Chapter 3

Chapter 3 Dink's uncle lived in a squat gray building a few blocks from the museum. A tall man in a green uniform opened the doors. "Good evening, Mr. Duncan," the man said. "Hello, Roger. Kids, this is Roger Hobart." Uncle Warren put his hand on Dink's shoulder.

"This is my nephew, Donny, and these are his pals from Connecticut, Josh and Ruth Rose." Roger smiled at the kids. "Welcome to New York," he said. "Will you watch their backpacks while we're out?" Uncle Warren asked. "I'm taking the kids for dinner. Any suggestions?" Roger rubbed his stomach. "How about the Panda Palace, for Chinese?" "Perfect!" Uncle Warren said. "How about it, kids?" "I've never eaten Chinese food," Josh said. "What's it like?" "Delicious, and there are about a million choices on the menu," Roger said. "All right!" Josh said. "I'm game," Dink said. "Me too!" Ruth Rose said. "Can we eat with chopsticks?" Uncle Warren laughed. "Of course!" They walked to a street called Broadway. The wide sidewalks were crowded with people. Lights began to come on in store windows. A man leaned against a building, playing softly on a saxophone. The saxophone case lay open at his feet.

"Look!" Josh whispered. "There's money in that guy's case!" "If people like his playing, they give him money," Uncle Warren explained. He dropped a dollar bill into the case. The kids each dropped some change in, getting a smile from the sax player. "Here we are," Uncle Warren said a few minutes later. The Panda Palace had a shiny red

door with fake panda bears standing on either side. A smiling host welcomed them to the restaurant. Two hours later, Josh leaned back from the table. "I'm stuffed!" he said. Their waitress brought the bill and placed a fortune cookie in front of each of them. "Inside these cookies you'll find a slip of paper telling your fortune," Uncle Warren said. "Some people think that if you eat the cookie, your fortune will come true!" "Can I save mine till later?" Dink asked. "My stomach is ready to bust!" "Good idea. We'll have the cookies at home," Uncle Warren said. He paid the bill, and they left the Panda Palace. "By the way, what were those black slimy things on my chicken?" Josh asked as they walked along Broadway. "Seaweed," Dink said. "No way!" "Donny is right," Uncle Warren said. "But seaweed is good for you!" "Good for fish, maybe," Josh said.

It started to rain, so they walked quickly. At the apartment, Roger handed them their backpacks. "How was dinner?" he asked. "I ate black seaweed," Josh muttered. Roger grinned. "Good stuff, isn't it?" he asked. Uncle Warren and the kids rode the elevator to the tenth floor, then walked down the hall to a gray door. "Welcome to my little apartment," Uncle Warren said, and led them inside. Uncle Warren's living room was filled with old, comfortable-looking furniture. The carpet on the floor was thick and soft. Paintings hung on the white walls between overflowing bookcases. "Neat place, Uncle Warren," Dink said. "Thank you, Donny. Ruth Rose, you get the guest room," Uncle Warren said. "You two boys can share the fold-out sofa here in the living room." When they were all in their pajamas, they gathered around the dining room table to open their fortune cookies. "The oldest gets to read his first," Uncle Warren said, cracking open his cookie.

He read his fortune silently, then laughed out loud. "Mine already came true. It says that I will meet nice people today, and I have!" "Me next!" Josh said. He broke open his cookie and pulled out the thin paper. He read out loud: '"Strange foods will please you.'" Josh made a face. "I already ate seaweed," he said. "I can't wait to see what's next!" "My turn," Ruth Rose said. She ate her cookie and looked at the fortune inside. "Oh, boy. This says I'll find treasure in unexpected places!" "Your turn, nephew," Dink's uncle said. "Then it's to bed for all of us. We have a busy day tomorrow." Dink cracked open his cookie and read his fortune to himself. "I don't get it," he said. "Out loud, Dink!" Josh said. Dink read: '"Your eyes will play tricks on you.'" His uncle smiled. "Right now, your eyes look pretty sleepy nephew. Off to slumberland!" After breakfast the next morning, Uncle Warren and the kids walked back to the museum.