A to Z of Melody McDonald: “M” is for Mickey #AtoZChallenge

Like a lot of people, Melody had a nickname. And like a lot of those with nicknames, hers was based on her last name. And it seems that people with a last name beginning with Mc or Mac always end up with one of the same three nicknames: Mick, Mickey or Mack. And so it happened that two of the McDonald had names or nicknames Melody was Mickie, and Mark’s middle name was Mack. Strangely enough, no one ever called Mark, Mack, though.

What follows is an excerpt from Old McDonald Had a Funny Farm; it’s a conversation between one of the newest neighborhood wannabe bullies and Melody/Mickey. Mickey, in her own mind, saw herself as one of the baseball world’s greats, someday in the future.¹ Finding Melody/Mickey’s left hand heading toward her mouth was her way of attempting to not use it as the fist it resembled.

After assuring herself that the book was safely put into the overnight bag that she would be taking onto the plane, Melody raced out of the house to see if Blackie and Pink Ears had come back yet. She wasn’t sure she would be going on the trip across America if they hadn’t come back by the next afternoon. She’d been hoodwinked once, but it wasn’t going to happen a second time, you could be sure of that. Not finding them there, she walked disconsolately out into the front yard.

Wrapped up in her woe, she didn’t notice Juan sneak up behind her until he shouted out in a sing-song voice, “Mickey Mouse, Mickey Mouse, here we have a little Mickey Mouse.”

Drawn out of her misery by the rascal’s taunting words, an infuriated Melody swung around and shouted back at him, “Take that back!” Her left fist crept threateningly towards her mouth.

Either not noticing or not recognizing the threat, the boy continued his taunts. “Your name is Mickey, ain’t it? I heard ‘em call you Mickey, so you’re Mickey Mouse, Mickey Mouse!”  

“I am not Mickey Mouse; I’m Mickey Mantle! I’m gonna play baseball for the Dodgers when I grow up and I’m gonna be just like Mickey Mantle.”

The annoying boy gurgled with laughter. “You can’t play baseball and be like Mickey Mantle; you’re just a dumb girl and girls can’t play baseball like boys. Mickey Mouse, Mickey—“

Juanito lay gasping on the grass where Melody had just wiped him out flat. The wiry little girl looked down at him, flexing her muscles, and said, “I’m Mickey Mantle and if I want to play baseball, I will ‘cause I can do anything I decide I want to do.” With that, she walked calmly away from the very red-faced, very embarrassed boy lying on the grass. As he watched her go, the suffering bully muttered under his breath, “I’ll make you pay for that, Mickey Mouse.”

 

Did you have a nickname as a child? Do they still call you by that name? Melody has a cousin whose nickname is also Mickey. She is the only person who still has permission to call her by that name.  

 

 

¹Old McDonald Had a Funny Farm, Mary (McDowell) Purpari, Amazon Kindle Version, pg. 220-221. Copyright by Mary Purpari September 2009.