Daisy's Perfect Word (4 page)

“Are you going to get a red licorice?” Daisy asked, knowing that was one of Emma's favorites.

Licorice
was on Daisy's list of
Sweetest Words
along with
caramel
because both were a little unusual.
Taffy
was also on there, because it was so much fun to say, and
chocolate
was at the top of the list, because it was Daisy's favorite.

“I'm thinking it might be a
peppermint
sort of day,” Emma answered.

Daisy wasn't sure which candy to get. She always chose some kind of chocolate. But she was worried that she was getting to be a bit like her cousin, who always examined every flavor of ice cream at the ice-cream store, and even tasted a few, but always ordered the same thing — vanilla. Maybe she should try something that wasn't chocolate. She compromised, settling on a chocolate with butterscotch in the center.

“What did you get for Lily?” Emma asked, because she knew Daisy liked to surprise Lily with little gifts. Daisy had picked out a pink taffy. When the girls got home, Lily was playing out front. She was wearing her pink leotard with the matching tutu, which were recent birthday presents, and which she hardly ever took off.

“Close your eyes,” Daisy said, and Lily obliged.

Then Lily put out her hand and tilted her face up. Daisy placed the surprise in Lily's open palm and signaled for her to open her eyes by pushing gently on Lily's little nose. “Taffy!” Lily said. “Yumm!” Daisy thought about the word
taffy
for Miss Goldner. But then she remembered that Miss Goldner preferred chocolates with cream centers.

Before dinner, Daisy went back to Emma's house to do some homework, but she had a hard time concentrating. Maybe Miss Goldner would like a practical school word like
eraser
or
subtraction
. She wrote those words down on a piece of scrap paper, but then she crossed them out. Those words might be useful, but they weren't very exciting. Daisy's mother called to tell her it was time to come home for dinner. “It's spaghetti night,” Daisy said to Emma. “I don't want to be late, or Lily might eat all the meatballs.”

That night, Daisy told her family about her plan to find the perfect word for Miss Goldner. Lily suggested
blankie
, because everyone feels better with a blankie. Her mother suggested
coffee
, because she said a lot of grown-ups feel better with coffee. Her father suggested
vacation
, because he said most people feel better after taking one. Daisy listened carefully to each idea but knew she hadn't found the right word yet.

Later, as Daisy said her good-nights to her teddy bears, she wondered if Miss Goldner might like a
Quiet-Time
word. After all, everyone needed to go to sleep. But Daisy decided that her
Quiet-Time
words might be better for kids and stuffed animals than for teachers. She would have to keep looking.

Chapter Six  

The next day was science day. Daisy and Emma were eager to get to school, because Miss Goldner always made science fun.

When they walked into the classroom, they were dazzled by what they saw. Miss Goldner had hung two-dozen little crystals on strings from the ceiling. The crystals were creating rainbows all over the room.

“It's beautiful,” Emma said.

“It's magical!” Daisy declared.

All the other children “oohed” and “aahed” as they came in. Miss Goldner explained that the crystals were actually prisms. The prisms separated out each color contained in white light, causing the rainbows to appear.

At each child's desk was a little prism to use. Before Daisy picked hers up, she took out her notebook and started a new list:
Rainbow Words
. She wrote down
light
and
colors
. Then she thought for a minute and added
magical
. Hmm. Maybe
rainbow
would be a good word for Miss Goldner. It sure was full of brightness. But it was a little too light and airy. It wasn't quite perfect.

* * *

After school, Emma had to go to dance class, and Daisy went to visit Mrs. Bookman. While she was at school, Daisy had decided that a visit with Mrs. Bookman was just what she needed.

“Well, hello, Daisy,” Mrs. Bookman said when she opened the door. “Rhubarb pie?”

Daisy wasn't sure what a rhubarb was, but Mrs. Bookman's unusual foods were almost always tasty, and who wouldn't want pie?

“I need to call my mom to let her know I'm here,” Daisy said, picking up the phone as Mrs. Bookman put two large slices of pie onto plates.

Rhubarb pie turned out to be sweet and a little tart at the same time. Daisy thought it would go nicely with her homemade lemonade and promised Mrs. Bookman she would bring some over the next time she made a pitcher.

One of the great things about Mrs. Bookman was that she always treated kids as if they were grown-ups, asking their opinions about important things like whether she should paint her living room peach or beige. Daisy thought peach would be peachy.

Mrs. Bookman was also a good listener. Daisy had been wondering about the word
indigo
. “If it's a color in the rainbow, it must be pretty important,” Daisy said. “But no one ever says, ‘I just got indigo sneakers.'”

Mrs. Bookman nodded and said, “I never thought about that, but you're absolutely right!”

Daisy explained what she was looking for today — the perfect word for her teacher.

“Ah, yes,” Mrs. Bookman said. “There are many wonderful words — musical ones, theatrical ones and just plain useful ones. But I'm not sure I've ever noticed a perfect one.”

Daisy sighed.

“Sometimes the best things are the hardest to find,” Mrs. Bookman said. “Listen to the world around you, and I'm quite certain you will be successful.”

Daisy did not feel certain at all and wasn't quite sure how to listen to the world. Still, she was glad Mrs. Bookman hadn't said the quest was impossible. Daisy thanked her for the pie and promised to come again soon.

Chapter Seven  

On her way back home, Daisy walked by Samantha's house. Just her luck, Samantha was playing hopscotch on the sidewalk.

“I found the perfect vase for Miss Goldner,” Samantha said. “A vase is very practical. It's something Miss Goldner can always use.”

Daisy imagined Miss Goldner happily arranging flowers in Samantha's vase. She imagined Miss Goldner giving Samantha a big hug. She imagined herself looking at the floor, because she didn't have any gift at all.

When Daisy arrived back home, her mother saw her slumped shoulders. “I know how difficult it can be,” her mother said. “Sometimes when I'm writing something, I just can't think of the right word but eventually it comes. Try not to get discouraged.” Daisy went to her room and took out the little paperback dictionary she had gotten as a birthday present the previous year. She looked up
discouraged
. When she learned that it meant to feel a lack of hope and spirit, she opened her notebook and added it to her list of
Words for Difficult Times
.

* * *

When her dad came home from work, he found Daisy outside, lying on the grass, staring up at the sky. “Want to play some catch?” he asked.

“Sure,” she said, grabbing her mitt. They tossed the ball back and forth. “What's your favorite word?” He thought for a minute.

“I guess I'd have to go with
baseball
,” he said.

Baseball
was a word that made Daisy think of lots of fun things — hot dogs, sunshine, the smell of her mitt, the feel of the ball in her hand and the wonderful “crack” the bat made when it hit the ball.

“
Baseball
is a great word,” she said. “But I'm pretty sure Miss Goldner plays tennis.”

Daisy was beginning to doubt whether she would ever find the perfect word for Miss Goldner. And if she did find it, would Miss Goldner be able to use it?

But Daisy didn't want to give up, so she went inside, got out her notebook and turned to her list of
Encouraging Words
. She read from the list:
try
,
effort
and
smile
. Daisy went to the mirror and said to her reflection, “Keep trying,” and gave herself a smile big enough that she could see the dimple in her left cheek.