“Nothing,” said Miss Mush.
“Okay,” said Sharie. “I’ll have that.”
“Potato salad?” asked Miss Mush.
“No, nothing,” said Sharie.
Joe was the only one who ordered the potato salad. Everyone else ordered nothing.
He slid his paper plate over to the cash register and paid for his lunch. Then he went to the ketchup and mustard table.
He looked at the grayish-white mound on his plate. He thought it needed more color. He squirted squiggly lines of mustard all over it. Then he added several dollops of red ketchup.
“That’s very pretty, Joe,” said Bebe. “I didn’t know you were such a good artist.”
“Thanks,” said Joe. He looked for a place to sit.
“Hey, Joe! Over here!” called John.
Joe sat next to him. “Hi, pal,” he said.
“Hi, good buddy,” replied John.
They were best friends.
John had brought his lunch. He looked at Joe’s potato salad covered with yellow squiggles and red polka dots. “That’s very colorful,” he said.
“Thanks,” said Joe.
They both stared at it.
“I wonder what it tastes like,” said John.
“Who knows?” said Joe.
“There’s plenty more potato salad!” called Miss Mush. “Who wants seconds?”
Nobody wanted seconds of potato salad. Several kids went back for seconds of nothing, but soon Miss Mush ran out of nothing.
Finally Joe picked up his plastic fork and stuck it into the glop.
“What does it feel like?” asked John.
“Lumpy and gooey,” said Joe. He dragged his fork over the mound, swirling the mustard and ketchup together. “Kind of spongy, too.” The colors mixed with the potato salad. It turned a pale orange.
“It looks like a face,” said John.
Joe laughed. He shaped it so it would look even more like a face. He piled up some potato salad in the center, giving it a nose.
John had a plastic spoon. He dug out two holes for the eyes, then made eyebrows.
“That’s good,” said Joe. He gave it a big smiling mouth.
John made long, pointy ears.
They both laughed at their creation.
“I wonder what it tastes like,” said John.