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“Cool,” said Jacob.
“And wizzle-fish aren’t like paper plates,” said Joe. “They move around and wiggle, and are slimy and slippery.”
“Have you ever stepped on a real wizzle-fish?” asked Linzy.
“Lots of times,” said Joe. “But I always stay close to the shore. The sharks are in the middle of the lake.”
“What does it feel like to step on a fish?” Linzy asked.
“It tickles a little bit,” said Joe.
“You’re making this up,” said Jacob. “He’s making this up, isn’t he, Marvin?”
Marvin wasn’t sure. Although as far as he knew, sharks didn’t live in lakes. Sharks lived only in salt water.
“Where is Lake Wizzle?” asked Nate.
Joe looked up at the sky and said, “Chicago.”
Jacob nudged Marvin with his elbow and said, “Your friend Joe is cool. Not like those other two dorks you hang out with.”
9
How People Eat Pizza
in Chicago
Marvin invited Joe to spend the night.
“Were you born in Chicago, Joe?” Marvin’s mother asked him as they sat down for dinner.
“Yes, Nancy,” said Joe. “Where were you born?”
For a moment, Marvin’s mother didn’t answer. Her name was Nancy, but Marvin’s other friends always called her Mrs. Redpost. “Richmond, Virginia,” she said.
“Where were you born, Dennis?” asked Joe.
“New Jersey,” said Marvin’s father.
They had pizza and salad for dinner. Since he was a guest, Joe was served first.
Joe used his knife and fork, and cut his pizza into little pieces.
Marvin didn’t want Joe to feel weird, so he cut his pizza into tiny pieces, too.
Marvin had warned his parents that the other kids at school made fun of Joe for being different. So when Marvin’s mother saw Joe and Marvin cutting their pizza, she did the same.
Marvin’s father started to pick up his piece of pizza with his hand. Mrs. Redpost cleared her throat, then said, “Use your fork and knife, dear.” Then she cut Linzy’s piece of pizza for her. Marvin was glad that Jacob was having dinner at Nate’s house. Jacob might not think Joe was cool if he saw him eating pizza. There was no way Jacob would eat pizza with a knife and fork. Jacob sometimes ate two pieces at a time, one in each hand.
“What do your parents do, Joe?” asked Marvin’s father.
“Um, just normal things, Dennis,” said Joe.
“No, I mean, what kind of work? Did you move here because of their jobs?”
“Sort of,” said Joe. “They have a lot of meetings in Washington, D.C. But they were told the schools were better here in Maryland. That’s why I’m here.”
“What kind of meetings?” asked Marvin’s mother.
