2. Uncle Lou

Chapter 2 Uncle Lou The speaker came at ten o'clock. Her name was Miss Chris. Miss Chris told us all about recycling. Also, she showed us a movie. It was called Dan, Dan the Soda Can. It was very thrilling, I tell you. 'Cause Dan, Dan the Soda Can lived in a soda machine at a gas station. Then one day, a lady bought him to drink. Only too bad for Dan, Dan. 'Cause after the lady drank his soda, she

threw him right out her car window. And Dan, Dan got his can all dented. But hurray, hurray! A cop saw the lady littering. And he gave her a big fat ticket! Then a can man took Dan, Dan to a recycling center. And the man got cash money. Plus Dan, Dan got fixed up good as new. And bingo! He turned into Dan, Dan the Orange Juice Can! It was a miracle, I tell you! Room One clapped and clapped at that happy ending. Then Miss Chris passed around stickers of Dan, Dan the Soda Can for us to stick to our shirts. And the stickers said RECYCLING MAKES CENTS. Ha! Get it? Cents sounds like sense! And that is a good one, I think!

After that, all of us went to lunch and recess. And we were still in happy moods. On the playground, José and Lennie and Shirley asked to see my loose tooth. Then pretty soon, the other children wanted to see it, too. And so finally, I stood them all in a row. And I let them look real close. After they looked, I walked down the row. And I showed them how far I could bend it. Herb clapped and clapped. José and Lennie whistled.

Sheldon tried to pick me up. That is not a normal reaction, I think. "You're going to look cool when it finally comes out, Junie B.," said Herb. "Sí," said José. "You're going to look really cool. Like a hockey player, I bet." "Yeah," said Lennie. "Hockey players almost never have any teeth." "Neither do kick-boxers," said Shirley. "Maybe you'll look like a kick-boxer, Junie B." Just then, Sheldon did a sigh. "I just hope you don't look like my toothless uncle Lou," he said. "My toothless uncle Lou never brushed or flossed. And then all his teeth fell out." I made a sick face. Sheldon shrugged. "Well, it's not like he's totally toothless," he said. "He still has one

bottom tooth left. It's kind of yellow. But it still can bite an apple." After that, Sheldon walked away. I watched him go. Then I sat down in the grass. And I tried and tried not to think of toothless Uncle Lou. After school, me and Herb rode the bus home together. We sit with each other every single day. Except not on Saturdays or Sundays or weekends. Me and Herb talk about lots of stuff on the bus. Only today I didn't feel like talking, hardly. 'Cause I was still upset about looking like Uncle you-know-who. I slumped down in my seat very glum. "What if I look like a weirdo?" I said. "Huh, Herb? What if I look like toothless Uncle Lou?"

Herbert patted me. "Don't worry. You won't… probably." I kept on worrying. "Yeah, only today is Friday, Herb," I said. "And so by Monday my tooth will already be out, I bet. And so what if I come to school looking like toothless Uncle Lou? And then all of Room One starts making fun of me? And they form a circle around me, and they laugh and skip and throw fruit?" Then, all of a sudden, I did a gasp. 'Cause an even worser problem popped in my head. I grabbed Herb's shirt. "Oh, no, Herb! Oh, no!" I said. "What if I don't even look like myself on Monday! Not even a tiny bit, I mean! And then I get on this bus. And you don't even recognize me. And so you pass right by my seat. And then I have to sit by myself. All alone… and toothless."