Life with the Grandparents By J.H. Morris The sun is shining through the windows, casting shadows on all the walls. The gentle spring breeze blows through the trees, causing the shadows to dance and move in rhythmic succession. The mid-century wooden furniture displays small knickknacks that Emily’s grandmother had collected through the years. Her favorite was a small gray kitten, playing with a ball of yarn done in porcelain. She remembers her grandmother telling the story of receiving it as a gift from grandpa in the early years of their marriage. Emily picks up the small trinket and looks at it closely. She smiles and returns it back to its place on the shelf next to the picture of Grandma and Grandpa embracing at the lake. They look so happy, she thought to herself. Now that Emily is twenty-four, she understands what life is like living in the country. After her divorce from her one and only husband, she moved in with her grandparents to help on the family farm. It was a rough life, but it helped her build character. Her Grandmother would sometimes tell her the stories of how they would get through the rough times when the crops didn’t survive, because of drought or invasive bugs. But when that happened, they would squeeze through another year and hope for the best next year. Grandpa was the workhorse of the family. Up by 4 AM, and you usually would not see him until noon for lunch. Then back on the field he would go. He said, “There’s always work to be done on the farm.” Emily continues her walkthrough of the lower floor of her grandparents’ home. She is not looking for anything in particular, just reminiscing about life with her grandparents by looking at the things in the house. Depending on the item she sees, she sometimes feels remorse for doing what she did to her grandparents.
Sixteen hours earlier “I think I’m ready to go back to the city,” Emily says while reaching for the string beans her Grandma made. “What?” Grandma says, shocked at the comment. “Aren’t you happy here?” “Of course I am, Grandma. But I think it’s time for me to move on. I need to return to the city and get my career moving again.” Emily says. Grandpa reaches for a roll without making eye contact and says, “You made a commitment to us, Em. We assumed you would see that through.”