayville Monthly issue,” Allie chimed in.
“I bet we’ll double that today,” I said, as Sierra rushed in.
“Two minutes to spare!” she said proudly. Then she did a double take at me. “Why are you wearing sunglasses inside?”
“Oh, these?” I said, taking them off. “Sorry. They feel so natural that I forgot I had them on.”
“You look like a movie star in them,” Allie remarked.
“Movie star, social media star, art star, ice cream star—it’s kind of all the same, isn’t it?” I asked.
Allie raised her eyebrows just as a woman walked through the door. I scooted behind the counter and put on my apron.
“Welcome to world-famous Molly’s Ice Cream,” I said. “Can I interest you in our fall special, the pumpkin ginger sundae?”
“That sounds delicious,” she replied.
I grinned at Allie. “One pumpkin ginger sundae!”
Allie handed me a cup with two scoops of Pumpkin Caramel Swirl ice cream, I added the toppings, and then things got kind of crazy as more customers streamed through the door. The shop got busy much more quickly than on a normal Sunday. I even saw people walking past stop to read the poster and then come inside.
As I churned out pumpkin ginger sundaes, I kept an eye out for Kai and Layla. The day before, I’d tried asking Kai if he was planning on bringing Layla to Molly’s, but he was back to being the quiet, surly Kai who didn’t answer my questions.
About an hour in, I saw Kai walk through the door, and my heart skipped a beat. Would I finally get to meet Layla? Were they on a date? Would my brother become happy Kai again?
But I didn’t see a pretty dark-haired girl with him, just his friend Matt.
“Where’s Layla?” I asked.
“It didn’t work out for today,” he mumbled, avoiding my gaze. “Can I have a vanilla cone, please?”
Uh-oh, I thought. This was definitely not happy Kai. I gave the order to Allie. Then I nodded to Kai’s friend. “What do you want, Matt?”
“What’s good?” Matt asked.
“Allie, one pumpkin ginger sundae!” I called out.
Matt pointed toward the window. “Did you really make that cover, Tamiko? That’s awesome!”
“Yes, that’s me,” I said.
The woman waiting behind Matt looked at me. “You’re the girl in the window. That’s such a lovely collage. Good job!”
A guy behind her chimed in, “Yeah. I got hungry just looking at that cover. This is my third day here in a row!”
“Then maybe you need three scoops today,” I said.
As the day went on, lots more people recognized me from the photo and complimented me on the magazine cover.
“You’re very talented for such a young lady,” a white-haired woman told me.
“You’re the girl in the photo! You should be very proud of that cover,” said a mom with two toddlers hanging from her elbows.
And more than one person told me that they’d come to the shop for the first time because of the cover!
“Wow,” Allie remarked when the rush had died down. “You’re super-popular today, Tamiko. You’re like a celebrity!”
A rush of confidence and silliness swept over me. I walked over to a drawer and pulled out a paper crown a little boy had left behind after celebrating his birthday at Molly’s. (We thought maybe his mom would return for it, but she never did.) I put the crown on my head and lifted my chin high in the air.
“This will have to do until one of my royal subjects makes me a proper crown,” I said. “You’ve met the queen of social media. Now meet the queen of Bayville!” Then I said, in a haughty voice, “Hello, my royal subjects. Bow down to your queen!”
I expected Allie and Sierra to laugh, but they just looked at each other.
“Chica, I don’t bow to anyone,” Sierra said.
“Wow, if I were your queen, I’d command you to have a sense of humor,” I said. “Lighten up, royal subjects.”
They didn’t say anything, and I started wiping off the counters.
“If things got this crazy today, I can just imagine what they’ll be like at the town council meeting on Tuesday,” I mused out loud. “It’s a good thing I got these sunglasses. I’m sure I’ll be recognized all over town!”
I turned to Sierra and Allie. “You guys are coming, right? My grandma is going to be there, and she hasn’t seen either of you in ages.”
“We’re working late on Tuesday to get the newspaper out,” Allie replied. “Sorry.”
“And I don’t think I’ll get out of soccer practice on time,” Sierra answered.
“Sure, whatever,” I said, and I returned to cleaning the counter. I scrubbed harder and harder as I thought about their answers.
Allie can’t leave her newspaper thing early to come see me? And Sierra doesn’t think she’ll get out of practice on time? Doesn’t it always end at the same time? It was like they were both giving me excuses not to be there.
Aren’t my friends even happy for me? I wondered.
CHAPTER SEVEN MIKO AND KIKO
When I got home from my shift, I found Mom reading a book in the living room.
“Mom, I was thinking,” I began. “I should get a new dress for the town council meeting.”
“I don’t think that’s necessary,” Mom said. “You have plenty of nice clothes, Tamiko.”
“But I can’t just wear anything,” I protested. “It’s a special event!”
