Chapter 1

- See! - the boy said with a jerk of his shoulder. - She won't spit it out.

- But why?!

- Business, ma'am. I've got three extra dollars, and Lena needs a postcard. We made a bet that if she keeps the bumblebee in her mouth until we get home, the money is hers!

- Oh, Alex! - The woman shook her head. - You and your imagination! Seems to me that isn't a very good idea.

- Oh, no, ma'am! It's a great idea! Just imagine how many interesting things she won't be able to tell me! Where she came from and how she used to live. It isn't very polite to ask someone you barely know personal questions, right? Even if you really, really want to!

- Uh, I suppose so.

- That's what I think too. Mom will definitely praise me! - Alex turned to me and gestured toward a rotating rack. - Come on, Lena, let's choose a postcard for you! Thank you, Mrs. Johnson!

We dashed out of the store and ran on, holding hands like two little mischief-makers joined by a single secret. I had not laughed that hard in ages, laughed until my stomach hurt. And even when we reached the post office and Mom's lipstick fell out of my pocket, I was not too terribly embarrassed as I explained to Alex why I needed it:

"Do you remember the movie Letters to Juliet? Well, I'm going to have letters to Camilla! I really want her to know that I remember her!"

That was how I met and became friends with Alex Wright, the boy next door who lived across the street. And it did not matter that the bumblebees had not yet woken up and were only stirring in their nests. What mattered was that something else had awakened in us. Something much lighter and more pleasant, like a little sun that would make us smile at the sight of each other for a long time to come.