Here Lies The Many Memories And Adventures Of Melody Quake

This has more meaning than what you think.

 

Chapter One

    Veronica looked at her new baby with gladness. Her best friend, and the baby’s uncle, Carlos, looked at the baby as well, right over Veronicas’ shoulder. The newborn was sound asleep, and seemed to notice nothing.

     “And where is Billy?” Veronica asked Carlos.

     “Not here,” Carlos sighed. “Since Mother told him the baby wasn’t his, of course he didn’t come.”

     “But you did,” Veronica replied. “And she isn’t even yours.”

     “True,” Carlos replied. “But not true enough. I still wanted to be here for my, um, niece. What did you name her, anyway? I was thinking Esperanza or Cecilia.” He grabbed the child from Veronica and sat down in the chair on the other side of the room.

    “Go to sleep, Veronica, honey,” he said. “You need it.” He then looked at the baby and said, “Tokamishuwa Lau Mikalu. You are my heart, Dancing Princess.” When he said that, Veronica lifted her head up, her eyes droopy-like.

     “Don’t do that, Carlos,” She scolded. “I don’t want her to know that she’s half Tsalgi! Imagine the questions she would have! No way am I going to have that.”

      “Okay,” Carlos said. “But she’ll find out one day.”

       Many days passed before Veronica and Carlos left the hospital. And when they did, they decided to name the baby Melody. Melody Emilia Quake.

        “She’s named after my cousin,” Veronica had said. “Except I promised Mel that I would NEVER give my baby the middle name Alice. She said, on her deathbed, that if I ever named my child after her, and gave her the middle name Alice, she’d haunt me for the rest of my life.”

       “Bishmi-Allah- I- Rakman- I- Raheem!” Carlos yelled. That was his most favorite phrase when he couldn’t believe someone was saying something.

      “You don’t actually BELIVE in that, do you?” he asked as he drove Veronica and Melody back home.

      “Of course I do. Why wouldn’t I? You know my family. Ghosts and stuff. They do in fact exist.”

        “Ah, but you guys should turn your hearts to Allah, our great God. Why would you waste your time believing in ghosts when you could believe in Allah?” Carlos asked. Veronica hit Carlos playfully on the arm.

       “We don’t all have to be Muslim like you,” she said. 

        “But we should all have a religion,” Carlos said. “Don’t you want Melody having somewhat a religion?”

        “Well, we’re not religious people, my family,” Veronica reminded him. “If she wants a religion, fine by me. She can be Muslim with you, or Jewish, like her Aunt Audi. As for the rest of our family, you know we try to keep well away from “God”. We stay away from religion, and we stay away from politics.”

          After that, everything was almost smooth sailing for a few weeks. Billy, Melody’s father, was put in jail for robbing a bank. He had claimed that it was so his daughter could live a decent life, but nobody bought it. A while longer, Jorge, Billy’s and Carlos’s brother, had also been arrested. This, though, was for child molestation.

           “And we let him live with us?” Veronica asked Carlos furiously when she found out. “What if he did something to one of the girls?”

             Carlos hugged the crying, distressed mother. She was always working, so she was never able to spend time with either Melody or her sister, Leona, who was almost two.

             “Listen, go to work, okay? Get your mind off of everything,” Carlos said. Veronica nodded, grabbed her keys, and rushed out.