What, am I a granny now? Im only fiftyone, and Ive still got a sprig of hair left. Im not that old, am I? she muttered, setting a bowl of soup and a wicker basket of bread on the table.
Gran, put something else on the table. My stomachs growling as loud as a kettle, announced Michael from the doorway, tugging a dusty flat cap from a peg.
Margaret frowned.
What am I, a granny? Im only fiftyone, and Ive still got a sprig of hair left. Im not that ancient, you know? she repeated, sliding the soup and the bread into place.
Michael washed his hands, drifted past her, and gave her a light tap on the lower back.
And who might you be? Youve got a twoyearold grandchild, so youre a granny. Im the granddad and Im proud of it, he chuckled, slurping the hot broth.
Call me that at home, not in front of strangers. Yesterday you shouted Gran! in the shop, and the shoes were practically at your feet, she snapped back, rolling her eyes. You know how uncomfortable that was? Everyone burst into giggles behind us.
Michael blew a sigh.
It wasnt you, it was MrMichaelson, who dropped his wallet and paid the last few pennies for the shoes. I thought hed fall to his knees and start picking up coins from the floor.
Evelynwho had been watching the exchangesaid dryly:
Did you buy him a different pair?
Michael, spoon still in hand, shrugged.
A pity hes gone now.
Evelyn couldnt hold back:
No wonder your money never sticks around, you wastrel.
When Michael finished his soup and Margaret began clearing the table, she hesitated.
Mike, you know the story. Anthonys coming, and hes not coming alone.
The moment Michael heard his name his mood soured.
And why does he need to be here? What did he even say? Go away, youre nobody to me. He tossed Nadine almost at the registry office and drove off. The thing is, she apparently met his mate right before the wedding. The poor thing sobbed, trying to explain that hed just popped in for a cassette. And this fellowpie, she whined, has no right to be here. Hes dragging someone else along, probably some citywide racket. Call him, write to him, do whatever, but I swear I wont see his face again.
Evelyn lowered her head, guilty.
Sorry, but theyll be here this evening
Michael slammed the door and, for the last time, warned:
Fine, youll have to deal with them on your own.
Margaret stared after him and sighed. She found a stonelike hair in the soupNadines handiwork, no doubt. When Anthony announced he was marrying Nadine, Margaret felt a cold knot in her chest. She didnt like her at allseemed modest and polite, but there was something offkey. When Anthony drove off in a huff, she didnt shed many tears. She married almost immediately after, to the very same bloke whod caused the drama. Moral of the story: theres no smoke without fire. Something was definitely afoot.
Margaret popped a cake into the oven. Michael would be back, wherever he ends up. Shed missed her son terribly over the past eight years. Her daughter turned up almost every week; she lived not far away. And Anthonywell, he was getting on in years, and his soul was exhausted for him. The only question was how long that would last, and whether hed ever argue with his own father again.
Anthony arrived just as Margaret had stopped waiting. Michael spent the whole evening teasing her.
Look, that window will need a new pane soon; youll have to buy a fresh one, he laughed.
Anthony, dear, Margaret flung herself onto his chest, tears streaming.
Whats he become, all fatherlike? she added, not noticing a small girl clutching a backpack at the foot of the stairs.
Oh, whos this then? Whats your name? Margaret crouched down.
The little girl extended a tiny hand.
Im Ethel, and who are you? Margaret straightened, glancing at her son, wondering who she really was to this child.
Anthony set his bags down by the door and plonked onto a chair.
Meet her, Mum. This is Ethel, my wife Olivias daughter.
Margaret cracked a grin and lunged at the girl.
Call me Gran Tan. Youre my grandchild now.
Ethel looked at Anthony.
Uncle Anthony, is that true? Is this lady really my grandma?
He gave a weary nod.
Yes.
Ethel politely embraced Margaret.
Hello, Grandma.
Just then Michael stepped out of the kitchen.
Didnt get the memowhos Uncle Anthony and whos the grandchild?
The son sprang from his seat and shook Michaels hand.
Hello, Father, and sorry for our last argument. I was young then and hadnt seen life properly.
Michael, smiling, asked:
And now youve seen it all?
Anthony let out a sigh.
Fully.
The father gave him a firm hug.
Then welcome home, son, and both mens eyes glistened with tears.
Margaret exhaled with relief; the family was finally on the same page.
After a late supper, while Ethel was already dozing, Anthony laid out the whole mess.
When I left, I was angry. You didnt know the whole truth, and I didnt want to let Nadine down. I went over that night just to say goodnight, you idiot, and found her snuggling with Victor in the hedges. I tried to intervene, but Nadine shouted she loved him. I spat and walked off.
That was ancient history. I drove to the city to visit my mate Peter and help out until my wages ran dry. I needed a job, so I became a security guard in a shop. At the till worked Oliviatiny, sprightly, a real featherlight thing. One day a customer hissed at her, saying shed given the wrong change. She broke down in the staff room, and I happened to be there with a cuppa.
Want me to give him a lecture? I asked.
She smiled weakly.
If everyone were like that, the shop would never make a profit. You get the troublemakers, they dump their woes on us.
I said,
Shell have to get used to this; no point crying.
She replied,
Its not that. My landlady is kicking my daughter out of the flat. I have nowhere to go.
I asked,
How old is your daughter?
Olivia pulled out a photo, beaming.
Three. While Im on shift, neighbour Gran Lisa looks after her. Shed take us in, but her son keeps taking her flat and selling it. And my pay wont arrive for another week.
She slumped back at the till.
I didnt fall in love at first sight, or even second. I just felt sorry for her. It was obvious a scoundrel had duped this naïve girl and left her with a baby. I felt sorry, so after my shift I offered her a spare room in my student hall. She first refused, probably scared, but eventually agreedshe cant live on the streets with a child.
So we became neighbours. She cooked, washed, we swapped shifts. I looked after Ethel while she studied. The childs fineserious for her age, probably inherited her fathers temperament. Olivia wasnt like that before. Within six months we were a proper family.
Two years ago Olivia fell seriously ill. We fought as best we could, but half a year later she passed. A month before that, I adopted Ethel so shed never end up in a childrens home. She still calls me Uncle to this day.
Olivia was honest about having a biological dad whod abandoned them. We argued fiercely, didnt speak for a week, until she finally approached me and explained shed grown up in a foster home and never knew her real parents. At eighteen, the state flat shed been given was taken away, and she swore to always tell the truth.
Now Ive got a new job thanks to Petergood pay, solid hours. I cant take Ethel with me when I go abroad for work. Could you look after her while Im earning? It would be a blessing, I thought, looking at my parents.
Michael and Margaret exchanged a glance and said in unison:
Of course, you can leave her with us. Just let her stay a week, so she settles in, otherwise shell get overwhelmed.
And thats what they did.
Ethel slipped quietly into the grandparents routine, feeding the chickens and trying to help Margaret wherever she could. She was frightened of Grandpa Mike until he brought her a massive plush bear. She clutched it, beaming.
Grandpa Mike is here, and now theres a bear named Michael!
When the daughter and her own little one visited, no extra nanny was neededEthel played and pushed the pram.
Three months later, when Anthony came back from his stint away, Ethel was the first to spot him. She shouted,
Granddad, Gran, dads back! Hooray! and threw herself into his arms.
The adults wept. It seemed Ethel had finally found her real family.
Give this story a like and drop a comment below!