Look Both Ways

The first thing that’s easier to do than Simeon and Kenzi’s secret handshake is getting through the hallway after the bell rings. This is because Simeon is big for his age, and extremely happy. So as soon as the bell rings, Ty races out of Mr. Davanzo’s class (probably because Mr. Davanzo doesn’t believe in bathroom breaks during class) and Simeon gives everyone else a high-five as they leave. He then approaches Mr. Davanzo and they do their secret handshake—which is “elementary” compared to his handshake with Kenzi.

Kenzi Thompson is tied for the smallest kid in the class with Bit. He doesn’t have a nickname like Bit, and if anyone tried to give him one, Kenzi would do nothing but tell Simeon. Simeon would also do nothing, but this is because at his size, a look is more than enough. Except for his small stature and the blue bouncy ball he carries everywhere, Kenzi doesn’t stand out. He’s not that tough, weird, or smelly. He’s friends with everyone—though that’s perhaps not entirely correct. Kenzi is friends with Simeon, and Simeon is friends with everyone, since being Simeon’s enemy isn’t a good idea. So, Kenzi “walk[s] the middle of every line” until the bell rings.

While Kenzi’s classmates hurry out of Mr. Fantana’s class, Kenzi stays put. He knows he can’t get to his locker with all the bigger kids and their pointy elbows. He’s been hit before and has even had his lip split open by kids gesticulating wildly. So, Kenzi waits until Simeon bursts into Mr. Fantana’s room, awkwardly greets the teacher, and gives Mr. Fantana a handshake. Only then does Kenzi even get up from his desk. The boys put their hands out, but Mr. Fantana tells them to please not do their handshake here. It takes too long, and he has a life. Simeon pretends to take offense and squats so Kenzi can leap onto his back. Then, they’re off. The crowds part as Simeon runs with Kenzi.

The second thing easier than Simeon and Kenzi’s handshake is convincing Ms. Wockley to not get the boys in trouble for pretending to be in a horse race. Simeon insists to Ms. Wockley that they weren’t pretending to be in a horse race, but Ms. Wockley’s whole job is to get kids in trouble for things. Very seriously, Ms. Wockley says that Kenzi was on Simeon’s back yelling “yee-haw” and miming spinning a lasso. She repeats the motion, and the boys try not to laugh. Ms. Wockley says the boys must keep their feet on the ground. Kenzi asks why Pia gets special treatment, since she rides her skateboard through the halls. Ms. Wockley says this isn’t about Pia, and since the boys never listen, it’s time to get serious.

Simeon begs to explain himself before Ms. Wockley gets him and Kenzi in trouble. Ms. Wockley has heard Simeon’s excuses before, but it’s always entertaining, so she’s happy to listen one more time. She sighs. Simeon says that Kenzi is small, and he’d get hurt if Simeon couldn’t protect him. Ms. Wockley asks how Kenzi gets to his classes (Simeon doesn’t carry him between classes). Simeon says he doesn’t know, but it must be terrifying. Kenzi says it’s horrible—a kid knocked him into his locker the other day. Simeon says Ms. Wockley certainly doesn’t want Kenzi to be invisible, which he’d be without Simeon’s help.

Ms. Wockley’s face starts to relax. She cuts Simeon off before he can make his next point and tells him to go home and be ready to follow the rules tomorrow. As she walks away, she calls that she hopes Simeon and Kenzi don’t become a horse and jockey when they grow up, since people lose money betting on races. Kenzi’s throat stings, but he says he wants to be a lawyer. Lawyers are smart, he notes, and they know that cowboys, not jockeys, say “yee-haw.”

The third thing easier than the handshake is getting to the neighborhood. Simeon and Kenzi exit the school, and Simeon compliments Kenzi for his zinger about cowboys. He also notes that he’s a friend, not a horse. The boys approach Ms. Post, the crossing guard, and she hugs Simeon like she does every day. Ms. Post asks if Simeon is staying out of trouble, and Simeon says he’s going home to do his homework. He tells Ms. Post that her son, Canton, has homework too. Canton ignores Simeon; he’s used to Simeon’s antics.

Ms. Post then asks Kenzi if he’s staying out of the street. Kenzi says he’s trying and holds his blue ball up. Then, Simeon asks if Ms. Post is staying out of the street. She says she’s doing her best as she puts her whistle in her mouth and steps into the street. Kenzi and Simeon wave goodbye to Ms. Post and turn right, where not many kids go. This leads to Portal Ave, rather than Portal Avenue, and it leads to Chestnut Homes. Since Simeon and Kenzi are the only kids who walk this way, their path is clear. They can be Simeon the Grand and Kenzi the Great, and they can enter their kingdom. In their kingdom, it’s encouraged to carry someone on your back. The kingdom is full of princes like Kenzi and Simeon—“princes no one ever bet on anyway.”

