Hand-Me-Down Magic #2

Alma had spent the whole week trying to think of what Del would want. She’d gone to every store in the neighborhood, trying to imagine what Del might like best. She’d considered polka-dotted leggings from Dotty Designs, strawberry jam from the farmer’s market, and a comic about a crime-fighting unicorn from the comic-book store. None of those things was quite right.
Finally, Alma had gone back to Curious Cousins Secondhand Shoppe. Just as she’d hoped, Abuelita had led her to the back room, where they stored all kinds of donations and odds and ends that they hadn’t put out in the store yet. Alma had found something for Del. She hoped it was perfect. She thought it might be perfect. It needed to be perfect.
“I think you look great,” Alma said. “Very birthday-ish.”
“Do I look delightfully daring?” Del asked.
“You do,” Alma said. She really meant it, too.
Downstairs in Abuelita’s living room, Del’s parents were decorating her birthday cake, and Alma’s parents were hard at work blowing up balloons in every possible color. Abuelita and Titi Rosa were setting up games to play. Titi Clara and Uncle Andy were trying to decide what music everyone would want to dance to.
“How should I help?” Alma asked.
“You can answer the door,” Abuelita said. “Let in our guests.”
“All of them? By myself?” Alma asked. Her hands felt a little sweaty. Her heart felt sort of fast.
“I’ll help!” Evie said. Alma had never been so happy to have Evie butting in.
“Before the guests come, we have a present to give you, Del,” Titi Rosa said.
“But it’s not present time yet,” Del said. Still, she held out her hands, ready to open up her very first delightful and daring present.
“It’s not the kind of present you open,” Abuelita said.
“Oh,” Del said. “Well, where is it?”
“It’s right here.” Abuelita smiled. Her eyebrows wiggled. Her wiggling eyebrows seemed to make her ears wiggle too. Alma tried to make her eyebrows and ears wiggle, but it wasn’t very easy.
“I don’t see anything,” Del said, spinning around and around.
“Your present,” Abuelita said, “is that you, Alma, and Evie can sleep outside tonight. Here in the garden. In your very own tent.”
Del screeched. “That’s the best present ever! Thank you, thank you, thank you!”
“De nada, mi cielo,” Abuelita said. She was smiling almost as big as Del.
Del jumped up and down. She twirled around and around. The doorbell rang, and Del screeched with happiness again.
But Alma froze. She was feeling so nervous about all the new people at the party. Evie grabbed her hand and pulled her to the door. Alma knew it was just because Evie wanted to get her there faster, but she was happy to be holding her cousin’s hand anyway. The doorbell rang again. The party was really, finally beginning.

3
Madame Del
-Del-
Before she knew it, Del’s party was filled with friends and family, all dressed up. 86 ½ Twenty-Third Avenue was dressed up too. There were silver streamers everywhere, and balloons in every color of the rainbow.
Del’s neighbor Anna had on a sundress, four different silk scarves, and a cowboy hat. Her friend Cassie showed up in a sparkly dance costume and a vampire cape. Even Oscar, the best dog in the whole neighborhood, came by with his owners, Cora and Javi. Cora and Javi apologized for not having on anything delightful or daring, but Del forgave them because they’d dressed Oscar up in a formal tux. He had a little bow tie and a little jacket and even a little top hat strapped to his head. Del thought he looked very dignified.
Felix Sanderson was the last to arrive, and Del thought he looked best of all. He was wearing a brown vest with fringe all over it and plaid pants and a shirt that must have been from Dotty Designs and a hat he’d decorated himself with pictures of Del’s face and the words HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEL in green puffy paint.
“Wow,” Del said.
“I like birthdays,” Felix said. He handed over something else he’d made. It was a poster of Del’s face. And a paper bag filled with pictures of birthday hats and birthday cakes and birthday presents. “Pin the Birthday on the Del,” Felix said.
Del was delighted. She loved games of all kinds, but especially, it turned out, games about her.
“Can we play right now?” Del asked.
Everyone played three rounds of Pin the Birthday on the Del, and Evie won every time.
They had a costume contest and awarded Felix the top prize for his Del-themed outfit.
They ate pizza with pepperoni and pizza with four different cheeses and two different onions and pizza with jalapeño and pizza with bacon and Felix’s favorite, pizza with french fries on top. They ate chocolate-caramel cupcakes and red velvet cupcakes and pumpkin cupcakes and plain old vanilla cupcakes with vanilla icing.
Eventually, Evie led everyone outside to Abuelita’s garden for a game of kick the can.
“I don’t know the rules,” Alma said.
“That’s okay!” Del said.
“I’d rather watch,” Alma said.
“Just try,” Del said. And Alma did, but her knees shook the whole time. Still, Del was impressed that she tried.
Evie won kick the can, even though she was the youngest and the smallest.
Finally, it was time for presents. Del opened up boxes of board games and art supplies and headbands. She unwrapped a soccer ball and a penguin night-light and four new books.
She was saving Alma’s present for last.
Alma brought it over, looking more nervous than ever. “I hope you like it,” Alma said.
“I will,” Del said.
“But I hope you really like it,” Alma said.
“If you don’t like it, I’ll take it!” Evie offered, and everyone laughed.
Alma’s present for Del was wrapped in gold paper and a silver ribbon. She’d tied a daisy on top, and somehow, like magic, it wasn’t drooping yet.
Del admired the wrapping for a second before tearing it to pieces. What was inside was even better.
“Oh,” Del said.
“Ohhhh,” Evie said.
“Ohhhhhhhhhh,” the rest of the guests said.
Even though no one had ever seen one in