Jan put both feet down to stop her bike. She stood for a minute looking down the hill she had just climbed. This was her third time up, and she needed to catch her breath. With a little sigh, she hopped back on her bike and was soon sailing downhill.
It was a hot day, the first of July. The sun made shimmers on the street. Jan relished the breeze fanning her cheeks and lifting her damp brown curls off her forehead.
She had gone on her bike ride to look her new neighborhood over. But even though coasting downhill was fun, she wished she had someone to ride bikes with her. This was her first day in the new house, and she had not met any new friends yet, and her twin sister, Julie, wouldn’t come with her. Julie was at home carefully arranging her things in her dresser drawers. Jan had all of her clothes put away in half-an-hour.
As she neared the bottom of the hill, another bike rider suddenly appeared on the cross road. He seemed to be thinking about something else. At any rate he did not see Jan flying straight toward him. She was going too fast to stop so she let out a yell. He looked up just in time to swerve away but Jan’s bike skidded. She lost her balance and fell, scraping her knee painfully.
The boy came over to where she was sitting on the pavement biting her lip. She was trying not to cry in front of him.
“Very sorry,” he said with a thick accent. “I think other thing.”
“Well, why don’t you watch where you’re going?” she asked hotly.
She saw his look of concern turn to anger. He bowed from the waist like a grown-up and walked stiffly away.
He looks Chinese, she thought, or Japanese maybe. New around here too, because he doesn’t speak English very well.
She watched him get on his bike and ride away. Already she felt sorry for her rude words.
She stood up slowly and brushed herself off. Her knee hurt, but it wasn’t bleeding very much. She got on her bike and pedaled around the curve toward home. A band-aid would feel good.
She was about to turn in her own driveway when she caught sight of a moving van down the street a couple of houses. Forgetting about her sore knee, she decided instead to ride by and see who was moving in. Just then a boy and girl came out of the front door. Each took a box from a man at the back of the truck.
They looked about her age so Jan rode onto the sidewalk and stopped.
“Hi, I’m Jan Davidson,” she called. “I live in the white house across the street.” She pointed. “Are you just moving in?” She knew it was a silly question, but she couldn’t think of anything else to say.
“Yes, we are,” the girl answered. She set her box on the ground and walked over to where Jan was. “I’m Susan Baker.”
Her brother had disappeared into the house with his load, but he came back in time to say, “She’s my little Sis, aren’t you, Suzy?”
“Fred,” Susan almost squeaked, “I’m only a year-and-a-half younger than you are.”
“Maybe, but look how much shorter,” he said patting her on the head and twisting his whole face up like it was a piece of rubber.
He was teasing, but Jan couldn’t help giggling. His rather homely face looked so comical twisted up like that.
Fred was several inches taller than Susan. His lanky build and long arms and legs made him seem even taller than he was. Susan was tiny with light hair and freckles that stood out just now because she was blushing.
Susan was saying, “Don’t mind him, Jan. I’m really glad you came over. We just got here, but we’ve been wondering who our neighbors would be.”
“We moved in three days ago. Actually Mom and Dad did. We kids stayed a couple of nights with our grandparents while everything was being moved,” Jan told them.
Susan nodded. “What grade are you going into?”
“Fifth,” said Jan. “What about you?”
“I’ll be in the fifth grade too. Wow, I’m glad I’ll know someone.”
“There should be a lot of new kids. Dad said the first people moved into this allotment in May,” Jan told her.
At some point while the girls were talking, Fred left to carry more boxes into the house. He even carried the one Susan had set on the sidewalk.
Soon he came over to the girls. “Dad says there is nothing else for us to do now until it is time to start unpacking.” He was wiping his hands on his jeans as he spoke.
“Hey, why don’t you both come over to my house for awhile? It’s so hot and I know we’ve got some juice in the refrigerator. Anyway, I want you to meet my twin sister, Julie,” Jan said excitedly. “How about it?”
“I’d like that,” Susan said. She looked at Fred.
He nodded. “Sounds good to me. “I’ll go tell someone where we’re going.” When he reappeared, the three crossed the street, Jan pushing her bike. She led the way into the Davidson’s side kitchen door.
