Ways to Make Sunshine

Ryan and Amanda join Ryan’s mother at her Saturday Market booth where she sells knitwear. Promising to check in every hour, Ryan and Amanda peruse the different booths at the market. Amanda suggests that they get a snow cone and an elephant ear, and as they enjoy the pastry Ryan exclaims that she should make elephant ears for the talent show.

The girls go to a booth called Scarves and Things and while Amanda tries on scarves, Ryan looks at a table full of antique jewelry and trinkets. Ryan startles when she sees a hairpin just like the one from the canister, “with the same silver cluster of flowers” (102). The stand owner asks Ryan if she would like to try on the pin and tells Ryan and Amanda that the pin belonged to her grandmother. Before Ryan can try it on, Amanda grabs it from her hand and puts the pin back on the table, pulling Ryan away.

Back at Ryan’s mother’s stand, the girls try to explain the pin to Ryan’s mother. Ryan’s mother is unenthusiastic and encourages the girls to help her pack up her remaining table set up. She tells the girls that the hairpin is probably not the same one from Ryan’s canister, and that the likelihood that the pin’s owner has anything to do with the canister’s owner is slim.

Since her father lost his job at the post office, grocery shopping has become more challenging for the Hart family. Ryan can no longer request items that are not store-brand, and trips to the store now take a “long, long time” (109) because they have to go to multiple stores to find the best deals. Ryan feels sad knowing that “Dad is really good at doing something people don’t need him to do anymore” (107) and thinks about how it is good that she wants to be a chef because “People will always need food” (107).

After the grocery store, Ryan and her mother go to a redemption center to return their cans. Ryan’s mother apologizes that “we even have to be in this line” (109) and even though Ryan assures her mother that she does not mind waiting with her, she sees that her mother’s “eyes are sad” (110). As Ryan and her mother finish returning the cans, Ryan sees Hannah Wilkerson in the back of the line, standing with a woman who is most likely her grandmother. Seeing Hannah, Ryan recalls KiKi’s assumption that Hannah thinks she’s “all that,” and realizes that this assumption was unfair. Ryan and Hannah wave to each other as Ryan and her mother leave.

At home, Ryan and her mother cook dinner while her father and Ray make funny noises and faces at them. Ray starts beatboxing and tapping a wooden spoon on a pot, and the whole family breaks into a dance together. Ryan’s father jokes that the family should take their show on the road, and Ryan is thankful that in all the changes happening in their family, their relationship still is strong.

Ryan asks her mother if she can join Ray and his friends at Alberta Park to race bikes. Ryan’s mother agrees so long as KiKi goes with her, and Ray looks out for her. While Ray is reluctant to agree, he hands Ryan her helmet and reminds her to put it on. On the way to the park, Ray looks out for Ryan, telling her when to speed up and slow down.

At the park, Ryan challenges Ray to a race up the hill. Ray, who had just raced his friend Aidan, lags behind Ryan and she easily wins. Ryan tosses her helmet into a bush and as she goes to retrieve it, she sees the bush contains a beehive. Bees begin swarming Ryan’s head and she screams and swats at them. Ray tries to help Ryan, telling her to calm down and be still, but Ryan begins crying and takes off running towards home.

When Ryan reaches home her mother checks her out and finds no bees or stings on her. Ryan realizes that Ray, his friends, and KiKi have all chased after her, and that KiKi has brought her bike and helmet. Ryan’s mother tells her over and over that she is okay, and when Ryan realizes this, they all begin laughing.