The Note She Read Twice
Chapter 1At the Bottom
Rivky found the note at the bottom of her reading page.
Come see me. Mrs. Stein had written it in pencil.
Rivky read it twice.
The morning before, she had forgotten to return a library book. She had brought it today, but perhaps Mrs. Stein was still upset. Or perhaps her reading answers were wrong. One of them was very short.
Mrs. Stein was helping another girl at the front desk.
Rivky closed the folder.
Chapter 2After Break
She could go after break. That would be better.
At break she stood beside the water fountain, trying to remember whether Mrs. Stein had looked cross when handing back the pages.
She remembered a face looking down at a pile of papers. It was not much of a clue.
When the bell rang, Rivky hurried to her seat. Mrs. Stein began the next lesson.
Now Rivky could not go without interrupting. That was almost a relief.
The penciled words were still waiting inside her folder.
Chapter 3The Empty Labels
At lunch, Mrs. Stein brought out the class library baskets. Their old labels were worn and bent.
"I will set these on the side table for now," she said. "We will finish the new labels when the helpers are ready."
Rivky liked sorting books. She watched the baskets but stayed at her desk.
Shaindy asked whether she wanted to come outside.
"In a minute."
"Are you looking for something?"
Rivky showed her the note.
Shaindy read it. "It doesn't say what it is about."
"I think I am in trouble."
"You could ask."
Chapter 4At the Desk
Rivky went while Mrs. Stein was free.
Her fingers squeezed the folder edge.
"You wrote that I should come see you. Is it about the book I forgot? I brought it today."
Mrs. Stein looked up.
"Thank you for returning it. No, this is about the new library labels. You sorted the animal books carefully last week. I wanted to ask whether you would help choose clear names for the baskets."
Rivky looked at the empty labels.
"That was the note?"
"Yes. I should have added what it was about."
Chapter 5The Help She Wanted
Rivky had imagined a long talk about being careless. There were baskets and blank labels instead.
"I want to help," she said.
Mrs. Stein showed her the books and explained what needed sorting. Rivky checked the two baskets that both held animal stories.
"Could one be true books about animals and one be animal stories?"
"Try those names. We can see whether the class understands them."
Rivky asked Shaindy to read a label and choose a book. Shaindy found the right basket without asking which kind Rivky meant.
Chapter 6A Clearer Note
Mrs. Stein put a little reminder on Rivky's folder for tomorrow.
Please bring the new labels to my desk after lunch.
Rivky read it once.
"That tells me what you need," she said.
Mrs. Stein smiled. "It does."
Rivky put the labels safely inside. She could not know what every short note meant just by staring at it. But she knew she could take a note to the person who wrote it and ask.