“Hi, Mom,” Jan said a bit loudly. “I’ve brought some new friends, Susan and Fred Baker. They’re just moving in across the street.”
“Softly, Dear,” Mrs. Davidson said. She was at the kitchen counter putting cookies on a baking sheet. A slim, dark-haired woman, she stopped working and smiled at Fred and Susan.
“I’m glad to meet you. Jan and Julie were hoping they would make some friends their own age. And I see they did.”
Jan left them munching fresh cookies. She ran upstairs to the room she shared with Julie. It was a large, pretty room with pale pink walls. The flowered curtains had ruffles, and bedspreads that matched were on the twin beds. The girls had only to hang their pictures on the walls for the room to be really home.
“Julie, come quick and meet Fred and Susan,” Jan shouted as she burst into the room.
“Good grief, Jan,” Julie said, looking up from the book she was reading. “Do you always have to yell? I’m not deaf, you know.”
Jan felt her temper rising. First Mom and now Julie. “What’s wrong with being excited?” she demanded. “Hurry, will you? They’re waiting.”
Julie started to say something, then shrugged and followed her twin downstairs.
The family was still not really settled in the new house. There were boxes sitting in the hall and pounding could be heard coming from the basement. Dad was paneling some of the walls to make a recreation room.
Fred and Susan said, “Hi,” together as Jan and Julie came into the kitchen. They looked from one girl to the other in surprise.
Rolling his eyes at them, Fred asked, “Are you two really twins? You don’t even look like sisters.”
Jan and Julie laughed at his expression. They were used to that question though. Julie was tall for her ten years. She was slender and had long honey-colored hair.
Jan was a couple of inches shorter and more sturdily built. Her hair was curly and dark brown. They really looked different. And they had different likes and dislikes as well.
“We’re twins, but we’re not identical twins,” Julie said in her soft voice.
“No kidding,” Fred said with a grin.
“Could we have some juice, Mom, please?” Jan asked.
“Yes, but you’ll have to use paper cups, I’m afraid. I still don’t have all the dishes unpacked,” Mrs. Davidson said. “You can sample a few more cookies too. Now scoot out to the picnic table, please. I can’t get to the oven with all of you underfoot.”
No one argued. Saying, “Thank-you,” in a chorus, they went outside.
The icy cold juice really tasted good and the fresh cookies were soft and delicious.
For a few minutes no one spoke. They were too busy eating.
After a bit Fred said, “Wow, was that good! Any time your mom needs help getting rid of a few cookies, tell her to call on me.” Then he asked, “Do those two belong to you?”
He was looking at a younger boy and girl who were playing on a gym set back further in the yard.
Jan nodded. “That’s Steve and Candy. Candy is short for Candice. She was named for our great-grandmother, but Candy is a good name for her anyway. She says candy is her favorite thing.” Jan said this last with a smile. Everyone in the family loved the little girl.
“They’re cute,” said Susan.
“Poor Steve,” groaned Fred, “all those sisters.”
“What about poor me?” retorted Susan. “All I have is brothers. We have a younger brother named Michael,” she explained to the twins.
Then Julie asked, “Where did you two live before?”
“New Jersey,” Susan answered. “Dad works for a rubber company, and he was just transferred to the office in this area. Mom likes this neighborhood and North Falls is close to where Dad works. Are you from around here?”
Jan nodded. “We are really just moving across town. Mom said we needed more space. I have to admit that it’s nice to have our own room. Before we had Candy in with us.”
Fred went over to push Candy and Steve on the swings. Soon he had them squealing with excitement.
After awhile he came back to where the girls were still talking. “Hey, do you see that barn over there?”
Everyone looked in the direction he was pointing. Jan and Julie’s house was on the last street of the new housing development. The back edge of their yard sloped down to a creek. On the other side of the creek was a field that was grown over with weeds. The barn Fred saw was in the middle of that field.
“I saw it before when I came outside to get my bike,” Jan said.
“Let’s go explore it,” Fred suggested.
“I’ll ask Mom.” Jan was already on her way as she said it.