Nora Dodson is a "fast-talking, F-bomb-dropping, born-and-bred New Yorker". Harry Styles is no longer a member of One Direction. He's lovely, kind and a very odd young man, though he's entirely unhappy in his relationship. But then he meets Nora an...
"Me too." She shoved the last nugget into her mouth.
"Okay, I want to go read now."
"Don't forget your drawing, honey." Lola folded up the colorful paper and handed it to Nora, who carefully slipped it into her purse. The pair walked hand in hand, down the street and Lola squealed when they arrived at the sculpture.
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"Which tree did you and Gwamma sit under?" Nora pointed to a beautiful, but tamed Willow Tree.
"That one, there." Lola ran over to it and then Nora sat down against it and pulled the excited girl into her lap. "Ready?" She asked and Lola nodded. Nora pulled Patty Lovell's adorably written Stand Tall, Molly Lou Melon out of her handbag. "This one!" The five year old cuddled into her aunt as she opened the book. "Molly Lou Melon stood just taller than her dog and was the shortest girl in the first grade. She didn't mind. Her grandma had told her, 'Walk as proudly as you can and the world will look up to you.' So she did."
"I'm gonna be in first grade!" Nora kissed her flowery fragrant hair.
"I know you are!" She focused back on the page and continued reading. "Molly Lou Melon had buck teeth that stuck out so far, she could stack pennies on them. She didn't mind." Lola giggled, "Her grandma had told her, 'Smile big and the world will smile right alongside you.' So she did. Molly Lou Melon had a voice that sounded like a bullfrog being squeezed by a boa constrictor. She didn't mind. Her grandma had told her, 'Sing out clear and strong and the world will cry tears of joy.' So she did. Molly Lou Melon was often fumble fingered . She didn't mind. Her grandma told her, 'Believe in yourself and the world will believe in you too.' So she did."
"I like Molly Lou Melon...she's funny and brave."
"She is brave...just like you." Nora really, really adored the girl in her lap. Like, unimaginably so. "Then Molly Lou Melon moved to a new town. She had to say goodbye to her grandma and all of her friends...and start a new school. On the first day, Ronald Durkin called her 'Shrimpo' in gym class. When the game started, Molly Lou Melon caught the football, ran under the legs of Ronald Durkin, and scored a touchdown. All the other children thought, 'wow, she's good' and Ronald Durkin felt very foolish. On the second day of school, Ronald Durkin called her 'Bucky-Tooth Beaver!' Molly Lou Melon took out her pennies , stacked ten high on her teeth, and smiled as big as day. All the children smiled with glee and Ronald Durkin felt very foolish. On the third day of school, Ronald Durkin said, 'you sound like a sick duck—honk honk!' Molly Lou Melon sang out a quack so clear and so strong, it made Ronald Durkin fall backwards. All the children cried with joy and it made Ronald Durkin feel very, very foolish."
"Ronald Durkin is really mean, I don't like him."
"He's not very nice at first, no...but don't worry. He changes because Molly Lou Melon is so nice, and so funny, and so brave...he can't help but be nice to her."
"Do they get to be friends?"
"Mhm...listen, we're almost at the end..." Lola turns the page for her. "On the fourth day of school, Ronald Durkin said that she'd made the snowflake all wrong. But Molly Lou Melon opened up her paper and revealed the most beautiful snowflake of all. All the children oohed and aahed, even Ronald. On the fifth day of school, Ronald Durkin brought Molly Lou Melon a stacking penny for her tooth and he smiled at her. That night, Molly Lou Melon took out a pencil and paper and wrote a letter to her grandma: Dear Grandma, I wanted to tell you that everything you told me was exactly right! Love, Molly Lou Melon. The end..."
"I like that book a lot...Molly is my favorite book person."
"I like her a lot too..." Nora closed the book and put it back in her purse, but they didn't hurry to get up. Lola played with her nails, admiring the red color that looked so pretty on her aunt's hands.
"Are you gonna marry Uncle Harry?" She was taken aback by this entirely random question. Harry hadn't been mentioned all day, but suddenly, out of the blue, a marriage inquiry from a five-year old came tumbling out of her mouth.
"Um..." She was a bit caught off guard, but quickly pulled herself together. "You know what, Lo? I hope so."
"You love him like a lot?"
"I love him very, very, very much, yes."
"Mommy says you might get married with him."
"She did, did she?"
"Yeah, and that he's really nice."
"He is really nice. And he loves you so much, Lola. He says you're his favorite five-year old ever."
"He did?"
"Yes! Also that you're the cutest." She giggles happily.
"Aunt Nora?"
"Hm?"
"I wish you could be my new first grade teacher." Nora smiled before something dawned on her. "I'm scared to be older."
"Oh, honey...getting older is so much fun! You learn so many wonderful things, and each year you get bigger and bigger...I promise you, getting older is nothing to be afraid of."
"Do you like being older?"
"I like it very much."
"Okay...then I'll be happy when I get older." She turns and looks up at her, "I wanna be just like you, Aunt Nora." Nora nuzzles her nose with Lola's tiny little one.
"I love you to the moon and and back, pretty girl." She knew that, maybe, her choice wasn't set in stone, but she decided right then and there to make becoming a teacher her goal. She also decided to keep it from Harry until it was more concrete. She wanted to surprise him, and she couldn't wait to do so.
