Closed Mouths Don’t Get Sisters
The Origin Story of Melaina Nicole Valentine
Mel: You were around 3, 4 years old. You said, “I want to talk about something.” We were sitting around the table. Marsh and I looked at each other and muttered, “look at this child running the show!”
You looked at us and said, “Daddy, you are funny but I want something else.”
I named every animal in the zoo.
“Do you want a dog?” “No.”
“Do you want a cat?” “Nooo.”
“Do you want a giraffe?” “Nooooo.”
“Do you want an elephant?” “Nooooooooo.”
After a while, it became old. We looked at each other and asked you, “Do you want a brother?”
“No.”
We were silently cheering.
“I want a sister.” DAMN!
We tried to say Melissa you’re it. When we finished, you looked kind of sad.
A month went by and I keep thinking about it. Marsha had Kenny. I had seven brothers and sisters. I talked to Marsha and said, she (Melissa) won’t have anyone to cling to, anyone to be with. Marsha said Ok, let’s do it.
I called an announcement. [Ed. note: You see where I got that from.] We said, Melis, you can have a brother or a sister. We tried to explain that you can’t choose what the baby will be, but you were confident. “It’s going to be a girl. Ohhhh no no no, it will be a girl.”
...Time Goes By...
I was the only person in the waiting room and wearing a 3-piece gray suit. (Unsolved mystery: was it for the occasion?) I was the only person in the waiting room when you were born too.
The nurse came out and said, “Mr. Valentine you have another daughter.” Melaina was criiiiiiine. As soon as I picked her up, she stopped. Just like that. The nurse said “Oh, she knows you!”
That picture of you holding her? That is you like, “Yeah, I asked for this.”