Simeon picks up their conversation before they spoke to Ms. Post. He reiterates that Kenzi is his family. Kenzi agrees. To the boys, Chestnut Street is paradise. The lamp posts are palm trees, the bus stops are like hammocks, and every corner store is a bungalow. The air smells like “exhaust and exhaustion,” “cooked food and cooked hair.” Life is “thick” here, and there’s a symphony in the air saying, “so good” and “so what.” Kenzi and Simeon’s young voices are like flutes cutting through the music. Most people tighten up when they walk down Chestnut Street, but this is where Kenzi and Simeon can be themselves. They can balance on fire hydrants and say hi to every business owner—they know them all, and the owners always ask after Kenzi and Simeon’s parents. Fredo’s, though, is the best place.

The fourth thing easier than the handshake is choosing a snack from Fredo’s Corner Store. Walking into Fredo’s is always like walking into a dungeon. It’s a dark store with no windows. It’s filled with snacks and nothing else, and it smells like incense smoke. Kenzi and Simeon walk in as though they own the place, and Fredo calls the boys “Wreck-It-Ralph and Tiny Tim.” He’s looking through the newspaper and says he hopes every day that he won’t see the boys’ faces. Kenzi says they won’t end up in the paper unless it’s for a good reason, like Kenzi becoming a famous lawyer or Simeon becoming an actor and playing a lawyer on TV. Simeon studies the snack cakes and checks the expiration dates—Fredo keeps merchandise way too long.

Fredo quips that it’s more likely that a school bus will fall from the sky. Simeon acts hurt, and Fredo says he hopes Simeon and Kenzi are successful. That way, he can sell them the store and retire so he can watch Law and Order all day. Simeon says they’d have to change the store’s name as the boys approach the counter with their snacks. Kenzi has chips and Simeon has a MoonPie. Simeon offers to buy Kenzi’s chips and pulls out a handful of change, which he painstakingly begins to count. Kenzi giggles. Bit is known for stealing change, but he’d never try to steal from Simeon.

As Simeon counts, Fredo asks how his brother is. Simeon says his brother is no doubt driving the ice cream truck, pretending to be a real ice cream man. Fredo asks after Kenzi’s brother and, pointing out Kenzi’s blue handball, he says Kenzi’s brother wasn’t even good at handball. At this, Simeon snaps that he lost count of his change and needs to start again. Exasperated, Fredo scoops the correct change off the counter. When Simeon teases Fredo for having somewhere to be, Fredo says he’s going to go ask Fredo’s mom how many times she dropped him as a baby. Fredo jokes his mom only dropped him into a vat of gold, but Fredo says she also dropped him in a vat of gravy. Simeon doesn’t laugh, so Kenzi steps forward.

To punish Fredo for his rude comment, Kenzi snatches Fredo’s paper. This gets no response, so Kenzi grabs Fredo’s lighter and tells him to stop smoking. Simeon tells Fredo to stop burning the nasty incense too as he and Kenzi leave the store laughing. The things Kenzi took are silly—especially since Fredo owns a store that sells newspapers and lighters. But Kenzi did it because he’s loyal to Simeon. They’re brothers.

The fifth thing easier than Kenzi and Simeon’s handshake is making wishes. Kenzi and Simeon joke about Fredo the whole way to their building, where they’ve lived their whole lives. They make fun of him for selling snacks and for having a name like Fredo. When they reach their building’s steps, Simeon watches a metallic balloon blow in the wind. They sit and Kenzi offers Simeon some chips. Simeon refuses and asks for the lighter. Kenzi hands it over, but he’s concerned—jokes are fine, but he can’t be a lawyer if Simeon is going to burn something down.

Simeon studies the paper (the front-page story is about a school bus falling from the sky), and then he rips a smaller piece from the front page and rolls it into a paper worm. Then, he pulls the MoonPie out of its wrapper, sticks the worm in it like a candle, and dramatically sings “Happy Birthday” to Kenzi. He lights the candle as Kenzi says it’s not his birthday. Kenzi blows out the candle anyway with Simeon’s prodding, and he also makes a wish when Simeon tells him to. Simeon asks what the wish was—but Kenzi refuses to say, since that’ll make the wish not come true.

Simeon announces that that’s true. He’s heading up to work on Mr. Davanzo’s homework about “environmental something.” As he splits the MoonPie in half and offers half to Kenzi, he notes that he’ll be able to see more of his apartment window. Kenzi eats his half of the MoonPie and puts his ball in his bag. It’s time for the handshake, and he needs both hands. The boys grab hands, shake, point to themselves, fist bump, rub their ears, mime rubbing a ball, and end with a big hug. They say they’re brothers.

Kenzi and Simeon’s handshake is the same one they watched their older brothers do every day. They ride the elevator up, and Simeon knows what Kenzi wished for. Kenzi wished the paper candle’s smoke could carry a message miles away, through stone and bars and into his brother’s ear. Kenzi wishes he could tell his brother, Mason, that he wishes he didn’t have to walk home from school. He wishes Mason could pick him up in a car like the one Simeon’s brother Chucky stole two years ago. Mason went to prison to save Chucky. But in Kenzi’s wish, Mason is driving a different car. He can take Kenzi for a ride and show Kenzi how to play.