Melody Ellison 3-Book Set. Denise Lewis Patrick

cool linoleum of the kitchen, pushed the back door open, and held it for Val. Daddy heard it creak and waved his tongs. Melody smiled. No matter how late her father worked on the day before the Fourth of July, he was always standing at his grill as soon as the sun came up.

      Cousin Charles was wearing the baggiest shorts that Melody had ever seen. She held back a giggle.

      “Aren’t Daddy’s shorts the ugliest?” Val leaned her chin on Melody’s shoulder.

      “Yep,” Melody laughed. The girls got to work, taking turns juicing the lemons.

      Charles was busy setting up folding tables and chairs around the yard. “Dee-Dee, I heard you’re going to sing today!”

      “I kind of told Daddy you would,” Val said.

      Melody shook her head. “Not my Youth Day song, but we can still sing.” Then she had an idea. “Let’s put on a show!” Melody said to Val. “You and Lila and I could pretend to be The Vandellas or The Marvelettes.”

      “That’s a great idea!” Val said.

      “We’ve got one of Big Momma’s old microphones upstairs, and I bet Yvonne would help us dress up.”

      “Do you think Lila will sing?” Val asked doubtfully.

      “Oh, I think so,” Melody giggled. If Dwayne’s friend Phil was going to be in the audience, she was pretty sure Lila would agree to be part of the act.

      Mommy came out to help the girls finish the lemonade, and then gave them ears of corn to shuck. Afterward, Melody got her gardening gloves.

      “I need to do some weeding,” Melody said to Val. “Do you want to help?”

      “You mean, dig in dirt?”

      Melody laughed. “Sure. The flowers that make our neighborhood look nice grow in dirt. The tomatoes we’re going to eat today grew in this dirt. I love growing things as much as I love to sing. Sometimes I sing to my plants, too.”

      “You do?” Val thought that was funny. “Sure, I’ll help. But I’ve never weeded a garden before.” Val borrowed a pair of Melody’s gardening gloves, and the two of them knelt between the neat rows of cabbages and greens.

      “This is kind of fun,” Val said after they’d been pulling and singing. “I think I might like a garden of my own—if we ever get our own place.”

      “You will,” Melody assured her. “And I’ll help you make it bloom.”

      “Hey, you girls have that garden looking like something from a magazine!” Charles called.

      Val nodded. “Melody’s a real gardener, Daddy!”

      “Well the work goes much faster with four hands instead of two,” Melody laughed.

      When the vegetable garden and flower beds were weeded, Val cleaned up in the bathroom and Melody went to the bedroom she shared with her sisters.

      Yvonne was already downstairs, but Lila was still in bed. She rolled over and groaned when Melody slammed a drawer.

      “Are you awake, Lila?”

      Lila opened one eye. “What time is it? Why are you making so much noise?”

      “Sorry. It’s nine o’clock. Would you put on a show with Val and me later, when everyone comes over? We’ll be The Marvelettes!”

      Lila closed her eyes again.

      “Mommy says Phil will be here,” Melody added.

      Lila’s eyes popped open and Melody skipped out of their room. Val was waiting in the hall, grinning because she’d overheard the conversation.

      “I think Lila will sing with us,” Melody said. The girls giggled as they hurried down the steps.

      Around two in the afternoon Poppa, Big Momma, and Tish arrived. Soon after, Yvonne’s friends began to fill in the backyard. One of them was a young man from Ghana who was studying in Detroit. Melody was fascinated by his beautiful robes, which he said he wore “in honor of this Independence Day.” Dwayne, Artie, and Phil cornered him near the back steps and asked him all about African music.

      Melody and Val were playing jacks in the driveway when Melody looked up to see Miss Esther tapping her cane along the concrete. She was carrying a plate wrapped in wax paper.

      Melody scrambled up. “I can take that for you, Miss Esther,” Melody said, reaching for the plate. She wanted to peek at what was under the paper, but didn’t.

      “Tea cakes,” Miss Esther told her.

      Melody smiled. “Everybody’s in the backyard,” she said. “I’ll walk you around.”

      “And I’ll carry the tea cakes,” Val said, taking the plate from Melody and heading up the driveway.

      Miss Esther nodded, but instead of following Val, she stood looking at the Ellisons’ yard. “I just want to take a minute to admire these lovely flower beds,” Miss Esther said. “Your mother must spend a lot of time keeping them up.”

      “No, ma’am. I do it,” Melody said proudly.

      “You do? What an eye for color you have! I notice every time I drive by. You know, beautiful plants and flowers can change more than the look of a neighborhood. They can change the way a place feels, too.”

      “Do you have a garden?” Melody asked as she and Miss Esther strolled along the driveway.

      “I used to,” Miss Esther replied. “But I don’t anymore.” She stopped and pointed her cane along the side of the house. “Tell me about what you have planted here. And here!”

      It took Melody and Miss Esther almost half an hour to make it to the backyard. They walked slowly and talked about Melody’s flowers and the garden Miss Esther used to have and how much they both liked to plant things and watch them grow.

      “There’s nothing better than seeing a tiny bud bloom into something beautiful,” Miss Esther said as they joined the party. “You know that too, don’t you, Melody?”

      “Yes, ma’am,” Melody agreed.

      Melody’s mother came over to greet Miss Esther and show her to a chair under the big shade tree. Val raced across the yard and grabbed Melody’s arm. “I thought you’d never get back here.”