When You Reach Me

Miranda visits Sal at his apartment the next evening. Sal explains that he still likes Miranda, he just needed to “take a break for a while” from their friendship (167). Sal mistakenly thinks Marcus “has it in for me” and Miranda insists that Marcus was really just trying to apologize when he was chasing Sal (168). Miranda thinks back to the times when Sal had already been quietly making more space between them even before Marcus punched him. She asks Sal, “So when can we go back to normal,” to which Sal responds, “That’s the thing, Mira. It wasn’t normal. I didn’t have any other friends” (169). Miranda realizes that she and Sal have always “only had each other” and begins to understand Sal’s point (169).

The police arrive at school looking for Marcus to “have a word with him” (170) about chasing Sal into the street. Miranda recognizes that Wheelie, the school secretary, is buying time for Marcus. Miranda sprints to find Marcus in his classroom and the two casually walk to the school dentist’s office where they hide from the police until Miranda’s mother arrives. While they wait, Marcus explains to Miranda why he really punched Sal. His older brother Anthony had told Marcus that someday he’d need to hit someone and get hit himself to “understand life a little better” (177). Marcus had been expecting Sal to punch him back, not run away, and was left not knowing what to do in the situation. Marcus finally realizes that it was Miranda with Sal that day holding the poster about yawns. Just as Marcus is about to share what he knows about the science behind yawns, Miranda’s mother arrives with her hair pulled back and wearing a professional-looking suit. Her mother pretends to be an attorney representing Marcus and sends the police officers away before demanding an explanation from Miranda and Marcus.

Belle was the one to report Marcus to the police after seeing him chase Sal down the street. With the help of Miranda’s mother, Marcus is exonerated within a week and “the police had dropped the whole thing” (179). Miranda’s mom hangs up her suit, Miranda stuffs the mysterious notes in a box under her bed, and everyone returns to their daily routines. Miranda tries to forget about the laughing man and the letter she’s supposed to write, but “trying to forget really doesn’t work” (181). And then the postcard with the date and location for The $20,000 Pyramid arrives—“April 27th: Studio TV-15. The last proof” (181). Miranda knows the laughing man is dead now, but she wonders whether she should write the letter to him anyway.

April 27 arrives, and Miranda’s mother makes her way to the game show studio with Richard, Miranda, Luisa, and Sal to support her. Everyone is nervous as Miranda’s mother joins the contestants and the rest of her group head to the audience. Luisa is especially nervous and observes that the game show host Dick Clark doesn’t seem to age at all, “He looks just the same today as he did back in 1956” (184).

Miranda’s mother performs exceptionally well in the first round of the game, even winning a cash bonus, and moves on to the second round, the Winner’s Circle. Miranda recognizes that her mother looks nervous. Miranda begins chanting to herself, “Magic thread, magic thread” to channel her focus to her mother, when “the strangest thing happens” and the chapter closes (186).

Miranda explains that “it was like an invisible hand reached out and snatched away my veil” (188) during the minute that it takes her mother to complete the second round of the game show. It is then that Miranda realizes that Marcus and the laughing man are the same person. The laughing man is a grown and older version of Marcus, returned from the future to kick Sal out of the path of a moving truck. The letter Miranda needs to write is for Marcus, and she knows where to find him to deliver it in person now.

Miranda’s moment of realization lasts precisely fifty-five seconds, which is how long it takes her mother to complete the second round of the game show and win $10,000. Miranda joins her mother on the stage in celebration.

Miranda’s mother is eliminated in the next round of The $20,000 Pyramid, but everyone leaves the studio happy “knowing that we are rich now” (190) because she has won $10,000 plus a $2100 bonus. “Not bad for a day’s work,” Miranda’s mother says with a smile at her daughter (190).

Miranda turns down Sal’s offer to come over and watch TV, choosing instead to go home and prepare cards and gifts for Richard’s birthday. Richard and Miranda have also prepared a gift for her mother: a collection of law school applications. Richard’s birthday gift is a set of keys to the apartment.

Miranda starts writing her letter to Marcus the next morning after enjoying a slice of leftover birthday cake for breakfast. She decides to begin with the laughing man’s arrival on the corner in the fall, recounting details of his kicking practice and the way he muttered, “Book, bag, pocket, shoe” (194). Miranda now understands that “there was a reason for all of it” but can’t figure out why the laughing man spent so much time with his head under the mailbox on the corner (194). Inspired, Miranda leaves her letter and rushes outside to the mailbox on the corner. Peeking at the underside of the mailbox, Miranda discovers where her stolen house key has been hidden, and she finds a beautiful drawing of an old woman. She knows right away that the old woman in the drawing is Julia. Realizing that Marcus will not be alone on his future journey, Miranda feels “this rush of happiness, this flood of relief” (195). 

Sal and Miranda no longer wait for one another to walk home together after school, but they still walk together whenever their paths organically cross. When they do walk together, Sal always gives a little salute after safely crossing the street where the laughing man saved him.

Miranda is almost finished with her letter to Marcus. She thinks of all the small details and hints she could leave for him, such as where he can find Annemarie’s discarded lunches each day, or that he’ll have Julia as his partner in the future, but she decides not to say much. Instead, Miranda decides to simply hand Marcus her letter and warn him “not to land in the broccoli” (197) in reference to A Wrinkle in Time. “He’ll understand,” she figures, “He’s a smart kid” (197).