“Tamiko, there’s got to be something in your closet already,” Mom said.
“I have school clothes, and fancy party clothes, but I don’t have getting-honored-at-a-town-council-meeting clothes,” I replied.
“You just need to wear a nice dress,” Mom said. “Or a skirt and blouse. Or maybe a blazer. Or—”
Her cell phone rang, and she looked at it. “It’s Aunt Kiko. Hold on,” Mom said.
Aunt Kiko was my mom’s younger sister, and she was way cooler than Mom. She had a bright pink streak in her hair and a tiny diamond stud in her nose.
“Yes, Mom is coming tomorrow,” my mom was saying. “She’ll be staying a couple of nights.… Yes, it is a big deal.… Sure. She’s right here. I was just arguing with her about what she should wear. Hold on.”
Mom handed me the phone. “Hey, Miko! Great job winning the art contest,” Aunt Kiko said. She liked to call me “Miko” because our names rhymed. When I was a little girl, she would pick me up and spin me around, and we’d say, “Kiko and Miko! Kiko and Miko!” over and over again.
“Thanks,” I said. “I was just telling Mom that I need a special dress for Tuesday night, because it’s a big deal.”
“You definitely need a special dress,” Aunt Kiko agreed. “Hey, I’m sorry I can’t be there Tuesday night, but there’s no way I can get there in time from DC after work.”
“I understand,” I said.
“That’s why I drove down today,” she said.
I frowned. “What do you mean?”
“Look outside,” she said.
Puzzled, I went to the front window and gazed out. There was her red car parked in the driveway.
I squealed. “Mom! She’s here!”
“What?” Mom asked.
I ran outside and tackled Aunt Kiko in a hug. “I can’t believe you’re here!”
“I had a free afternoon, so I thought, Why not go congratulate Miko in person?” she said. “I’ve got to drive back tonight, though.”
Mom had followed me outside. “You could have called,” she said.
“Nice to see you too, Sis,” Aunt Kiko said with a grin. “I didn’t think you’d mind. I haven’t seen you guys in a while. I missed your squishy face.”
Mom shook her head at this, but she was grinning. Mom liked to act like Aunt Kiko annoyed her, but I knew that Mom loved her a lot. “Come on in.”
Aunt Kiko raised an eyebrow in a devilish way. “Why don’t I kidnap Miko first and take her dress shopping?” she asked.
I jumped up and down. “Yes, yes, yes!”
Mom sighed. “Fine! But, Tamiko, when you grow up to be a spoiled adult, don’t blame me,” she said. “Have you finished all your homework this weekend?”
I ran through my homework in my mind. Señora Hernandez had given us a worksheet for the Spanish test, but I wasn’t worried about studying for that test. I’d already aced the quiz.
“All done,” I said, which was true as far as I was concerned.
“Have fun, then,” Mom said. “Dinner’s at seven.”
I happily climbed into Aunt Kiko’s car with her, and she drove right to the mall.
“I’ve been loving your blog, Miko,” she told me. “Sounds like things are going well for you. Which, considering you’re in middle school, is kind of impressive.”
I shrugged. “Is there some rule that you have to have a terrible time in middle school?” I asked.
“Not a rule, but your mom and I both had a terrible time,” she said.
“Even you?” I asked. “But you’re so cool!”
Aunt Kiko laughed. “I wasn’t then. And anyway, when you’re one of the only Asian kids in your class, honestly, people don’t always think you’re cool.”
I let that sink in. I knew that Aunt Kiko and Mom had grown up as the only Japanese Americans in their school, but I had never really thought about it until now.
“Are there a lot of other Asian kids at your school?” Aunt Kiko asked.
“There are some Asian Americans, but I’m the only Japanese American,” I answered.
I thought about it a little more. Sometimes my classmates would make stereotypical comments like, “But I thought all Asian kids were good at math.” And back in fifth grade whenever Mom packed me Japanese food, Bryan Fox would point at it and yell, “Ew! Gross!” But thankfully, I’d never been really bullied for being Japanese. There were all kinds of kids at MLK, so people were mostly respectful.
“At MLK I don’t actually stick out unless I wear a really crazy outfit,” I added.
“That’s a good thing,” Aunt Kiko said. “It’s why your mom and dad wanted you and Kai to go to MLK.”
“Wait, what?” I asked. “It’s not like we have a choice. It’s because of where we live.”
“Right,” Aunt Kiko said. “When Kai was a baby, your parents looked for a house close to where your mom and I grew up, and where Grandma Sasaki lives now. But they also didn’t want Kai to feel left out at school. That’s why they ended up moving to Bayville and picking the house you’re in now, so Kai and you could go to MLK.”
