shoulders and bopped her head a few beats, too. Sharon burst out laughing.
Mrs. Ellison shrugged. “Who can keep still when it’s Little Stevie Wonder?” she asked.
As if the music had stirred the entire house into movement, all at once Daddy, Yvonne, and Lila trooped downstairs. Then there was a knock at the front door, and at the same time the telephone rang and someone was coming into the kitchen from the back door.
Mommy went into the kitchen to answer the phone as Yvonne answered the front door. In came Melody’s grandparents and her cousins. In the blink of an eye, the dining room was filled with people. Melody didn’t know which way to turn first.
“Happy Birthday, chick!” Big Momma was first to give Melody a hug.
“Big Ten!” Cousin Charles said. “Congratulations!”
“Happy Birthday, baby.” Cousin Tish gave Melody a kiss. “Love that hairstyle!” she whispered, fluffing Melody’s curled bangs. Val, peeking from behind her mother, rolled her eyes and grinned. When she stepped forward, Melody saw that she was holding a small box with a bow on it.
“This is for you,” Val said. “Happy, Happy!”
“Gee! I forgot your present!” Sharon said, rushing to the hooks by the front door to dig into her coat pocket. She came back with a soft, tissue-paper-wrapped package. “Sorry, it got a little squished,” she said.
Melody didn’t care. She was so pleased to have all—nearly all—of her family and friends together on her special day that everything felt pretty wonderful.
“How about we get some candles for this cake and celebrate our birthday girl?” Melody’s father rubbed his hands together and winked at her. He loved Mommy’s triple-chocolate cake just as much as Melody did.
“Here we go!” Yvonne placed ten tiny blue candles atop the chocolate frosting in a circle, and another in the middle.
“To grow on,” she laughed.
“Ready to sing, everybody?” Lila pulled Melody to stand right in front of her cake, and Daddy lit the candles.
“Where’s Mommy?” Melody looked over her shoulder.
“Here!” Her mother stepped in from the kitchen, breathless.
“Happy Birthday to you. Happy Birthday to you. Happy Birthday, dear Melody. Happy birthday to you!”
Melody was beaming. She loved when her family sang together—it was almost like they had their own choir, the way all their voices blended and harmonized in just the right ways! She took a breath but didn’t blow out the candles yet. In her family, there was one more verse of the birthday song to sing. Melody smiled and looked around at all their faces, waiting. Suddenly, a solo voice came from the kitchen. It was a high tenor, almost like Smokey Robinson’s.
“How o-old are you? How o-old are you? My kid sister, Dee-Dee…”
“Dwayne!” Melody squealed, throwing open the kitchen door.
“How o-old are you?” Dwayne finished singing and gave her a bear hug. “Didn’t I tell you when I left that I’d show up when you didn’t expect it? Happy Birthday!”
Melody pulled Dwayne into the room.
“Well, I declare!” Tish laughed.
“When did you get here?” Lila asked.
Melody noticed that the only people who didn’t seem surprised were her mother and father.
“Parents know how to keep secrets, too,” Daddy said. “And it was a good one, wasn’t it?”
“The best ever!” Melody agreed. Since Dwayne had started working for Motown, he was rarely at home. And when his singing group did come back to town, he spent more time at the studio and at his bandmate Phil’s house than he did with the family. Their father wasn’t very happy about that, but now they were both smiling, and Melody was glad her birthday had brought them together.
“Let’s cut this cake. I’m starved!” Dwayne said. He turned to Melody and gave her a bow. “Birthday girls first, of course.”
Melody sat on the floor between Diane and Val with her paper party plate balanced on her knees. Everyone was listening to her brother’s stories about traveling around the country with the famous Motown singers. He was telling how he’d accidentally almost tripped one of The Supremes backstage when Val nudged Melody with an elbow.
“When are you going to open your presents?” she whispered, not very quietly.
Dwayne stopped mid-sentence. “Val, they call that a ‘stage whisper,’” he laughed, “because the audience is supposed to hear it, too.”
Val ducked her head in embarrassment. “Sorry, Dwayne!”
Charles shook his head. “I believe our Valerie likes watching other folks open presents as much as she likes opening presents herself!”
Val had already scrambled up to get Melody’s gifts and cards, bringing them to her.
“Open mine first,” Sharon said eagerly.
“No, wait.” Dwayne went back into the kitchen and came out carrying a record album. “I didn’t exactly have time to wrap it,” he told his sister.
Melody looked carefully at the bright red cover, and the three young black women looking over their shoulders in the picture. Big orange letters announced the album’s artists, Martha and The Vandellas. The album was called Heat Wave. That was the name of one of Melody’s favorite songs.
Scrawled across the lower corner was a handwritten message. Melody read it out loud: “Happy Birthday, Dee-Dee. Stay Cool. Martha.” Melody’s mouth dropped open.
Sharon, Val, and Lila crowded around to see.
“Wow, Dwayne! Martha Reeves is one of the hottest stars at Motown right now,” Yvonne said. “She’s world famous!”
Melody looked at Dwayne. “You got Martha Reeves to autograph it for me?” she asked.
Dwayne shrugged and nodded, but he looked pleased that Melody liked her gift.
“Do you really know her?” Sharon asked, starstruck.
“Sort of,” he said. “I mean, we’re at the studio at the same time…sometimes.”
“Thank you, Dwayne,” Melody said. “You’re the best brother ever.”
“That’s something special,” Big Momma said. As Melody passed the album to her grandmother, she saw her father squinting at it.
“How long before we see your face on something like this?” Daddy asked, looking over at Dwayne. Melody shot a look at her brother.
“Dad, I know I have a long way
