Honey

Ten-year-old Melody Bishop scouts her yard for dandelions. She’s made a deal with her dad: For every dandelion she removes with roots intact, she’ll get a nickel. Melody wants to earn enough nickels to buy some Wild Berry Skittles, but she’s having a hard time getting the roots out of the ground with each dandelion.

Melody’s neighbor, six-year-old Teeny Nelson, pops up on the other side of the fence to ask what Melody’s doing. Melody is often annoyed by Teeny, who cannot take a hint that Melody doesn’t want Teeny’s company. Teeny asks Melody about her gardening gloves and why Melody’s hair is so short. Melody isn’t into the girly things that Teeny likes. She prefers her hair short and likes wearing her dad’s old button-downs.

Teeny adds that she knows something about Melody: Melody does not have a mom. Melody’s mother died when she was born, and she has never known her mom. It doesn’t bother Melody, as it’s a fact of her life that she simply accepts. Teeny asks if Melody misses her mom. Melody responds that she never knew her mom, so she doesn’t miss her. Melody’s dad takes care of everything, and it’s just been the two of them since Melody was born.