06 Fratellino Bratellino

Fratellino Bratellino On Saturday morning, Dad agreed to take Judy to Amy Namey's house. Judy checked to make sure she had on BOTH of her watches. Her purple watch was set to regular time in Virginia. Her red striped watch was set to Italy time. And she wore her mood ring on her thumb so she could have a lucky thumb ring just like Nellie Bly, Daredevil Reporter. "Ciao, Mamma! Ciao, Stink!"

"Why do you keep saying chow?" asked Stink. "Like it's time to eat or something." "Or something! Don't have a cow, Stink. It's Italian," said Judy. "I'm learning words from Italy for our Around-the-World-in-Eight-Days

project at school." "You mean your Drive-Your-Family-Crazy-inEight-Days project, don't you?" asked Stink. Mom and Dad laughed. "N-O!" said Judy. "Does chow mean 'hello' or 'goodbye'?" asked Stink. "BOTH!" said Judy. "Weird," said Stink. "'Hello' means 'goodbye' in Italy? What a country!" "Ciao, bambino," Judy said to Stink. "Bambino? Isn't that a baby?" asked Stink. "I am not a baby!" "Okay, then, ciao, fratellino." "What's that?" "'Little brother.' Wait, no. I'm wrong. Oh,

yeah, I remember now. It's BRATellino!" "Is not." "Ya-huh! I mean, sì," said Judy. "How come you have on two watches?" asked Stink. "You know how two heads are better than one?" "Yeah. And two cuckoo clocks make you twice as cuckoo?" "No," said Judy. "Two watches are better than one, too." "Oh," said Stink. "Where are you going, anyway?" "To Amy Namey's house." "But what about the Toad Pee Club? This morning we race Toady at Fur& Fangs. I might

win a tarantula." "Buona fortuna," Judy said. "What's tuna fish got to do with anything?" asked Stink. "Nothing. It means 'good luck,'" said Judy. "I don't know how to say 'bug off' in Italian." "But you're the one who always says Toady belongs to the whole Toad Pee Club, not just me. So we should all go. Together. That's what makes it a club." "Stink, don't you get it? I'm in a new club now. And today I'm going to get my own way- official, real-and-true membership card. For sure and absolute positive." "What club? Can I be in it? I want a way- official membership card." "It's the My-Name-Is-a-Poem Club, Stink.

Sorry. It's only for people who have a name that rhymes. So unless you changed your name to Stink McFink—" "I don't care. I'll be Stink McFink," said Stink. "No way, Stink McNay. No dice, Stink McLice. No go, bratellino." Judy cracked herself up all the way to the car.