22 ““When are we going to work today? Come on, Poppi! We need to hurry!” Poppi laughed. “Look at this Momma,” he said. “My little chiclero.” Just then his smile faded and he got a faraway look in his eyes. I knew what he was thinking. Poppi loved his job. He loved taking care of the trees and making gum base for all the children in the world to enjoy. But he wanted a different future for me. He had often shared his dream about sending me to the city to study at the university. I pulled on his arm. I wanted to get back to the rainforest and find my special tree! Everything else was a long way away. Why think about it now? There were more wonderful gumballs out there! I wanted to see if my tree would wave hello! We left for the trees early that day. Momma and my hermanas (sisters) waved good- bye as I danced impatiently alongside Poppi. Each step seemed to take forever, but soon we were back in the same part of the rainforest we had visited the day before. Poppi started climbing a tree and I hurried to set up the bags to collect the sap. “Poppi!” I looked high into the branches of the tree my father was climbing. “What is it?” he shouted, glancing down. He looked so small up against the trunk of the giant Chicozapote. “I’m going to look around for a while, okay?” He grunted and hesitated. “Be careful,” he called. “Watch for pumas—Pedro saw two yesterday. And stay close. I want you to come when I call.” I nodded. “‘I will.” My heart was beating fast as I began running to the same resting spot. What would I find there? Just a normal tree or…my new friend?