First thing in the morning, Aunt Jane said, “Andy, here’s your cap.” She handed him the baseball cap containing the four slips of paper.
“Hurry, Uncle Andy!” Benny said.
The Aldens watched as Uncle Andy reached into the hat. He drew out a piece of paper and looked at it.
“What does it say?” Violet asked.
Uncle Andy smiled. “I think I’ll keep it a surprise,” he said, and put the paper in his pocket.
At first the Aldens were disappointed. They didn’t want to wait another minute to find out where they were going.
Then Jessie said, “That’s a good idea, Uncle Andy.”
Henry agreed. “The longer the wait, the better the surprise.”
“Let’s get going!” Benny urged. “We can wait on the way.”
Violet laughed. “What about breakfast, Benny?”
“Oh,” Benny said. “I forgot.”
They all laughed. It wasn’t like Benny to forget about a meal.
“We’ll eat breakfast out,” Aunt Jane said. “I know the perfect place.”
And off they went.
Clang! Clang! went the cable car as it came down the hill toward them. When it stopped, Uncle Andy said, “Hop on!”
“Watch your step!” the friendly conductor called out.
Benny was the first one aboard. Riding a cable car was what he most wanted to do. He led the way to the front section, where the sides were open and the long benches faced out.
Uncle Andy said, “So what do you think, Benny? Is this what you expected?”
“Better!” Benny answered. He had seen pictures of the cable cars. But looking at pictures was not the same as actually riding in one. It was a thrill to rumble and creak up one hill and down another.
“Benny’s lucky,” Violet said. “He got his wish first.”
Andy said, “I didn’t pick Benny’s paper out of my hat. But he is lucky. We can take cable cars to many of the places we’ll go.”
Benny smiled. He was happy to know this was not his last ride.
The cable car stopped in a park. “End of the line!” the conductor called. The Aldens clambered down the steps.
When everyone had left the cable car, it moved onto a big turntable. The motormen gripped the side rails on the wooden circle and pushed the cable car completely around. Now it was ready for its return trip.
“Wow!” Benny said. “They don’t have anything like that in Greenfield!”
Aunt Jane put her arm around his shoulders. “San Francisco is a unique place, all right,” she said.
“Let’s eat,” Uncle Andy said.
Benny smiled. “Aunt Jane’s right, Uncle Andy. You are full of good ideas.”
They crossed the street to the Buena Vista Cafe. They sat at a table beside the window and watched people line up for the cable cars. As soon as a car left, another line formed. Along the street, craftsmen sold their wares and musicians played. Beyond, the bay glimmered in the morning light.
“Buena Vista means ‘beautiful view,’ ” Aunt Jane, told them.
“That’s a perfect name,” Violet said.
The Aldens and the Beans ate hearty breakfasts of bacon, eggs, toast, and pancakes.
Afterward, they boarded a cable car heading south.
Before long, Uncle Andy said, “This is our stop.” They hopped off the car and followed Andy to Grant Street. There they stopped before a tall arch with a green tile roof. Colorful dragon figures decorated the top.
“Henry I think you’ll recognize this,” Aunt Jane said.
Henry nodded. “It’s the Chinatown Gate.”
They passed under the arch into a different world. The narrow streets were crowded with traffic. Colorful signs written in Chinese characters lined the way.
They wandered in and out of shops filled with unusual things. It was hard to resist the hand-carved animals and beautiful clothing. After they had finished shopping, the happy group went down another street into a park. They sat on a bench to rest.
Just then, Violet noticed a young woman across the street. She was coming out of a restaurant. “Isn’t that Kate Kerry, the woman who works for Charlie?” she asked.
The other Aldens saw the young woman. She was wearing a yellow slicker with a hood.
“It looks like her,” Jessie said, “but I can’t tell. She’s too far away.”
Benny stood up. Waving, he jumped up and down. “Hello! Kate!” he called.
“Benny don’t do that,” Jessie said, laughing.
The woman looked toward them. When she did, the hood fell to her shoulders. Her red hair glistened in the sunlight.
“It’s her, all right,” Benny said. He kept waving.
The woman did not return Benny’s greeting. Instead, she hurried around the corner and disappeared.
“That’s strange,” Benny said. “She didn’t even wave.”
“I don’t think it’s strange at all,” Jessie said. “She doesn’t know us.”
Charlie had not introduced them. Benny had forgotten that.
“But she knows us,” Uncle Andy said.
“Oh, Andy,” Aunt Jane said, “she probably didn’t see us.”
“Maybe it wasn’t Kate,” Violet suggested. “Jessie is right. She was too far away to tell for sure.”
“What about the red hair?” Benny asked.
“A lot of people have hair that color,” Violet said.
“Well, she sure did look like Kate,” Benny said.
Aunt Jane stood up. “How about lunch? I know the perfect place. Follow me.”
A few minutes later, the Aldens entered a crowded restaurant and forgot all about the young woman they had seen. They took seats and looked around.
“Where are the menus?” Jessie asked.
“There are no menus here,” Aunt Jane answered.
“How do we order?” Benny asked.
A woman pushed a cart to their table. On it were many small dishes with food on them.
Cart after cart rolled up. The Aldens and the Beans took some of the small dishes off the carts and sampled everything.
Benny sat back. “I’m full,” he said. He noticed a sign. It read DIM SUM. “What does that mean?” he asked.
Uncle Andy shrugged. “Little . . . things.”
“I think it means ‘little delights’ or ‘little pleasures,’ ” Aunt Jane said.
“Whatever it means, it sure tastes good,” Benny said.
Violet said, “I’ve never been to a restaurant that didn’t have a menu.” She was wondering how they would pay for their lunch. There were no prices listed anywhere.
Uncle Andy seemed to read her mind. “We pay according to the number of empty plates on our table,” he explained.
Benny’s eyes widened. He began to count the small dishes. When he reached twenty-five, he said, “Wow! This could be expensive!”
But to the Aldens’ surprise, the food wasn’t expensive at all. |