stilted. “I’m meeting a friend in crisis at the mall.”
Lydia felt rebuked for prying. Damn it, she was only making small talk!
Greta ran into the hall and grabbed Meredith around her knees. “Good-bye, Mommy.” She cocked her head to look at Lydia. “Hi, Grammy. Brittany said you brought us presents.”
Meredith gently freed herself from her daughter’s grasp. “Greta, what did I tell you about asking for presents?”
“Not to ask for them. But Grammy’s different, aren’t you, Grammy?” Greta flashed her adorable smile.
She should be in TV commercials, Lydia decided with a grandmother’s pride. “Of course, I am,” she said, smiling back, then opened her mouth in dismay. In the rush of hurrying from one place to another, she’d forgotten Greta’s doll. Flustered by her omission, she paid scant attention to Meredith’s litany of instructions.
“—Brittany fell asleep on my bed watching TV. Let her sleep. I’ll be back by five.”
Meredith air-kissed Lydia’s cheek then departed. Lydia led her little granddaughter into the den and took her hand. “Greta honey, I have a present for you, only Grammy’s getting forgetful. I left it at home.”
“Oh.” The large blue eyes cast down at the floor. “I want to get the present at your house.”
“We will, only we can’t right now because Brittany’s asleep.”
“Then let’s wake her up.” Greta pulled away, ready to put deed to words, but Lydia stopped her.
“We can’t, honey. We have to let Brittany sleep because she’s been sick. We’ll get your present.”
“When?”
Lydia hesitated. “When she wakes up.”
The usual sunny Greta turned truculent and whiny, insisting every five minutes that Brittany had slept enough. A few times Lydia caught her halfway up the stairs, intent on waking her sister. She tried reading to Greta, but she wouldn’t sit still. She slipped a favorite movie into the DVD, but Greta had her mind on one thing only—getting her present.
At her wits’ end, Lydia asked, “Why do you want your present so much if you don’t know what it is?”
Greta shot her a brilliant smile. “Because you always give good presents.”
“Now we’re going to play a game about your present,” Lydia said, making it up as she went along. “It’s a guessing game.”
“Oh, goody!” Greta clapped her hands.
“You have to guess what it is. I can only nod my head ‘yes’ and shake it for ‘no.’” Lydia moved her head both ways as she spoke. Greta giggled. Lydia sighed with relief. At last she had Greta’s attention.
It took her granddaughter, whose mind was on animals and elves these days, some minutes to guess that her present was a doll. “Now, what kind of doll is it?” Lydia asked. As Greta tried her best to figure it out, Brittany crept slowly down the steps. She was wearing a nightgown.
“Hi, Grandma, where’s Mommy?” she asked.
“She went out for a while. Want something to eat?”
“Some juice, please.”
Lydia smoothed Brittany’s hair, then felt her forehead. She had a fever. “Sit down on the den couch and I’ll bring you some.”
“Apple juice, Grandma. Oh, Grammy, thank you!” Brittany shouted when she spied the book Lydia had placed on the couch.
Lydia smiled and brought Brittany her apple juice. “You’re welcome.”
Brittany was already reading the first page.
“Now we can get my present,” Greta said as she kicked the den table.
“Don’t do that!” Brittany and Lydia said in unison.
“Well, I’ve been waiting and waiting,” Greta complained.
Lydia peered at Brittany. She appeared wan and listless, certainly not on her way to recovery as Meredith had described in her phone call this morning.
“Do you feel up to taking a ride to my house to get Greta’s doll? You can stay in the car while I run in and get it.”
Brittany sank back into the couch. “I don’t want to go.”
Greta stamped her foot. “I’ve been waiting and waiting, and I didn’t wake you
Lydia felt rebuked for prying. Damn it, she was only making small talk!
Greta ran into the hall and grabbed Meredith around her knees. “Good-bye, Mommy.” She cocked her head to look at Lydia. “Hi, Grammy. Brittany said you brought us presents.”
Meredith gently freed herself from her daughter’s grasp. “Greta, what did I tell you about asking for presents?”
“Not to ask for them. But Grammy’s different, aren’t you, Grammy?” Greta flashed her adorable smile.
She should be in TV commercials, Lydia decided with a grandmother’s pride. “Of course, I am,” she said, smiling back, then opened her mouth in dismay. In the rush of hurrying from one place to another, she’d forgotten Greta’s doll. Flustered by her omission, she paid scant attention to Meredith’s litany of instructions.
“—Brittany fell asleep on my bed watching TV. Let her sleep. I’ll be back by five.”
Meredith air-kissed Lydia’s cheek then departed. Lydia led her little granddaughter into the den and took her hand. “Greta honey, I have a present for you, only Grammy’s getting forgetful. I left it at home.”
“Oh.” The large blue eyes cast down at the floor. “I want to get the present at your house.”
“We will, only we can’t right now because Brittany’s asleep.”
“Then let’s wake her up.” Greta pulled away, ready to put deed to words, but Lydia stopped her.
“We can’t, honey. We have to let Brittany sleep because she’s been sick. We’ll get your present.”
“When?”
Lydia hesitated. “When she wakes up.”
The usual sunny Greta turned truculent and whiny, insisting every five minutes that Brittany had slept enough. A few times Lydia caught her halfway up the stairs, intent on waking her sister. She tried reading to Greta, but she wouldn’t sit still. She slipped a favorite movie into the DVD, but Greta had her mind on one thing only—getting her present.
At her wits’ end, Lydia asked, “Why do you want your present so much if you don’t know what it is?”
Greta shot her a brilliant smile. “Because you always give good presents.”
“Now we’re going to play a game about your present,” Lydia said, making it up as she went along. “It’s a guessing game.”
“Oh, goody!” Greta clapped her hands.
“You have to guess what it is. I can only nod my head ‘yes’ and shake it for ‘no.’” Lydia moved her head both ways as she spoke. Greta giggled. Lydia sighed with relief. At last she had Greta’s attention.
It took her granddaughter, whose mind was on animals and elves these days, some minutes to guess that her present was a doll. “Now, what kind of doll is it?” Lydia asked. As Greta tried her best to figure it out, Brittany crept slowly down the steps. She was wearing a nightgown.
“Hi, Grandma, where’s Mommy?” she asked.
“She went out for a while. Want something to eat?”
“Some juice, please.”
Lydia smoothed Brittany’s hair, then felt her forehead. She had a fever. “Sit down on the den couch and I’ll bring you some.”
“Apple juice, Grandma. Oh, Grammy, thank you!” Brittany shouted when she spied the book Lydia had placed on the couch.
Lydia smiled and brought Brittany her apple juice. “You’re welcome.”
Brittany was already reading the first page.
“Now we can get my present,” Greta said as she kicked the den table.
“Don’t do that!” Brittany and Lydia said in unison.
“Well, I’ve been waiting and waiting,” Greta complained.
Lydia peered at Brittany. She appeared wan and listless, certainly not on her way to recovery as Meredith had described in her phone call this morning.
“Do you feel up to taking a ride to my house to get Greta’s doll? You can stay in the car while I run in and get it.”
Brittany sank back into the couch. “I don’t want to go.”
Greta stamped her foot. “I’ve been waiting and waiting, and I didn’t wake you
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