Bingo Brown's Guide to Romance by Betsy Byars Page B

it’s me—Mom.”
    â€œHi.”
    â€œYou getting along all right?”
    â€œFine.”
    â€œDid Melissa come?”
    â€œShe came … and went.”
    â€œI hope Jamie didn’t, well, inhibit you.”
    â€œNot at all.”
    â€œGood. I tell you why I called. You’re going to think this is silly, but I made Jamie some Jell-O.”
    â€œWhat?”
    â€œI made Jell-O, and I want to see Jamie get his first bite, because I remember how cute you were. You got this little expression—well, I couldn’t even describe it—it was hopeful and puzzled and—it was like you’d just gotten proof that the world was going to be full of good little surprises.”
    â€œActually, it is.”
    â€œAnyway, I was afraid you’d see the Jell-O and give it to him for lunch.”
    â€œI probably would have.”
    â€œSo you’ll wait?”
    â€œYes.” He hung up the phone and carried Jamie back to the sofa.
    He picked up the TV remote control, but he didn’t turn on the sound. He began to speak to his brother.
    â€œYou know how Mom’s always writing in your baby book? First word, first tooth, first Jell-O. Well, Jamie, that was my first love.”
    The thought made Bingo draw a deep, trembling breath.
    â€œAs first loves go,” he continued when he could speak, “I would have to give it a ten. It was a love for all time, for eternity, maybe even infinity, and I guess it doesn’t get any better than that.”
    â€œBye-bye,” Jamie said. Bingo wondered if he would ever hear a baby’s bye-bye without remembering this moment.
    Bingo sighed.
    â€œOh, this is the last cartoon. It’s Porky Pig and, Jamie, when he says, ‘Th-that’s all, folks,’ we’ll go in the kitchen and I’ll fix your bottle. It’s time for your nap.”
    Bingo turned on the sound. He sat without speaking during the cartoon.
    He was filled with memories. He thought of the day in English class when he had fallen in love with Melissa. He thought of their many mixed-sex conversations, of their kiss that day on her front porch in the rain. He thought of their exchange of gifts—he still had his notebook holder, and she—He broke off to think. Had she had on the gypsy earrings he had given her? He thought so. In his memory she had. Then, of course, he thought of their parting.
    He took a deep breath. He remembered a line from The Red Badge of Courage.
    â€œHe felt a quiet manhood, not assertive, but of sturdy and strong blood.”
    He exhaled, breathed in again. He remembered another line.
    â€œHe turned with a lover’s thirst to images of tranquil skies, fresh meadows, cool brooks—an existence of soft and eternal peace.”
    And as he took one more of these deep breaths, Bingo found he was filled not only with air and quiet manhood, but a firm resolve.
    He had thought to discontinue his Guide to Romance because of a lack of knowledge of the subject. He would not let that deter him now. He saw how words—even words written over a hundred years ago—could bring comfort. And how much more comfort would there be in words written by a brother?
Problem #9. Maintaining a Quiet Manhood.
    The TV intruded into these pleasant thoughts. Bingo heard, “Th-that’s all, folks.”
    He got up at once. He always kept his word to his baby brother. “I can’t give you any Jell-O—I promised—but there’s this noise that Jell-O makes when you dig out the first spoonful—and I can go ahead and show you the sound …”
    And Bingo Brown and his baby brother disappeared into the kitchen.

A Biography of Betsy Byars
    Betsy Byars (b. 1928) is an award-winning author of more than sixty books for children and young adults, including The Summer of the Swans (1970), which earned the prestigious Newbery Medal. Byars also received the National Book Award for The Night Swimmers (1980) and an