The Life of Ty: Penguin Problems Read Online Free PDF

later—Dad’s deep voice says, “ Ty. Get off the counter .”
    I almost fall from being startled, but I catch myself, and I don’t give up on my mission. “Mom said I could! Mom said if I could get them myself, then I could!”
    â€œExcuse me?” Mom says. Then, “Ty! What are you doing up there?”
    My finger wiggles over the rim of the cup.
    â€œ Ty, ” Dad says, coming my way. “When I tell you to do something, I expect you to do it.” He lifts me off the counter, and my scrambling fingers tip over the Olive Garden cup. The cup and the pacifiers clatter to the floor.
    â€œGo to your room, Ty,” Dad says. “You just earned yourself a break.”
    I kneel and gather the pacifiers. There are a lot of them, seven or eight, and they have cute pictures on them. A car. An elephant. A teddy bear.
    â€œBut, Dad . . .” I say.
    â€œKeep arguing, and it’ll be even longer.”
    I bundle the pacifiers in my shirt and go upstairs. Well, not all the way up, but far enough that they can’t see me.
    I don’t like being sent to my room.
    â€œSorry, Joel,” I hear Mom say. “I didn’t know what he was doing. You have no idea how long a day it’s been.”
    Dad lets out a big breath. “Well, I shouldn’t have snapped at him. He scared me, that’s all.”
    â€œIt scared me, too. And just so you know, I did not give him permission to climb up there.”
    What? Yes, she did.
    â€œHe needs more attention,” Mom says. “The baby . . . me being tired all the time . . .”
    I get a tightness in my chest. I scooch one step farther up.
    â€œDon’t worry, Ellen. Ty is okay, and you’re okay. We’re all okay.” There’s a smooch sound. “But I’ll go talk to him.”
    His footsteps come toward the stairs, and I scurry to my room. I shove my pacifiers under my pillow just in time. Phew!
    Only, Dad passes right by. He said he was coming to talk to me, but he doesn’t. He just passes right by.
    â€¢Â â€¢Â â€¢
    Here is what I learn about pacifiers. I like them! When I suck one, it’s like something safe is pressing up close.
    Another interesting thing is their smell. They smell like my pillow, when I first wake up.
    I hold the green teddy bear pacifier to my nose and breathe in. Then, right at the very second when I’ve stopped expecting him, Dad appears out of nowhere. I shove the green pacifier under my leg. The others are by my crossed legs. I swoop them behind my back.
    â€œHey, bud,” Dad says. “Can we talk, man to man?”
    â€œOkay. How was your day?”
    He settles himself on the edge of my bed. “Having a new baby in the house . . . It’s a big change, huh?”
    â€œNo.”
    He studies me. He’s got beard stubble on his chin.
    â€œAre you doing okay with it?” he asks.
    â€œWhat ‘it’?”
    â€œThe new baby. Baby Maggie.”
    â€œBaby Maggie’s an ‘it’?”
    Dad bows his head. He breathes. He looks back at me and says, “I know she takes up a lot of Mom’s attention. And she cries sometimes. But she’s kind of cute, don’t you think?”
    â€œLike seaweed,” I mutter.
    â€œ Seaweed? How is your sister like seaweed?”
    â€œThe way her arms wave about. Like seaweed deep in the ocean.”
    â€œAhhh. But your sister is a little girl.”
    My face warms up. I never said she wasn’t.
    We sit there. Finally, Dad smacks his hands against his thighs and pushes himself up. “Well, try to help your mother out. Don’t cause her any trouble. And why don’t you give me those pacifiers, huh? I think it’s time we got rid of them.”
    â€œWhy?”
    â€œBecause pacifiers are for babies. And you, Ty, are a big guy.”
    â€œI won’t use them. I just want to keep them.”
    Dad holds out his