Honey

In the morning, it’s raining. Gramp-o is still sleeping off his sickness. Melody eats breakfast, then returns to the music room for her pillow. Melody spots a tape recorder on the shelf. The tape inside is labeled with the name of a Brahms music piece and the date it was recorded—two days before Melody was born. She tries to play the tape, but the recorder has no batteries.

Melody brings the tape out to Gramp-o’s car, which still has a cassette player. Melody closes her eyes and listens to her mother’s beautiful piano music. She’d never really listened to classical music before, but somehow she knew the notes of the piece, as though she’d heard it many times. The music makes Melody feel safe and warm. At the end of the tape, Melody hears her mother’s laugh followed by a request for Henry to feel her belly because Melody is kicking. She says Melody must like Brahms. Then the tape ends.

Melody repeats the tape two more times, planning to replay it again when she’s interrupted by Mrs. McKenna knocking on the car window. She was driving by when she saw Melody in the car alone and got worried. Melody explains that Gramp-o is sick inside, and her father is away for the weekend.