“You cannot hit Daniel Marple in the face.”
“But, ba, Danny is the worst boy in all of 3rd grade!”
“Sunshine, I don’t care if Daniel was the worst boy in the entire state. You are not the kind of girl to use her fists to speak for her.”
“Then what do I do when Danny tells everyone at recess I smell like dog pee?”
“You do not smell like dog pee.”
“Mrs. S says so, too. She said I should soak my clothes in baking soda but all we have is baking powder and that didn’t do much.”
“Mrs. S needs to mind her own business. That woman has enough skeletons in her closet to last her a century.”
“Is she a witch?”
“Pfft. Almost.”
“Danny says stray dogs pee all over our house because there’s no one to clean it. That’s why he says we stink.”
“There are no stray dogs and we do not stink. You know how to do the washing just as well as I do.”
“But ba, sometimes I forget to put the detergreen in. That makes the smell worse.”
“Well, Sunshine, water is no good without soap. Just remember to put the detergent in next time.”
“I can’t remember everything all the time!”
“You’re going to have to remember lots of things, Sunshine. I’m going to have to teach you, and when I do, open up both your ears. And then when I’m done, close both your ears so nothing gets leaked out, okay?”
“My ears get tired of listening.”
“I understand because I get tired of teaching you the same thing over and over. And over.”
“I’m sowwy.”
“Oh, no, I’m sorry. I love talking to you, and don’t think otherwise, okay? People say stupid things all the time, so don’t take it seriously, okay? If people didn’t say nonsense all the time, the world would be quiet. Talk when you have something to say, okay?”
“I’ll remember.”
“I can’t keep taking time off work when you forget your lunch, your backpack, your show-and-tell project, or when you punch some no-good boy.”
“Sorry.”
“Just leave him be. I know his whole family. Nothing good has come from that family for generations.”
“I forgot to tell you. The school is collecting hard drives for food.”
“Food for a food drive or hard drives for food?”
“I don’t know. Maybe both. I can’t remember.”
“Your dad used to say that a child who forgets always has a mother who remembers.”
“Well, I don’t have either.”
“Yes, of course you do. I’ve shown you their photos.”
“Pictures don’t tell anybody anything.”
“I told you stories about them too.”
“Like what?”
“Like how your mom would take me out for ice cream after every one of my soccer games. We always got the vanilla cones, with the rainbow sprinkles on top.”
“What other stories do you have?”
“Do I know? Um…let’s see…we named you Anne after your mother. Did you know Anne of Green Gables was her favorite book? She always has one on her bedside table. When you get older, we’ll read it together.”
“No one calls me Anne and no one calls you Solomon. It’s Sunshine and Sol.”
“That’s because when you were born you screamed and hollered like a wet cat. It’s only when I sang “You are my sunshine” that you finally quieted down.”
“Why did I cry so much?”
“You were very sick.”
“Did I have chicken pox?”
“Nope.”
“Then what?”
“You were going through withdrawal.”
“What is that?”
“Well, your mom liked to take a lot of this medicine that she thought would make her feel better but it made her very sick.”
“Sick?”
“Yep. So sick she had to go to a special place to live. So God gave you to me and Dad to raise.”
“So why did Dad die?”
“I ask the same question every night. I don’t know. It’s a paradox.”
“A pair of ducks?”
“No. A paradox. Something that doesn’t make sense until you look at it the right way.”
“Like Danny.”
“What do you mean, like Danny?”
“I hit him because I like him. It doesn’t make any sense at all.”
“Oh, no. That makes a lot of sense. It’s the people we love the most that make us the maddest. It’s only when they’re gone that we miss them like crazy.”
“Do you miss Dad?”
“I miss him so much.”
“Do you miss Mama?”
“Sure. Tell you what, let’s go over to DQ and get you the vanilla ice cream with all the rainbow sprinkles on it.”
“Extra sprinkles.”
“Okay. Then we can talk about Danny and how you shouldn’t have punched him and you won’t punch any boy ever again.”
“Are you mad at me?”
“No, of course not, Sunshine. I’m your big brother and I’m never going to get mad at you. I love you. Always remember that.”
“Ba, that’s the easiest thing in the world to remember.”