“They never told us that,” I said, and my mind started going in a million directions. It hadn’t occurred to me that my parents had purposely wanted me to go to MLK. I had never felt particularly proud of the school, especially not after Allie had transferred to Vista Green. I was even a little jealous that her school had a state-of-the-art media room and delicious lunches. But the more I thought about it, the more I couldn’t imagine being a student anywhere besides at MLK. And anyway, if I hadn’t lived in Bayville, I never would have met Sierra or Allie. And that would have been tragic!
Aunt Kiko looked at me. “Whoa, didn’t mean to blow your mind.”
I shook my head. “No, it’s okay. I’m glad I go to MLK,” I replied. Who needs avocado toast and a brand-new laptop every year?
She laughed as we pulled into the mall parking lot. “Any good stores in here?” she asked.
“A few,” I said. I paused. “This is really nice of you. Thanks!”
She grinned. “I don’t get to spend enough time with you. Your contest win was the little push I needed to come down and visit you.”
We entered the mall and headed to Stardust, a new shop that sold everything from semiformal dresses to fancy prom and bridesmaids’ stuff.
“Wow, this is all so… sparkly,” Aunt Kiko said. “This is a town council meeting, right?”
“Not all of the dresses are sparkly,” I promised, and I led her to the area of semiformal dresses.
First I tried on a very classy black dress with cap sleeves and a wide skirt.
“Very glamorous,” Aunt Kiko said. “But the cover you designed is so cute and colorful! Maybe your dress should match.”
“I like that idea,” I agreed, and after trying on a few more dresses, we agreed on a petal-pink dress with lace on top and a skirt that fell to just below my knees.
“You look beautiful, Miko,” Aunt Kiko said. “Like a strawberry ice cream cone. It’s not overly fancy, either. Do you have shoes that go with it?”
I visualized my closet and remembered I had a pair of pink flats. “I’m good!”
Aunt Kiko paid for the dress, and we walked around the mall for a while, talking and window-shopping. Aunt Kiko told me about the new exhibit at the art gallery in Washington, DC, where she works, and I told her about working in the ice cream shop.
“How’s Kai doing?” she asked, and I found myself spilling the tea about the whole Layla situation.
“I told him that bringing her to Molly’s would be the perfect date, and he showed up with Matt,” I said, shaking my head. “Why didn’t he listen to me?”
“Older siblings never take advice from younger siblings,” Aunt Kiko replied. “Believe me, your mom never listens to me.”
I laughed. “You mean it never changes?”
“I haven’t given up hope,” Aunt Kiko said. “But then again, she let me bring you here today. So maybe I’m finally winning.”
“I think I’m the one winning today,” I said, looking down at the bag that held my beautiful new dress.
She looked at her watch. “We should get back to the house. What’s your mom cooking?”
I shook my head. “No idea. But it’s Sunday, so it’ll probably be something Japanese.”
My dad was born in Tokyo and came to America to go to college, where he met my mom. My mom was born here, so she liked to mostly eat and cook American food. But my dad missed the food from Tokyo, so Mom made it for us a few times a week, and just about every Sunday.
We returned home to the scent of something delicious coming from the kitchen and found Mom cooking pancakes on the stove.
“Okonomiyaki!” Aunt Kiko squealed.
“I know they’re your favorite, and I wanted to thank you for getting Tamiko a dress,” she said. “They’re almost done.”
Okonomiyaki was a kind of Japanese pancake filled with vegetables and meat, and topped with dried fish flakes and seaweed, plus a special sauce and mayonnaise. (My mom made a special vegetarian version for me.) It was really delicious. Dad had told me that “okonomiyaki” meant “what you like,” so you could put whatever you wanted into the pancake. Mom did it Dad’s favorite way, which meant she used lots of crispy cabbage, red peppers, green onions, and chopped-up shrimp. It was the ultimate comfort food!
“Tamiko, before you help your brother set the table, show me the dress!” Mom said.
I took it out of the bag and held it up in front of me. “What do you think?”
“Very pretty,” Mom said. “Thanks again, Kiko!”
Aunt Kiko ate dinner with us, and we all stayed up pretty late for a Sunday, because everyone was having so much fun talking that she didn’t want to leave. I woke up extra yawny on Monday and tuned out during most of my classes. And on Monday afternoon the family fun continued because Grandma Sasaki, my mom’s mom, arrived right after Kai and I got back from school.
“Tamiko! Kai! Where are my beautiful grandchildren?” she cried as she came through the front door, carrying a duffel bag and a shopping bag.
I ran downstairs to hug her. Her head of curly gray hair was just about even with mine.
“Grandma, you’re here!” I said, stepping back from her. “Nice jogging suit.”
I was half teasing, because Grandma always wore jogging suits, and today her suit was as yellow as a lemon.
“It’s my Tamiko, the big winner!” she cried, giving me another hug. “I’m so proud of you.”
